Book Thoughts - Nor Forsake by Julie Presley

Nor Forsake by Julie Presley
to be published June 17, 2016

Synopsis -

Libby Abbott leads a seemingly charmed life: she works from a beautiful home in a rich neighborhood as an aspiring author and has a handsome and successful husband who supports her dreams. But behind closed doors are the suspicions of infidelity, failed pregnancies, a writing career that's virtually non-existent, and a heart that is so far from God, she's not sure she knows the way back. When Libby's short story and headshot land on the desk of literary agent, Jason Randall, he is intrigued by the grace with which she handles her characters and her stunning smile. He's convinced that she's his next best-selling author. Publishing is the last thing on Libby's mind, but Jason's eagerness to see her succeed pushes her in a direction she never thought she'd travel again -towards the God of her youth, who dares her to embrace life amidst all of the chaos.

My thoughts -

I'm just going to be honest - Christian romance as a genre is not my jam. The storylines are so predictable - the main characters so sweet and pure I need a trip to the dentist - and the romance? Well, let's just say it's generally as sterile as a bottle of hand sanitizer. Like I said.....not my jam.

So imagine how thrilled I am to discover an author who write romance novels with real romance - like, the kind the gives a girl more than a few butterflies in her stomach - with characters I actually LIKE, stories that surprise me as I turn the pages - and in the Christian genre??? It's almost unbelievable - and yet, it's completely real.

Nor Forsake is the second novel I've read by Julie Presley, and with it she has cemented her spot as my favorite Christian fiction writer. Libby is an absolute delight of a character - warm, funny, smart, but with just enough insecurity and sass to make her feel real and authentic. I am already a sucker for a good novel set in the literary/publishing world, and Nor Forsake adds the romance of New York City as a backdrop for Libby's story. And the romance - yep, it has heat, which is sadly missing in so many Christian romance novels, but it's still a book you don't have to feel bad about recommending to your mom, or your 16-year-old daughter.

I'm such a fan of this author. Her books feel like a breath of fresh air, a cozy blanket on a chilly evening, a good conversation with a trusted friend. I cannot recommend her work enough.

Finished - 5/12/16

Source - review copy from the author - thank you!
MPAA rating - PG-13 for romantic situations 

My rating - 5/5

Pre-order Nor Forsake here!  (Seriously, it's only $4.99 - you almost can't go wrong.)

Thinking maybe $4.99 is too much for an untested author?? Grab a FREE copy of Julie's first novel, Stones of Remembrance, at her website!!   (Wait for the box to pop up to snag your copy...)

Book Thoughts - Life Could be Verse by Kirk Douglas

Life Could be Verse: Reflections on Love, Loss, and What Really Matters by Kirk Douglas
128 pages
publishing 12/2/14

Synopsis from Goodreads -

For his 98th birthday, Kirk Douglas offers us an intimate look into his life. Through a collection of poetry, prose and photographs, he pulls the curtain all the way back exposing the bombs and blockbusters of both the personal and professional aspects. From uncomplicated poems written for his beloved wife, Ann, of 60 years, to poems written for his four boys when they were still small, Douglas' words are comical, sentimental, romantic, and sometimes painful. He chaperones us through the stages of his life, including the untimely death of his youngest son, and shares nostalgic pictures of the other 'leading ladies' in his life like Marlene Dietrich, Lauren Bacall, and Bridget Bardot. Kirk Douglas is an American legend crowned as one of the greatest male screen legends in American film history by the American Film Institute. And, at 97, he is the highest ranked person on the list alive today. Life Could Be Verse's beautiful design makes it a keepsake for the myriad of Kirk Douglas' fans who have adored "Spartacus" for many, many decades."

My thoughts -

I read this book purely for the novelty of it - a famous actor writing poetry? Who doesn't want to know what THAT sounds like? And let's be honest - I don't expect him to be a contender for Poet Laureate any time soon. But the poems are sweet and heartfelt, and each carries with it a snapshot of what has been a fantastically complex and interesting life. My only real complaint is that I wish the book had been longer - Douglas comes across as warm and funny, and I would have enjoyed hearing more stories from his 97 years. Recommended for Kirk Douglas fans or Hollywood fans.

Finished - 11/16/14
Source - review copy from the publisher via NetGalley
MPAA rating - PG
My rating - 3/5

Book Thoughts - The Kings and Queens of Roam by Daniel Wallace

The Kings and Queens of Roam by Daniel Wallace
published 5/7/13
288 pages

Synopsis from publisher -

Helen and Rachel McCallister, who live in a town called Roam, are as different as sisters can be: Helen, older, bitter, and conniving; Rachel, beautiful, naïve — and blind. When their parents die suddenly, Rachel has to rely on Helen for everything, but Helen embraces her role in all the wrong ways, convincing Rachel that the world is a dark and dangerous place she couldn't possibly survive on her own... or so Helen believes, until Rachel makes a surprising choice that turns both their worlds upside down.

My thoughts -

I predict we will be reading Daniel Wallace's stories for years and years to come. There is a classic universality to his work - it could be anyplace, any time, it's characters anyone. Wallace writes modern-day fables, and I think his work has the staying power of those well-worn, told and re-told stories that always seem familiar and yet somehow manage to surprise us.

This is a melancholy and beautiful story, with characters designed to break your heart. It almost seems as though Wallace started with a question - why do we have to hurt the ones we love? - and then wrote this novel as his answer. This is not the type of story that has a happy ending, and readers will be left feeling each and every moment of Rachel and Helen's poignant last scene.

Wallace is the master of the one, perfect sentence - his writing as a whole is quite good, but he sprinkles his novel with these single lines that completely evoke what he wishes to convey in that moment.

"Her eyes showed her the dark mystery-forest where we get lost in our dreams."

"It was easier for them to pretend she was invisible than it was to pretend she was pretty."

"There is no greater grief than that of a man with a broken heart who only just learned he had a heart at all."

The Kings and Queens of Roam is a somber but immensely rewarding read - do yourself a favor and fall into this world. You will not soon forget it.

Finished - 6/29/13
Source - review copy from publisher via Netgalley - thank you!
MPAA rating - PG-13 for intense adult situations
My rating - 9/10

Book Thoughts - Kindred by Octavia Butler

Kindred by Octavia Butler
published 1979
264 pages

Synopsis from publisher -

Dana, a modern black woman, is celebrating her twenty-sixth birthday with her new husband when she is snatched abruptly from her home in California and transported to the antebellum South. Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner, is drowning, and Dana has been summoned to save him. Dana is drawn back again and again for Rufus, yet each time the stay grows longer and more dangerous until it is uncertain whether or not Dana"s life will end, long before it has even begun.

My thoughts -

I don't know that I exactly enjoyed this novel, but I'm not sure that was its intent. When she was interviewed about Kindred, Butler stated that she wanted to help modern readers "experience" slavery  - I think in that regard her novel was very successful. I don't know that I've ever read a novel that expresses the uncertainty and tension surrounding slavery as well as Butler was able to do with this novel. Each time Dana travels back in time, she arrives at a new situation, with new dangers and difficulties, and each time she has to figure out how to fit in and lay low until she can make her way back to the present. This feeling of not knowing what to expect from minute to minute was palpable, and I could feel it as I read the novel.

Butler also seemed to have interesting ideas about the "house slave" vs. the "field slave", and the tensions between the two groups. I sense that much of Butler's purpose is to see if the reader can put themselves in her characters' shoes - can you understand why Dana makes the choices she makes? Can you see through Rufus' eyes to why he acts the way he does? Can you identify with enough in Alice to see why she chooses the life she ultimately does? It's not an easy thing, and I struggled with it - and with many of the characters' choices - but it was valuable for me to purposefully think they way they would be forced to think.

I did have some problems with the novel - there were parts that seemed rushed, and I had SO many questions that remained unanswered. I never felt like this was a pleasurable reading experience, exactly - it felt like something I would have read for a class in college, and while I could certainly appreciate the novel for its merits, I don't think I ever truly enjoyed the reading of it.

Early in the novel, Dana says, "I never realized how easily people could be trained to accept slavery." I think that is true of most of the evil that is perpetrated in the world, and a stark reminder that it's up to each person to keep evil from taking root. Despite some problems, I definitely recommend this novel - it's a fascinating premise, and chock full of powerful and challenging ideas.

Finished - 5/13/13
Source - Kindle library
MPAA rating - R for violence and adult situations
My rating - 7/10

Book Thoughts: Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff
published 2010

Synopsis from publisher:

The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer brings to life the most intriguing woman in the history of the world: Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt.

Her palace shimmered with onyx, garnets, and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Above all else, Cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious negotiator.

Famous long before she was notorious, Cleopatra has gone down in history for all the wrong reasons. Shakespeare and Shaw put words in her mouth. Michelangelo, Tiepolo, and Elizabeth Taylor put a face to her name. Along the way, Cleopatra's supple personality and the drama of her circumstances have been lost. In a masterly return to the classical sources, Stacy Schiff here boldly separates fact from fiction to rescue the magnetic queen whose death ushered in a new world order. Rich in detail, epic in scope, Schiff 's is a luminous, deeply original reconstruction of a dazzling life.

My thoughts:

One of my favorite memories of college was taking a class with my sister - Humanities II, basically a survey of ancient history, philosophy, and writing. We had one of those professors that you either love or hate, and we both loved him. He was quirky, and completely passionate about his material, and a wonderful storyteller. He made the ancient world come alive, and I would go on to take another class from him - The History of Ancient Rome. He ignited in me an interest in the period that hasn't yet been quenched. So when my sister gave me this book as a birthday gift, I was pretty darn excited.

April 19: It's hard to tell exactly where in the book you are when reading on Kindle, because there are no pages to look at and judge - it tells me I'm 12% of the way through, for whatever that's worth. But already I feel like I'm learning so much! For example:

~ Cleopatra's family was not Egyptian at all, but Macedonian, and claimed ancestry to Alexander the Great.

~ The Egypt of her time was one of the few inclusive societies - women had virtually equal rights as men, including the right to divorce. And Cleopatra's family had it's share of strong women - she came by her assertiveness and bravery naturally.

~ Even in a remarkable family, Cleopatra stood out. She was the only one of her ancestors to actually learn the language of the people she ruled, so when she was dealing with them she could speak directly to them, instead of through an interpreter.

~ History is written by the winners. Cleopatra's story comes to us from the Roman historians, who hated her because she was a woman, and a powerful foe. So their descriptions of her as a wanton seductress have to be taken with a whole shaker full of salt.

In addition to being a fascinating story, Schiff's writing style is great. She has the knack for making history come alive - I am already making plans to read her previous work.

May 10 - Had to take a break for Dune, but now I'm back and still enjoying this biography very much. I am roughly 40% through the book, Cleopatra is still less than 30 years old, and the list of her accomplishments is remarkable. Just reading all the things she does in a day is tiring. I have a very romanticized view of what kings and queen should do - sit around, eat grapes, get fanned by their minions. I'm not sure Cleopatra ever had time to sit and do anything - she could never rest in the precarious world she lived in.

May 14 - Well, apparently I was much further than 40% done with the text - I just finished, and it still says I am only 73% done. Whew, this book must have a LOT of notes! (I will admit that I am not going to read through all of them.) I am a bit disappointed that I can't see the illustrations - apparently my technology is already antiquated. =)

It is a shame that the histories of Cleopatra's remarkable life are written by men so clearly focused on making her seem the enemy. In this biography, Schiff does an excellent job of sifting through the exaggerations, false claims, and nuggets of truth, to paint a picture of a complex and multifaceted woman. She was not always likable - often she behaved with cruelty, or arrogance, or selfishness. But she was indeed a woman like no other, who ruled independently for over 20 years in a time when women were hidden at best, and imprisoned at worst.

Shiff's narrative is entertaining and well-researched - I enjoyed her attempts to impart humanity into this woman who was often likened to a goddess. One of my favorite lines -

"She sounds no seductive notes, which indeed appear to have been added later, when all kinds of chroniclers had Cleopatra throwing herself vigorously at all kinds of feet. Certainly she flings herself around more in literature than she did in life."

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I think it might feel like a bit of a challenge to readers who don't already enjoy biographies in general - it has a more scholarly feel than some might desire, with quite a bit of historical detail included throughout the narrative. If you are interested in the story of a powerful, fascinating woman who lived life on her own terms, you can't go wrong.

Finished: 5/14/11
Source: Kindle - gift from my sister
MPAA Rating: PG-13 - lots of adult situations hinted at, but solely through a historical lens, so much like watching a History Channel documentary
My rating: 8/10

Review - Season of the Harvest by Michael Hicks

Season of the Harvest by Michael Hicks
published 2011

Synopsis from publisher:

What if the genetically modified crops that we’re being forced to depend on for food weren’t really created by man? What if they had a far more sinister purpose?

FBI Special Agent Jack Dawson investigates the gruesome murder of his best friend and fellow agent who had been pursuing a group of eco-terrorists. The group’s leader, Naomi Perrault, is a beautiful geneticist who Jack believes conspired to kill his friend, and is claiming that a major international conglomerate developing genetically engineered crops is plotting a sinister transformation of our world that will lead humanity to extinction. As Jack is drawn into a quietly raging war that suddenly explodes onto the front pages of the news, he discovers that her claims may not be so outrageous after all. Together, the two of them must battle a horror Jack could never have imagined, with the fate of all life on Earth hanging in the balance…

My thoughts:

I don't have a problem admitting I'm a Michael Hicks fan - I rated In Her Name, his first published novel, as one of my favorites from 2009. I loved everything about Reza's world, and look forward to each new installment in the series. So when I heard Hicks was writing a new novel - a standalone - about genetically modified food, for crying out loud - I will admit I was a little disappointed. I wanted more stories in the world I already know and love! Of course, that didn't stop me from purchasing my copy the first day it was available on for the Kindle....

I used to be a Michael Hicks fan - now I'm a Michael Hicks believer. I love fantasy, and can be sucked into just about anything in the genre, but science fiction is a much harder sell for me. I was skeptical about this novel. Would I really be able to get drawn in to a story about a band of renegades trying to save the world's food supply? Well, the short answer is yes. I was completely engrossed from the very beginning. Season of the Harvest is smart and funny and wild and frightening and really, really scarily believable.

Hicks gives his readers a full cast of likable, well-developed characters, and two leads in Jack and Naomi that are almost made to be on a Hollywood movie screen. His bad guys are chillingly bad, and he allows for enough ambiguity that you suddenly find yourself feeling sympathy for someone you just pages before despised.

Hicks is a great storyteller, and this story will appeal to a wide range of readers. He blends science fiction, contemporary techno-thriller, and real-life issues to create a novel that literally almost impossible to put down. It's not perfect - a few situations felt a little bit too convenient, but overall it was a fun and educational reading experience.

At this point, Hicks is on my "must-read" author list. I can't wait to see what he thinks up next. Highly recommended!

Finished: 2/22/10
Source: my Kindle
MPAA rating: PG-13 for violence and intense, end-of-the-world type situations
My rating: 8/10