Rutabaga's Reads 2013: Part 8

Here is Part 8 of Rutabaga’s Reads 2013 and the second Past Reads edition. I read these books in the summer of 2011. They have been re-formatted from their original lengths (which were a lot longer).

The 3 Little Dassies (Sept. 21, 2010) by Jan Brett.

“The 3 Little Dassies” is a take on the “Three Little Pigs” story. (A dassie, also known as a rock hyrax, is a mammal. They are referred to as dassies in South Africa.) “The 3 Little Dassies” follows sister dassies Mimbi, Pimbi and Timbi. All grown up, they choose to move to a mountain area in the Namib Desert (in Namibia) where it will be cooler and less crowded. They want to avoid eagles, which prey upon them. Their cart is pulled by a turtle, and they befriend a handsome Agama Man (a red-headed agama lizard). He informs the dassies that the only ones living in the area are him and a family of eagles.

            What happens when the hungry eagle discovers the dassies? Does he huff and puff?

            Brett is a masterful writer and illustrator of children’s books. She does a terrific job laying out her stories, and her pictures are magnificent – so full of color and detail. Be sure to check out all of her illustrations, because she also utilizes the outer margins, thus creating further picturesque enjoyment for her readers!

Count the Ways (Oct. 2, 2009) by D. M. Ulmer.

This work of fiction is a military romance novel. Young computer scientist David Judge is called upon by his Great Uncle Keith Buhl to clear the cruel memory of David’s grandfather, LTJG Brendan Judge. Brendan has been missing in action since 1953. The novel takes place in the years 2000 and 1950. In 2000, David is tasked with finding evidence to vindicate his grandfather against allegations that he betrayed his wife, Carlie Buhl Judge. It is this betrayal that is thought to be the cause of Carlie’s tragic death.

            In 1950, U.S. Naval Academy Midshipman Brendan Judge finds himself on an Iowa farm in fictitious Northvale, ready for a tough summer of work in order to bring in income. When 24-year-old Brendan finds work on a farm, he finds resistance from Mr. Buhl, a mom in Mrs. Buhl, and their children: Ed, the eldest; Keith, age 14; Sarah, the youngest; and Carlie, age 23.

            If you’re looking for lots of action/adventure or fantasy, bypass this book, but don’t judge this book by its cover. It’s not as backroads-whimsy as the cover might suggest, and the romance is not excessive. It has a real pursuit quality about it with characters so vivid and alive, they might remind you of people you actually know. The past and present will have to meet with the right amount of information to vindicate Brendan, but I expect you’ll be rooting for him throughout the book.

Heaven is for Real (Nov. 2, 2010) by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent.

At the end of February 2003, three-year-old Colton Burpo’s appendix ruptured and filled his body with poison for five days. In addition, pockets of infection were removed from his abdomen in a second surgery. He was taken to the ICU with his life questionable, yet he was alert the following morning. A miracle child. On a Fourth of July trip that year, Colton finally told his parents about his “supernatural weird” experience. He remembered being in the hospital, for that was where the angels sang to him and spoke with him. He also sat in Jesus’ lap. He knew his parents’ locations through his surgery, though no one had told him they had been in separate rooms praying, making calls and, in Todd’s case, venting toward God.

            Colton talked of his visit to Heaven over a span of time. He told his dad he was only there for three minutes, yet he got to do so much. Like Alex Malarkey (“The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven”) Colton said he saw Satan, but unlike Alex, he would not describe him. Alex’s description, meanwhile, was quite detailed and ugly.

            “Heaven is for Real” was an intriguing nonfiction book to read. Colton talks of a painting that depicts Jesus’ face as he recalls it. It is Prince of Peace by Akiane Kramarik, who painted it when she was eight. Start off skeptically if you want, but please try to keep an open mind. There was one place in particular that simply warmed my heart like a steaming mug of hot chocolate warms one’s hands. Summed up, to exude childlike faith is exceptional.

Magic Under Glass (Dec. 22, 2009) by Jaclyn Dolamore.

In this debut novel, 17-year-old Nimira lives in Lorinar, but hails from Tiansher. She has dark skin and black hair where fair skin is the norm. She came to find success, but she’s considered no better than a beggar. When Nimira is approached by A. Hollin Parry (a young and wealthy sorcerer) to be the accompanying singer to his automaton, she has qualms about it, but figures it’d be a better occupation. She goes to Vestenveld Estate even amidst hearsay that the automaton is haunted. Nimira’s first encounter with the automaton is practical. The automaton, or clockwork man, is beautifully and intricately made. But on her next encounter, alone, the automaton moans and waves his hands over the pianoforte. She is startled, but begins to communicate with him (How?). He says his name is Erris. Does the automaton contain the ghost of a man? Is it enchanted to think on its own? Is it a trapped man?

            For Nimira, corresponding with Erris is tough, but there’s more. She doesn’t want to be caught talking to the automaton, not by Hollin and definitely not by Miss Rashten, Mr. Parry’s intimidating sorceress and head maid. She also dreads meeting Mr. Soleran Smollings, a condescending man who is head of the Sorcerer’s Council and Ambassador of Magic.

            Read this tale if you enjoy fantasy fiction; bypass it if you do not. I found it to be a swift read with clean content. It is light fare compared to other YA books out there, but it’s still a nice read. Any romance comes across as puppy love. Its sequel is "Magic Under Stone".

William and Kate: A Royal Love Story (Dec. 21, 2010) by Christopher Andersen.

This book details the ongoing royal saga about Prince William (Wills) and Catherine (Kate) Middleton and their often winding, oftentimes trying, road to togetherness. The beginning is centered on William’s parents and his younger years. He grows from a naughty, tantrum-throwing boy into a young man who worries about everyone but himself. Not surprisingly, there is much mention about the ugly details regarding the marriage of Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales.

            Kate grows up in a hard-working, middle-class family which grows into a millionaire household thanks to her mom’s (Carole) entrepreneurial drive. The subsequent chapters venture through the years of Wills’ and Kate’s time at St. Andrews University in Scotland. Carole pushed her daughter to attend the university. Kate already had three top university choices, and none of them included St. Andrews. But Kate finally caved into her mother’s almost incessant urging. Kate eventually found herself in Wills’ company through their initial mutual study of art history (he later switched to geography). Through many ups and downs, the book finally reached the point where Wills proposed to Kate. “Waity Katie” finally had her prince and, as we know, on April 29, 2011, the world saw a new princess.

            Since I lacked back story regarding the royal family, I found this story to be highly informative, sometimes even too much so. The eight chapters in this nonfiction account are well-focused and highly detailed. Prepare yourself for over-the-top and twisted events, often fraught with large amounts of neuroticism, scandal, overspending and showy fascinators. If those things don’t interest you, then leave this book on the bookshelf!

Rutabaga's Reads 2013: Part 7

Well, hello there! Thanks for checking out Part 7 of Rutabaga’s Reads 2013. My post contains a variety of age categories this time around. You’ll find children’s picture books, Christian fiction, adult fiction and a fiction chapter book.

Bently & Egg (Feb. 1, 1992) by William Joyce.

Who knew that being a good friend could involve babysitting an egg?! When Kack Kack, a duck, hears of her sister’s hatchlings, she goes to visit her. She asks her friend, Bently Hopperton, to watch over her precious egg. Bently is a musical and artsy frog who loves to sing and draw. Disliking the look of the “bland” egg, Bently decides to paint it beautifully. Unfortunately, it is “eggnapped” by a boy who mistakes it for an Easter egg. Bently embarks on a daring and amusing mission to rescue the egg. He encounters an elephant stuffed animal, a goldfish and a little girl, to name a few pieces of his adventure.

            Bently’s mission is over-the-top, but that’s partly what makes this tale so charming. One can’t help but like his subtle and humorous hero. Joyce’s illustrations are also charming. They are not bold and in your face, but gentle and muted. It’s an enjoyably adventurous tale for kids and the adults reading it to them.

Fancy Nancy: Aspiring Artist (Mar. 1, 2011) by Jane O’Connor.

   Robin Preiss Glasser, illustrator.

I had the fun opportunity to read this book (months ago now) to a 1^st Grade class on their appointed Fancy Nancy Day. It was all in good fun -- good literature-inspired fun!

            With her best friend on vacation, Nancy is glum, but her mood changes when her mom brings her a set of glitter markers. She finds inspiration all around her and even bases it on famous artistes. For example, Mrs. DeVine’s garden inspires her to create a Monet-inspired image. In true Fancy Nancy form, she creates artwork that is très, très fancy!

            The forces that are O’Connor and Preiss Glasser create another work of art, both in writing and illustrating. The writing is fun (and fancy, of course), and the pictures are bright and colorful. The students enjoyed the book; I did as well. And who knows, perhaps “Aspiring Artist” got their creative juices flowing, too!

The Guardian (Mar. 26, 2013) by Beverly Lewis.

Jodi Winfield is a 27-year-old Englischer house-sitting in the heart of Lancaster County’s Amish country. Imagine her surprise when she finds a distraught little girl who’s disheveled and speaks no English. Her questions about where the girl comes from lead her to the fictional area of Hickory Hollow. There, she finds a world that time seems to have forgotten. The People are humble, kind and God-fearing, though wary of Jodi’s worldliness. Despite her unfamiliarity with Amish customs, she is entranced by the area and enjoys running on the lesser-traveled back roads. Jodi’s spirit is in need of healing, and her life is in want of answers. Will Hickory Hollow provide the healing and solace she needs?

            Maryanna Esh is a widowed mother of four. It is her youngest, Sarah, who went missing. Maryanna has raised her brood and kept up the house, property and family business for three years. Still, how her heart daily misses her beloved Benuel! Her parents have outright told her that she needs a father for her children, especially Sarah, as Maryanna has been known to mollycoddle her. This favoritism hasn’t gone unnoticed, and it is frowned upon. Is Maryanna ready to accept another man’s love?

            This is the third book in Lewis’ Home to Hickory Hollow series, but it reads as a standalone novel. As I’ve come to expect from Lewis, it is very good on many levels. It’s well-written with the right amounts of tenderness, humility, faith, dissent and doubt. It is also carefully researched, so she stays true to Old Order Amish ways. At its core, it is a book about accepting others and keeping our hearts open to love and the Lord even amidst grief.

            Book One in the series: The Fiddler (not reviewed by me)

            Book Two in the series: The Bridesmaid

The Postmistress (Feb. 9, 2010) by Sarah Blake.

Thanks go out to my cousin, Megan, for lending me this book.

            The year is 1940. France has fallen, and The Blitz is ravaging the United Kingdom. Radio personality Frankie Bard is in Europe covering whatever she can, from the nightly bombings to the streams of Jewish refugees to stories of those around her that she cannot finish because she never sees them again. America is still cocooned at this point, and they aren’t invested enough to want to provide aid across the Atlantic. It seems that they figure, since the battle is not on their soil, then it isn’t their concern. Frankie wants America, not just to hear, but really listen. She wants them involved in the effort to help put a stop to all the pain and war.

            Postmaster Iris James hears Frankie’s broadcasts, but she can’t really understand what Frankie sees and hears, who she meets and doesn’t get a chance to say good-bye to, but she does hear Frankie when she says, “Pay attention.” Iris is as dedicated to her post as Franklin, Massachusetts’ postmaster -- “In England you’d be called a postmistress,” Frankie informs her -- as if it were her sacred duty. She believes that mistakes happen in her midst, but they have a reason, and she is always there to fix them. She believes she knows about pain and anguish, but does she? Does she really get what Frankie is trying to tell her, tell America?

            Emma Fitch is the new wife of the town doctor, Will. Something happens that prompts Will to aid those in London, and he leaves, telling Emma he will return in six months. He writes her letters every day, as she writes to him, but Emma struggles. She is angry that he left her and is at turns annoyed with Frankie’s voice and words and deeply moved by the brokenness and sadness in her voice. She’s waiting for news: Is it less painful to focus on what you hope is untrue or try to accept the plausibly inevitable?

            This is a book for book clubs, but it’s really a book to provoke anyone’s thoughts. Blake’s prose is quite compelling, and the three main women are so distinctive. They are each caught up in their own lives and have trouble grasping what they have not lived. In that sense, it parallels how most of us are today. It is hard to put ourselves in another’s shoes, and these women portray that powerfully. “The Postmistress” isn’t a sentimental book, and it is adult fiction, so expect that it’s for mature readers. It is moving, challenging, harrowing, dangerous, sad and lovely. It swept me away, as might the currents of the ocean, sometimes smooth-sailing and other times choppy and uncertain.

Saige (Dec. 27, 2012) by Jessie Haas. Sarah Davis, illustrator.

Meet Saige Copeland. She is American Girl’s Girl of the Year for 2013. Saige is a horse-loving painter who has just begun fourth grade. Fourth grade would be great if her best friend, Tessa, would spend time with her and art was taught in school every year (art and music are taught in opposing years). Fortunately, she makes a new friend, and she has her grandma’s place to look forward to most days. There, she can be with horses and paint with her grandmother. Her grandma, Mimi, suggests that Saige start an initiative to “save the arts,” which includes fundraising and the opportunity to lead the parade on Mimi’s horse, Picasso. When Mimi is hurt, Saige doubts that she can go through with everything she has planned, but she doesn’t want to let her grandma down. Can Saige fulfill her fundraising ideas to get art back in school and make her grandma proud?

            “Saige” is a chapter book that I’d recommend to girls at the intermediate reading level. Illustrations are few, but those that are there are beautifully imagined. Like any American Girl story I’ve read, the character is a believable young girl who has her own set of challenges to overcome. As a Girl of the Year, Saige is a modern girl, not one based on a historic time. If you appreciate good, clean books for any girls you know, I’d recommend “Saige” and the other American Girl brand stories. (Click Rutabaga’s Reads 2013: Part 1 for Caroline, an American Girl historical character.)

"A Noble Groom" by Jody Hedlund

A Noble Groom (Apr. 1, 2013) by Jody Hedlund.*

For Annalisa Werner, the notion of marrying for love is as far-fetched as the fairy tales her daughter, Gretchen, loves so much. Her marriage is a loveless, empty one, filled more with what isn’t there than what is. When her husband dies, it’s as though he’s failed her yet again, for now she has to shoulder a house, farm and family all on her own. As her vater says, “Annalisa must have a new husband.” Preferably someone who is strong and dependable and is a hard worker. That’s all Annalisa thinks she needs in a new husband, because who ever marries for love?

            Her father sends a letter to his brother, Matthias, who still resides in the Old Country (Germany). He asks him to send Annalisa a groom. The young man Matthias chooses has to wait until he has enough money for the travel fare – which in 1881 meant a long sea voyage in steerage with “ship-sized lice” – so he sends another man ahead to serve on Annalisa’s farm until her husband arrives. He calls himself Carl Richards. He’s supposedly a former schoolteacher, but he uses big words and speaks such impeccable English that Annalisa can’t help but wish she were brave enough to ask him more about his past.

            Carl proves himself to be a hard-working and inventive man of the non-complaining variety. He’s also endearing, gentle, considerate and as handsome as any fairy tale prince. Gretchen adores him and Annalisa just might, too. But that’s one thing Annalisa can’t afford to do, knowing her groom could arrive any day. Besides, she has enough to worry about with trying to pay off the farm loan and keep it out of the greedy hands of E. B. Ward. And with the severe drought, the entire Forestville, Michigan, area is like a giant tinderbox, ready to ignite with the smallest spark. Despite the hardships befalling her and those around her, can Annalisa see that she is worthy of Gott’s attention? And that He has enough love for everyone?

            “A Noble Groom” is a Christian fiction, historical romance novel. It is a winning blend of faith, romance and crisis. It is fraught with the adversities and perils of the historic time, but conversely, it is also filled with devotion and the realization that His love is ever present, even during one’s darkest days. Hedlund’s prose is easy to follow and a pleasure to read, and I thoroughly enjoyed her wit. Lines such as “The room grew silent enough to hear the lice he’d caught on the ship begin their daily symphony in his hair” made me laugh, cringe and want to scratch the imaginary lice in my hair all at the same time. (Fortunately, head-scratching is not required to read this book!)

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The "Luna Lovegood" Scarf

Winter in May!

"Luna Lovegood" scarf

Isn't winter great? Wait ... what? It's supposed to be springtime? That's what I thought! However, this provides me a perfect opportunity to do a little bragging. My birthday was last month, and my friend - Nicole C. - surprised me by sending me a gift. But nay, it's not just any gift -- it's a LUNA LOVEGOOD scarf! For anyone familiar with the Harry Potter books and/or movies, you will know who Luna Lovegood is. However, you won't recognize the scarf unless you're familiar with the movies. I know it's not a close-up, but isn't the scarf fantastic?! I'm rather in awe of it myself. I love it!
    When I got my scarf, there wasn't much snow left on the ground. "Should I have a photo taken anyway?" I thought to myself. I waited. I'm not excited to see snow on the ground in May, but it works out very conveniently with the scarf photo! :-)
    I want to thank Nicole again for the scarf and her generosity. The scarf is attractive and fabulous and awesome, and I want others to see it and know of your crocheting prowess, too!
    Easy trivia (for those familiar with Harry Potter): (1) What house does Luna belong to? (2) Which wizarding magazine is Luna first spotted reading upside-down?