May 26

Over Sea, Under Stone, by Susan Cooper

PhotobucketI had never heard of Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising Sequence until it was mentioned on a blog that I read. I forget which blog, but I know it was an author blog, and I know that I’ve never read any of the blogger’s books but I love her blog. (Helpful, aren’t I?)

Over Sea, Under Stone was written in the 1960s (well, it was published then, at least), and is in a familiar style. Fans of Enid Blyton’s works (particularly Five Children and It) will probably like this book – I know I sure did! It was refreshing to read something that reminds me so much of my childhood – not because I grew up in England, but because the writing style reminds me of many of the books I read as a child.

I borrowed all of the books in the series at the same time, and the librarian was very excited to hear that I hadn’t read them before. She put them all in order for me and everything!

Okay, enough with the reminiscing. Let’s get on with the story!

Over Sea, Under Stone is the first in a series of five books. We meet the three Drew children (none of them named Nancy), who are spending the summer in Trewissick, on holiday with their parents. They quickly become embroiled in a wonderful quest that has some rather dangerous folk involved. Their Great-Uncle Merry (affectionately known as “Gumerry”) helps them as much as he can, but it is up to the children to make the final fantastic discovery and save the day.

It’s another take on the Arthur story, and I can’t wait to read the rest of it!

0
comments

Posted in Children's, Fantasy, Fiction

May 23

The Missing Girl, by Norma Fox Mazer

PhotobucketThis was yet another find in the clearance section of McNally Robinson, and another two-day read for me. The characters drew me in, and the story kept me turning the pages.

Norma Fox Mazer has been a staple of my reading life for well over half of it. I own a number of her books and have read many others. The Missing Girl is the last book she wrote, unless there are some posthumous publications in the works. (I actually had no idea that she had died last year until I went looking today for her web site to add it to the list in the sidebar.)

There are five sisters, all with names that seem ridiculous but turn out to be appropriate, in one way or another. The oldest is 17, the youngest is 11. The family struggles to make ends meet, as the father is out of work and the mother is a lunch lady at a school. And then there is the man who has taken an unhealthy interest in the girls, watching them from a distance. His obsession grows, and when at last he takes action…

I couldn’t put it down, is what I mean to say. I don’t want to give anything away, so you’ll have to read it. It’s a short book, an easy read, and definitely full of suspense. My only quibble with the book is that only three of the sisters act as narrators; the other two are more backdrops to the story the other three are telling. But that’s a small thing, and somehow it works.

Oh, I put this in the ‘disability’ category because one of the sisters has some kind of developmental disorder/delay. It’s never named, but it is obvious in the way she tells her part of things and the way she is described by the other narrators. I thought she was drawn fairly realistically and in a basically matter-of-fact manner: this is how she is, no excuses, no attempts to make her more or less appealing because of or in spite of her disability, none of that. I appreciate the straightforwardness of that.

0
comments

Posted in Disability, Fiction, Suspense, Young Adult

May 20

The Blue Girl, by Charles de Lint

PhotobucketThis is probably a very good “first” book, if you are unfamiliar with Charles de Lint’s work and want to see if he’s an author you’d enjoy. He’s one of my faves, but I’ve also been reading his stuff since… oh, the early 1990s, so I may be biased. *wink*

This is a Young Adult fantasy novel. As with all of de Lint’s work (that I’ve read), it’s urban fantasy of the type I adore: regular people living the regular, everyday world encounter the fantastic and discover that faerie is real.

Imogene is the girl from the wrong side of the tracks (Tyson), new to her school in Newford when she meets Maxine, an outcast from early on due to her smarts and… shall we say “conservative” wardrobe. Imogene, anything but conservative (she spent the first ten years of her life on a hippie commune in Ontario), befriends Maxine, and the two girls have a good influence on each other.

Then they meet a ghost, who is friends with some fairies. And then things get a bit scary, and a bit weird, and Imogene and Maxine will never be the same.

One of my favourite parts of this book is when Imogene’s mother finds out about faerie and is able to see Imogene’s childhood “imaginary friend” (because they are actually real, you know) and deals with it okay… and then when Imogene’s brother, Jared, comes in and is also able to see Pelly (short for Pell-Mell), he totally takes it all in stride – as though seeing Pelly makes perfect sense, is perfectly logical, and is an everyday occurrence.

So yeah, definitely read this one. Read it if you love Charles de Lint. Read it if you’ve never read Charles de Lint. Read it if you didn’t like something else he’s written – maybe this will change your mind. (Oh, also, not all of his stuff is YA, but most of it does occur in the same world – that is, characters who are featured in some books will be mentioned or be minor characters in others.)

0
comments

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult

May 14

Married to Distraction, by Edward Hallowell & Sue Hallowell

PhotobucketPlease don’t tell me you’re surprised that I read this book. I’m a long-time fan of Hallowell, and what with my own wedding coming up in just over a month (ack!), I thought it might be a good idea to read a book about having a good marriage when one or both partners are distracted a lot of the time.

The book isn’t specifically about ADHD, though there is one chapter about it. That shouldn’t stop you from reading it, though, because it’s about making relationships work, no matter what. It’s about how to maintain intimacy with your partner in a world that is increasingly full of distractions.

Ned Hallowell is an ADHD expert who has ADHD himself, and his wife, Sue, is a Clinical Social Worker who specializes in working with couples who deal with ADHD. So not only have they lived it themselves, they’ve dealt with it in private practice. And what they say makes sense.

We haven’t tried the 30-day reconnection plan yet; if we do, I’ll post a review of it, too.

1
comments

Posted in Marriage, Non-Fiction

May 02

Here’s the Deal: Don’t Touch Me, by Howie Mandel

PhotobucketAnother score for McNally Robinson’s clearance books! I was so excited to get this one. I’m not a huge fan of Howie Mandel – as in, I don’t actively seek out his shows, and I don’t watch Let’s Make a Deal or anything like that – but I did regularly watch Bobby’s World with the kids I nannied one summer, and it was one of the better cartoons I’ve had the pleasure of watching. I also knew who Howie was prior to that, but I have no idea just why.

Anyway, my interest in this book was piqued when I saw Howie on The Hour, a show on CBC that is hosted by George Stroumboulopoulis. It’s basically a talk show with some funny bits. I enjoy George’s interviews; sadly, I don’t get to watch it as often as I’d like.

Howie has ADHD (as do I), with the bonus of OCD. Given my love of psychology, it makes sense that I would want to read the autobiography of someone who not only shares a diagnosis with me, but who also has one that I find remarkably interesting.

The things that Howie Mandel has done in his life are astounding. The candour with which he tells his stories and shares his jokes – even when they’re on him – is compelling.

I read this book in two days. That should tell you something.

0
comments

Posted in Biography, Non-Fiction

Apr 30

The Echo Within, by Robert Benson

PhotobucketWhat you can’t see in this photo (thanks to my skill with camera angles) are the many skinny Post-Its sticking out the side. They are marking the pages and paragraphs and sentences that I found most enlightening.

In other words, this is a book I need to own.

Benson uses his own story to illustrate the points he makes, and it all boils down to listening to yourself, to who you were made to be, and go with it.

Remarkably similar to Discovering Your Personal Vocation, and to my own prayer that I continually become who I was made to be.

If you are searching for meaning, read this book – it may just help you figure some stuff out.

0
comments

Posted in Non-Fiction, Spirituality

Apr 23

Waters Luminous & Deep, by Meredith Ann Pierce

PhotobucketThis was a tremendous score for me. It was another purchase from the clearance section at McNally Robinson, and it’s by an author whose work I love nearly as much as Charles de Lint’s and Robin McKinley’s!

This book is a collection of short stories. I don’t often read collections of short stories, but I’m always pleased to lay hands on a good one.

There are amusing stories (though Pierce claims to have little ability in this area), dramatic stories, simple stories, complex stories, stories that read like legends, stories that read like you’re right there with the characters… this book has near everything you could wish for in a collection of short stories. I highly recommend it.

(Other books by Meredith Ann Pierce include The Birth of the Firebringer trilogy and The Darkangel trilogy, all of which I own. Because I’m like that. And because The Darkangel is breathtakingly brilliant.)

0
comments

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult

Apr 17

Knit the Season, by Kate Jacobs

PhotobucketThis cover was hard to photograph because it was all shiny. So I couldn’t use a flash. *sigh*

The third installment of the Knitting Club books is not just a Christmas book. But then again, it’s a Knitting Club chick lit book, so don’t expect it to be something it isn’t, either.

Once more we join everyone from The Friday Night Knitting Club and follow them as they deal with everything from romance to motherhood to career questions. Dakota (Georgia’s daughter) is studying to become a chef.

It’s another good romp. Everything you liked about the first two books is in this one – knitting, sex, romance, parenthood, career choices, friendship… it’s all there.

So you know what? Read it and enjoy it. I know I sure did.

0
comments

Posted in ChickLit, Fiction

Apr 10

Comfort Food, by Kate Jacobs

PhotobucketNo, Comfort Food isn’t another Knitting Club book. It’s by the same author, though, so it was totally enjoyable.

This book is about a cooking show host and her daughters. It’s got all the same goodness of the Knitting Club books, except this time there’s no knitting.

It’s about self-discovery, learning to let go, learning to grow up, and learning to love. I’m sure it’s about lots more than that, but those are the things I remember best.

One of the problems I had with the book, in retrospect, is that only Gus (the main character) is the only truly three-dimensional character in the book. Which isn’t the end of the world, because everyone is fairly well developed in the end, but it’s too bad because it keeps the book from being brilliant.

Oh, wait, of course… it’s chick lit. So there’s a magical ending that you can see coming but I, at least, kept hoping Jacobs wouldn’t go there.

Alas, it was not to be.

0
comments

Posted in ChickLit, Fiction

Apr 02

Discovering Your Personal Vocation, by Herbert Alphonso

PhotobucketEvery once in a while, I have a meltdown about how I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with my life. When this happens, I go in search of books about vocation, read them voraciously, and feel much better for a good long time afterward. I haven’t quite figured out why it works, but I’m not going to complain!

This book is a very quick read, and there were some great bits in it that definitely helped to inform me during this latest search for meaning. It’s about the Ignatian Exercises, which I am completely unfamiliar with and don’t intend to research, but there was still encouragement to be found in these pages. Granted, it was primarily due to the framing of the search for meaning as being a striving toward becoming one’s own true name; this worked for me because I have a “thing” about names and what I term “the becoming.”

Anyway, I liked it. It’s not going on my list of books to buy, though, because I don’t know that I’ll be able to get more out of it on a second reading.

(You can read more about my idea of the becoming at my God-blog, In the Mist of the Becoming. I’m still working on fixing the tags and categories, but the blog entries and comments are all there. Enjoy.)

0
comments

Posted in Non-Fiction, Spirituality

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »