January Reads
I've been neglecting this poor blog! I'll try harder in the future!
Just four books in January. I tried hard, but reading time was scarce! I did write 27,000 words on my novel in January though!
The Falcon and the Sparrow by M.L. Tyndall - 01/13/09
Good - Inspirational Regency (999 Category: Serendipity – Unplanned books I want to read )
Dominique is hired as a governess to the son of an English admiral but has a hidden agenda as a French spy, a task she is forced into to save her brother's life.
I really enjoyed this Christian Regency romance! (Regencies are set at the beginning of the 19th century in England.) Far from your typical sappy Christian novel, this one dealt squarely with issues of faith and morality, rather than presenting a sanitized view of life. Both main characters were believable and likable.
Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich - 01/14/09
Good - Fiction (999 Category: Kindred Spirits - Books By Favorite Authors)
An FTA has absconded with a magnetometer and Diesel shows up to help Stephanie capture him, along with his own target, Wulf.
Oh wow, so FUNNY! I love Evanovich and this book was a laugh-out-loud romp through New Jersey. From the moment Diesel reappears in Stephanie's life to Ranger's ever-present black vehicles, every page was filled with humor.
The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler - 01/25/09
Fair - Fiction (999 Category: Screen Time - TV/Movie Tie-ins)
Six very different people decide to read through Austen's works as they work through their own personal romance issues.
I'd seen the movie (and didn't really like it), but now that I've read ALL OF AUSTEN'S NOVELS (go me!), I thought it might be worth a read. I both really liked this novel and really disliked it. What I didn't like? The odd point of view (told 1st person plural, but I never really figured out who was speaking). The many flashbacks inserted willy-nilly. The gay storyline (although it was not as prevalent as in the movie. Also, the high school teacher/student romance was almost non-existent, although in the movie, it was much more serious and distasteful). What I liked? The characters! Reading about Austen's plots and characters and understanding it! Worth a read? Sure, if you like Austen.
The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity by Wm. Paul Young - 01/29/09
Good - Fiction (999 Category: Faith - Spiritual Life)
Mac gets a note from God after a terrible tragedy has overtaken him.
I didn't like or hate this as much as I expected. Several people I respect have really adored it and similarly, several people I respected have really disliked it. Other people had a response much like mine - lukewarm. I thought the story was powerful and some of the ways God is presented really made me think. However, I thought the theology was weak and not Biblically sound. The writing was just adequate, but not skillful. Do I recommend it? Yes, but with caveats. Be sure to line up the theology with the Bible. I don't subscribe to the "seeker" or "post-modern" views of Christianity, so I'm sure that those who do will find this a more agreeable read. And please remember, it's a NOVEL.
Just four books in January. I tried hard, but reading time was scarce! I did write 27,000 words on my novel in January though!
The Falcon and the Sparrow by M.L. Tyndall - 01/13/09
Good - Inspirational Regency (999 Category: Serendipity – Unplanned books I want to read )
Dominique is hired as a governess to the son of an English admiral but has a hidden agenda as a French spy, a task she is forced into to save her brother's life.
I really enjoyed this Christian Regency romance! (Regencies are set at the beginning of the 19th century in England.) Far from your typical sappy Christian novel, this one dealt squarely with issues of faith and morality, rather than presenting a sanitized view of life. Both main characters were believable and likable.
Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich - 01/14/09
Good - Fiction (999 Category: Kindred Spirits - Books By Favorite Authors)
An FTA has absconded with a magnetometer and Diesel shows up to help Stephanie capture him, along with his own target, Wulf.
Oh wow, so FUNNY! I love Evanovich and this book was a laugh-out-loud romp through New Jersey. From the moment Diesel reappears in Stephanie's life to Ranger's ever-present black vehicles, every page was filled with humor.
The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler - 01/25/09
Fair - Fiction (999 Category: Screen Time - TV/Movie Tie-ins)
Six very different people decide to read through Austen's works as they work through their own personal romance issues.
I'd seen the movie (and didn't really like it), but now that I've read ALL OF AUSTEN'S NOVELS (go me!), I thought it might be worth a read. I both really liked this novel and really disliked it. What I didn't like? The odd point of view (told 1st person plural, but I never really figured out who was speaking). The many flashbacks inserted willy-nilly. The gay storyline (although it was not as prevalent as in the movie. Also, the high school teacher/student romance was almost non-existent, although in the movie, it was much more serious and distasteful). What I liked? The characters! Reading about Austen's plots and characters and understanding it! Worth a read? Sure, if you like Austen.
The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity by Wm. Paul Young - 01/29/09
Good - Fiction (999 Category: Faith - Spiritual Life)
Mac gets a note from God after a terrible tragedy has overtaken him.
I didn't like or hate this as much as I expected. Several people I respect have really adored it and similarly, several people I respected have really disliked it. Other people had a response much like mine - lukewarm. I thought the story was powerful and some of the ways God is presented really made me think. However, I thought the theology was weak and not Biblically sound. The writing was just adequate, but not skillful. Do I recommend it? Yes, but with caveats. Be sure to line up the theology with the Bible. I don't subscribe to the "seeker" or "post-modern" views of Christianity, so I'm sure that those who do will find this a more agreeable read. And please remember, it's a NOVEL.
Comments
Glad you posted about The Shack and Jane Austen's Book Club...they're both on my table waiting to be read...well, I'm half way through The Shack and can't say it's as profound as everyone told me...but maybe it will be soon?
Mich.