Monday, October 22, 2007

On ... The Still of Night by Kirsten Heitzmann

With this book I returned to another author that I haven't read for several years. The previous books of hers that I've read are historical fiction so this was a new introduction to her writing style in contemporary fiction.

I fell in love with the characters in Heitzmann's two historical fiction series but I had a hard time connecting with the two main characters in this book. Most likely this was just something in my head because at the beginning I had the distinct feeling that I'd already read this book before or at least I'd read a book with this exact story line (or something very similar) before. Throughout the book I kept searching for hints that would remind me of the other similar book that I read or confirm that I had read this book before. I'm still not sure.

I think I will begin analyzing the books I read based on the following criteria: plot, characterization, revelation of backstory, grammar, imagery

Plot: I have to admit that I projected my own ideas on where the plot was going to go based on that idea in the back of head. Unfortunately, my projected ideas turned out to be true for the most part. What intrigued me was the interaction of the subplots, as characters came in and out of the story.

Characterization: Of course I wanted to know how each character's story developed. I learned much about the two main characters: Morgan and Jill and enjoyed watching them change, grow closer to God in believable steps (although extreme at some points). When I finished the book I wanted to know more about characters that made brief appearances in Morgan and Jill's life like Jill's learning disabled students or the troubled boy that Morgan mentors (or attempts to mentor). Now, I admit...Heitzmann would have needed to write a much bigger and weighty book if she intended to fully develop these characters. I guess what I wish is that she would have better tied off those subplots/character's stories.

Revelation of backstory: I don't have much too say here. Ms. Heitzmann did an excellent job.

Grammar: Thankfully no glaring errors jumped off the page. Something about significant grammar mistakes turns me off to an author. Not Ms. Heitzmann though.

Imagery: Occansionally, an author that I read wil create such striking word pictures that I can remember even after I put down the book. Now, Mrs. Heitzmann is noot one of those authors but she does paint a picture clear enough for me that I can see the action and the characters. My heart even skipped a beat (okay, speaking figuratively) when Ms. Heitzman introduced Santa Barbara as Morgan's place of residence. I absolutely love that city and also having been there I could more easily picture the locations Ms. Heitzman describes.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

On... Lord of the Flies by William Golding

I should have finished this book many years before. I went to a local public high school for one day my junior year. In English we were assigned Lord of the Flies to read but I never returned and thus never returned the book. (I didn't steal it intentionally of course). The book sat on my shelf for many years before I finally donated it somewhere I can't remember.

Thus, when I started adding books to my visual bookshelf application on facebook I added this book.

To be honest, I never really got a handle on the book. Golding drops the reader down into the middle of the story--boys shipwrecked or planewrecked (Golding never really clearly says) on some Island in the Pacific. Now, I appreciate a technique like that...if the backstory is gradually explained throughout the story. Unfortunately, the story continued to develop from the point at which the reader was introduced to the characters with absolutely no looking back to find out the rest of the story.

In addition to that, Golding never clearly names his characters and somethimes alternates between names for a few characters. Actually, I never really understood the Lord of the Flies character...I believe that it was a pig's head that talked to the poor boy like an English schoolmaster.

Also, the boys (the hunters specifically) turn into utter savages rather quickly...too quickly for believablity for my sake.

I would not recommend this book to anyone simply because I didn't enjoy it. Unfortunately, I will most likely be teaching this book to my students (or at least be required to do so) once I become certified.

On ... Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl

I opened the book with a blank expectation slate. I enjoyed The BFG and hoped I would enjoy this book.

Danny the Champion of the World is a much older book...not in relation to publication date but according to subject level. The reading level is only slightly higher than The BFG but the story deals with much more serious issues.

I think that an accurate comparison would be To Kill A Mockingbird. Danny, the main character, is ten years old for the majority of the story... just a little bit older than Scout from To Kill A Mockingbird. In TKAM the serious undertone which becomes the main plot towards the end of the story is the trial of a black man. In DtCotW the serious undertone is dangerous poaching...an illegal activity.

I absolutely loved this story. Having read Boy: Tales from Childhood...Dahl's childhood memoir...I could easily see correlations, characters that Dahl compiled from his own history. I appreaciate that. Unlike a favorite movie of mine (Alex and Emma) Dahl draws from his past...mixes and matches...instead of verbatim telling his own story back again.

In fact, when I first started reading the book I was struck by how similar this book read to Dahl's childhood memoir.

I definitly highly recommend this book.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

On ... The Preacher's Daughter by Beverly Lewis

This is by far my favorite of Beverly Lewis' books that I have read during this challenge. Perhaps that is because this book is the first in the series and very well introduces the various characters without simply stating their various attributes.

Even though I have read the last book in the series and know how everything ends, Mrs. Lewis' writing compels me to keep reading the other books in the series and find out even more about these characters.

Although a couple subplots are evident underneath the primary plot Mrs. Lewis weaves them together to create a story so whole that one plot/story cannot be told without the other. Perhaps that comes fromt the fact that the lives of those in an Amish community are already so closely intertwined.

As always, reading one of Lewis' books makes me think about the Amish lifestyle in relation to a relationship with God.

Friday, October 19, 2007

On ... The BFG by Roald Dahl

I cannot say enough good things about this book. I have never read a children's book this absolutely magnificent.

To be honest, I could not put the book down.

I don't really know how to critique a children's book. I guess I'll just say that I absolutely loved the book...everything about it.

On ... Boy by Roald Dahl

I laughed so many times as I read this book. Mr. Dahl has a ready wit that I remembered gradually from his other books as I delved further into this one.

While Mr. Dahl relates many stories from his childhood in this book I wouldn't call it an autobiography. Instead, I believe that Mr. Dahl...like my grandfather...elaborated and created full stories out of pictures from his memory.

Still, those elaborated pictures were quite enjoyable. I couldn't help but compare Hogwarts to Mr. Dahl's schools and see how the English school system is so much different than the US but also how "uniform" English schools are. I hope you know that I don't mean that all of the school are the same but that they have as a similar structure in contrast with a public high school in the US.

Throughout the book pictures are interspersed with handwritten captions...presumably handwritten by Dahl himself. Somehow this makes me like the book even more.

On ... Tender Mercies by Lauraine Snelling

This book filled in a lot of the gaps that I was missing in the story line and fulfilled my desire to learn a little bit more about the characters. Sometimes I have an insatiable thirst to learn the stories of people I read about or see knowing that even if the story is similar to something or many things that I've already been acquainted with and this book fit that desire perfectly.

Mrs. Snelling limited the story--somewhat--to a couple lines and thus I wasn't too distracted trying to figure things out.

A few times Mrs. Snelling stretched the imagination in describing the reaction of a few characters to different events. Thankfully, unlike Mr. Morris, Mrs. Snelling avoids carrying out those tepid descriptions throughout the book.

The characters are nearly as fully developed as they can be in a book/series like this. Each has his own flaws and admirable qualities and no one character is completely alike.

Mrs. Snelling's book are a nice enjoyable read for a rainy afternoon or for any random time.

On ... Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Reading both 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 in the same day helped me compare the two writing styles I believe.

I come away from Fahrenheit 451 with a bad taste in my mouth. Of course, the main point of the book is about burning book...it did make me think about what life would be like without books. That would be a terrible place for me.

I kept getting confused though as I read. Things weren’t explained very well in my opinion. Bradbury did develop Montag quite well. When I first started reading the book I thought of Montag as a very calloused man, carefree in his job as a fireman but then as he watched something horrible happen on the job and actually picked up a book to read his character changed dramatically but it wasn’t a sudden turn around. His transformation was quite believable.

I wasn’t ready for the end of the book because I was expecting the end of the book to come at page 192...the number I’d seeno n the last page...but it turns out that two other of Bradbury’s short stories were also included at the end of the book. I blame that shortcoming on myself.

In my opinion Orwell has a much more enjoyable writing style than Bradbury but both authors leave me longing for a little something with hope.

On ... A Land to Call Home by Lauraine Snelling

This book did explain a few details that I did not know when I read the last book of the series. One would expect that .

In comparison, I enjoyed Blessing in Disguise more than this particular book. Snelling, in my opinion tried too hard to tell the stories of at least three different women. All of those women had at least a page or two of “narration” in Blessing but the primary story was that of Augusta.

I have to admit that I was at least partially distracted because of the fact that I am currently sitting in the family waiting room of the surgical center while my dad has surgery to repair a herniated disk. Having a cheesy soap opera on just above my head and countless people walking by is not conducive to reading relatively quickly and thoroughly.

Other than the above-mentioned criticism--too many storylines and people to keep up with easily--I have nothing else to criticize about the story. In fact, Snelling developed her characters so well that I would rather read one story about each of them than one story about all.

On ... 1984 by George Orwell

This book drew me in from the get go. I vaguely remembered reading about how the book ended and as I read I remembered more of the ending.

Overall the book is a hopeless book. I can’t imagine living in a world where I am literally told what to think. My mind is always moving at such rapid paces even when I’m not writing anything. I’m also very opinionated. :D

The book is bearable to read because at a few scattered points in the book Orwell infuses some sense of hope that Winston can overcome Big Brother but then once he is captured all hope flees.

The fantasy of this world that Orwell created absolutely fascinated me. My thoughts are often filled with what ifs. 1984 makes me very thankful that I live in the world that I live in and the fact that I was not born into this Orwellian society. (Isn’t it amazing how Orwell’s name has come to describe an entire society of people?)

Monday, October 15, 2007

On ... Blessing in Disguise by Lauraine Snelling

Again I return to an old favorite, Lauraine Snelling. As a teenager I read her young adult novels voraciously. I loved horses...admit it...what teenage girl doesn't love those beautiful creatures. :D

The three books of hers that I checked out from the library this round were the third, fifth and sixth in the series. Dummy me accidentally picked up the sixth book from my own pile and just started reading.

To be honest, save for a few details about various relaitonships in the book I did not find myself at a disadvantage.

After reading those Morris books I braced myself at the beginning when I saw hints of pedistrian writing...but the hints remained only hints. While I saw a few things that I could do without I enjoyed the book and loved learning to love the characters.

Would I buy it? Probably not.

Was it a good book? Yes

Was it somewhat predictable? Yes

On ... of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and The Enormous Crocodile by Roald Dahl

I should have remembered from my last trip through a Steinbeck novel that he doesn't refrain from profanity usage.

Steinbeck's skill is amazing. He crafts characters that are full and changing even if he doesn't give them a name. Unfortunately, Steinbeck...as mentioned in the previous paragraph...feels free to sprinkle profanity on almost every page. If Steinbeck had a positive story to tell with a happy ending or at least with hope of a happy ending than the profanity would be gratuitous.

Happiness and hope are two words not exemplified in any of Steinbeck's novels (at least the ones I've read and studied). I hurried through that book as quick as I could.


On other fronts...

I chose to read The Enormous Crocodile because I knew it would be completely different than of Mice and Men... a welcome relief.

Not being an active children's book reader I don't have that good of a base to judge The Enormous Crocodile. I enjoyed the read and even laughed at a couple of moments. :D

Sunday, October 14, 2007

On ... Funeral in Blue by Anne Perry

To be honest I can't remember how I ever heard about this book or why I even put it on my list.

Obviously I approached the book wary of what I would find, especially after I read what was on the dust jacket cover. I was so afraid that it would delve into the seemier side of things that I never want to expose myself to. I think what I'm trying to say is understandable.

I told myself that I would put the book away if I ever encountered anything like that. I finished the book.

Now, I realized as I delved into the book that I picked up a book that occurs after several other books in the development of a character by this author...the private detective. Because of that I found myself at a disadvantage trying to figure out the relationships between the characters.

Ms. Perry didn't (thankfully) explicitly state the relationships between the characters with the exception of the relationship between the accussed and the deceased (husband/wife). Perhaps a little more of that could be stated and Ms. Perry would still be miles away from the cliche mill that is Gilber Morris. (I'm afraid that Mr. Morris...nice man he may be... will end up being the bottom standard of my comparisons for the near future).

Although I cringed a few times...I remember only two specific examples...in general Ms. Perry's writing tells a murder story with the hint of a CSI show (without all the modern crime scene forensic analysis).

Unfortunately, even though the writing was technically proficient, she never drew me into the story. I honestly did not care whether the accused was found guilty or not...or even if he was actually guilty. Ms. Perry even failed to create a sense of sympathy or empathy within me for the main character.

I probably won't be reading any more Anne Perry books--not because the writing was bad but because I would rather read books where I connect with the characters...at least one.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

On ... Our Town by Thorton Wilder

When I placed this play on my reading list I did not know anything about it. Actually, I thought it was a book. Imagine my surprise when I picked it up from the library and saw written on the cover of the diminutive book "three-act play".

I opened the book and almost immediately became enraptured with the small New Hampshire town. I tried to recall as much as I could from my Creative Writing class nearly four months ago. Some of the plays I read there (student works) were barely tolerable.

Wilder cleverly reveals information about the town and the characters a piece here and a piece there. Even though the stage manager simply states seemingly random information, Wilder has a purpose. Coming off of several Gilbert Morris books this sort of plot/character/and etc this was definitely refreshing.

An example of something that struck me and lured me deeper into the play was the Stage Manager's aside about a character whose name escapes me at the moment. This young newspaper-delivering boy would grow up get a great eduacation but just when he was poised to do great things in the world he dies in France in WWI. By so abruptly introducing this information Wilder jerked my heartstrings and lured me deeper into his profoundly moving play.

Once I reached then end I wanted to go back to the days of innocence just like Emily as and after she revisited her twelfth birthday.

Sunday, October 07, 2007

On... the Path Between the Seas by David McCullough

This book is not for the light-hearted, fair-weather history reader. While David McCullough writes many books that appeal to a much larger audience than most historians this book is thick and very full of information.

I suppose that it was a little more difficult to read this book because I'm not familiar with the subject in any way at all. Of course I know about the Panama Canal but not much about the building (the main theme of the book).

There isn't one central character...unless one counts the Canal itself... so many names flow in and out of the book. I often had to flip back to reacquaint myself with a character if the name (usually the last name) reappears.

I learned an awful lot about the building of the canal and about David McCulough's writing style. I'm amazed at the amount of knowledge this man has if he can write a 600 thoroughly researched book in a subject area that is not his area of expertise. (That would be the American Revolution).

Thursday, October 04, 2007

On ... The Betrayal by Beverly Lewis

Once again I entered the series at a disadvantage. This book is the second in the series.

I didn't want to put the book down.

Everything positive I said about the other book of hers I can say about this.

I enjoyed this book even more.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

On... The Brethren by Beverly Lewis

Once again I returned to a favorite author after a few years hiatus. After reading Gilbert Morris I didn't raise my expectations. Thankfully I wasn't disappointed. In fact I was quite impressed.

I did enter the book at a slight disadvantage by reading the last book in the series before the first two. (That's what happens when one gets the books from the library. Whatever was available on my list I grabbed)

My disadvantage was caused by something I admire...the lack of recap of the previous books in the beginning of the book. As I journeyed through the book I learned more about the subtlties of the characters and plot.

Another positive: Even though the plethora of characters confused me at first but Lewis didn't introduce too many and deftly weaved the stories together so that I soon sorted out the identities of the characters.

Honestly, I can't really think of a negative to tell about the book though I believe that I thought of one or two as I was reading.

Even now the end choices of the two main characters make me think, a positive thing I think.