Heart Wide Open

Heart Wide Open: Trading Mundane Faith for an Exuberant Life with Jesus by Shellie Rushing Tomlinson

I received an advance review copy from the author. Publication date: March 18, 2014

My review:

In a departure from her humorous works, Shellie Tomlinson shares her spiritual journey with readers in Heart Wide Open. There is still plenty of humor, but Shellie uses it to encourage other women who do all of the "right things"-- church attendance, Bible study, morning quiet time-- and still find themselves lacking a zest for life with Jesus.

Never preachy and always comforting, Shellie shares how she has fallen in love with God and how her sisters in Christ can, too. The folksy Southern tone that she uses in her radio show and in her two humor books is still there, but it's toned way down and should not be off-putting for most readers.

Shellie urges us all to find real joy in our relationship with God by relying fully on His grace. Her excitement for the topic is infectious, and readers who have been "beaten with a Bible" will find plenty of love, acceptance, and hope in these pages. Highly recommended for church libraries and Christians who want a relationship with their Savior instead of transactional interactions.

Stars: 5

Mad About the Boy

Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding

I borrowed a hardcover copy from my local public library.

My review:

Bridget's back! I am not going to try to avoid the "spoiler" that had everyone so upset, because it is not a spoiler. Mark is dead. They got married and had a couple of kids and now he's dead. Anything else would be a spoiler, but those basic facts are not.

Bridget is now in her early 50's and is juggling (single) motherhood slightly behind the schedule of most of her friends. She's also back in the dating game and finding it as difficult as it was for her twenty years previously. She attacks her new challenges with her typical blend of courage, anxiety, self-doubt, and determination to improve. Her voice is unchanged from the first two books, and readers who loved her the first two times around will only love her more now.

Though the book is screamingly funny, it also has a depth that the previous books did not quite touch. While younger Bridget worried about her parents, her career, and whether or not her life was going to turn out okay, a Bridget who has had and lost the love of her life has a very different foundation underlying the same old worries and schemes. Some of the passages about her missing Mark and wishing that he could be there to see his children grow up literally left me in tears.

A book that can leave a reader breathless with both laughter and sobs gets five stars on my blog.

Stars: 5

Grave Peril

Grave Peril by Jim Butcher

I borrowed the ebook from the Free Library of Philadelphia's OverDrive collection.

My review:

Number 3 in The Dresden Files, Grave Peril continues the trials and tribulations of Harry Dresden, wizard. This installment brings back characters from the previous two books, including trouble-making vampires and talkative skulls. It also introduces us to a new character, Michael, who is a devout Knight of the Cross and makes an interesting counterpoint to the agnostic Harry.

The action and thrills continue to deliver, and there's plenty of Harry's dry humor to keep the reader chuckling and the pages turning. It would be easier to begin the series at the beginning than to jump in here, but fans of the first two books should be thoroughly satisfied with this continuation.

Stars: 5

World War Z

World War Z by Max Brooks

I borrowed the audiobook on CD from the public library.

My review:

This "oral history of the zombie war" chronicles humanity's global struggle for survival in a zombie apocalypse. The individuals' stories are presented in chronological order, building upon one another though the characters have never met.

Max Brooks apparently has a wide array of interests, as evidenced by the many, varied, and completely believable characters he has created to tell this tale. From old-school rural doctors to hot-shot pilots, annoying basement-dwellers, and mystic Russian priests, readers get a cross-section of humanity and lots of convincing detail.

The audio production is read by a full cast, which does an excellent job. Though there is no single hero to follow through the war as the book unfolds, each individual vignette will grip through the last word. There are heroes to cheer for, clueless bumblers doomed to failure, and despicable mercenaries out to save their own skins and make a buck at any cost. This book and the audiobook production should appeal to a wide range of readers and could be a great recommendation for younger men who struggle to find compelling reading material.

Stars: 5

Runability: 4

Heartbroken

Heartbroken by Lisa Unger

I borrowed the ebook through my local public library's 3M service.

My review:

Heartbroken is what I think of as thriller-lite; it's a thriller without some of the gore and violence that can accompany that genre heading. It follows the eventually-intertwining paths of a working-class girl trying to rehabilitate her loser boyfriend and the more rarefied existence of an upper-middle-class soccer mom who has issues with her well-off but demanding mother.

This one kept the pages turning, and everyone in my book club enjoyed it very much.

Stars: 5

Savannah Breeze

Savannah Breeze by Mary Kay Andrews

I borrowed the audiobook on CD through my workplace's interlibrary loan service.

My review:

BeBe Loudermilk is a successful businesswoman, loving granddaughter, loyal BFF, and a few-times-divorcee in Savannah. After making the mistake of once again trusting the wrong man, BeBe is determined to get back on her feet and get her revenge, no matter how many horrifying motel bathrooms she has to scrub.

The sequel to Savannah Blues, this book features many of the same characters and a few new ones. Granddad, especially, stole my heart and made me laugh out loud. The reader struggled early on to bring convincing life to each character, but she hit her stride after a couple of chapters and most of the book was great listening.

Stars: 5

Runability: 4

Just delightful. I'm behind on my blogging, so that's all I'll say. But I had so much fun with this one and am so glad that I went to the trouble of getting it on audio. 

How to Look Expensive

How to Look Expensive by Andrea Pomerantz Lustig

I borrowed the hardcover from the public library.

My review:

Andrea Lustig is the beauty editor at Glamour magazine and has years and years of experience and lots and lots of contacts in the biz. In How to Look Expensive, she distills all of that knowledge into one slim volume that's packed with effective, straightforward, and money-saving beauty advice.

Readers who are passionately devoted to beauty blogs and women's magazines may not find a great deal new here, but for those whose interest is more casual, this book is an efficient guide to upgrading your look. The best aspect of this book is that it names specific products and colors from particular brands. For every high-priced item, Andrea also recommends a comparable alternative at a lower price point. She also explains what makes each choice a good one, so if her recommendations don't suit you for some reason, you can easily look for something similar that is available in your area or preferred brand.

Early in the book, she outlines four "luxe personas": Park Avenue Pretty, Hollywood Boho, Glam Globe-Trotter, and Modern Movie Star. Each persona is illustrated with contemporary celebrities (and photographs of them!). From that point forward, every section, be it hair cut, makeup style, or fragrance choice, will have recommendations tailored to the various personas to help you figure out a cohesive style. 

At the end of most sections, there is a "Work Your ___ Budget" guide that tells you how to maximize the impact of whatever cash you have to devote to this aspect of your budget. If you have $20 to spend on makeup, she tells you where to put it; if your budget is more like $50 or $100 or more, she has advice for you, too.

Each section also concludes with a comparison of what makes people look like they "Don't Have a Dime" and the contrasting characteristics that make you "Look Like a Million Bucks" to sum up the look you're going for... and the one you're not.

Highly recommended for women who want to upgrade their look without devoting their whole lives or wallets to personal upkeep.

Stars: 5

I'm probably going to buy my own copy of this book just because I found it THAT helpful.

Going Clear

Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, & the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright

I borrowed the ebook from the Free Library of Philadelphia.

My review:

I first heard of this book on Julie's Book Hooked Blog last month and placed a hold on it immediately.
I'm fascinated by religions and theology, and who isn't a little intrigued by the mysterious organization that claims communion with aliens and which boasts John Travolta and Tom Cruise as members?

Wright did his research thoroughly; footnotes are scrupulously appended to especially controversial claims. And there are a lot of controversial claims that the Church of Scientology doesn't like one little bit, including stories of horrific abuse of Sea Org members at the hand of church leadership.

Despite the research and cross-referencing, this account of L. Ron Hubbard's life and of the development of the church following his death is perfectly readable. Those who adhere to no religion will be chilled at how so many non-believers were drawn into the church by the "scientific" self-help programs that seem to work so well. Thoughtful readers who are devout in an established religion will find themselves asking uncomfortable questions about their own belief systems.

This would be a good book to recommend to readers who enjoy entertaining nonfiction.

Stars: 5

My eyebrows were halfway up my forehead for most of the time I was reading this book. The claims of abuse in the church are horrifying. Almost more chilling is the claim that so many people in the punishment sectors stay willingly, either because they truly believe or because they fear the repercussions of leaving. Most frightening of all is that so many others who did attempt to escape the church have been hunted down across the country when they fled and that those who have opposed the church have been calculatedly stalked and driven to ruin.

Dreamfever

Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning

I borrowed the audiobook from the public library.

My review:

After the more cerebral pursuits of Faefever, Mac is back in real action. Dreamfever is the most action-packed volume in the entire Fever series, which is lots of fun. There's plenty going on beneath the surface level, as well, and some crucial relationships are definitely changing in very enjoyable ways.

A few sections are narrated by Dani instead of Mac, and that is the only real weakness of this book. Dani's voice, particularly in the audiobook, grates on me. Fortunately, the Dani passages are only temporary and Mac does resume telling her own tale.

An important note about the audio production of the book is that Dreamfever and the next and last book of the series, Shadowfever, are read by Natalie Ross and Phil Gigante. Phil Gigante does a great job with almost all of the male characters, but I prefer Joyce Bean (from the first three books) as Mac and the other females. Natalie Ross is good, but Joyce Bean is better.

Still, Dreamfever may be my favorite of the series, which is saying a lot.

Stars: 5

Runability: 5

Bloodfever

Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning

I borrowed the audiobook on CD from my local public library.

My review:

Bloodfever is the second in the Fever series; my review of the first book can be found here. As Bloodfever is a continuation of the same story, the review and critique of it is much the same. Mac digs deeper for secrets and encounters more "players on the board."

In Bloodfever Mac has learned enough to start being more proactive, but her voice stays the same and her character's development is gradual and constant; as she becomes less "glam-girl Mac" and more "savage Mac," the transition is smooth and does not jar or go in fits and bursts. Fans of the first book will be excited to dive into the more robust action in the second.

Stars: 5

Runability: 5

Again, this was a re-listen for me. I'm enjoying the books every bit as much the second time around.

Savannah Blues

Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews

I borrowed the audiobook on CD from my local public library since Brilliance Audio titles are no longer available for download through the OverDrive service.

My review:

"Landing a catch like Talmadge Evans III got Eloise "Weezie" Foley a jewel of a town house in Savannah's historic district. Divorcing Tal got her exiled to the backyard carriage house, where she has launched a spite-fest with Tal's new fiancée, the elegant Caroline DeSantos." --Product description from LibraryThing

Weezie is trying to get her antiques business up and running and to hold her head high and her ground firm. That's no easy feat and she needs every bit of her brains and her sense of humor. Her narration is full of dry wit, pithy observations, and tell-it-like-it-is honesty... at least in her own head, in conversations with her best friend Bebe, and for the reader's benefit.

Passages that follow her priest-turned-lawyer Uncle James aren't as sassy but do suit his character well, and they add depth to the portrayal of the upper-middle-class Savannah social set. James becomes almost as fun to follow as Weezie is, herself.

Stars: 5

Runability: 5

I can't even begin to capture this book in a review. It's just wonderful. Susan Ericksen is quickly becoming one of my favorite audiobook readers and she hits this one out of the park. I laughed, and I gasped, and I couldn't figure out whodunnit (I never can). It's sexy and funny and sigh-worthy and I just wanted to crawl into this book and live there. A new favorite, for sure!

Once Upon a Prince

Once Upon a Prince by Rachel Hauck

I received a review copy from the publisher (Zondervan) via NetGalley.

My review:

I like the library description I found on LibraryThing: "When a jilted girlfriend meets a reluctant crown prince, they discover the power of God's love to heal hearts and change a nation."

The basic storyline has already been explored in works like A Royal Pain and the movie The Prince and Me, but Hauck breathes fresh life into the familiar plot. She manages to do so while conveying a strong Christian message without being heavy-handed or unrealistic.

Susanna's situation is one that is familiar to most young women, and readers will relate to her and understand her problems and fears. While Nate's external circumstances are less typical, his internal struggles keep him from being a stiff "Prince Charming" stock character. Little sister Avery is particularly charming as supporting cast, and the Georgia coast setting is a homey and romantic backdrop for the blossoming of a friendship into more.

The first few pages of prose were a little heavy, but Hauck hit her stride quickly and treats us to an enchanting little fantasy with more than a toehold in the real world. Highly recommended for readers of contemporary Christian romance who got up early to watch the Will & Kate wedding.

Stars: 5

This is the first book by Rachel Hauck that I've actually read, but I have a few of her other works on my to-read list and now I'm excited to get to them. This little novel was a delightful summer treat.

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir by Bill Bryson

I downloaded the audiobook from the public library's OverDrive service (Publisher: Books on Tape).

My review:

Bill Bryson is back with his unique perspective on American life. This book, as indicated by the title, is a memoir of his growing-up years in Des Moines in the 1950s. It is more of a memoir of "childhood" or "kid world" than a strict autobiographical account, and Bryson brings his dry, affectionate, understated wit to bear on to one of the most cherished periods of American history.

This hilarious tour of "kid world" will resonate with anyone who was ever a child, whether or not they experienced that particular phase of life during the 1950s.

Stars: 5

Runability: 1

I tried running to this one, I really did, but I just can't run and laugh out loud at the same time.

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton DiSclafani

I borrowed the hardback from my local public library.

My review:

Fifteen-year-old Theadora is humiliated, outraged, and angry when her family packs her off to a girls' camp/school in North Carolina in the summer of 1930. After a sheltered life in rural Florida, Thea is plunged into culture shock when she must live in a cabin and take all of her classes, riding lessons, and meals with other privileged girls.

While Thea is 15/16 in the book, Yonahlossee is not a young-adult book. It falls into the category somewhat pretentiously known as "coming-of-age novels," but it captures the transition from childhood to the world of adulthood much more succinctly and compellingly than many works that are thus described.

The writing is excellent, the setting drawn in gorgeous detail, and the narrative device of flipping back and forth in time before and after "the incident" builds the tension perfectly. While the Act that got Thea sent away from home will not take much deducing, it is clear that there is more to the story. The need to know the whole truth intensifies as the book progresses. The progressive revelations about the past are neatly paired with developments in Thea's present at camp, illuminating her reasons for acting as she did in each situation and highlighting her development into a woman.

Recommended for adult female readers looking for a little depth along with the scandal in their summer reading. 

Stars: 5

It was easy for me to relate to Thea; I, too, grew up in a very isolated home and spent no meaningful time with boys outside my family. I spent hours and hours at the barn and on horseback when I was a young teen. I also went to Girl Scout camp faithfully (often horse camp) and worked at one for an entire summer. The transition to communal living and learning with other students was a shock when I went to college. So the external circumstances were ones that I understood better than the average reader may.

While Thea's drives will garner a lot of head nods from women remembering their own teen years, the way she handles them will raise a lot of eyebrows. Her choices are often scandalous, but what I found most unsettling was how she ultimately makes peace with the consequences. It's a book that doesn't quite let you go when you put it down.

Darkfever

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

My review:

MacKayla Lane is 22, pretty, and planning on spending most of her summer poolside in her small-town Georgia home. She likes nail polish, happy pop music, and Coronas on the beach while scoping out the guys. Then her sister is horrifically murdered while studying abroad in Dublin and Mac gets sucked into a dark supernatural world that she had no idea existed.

Darkfever is positively brilliant. Dark and light, control and chaos, play off of each other as Mac digs deeper into the confusion and secrets around her. The fantasy world is devilishly complex and so are most of the characters. But the true delight of Darkfever is Mac herself. By turns sweet and sunny or dark and determined, she narrates her story with pitch-perfect wordplay and piercing gallows humor.

Joyce Bean captures MacKayla's voice perfectly. She does an admirable job with the variety of supporting characters, many of whom have challenging accents. Bean's portrayal of Mac's sweet southern narration drips with wit and determination and makes this audio production a treat for listeners.

Stars: 5

Runability: 5

Darkfever was actually a re-listen for me. I found it a couple of years ago and fell head over heels for it and the rest of KMM's Fever series. Darkfever begins in early July, and the first time I listened to it was also in summer, so something about this time of year and my mood made it impossible not to revisit one of my favorites.

I've placed a hold on the CD version of the next in the series, and I think I may work my way back through all of the Fever books on audio over the next few months. Mac's world is so detailed and she learns so much about it throughout the course of her story that I know it will reward another "reading."

Naked in Death

Naked in Death by J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts

I downloaded the audiobook from the public library's OverDrive service.

My review:

Nora Roberts is more than a talented and successful romance author; she does suspense, mystery, and crime very well, too. While there is romance and sex in Naked in Death, it takes a backseat to the serial killer mystery and actually manages to contribute to the main story.

In Death is a futuristic series but I think will hold up well even as we move farther into the future; this book was originally written in the mid-90's and aside from the limited use mobile technology, I still found the portrayal of 2058 fairly plausible. Technology was advanced and integrated into everyday life but had not changed long-established cultural norms or movements. Lt. Eve Dallas' America is still recognizably America, just with better transportation, security, and medical services.

I mean, we'd better have our flying cars in 45 years, darn it.

The story itself was compelling; the crimes were grisly and the psychology of Eve and the killer were interesting to unravel, as well. I had a pretty good bead on whodunnit about halfway through, however, and I am usually really bad at that, so the case may not intrigue seasoned mystery buffs. Still, the excellent writing and characterization will probably be enough to hold their interest.

Stars: 4.5

Runability: 5

Susan Ericksen does a simply amazing job with the narration. This is hands-down one of the best audiobook productions I've enjoyed, and it is the perfect running soundtrack. I have a hold on the next in the series and can't wait to start it.

When Love Calls

When Love Calls by Lorna Seilstad

I purchased the ebook from Barnes & Noble.

My review:

Hannah Gregory's parents have unexpectedly passed away, leaving her in charge of her two younger sisters and faced with the necessity of dropping out of law school. To support the family, she decides to become a "Hello Girl," or switchboard operator. Before she is able to secure a paycheck, the bank dispatches a young lawyer to foreclose on the farm, and Hannah is annoyed to find that he keeps crossing her path.

Lorna Seilstad is a Christian writer who creates lively, interesting characters with believable motives. Early-20th-century Des Moines, Iowa, may sound prosaic, but romance is all the more charming amidst the everyday settings of work, picnics, and church services. Seilstad manages to capture an energetic and optimistic time in history, when the nation was full of progress and hope for the future.

The biblical message is not veiled, but neither is it lobbed at the reader like a brick. The parallel with the story of Ruth feels a little forced, but then, similarities between everyday life and biblical stories are usually not exact in every detail, so it is a realistic way of drawing applicable lessons from a scriptural text.

Rating: 4.5 stars; we'll round up to 5

Lincoln Cole is my kind of literary heartthrob. This young lawyer is hot! I feel that Seilstad has really reached her potential in this book and has created two leading characters who are equally flawed and equally delightful. Both Hannah and Lincoln learn and grow, which I love. I can't wait for the next books in the Gregory Sisters series; unfortunately, I have about a year to wait!

The Scarlet Pimpernel

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy

I downloaded the audiobook from LibriVox.

My review:

The Scarlet Pimpernel is such an odd title that I never had a great desire to read it. A girl who lived across the hall from me in college once told me that it was really good, though, and she didn't strike me as a big reader, so I concluded that it must be an engaging story. I was right.

I did tire of the word "inane," but other than that, I have no complaints about the book at all. The story is quick and the action is exciting; the heroine has her faults but is also brave and doesn't sit around to be rescued. She goes off to do the rescuing! And, of course, everyone is rich and gorgeous, which never hurts.

The nationalism and racism are characteristic of the time and place, and some of the characters do actually end up paying for their snobbery.

Rating: 5 stars

Runability: 4 stars

LibriVox is a wonderful source for free audiobooks of classics that are in the public domain (typically, this means works that were published prior to 1923). The reading and recording quality can be a mixed bag, and I find it disconcerting to have a different person read each chapter. Some works, however, have been read entirely by one reader, and I look for those. I was VERY impressed by Karen Savage's reading, to which I linked above. I just found out that, in addition to volunteering her talents for LibriVox, she also records audiobooks professionally. I highly recommend taking advantage of this opportunity to get a free copy of a great book narrated by a talented reader.

The Front Porch Prophet

The Front Porch Prophet by Raymond L. Atkins

I received a free ebook copy from Barnes & Noble several years ago as one of their Free Fridays selections.

My review:

From the summary, this book sounded bizarre-- perhaps a little too bizarre. After a few pages, however, the novel reveals itself for the set-down-and-stay-a-spell piece of southern literary fiction that it is. Atkins follows the piercing, scathing, touching tradition of southern writers such as Mark Twain and Michael Malone, a compliment that I do not give lightly.

Atkins takes tragedy and the absurdity of everyday life and reveals more about each through the foil of the other. A.J. and Eugene and their small town of family, friends, and foes struggle through every challenge that life can throw at them: job loss, adultery, addiction, death of family, and finally a terminal illness. Circumstances may be tragic and futile, but Atkins will not allow his characters or his readers to sink under them. There is always hope to be found. And, thanks to Atkin's brilliant prose and incorporation of the ridiculous, there is a lot to laugh at, too.

I never expected to laugh out loud through a novel about a man dying of cancer, but I did. The loosely-connected yarns are the contemporary descendent of Jim Blaine's story about his grandfather's ram. For everyone who has ever been a member of a slow-moving, deep-breathing, tight-knit community, and for everyone who wishes that they were, this book will be a delight.

Stars: 5

A brief study in introversion

This post is going to be a little different. Rather than a full review of a single book, I'm going to suggest several books on a theme.

I am an introvert; when I take the "are you an introvert" tests, I invariably score as high in the "I" category as it is possible to do. This can present some challenges.

As a Christian of the Protestant persuasion, I can find my introversion especially difficult to square with the culture of my church family. These books have given me insight and encouragement.

 

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

This book was published last year and has made quite a splash in readerly circles (not a huge surprise; introverts tend to be readers). This is a secular book and looks at introversion in education, business, family, and church circles. This is the book that I most highly recommend reading; any introvert will find much here to ponder, and any extrovert who explores it will learn a lot about the less-gregarious half of the population.

Stars: 5

 

Introverts in the Church: Finding our Place in an Extroverted Culture by Adam McHugh

McHugh is actually interviewed and featured in Cain's book; reading that book is how I learned about this one. McHugh is a Presbyterian pastor and shares many of his own struggles in that role. This book has struck a chord with many evangelical Christians, including me. The latter portion of the book focuses on introverts who are called to professional ministry, so it is not as directly relevant to the rest of us, but it is still worth reading.

I think this one should be required reading for any head pastor of a Protestant church. Especially the extroverted ones. I kind of wish I had the guts to mail a copy to my pastor.

Stars: 4

The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris

I read this book years ago. I saw it on a book cart at the library and picked it up because the cover called to me somehow. Kathleen Norris, poet and teacher, muses upon her year as an oblate at a Benedictine monastery. She meditates upon the various aspects of a monastic life, and I learned a lot and came to understand and appreciate a lot more. The most helpful part of this book to me, however, was to awaken me to how much liturgy speaks to me, even when it may not feel like it's doing anything. Liturgical reading and prayers have become foundational aspects of my personal devotional life as a result of having read this book, and it is the richer for them.

Unfortunately, this book has also opened my eyes to how lacking the typical evangelical church is in these contemplative forms of worship. It's an absence that I feel more keenly now that I've learned to look for it.

The book is not tightly-structured; Norris has a decidedly mystic bent, and this is a sketch, not a photograph. But it is beautiful.  

Stars: 4.5

The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy, and Women's Work by Kathleen Norris

I picked up this slim volume over my Christmas break. I definitely encourage reading The Cloister Walk before this one to give greater context for the discussion here. I have been challenged by this little book to look for moments of "liturgy" in the repetitions of my workaday routine, a reminder that I definitely need.

Stars: 5