"A Most Peculiar Circumstance" by Jen Turano

A Most Peculiar Circumstance (June 1, 2013) by Jen Turano.*

The year is 1880, and Miss Arabella Beckett is a progressive woman of her time. She’s an independent, fiery woman with a beautiful face that people remember, and she doesn’t see herself as a wife who’d sit demurely by and cater to her husband’s every whim. She is a strong supporter of the women’s suffrage movement, but finds herself in a jam that handsome private investigator Mr. Theodore Wilder gets her out of. Their personalities clash, to say the least. Theodore is soon away again on an investigation, while Arabella becomes very interested in the disappearances of ladies of the night. She wants to find the missing and help the night ladies find reputable occupations. She believes that it’s God’s will for her to devote her life to assisting women in need, but she’ll learn in frank conversations that she’s been judgmental. And the truth hurts. But likewise, others have been judgmental of her, and they learn that Arabella isn’t all fire and “masculine” thoughts, but is also full of compassion and feeling. However, it’s her fire that not only gets her in trouble, but steels her when her life is in danger. Will Theodore come to her rescue in time?

            I thoroughly enjoyed this Christian historical romance story. I found Turano to be an entertaining storyteller who combines honest faith, a thrilling plot and delightful humor to create a captivating novel. I definitely plan to read more from this author. Although Arabella has her damsel-in-distress moments, I still found her to be a strong female lead, and even the chauvinist can be chivalrous. Turano shows us in words that love just may be the most peculiar circumstance of all.

* 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.”

"Undeniably Yours" by Becky Wade

Undeniably Yours (May 1, 2013) by Becky Wade.*

When her father dies, Meg Cole returns to Whispering Creek Ranch to attempt to take over her father’s controlling share in Cole Oil. She doesn’t want it, not just because she’s in way over her head, but her heart does not reside in oil, no matter that its presence has made her a very wealthy heiress. Her sanity seems to be holding on by a mere thread, and she’s given her late father’s favored Thoroughbred racehorse farm six months to get its affairs in order before she shuts it down. Whispering Creek Horses’ (WCH) manager, Bo Porter, doesn’t want it to close. He’s performing his dream job on his dream ranch. He also feels responsible for WCH’s twenty employees, which include his brother. Bo feels he ought to resent Meg, but instead he can’t stop thinking about her. There’s a kindness and vulnerability about her that he didn’t expect, and it shows when Meg invites a stranger, Amber Richardson, and her toddler son to stay. Amber has a connection to Meg that takes her back to a dark time in her life five years ago. It’s one of the reasons Meg’s so guarded now, but she can’t stop thinking of Bo either. Can their relationship grow beyond friendship? Even when it’s tested in an anguishing way?

            “Undeniably Yours” is a Christian, contemporary romance, fiction novel. Meg and Bo are devout in their faith, and they trust God to see them through the toughest of times, though sometimes they must remember to give their worries to Him and take the time to hear Him. It is a pleasant novel that fuses faith, trepidation, romance, kindness and a touch of suspense. I thought the book’s pace was mostly steady. It didn’t gallop so much as trot along nicely.

* 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.”

"There's a 1st Grade Class"

The 2012-2013 school year has come to a close. I spent time volunteering in a 1st Grade classroom and concluded my time with the 1st Graders on a fun note by presenting them with a poem I wrote. It's a dedication to the wonderful students they all are, and, I hope, continue to be in the years to come. It's also dedicated to their teacher, who's now an official retiree!

There's a 1st Grade Class

There's a 1st grade class that's funny, smart and sweet.
In this room there are 16 pairs of feet.

    One time there was a day for Fancy Nancy,
    And they dressed up and looked trés, trés fancy!
    Some of the boys wore ties and looked like young kings,
    The queens wore skirts, tiaras and pretty, shiny rings.

        The class learned some history with the help of dolls
        Of lifetimes long ago when there weren't any malls.
        It's great that the dolls made them very chatty --
        Can they name the four they met before Addy?

There's a 1st grade class that is so much like yours.
They learn in a room that's without any doors.

    They received postcards in their Postcard Project.
    Each postcard that came was a special object.
    How exciting that they posted all 50 states,
    Plus D.C. and some countries -- so cool, so great!

        The students visited a place called Quarry Hill.
        They had fun even though the day was gray and chill.
        They saw an owl, snakes, fish, ducks, toad eggs,
        And many bees: a bee has how many legs?

I know a 1st grade class; I'm with them right now.
Their teacher, Mrs. Follmuth, is wonderful and wow!

    Gage runs fast like a Greyhound; it's a breed of dog.
    Weston's as fast as a cheetah when he's on a jog.
    Adalia and Whitney are little fairies.
    They fly with sparkly wings and are very merry.

        Landon's strong like the Hulk, but is his skin green?
        Mattix has a monster-scare-away machine.
        Sammy flies around like a graceful butterfly,
        While Taylor rides a dragonfly high up in the sky.

            Logan and Skylar are as tough as bears,
            And Maysen keeps a pet dinosaur upstairs.
            Avery and Ruby wear puffy, glittery gowns.
            Since they're princesses, are they wearing their crowns?

                Marshall has a hat that is shaped like a French horn,
                And Kennedy and Haylee have twenty unicorns.
                For you, 1st Grade, I give you this rhyming depiction.
                Can you say which part was fact ... and which part was fiction?

Thanks to Mrs. Follmuth, you've learned lots of things new.
I hope some of you become teachers like her, too!

Lisa "Rutabaga"

May 2013

Rutabaga's Reads 2013: Part 9

Welcome to this edition of Rutabaga’s Reads 2013! Lately, I’ve been giving my compilations nicknames, as I don’t always know on the first save whether the compilation will be Part 7 or Part 10 or Part 15. This compilation was nicknamed “Part Siblings,” because all four titles were given to me by my siblings (two brothers, a sister-in-law and a sister-in-law-to-be) for my birthday. I say, “Thank you! You’re super smart for knowing me so well!”

Alice in Zombieland (Sept. 25, 2012) by Gena Showalter.

Perhaps surprisingly, this was my first zombie book. Alice “Ali” Bell never believed in the monsters her father saw. She figured they were the byproduct of a man so paranoid and delusional that he was certifiably insane. Unfortunately for Alice, her dad was right. Monsters – zombies – are real, and she will strive to fight those undead to avenge her family. But how does she do that? There’s so much to learn about spirit form, Blood Lines and not speaking at certain times. Fortunately for her, there’s a fantastically well-chiseled hottie named Cole Holland, though he may or may not be of questionable character and act as the leader of a serial criminal group. Nice, right? Okay, so Cole’s not a criminal – he just looks like one, albeit a very handsome one – and he can help Ali. By learning, Ali’s home life with her grandparents and social life with her new friend Kat will suffer. But suffer she will, because she can’t tell them the truth. It all just bites.

            I am not a fan of zombies, and while reading this book didn’t catapult me into liking zombies, I did like this book. It is fun and flirty, push and pull, occasionally sappy and mostly fierce. It is part light-hearted and danger-dark, sad-morose and high-school-dramatic, delightfully-eccentric and action-packed. Showalter creates a new zombie mythology with its own set of rules. If you’re a fan of YA fantasy fiction, give this book a go. Don’t ignore it just because it has to do with zombies. Embrace it. Or at least give it a little taste.

Bossypants (Apr. 5, 2011) by Tina Fey.

Although I’d heard of this book and thought about reading it, I only this year considered putting it on a gift wish list. Thank you, Diane, for giving me the idea to put it on a list!

            It’s been awhile since I’ve actually read a non-fiction book and even longer since I’ve read a memoir. “Bossypants” chronicles various stages in Tina Fey’s life in humorous ways that end with making a valid point or an entertaining one. The book, which is roughly 250 pages long, is separated by chapters with titles such as “What Turning Forty Means to Me” (which contains two lines of text), “Sarah, Oprah, and Captain Hook” (which is thirty-seven pages long) and “My Honeymoon, or A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again Either” (which gives me another reason not to go on a cruise). Sometimes Fey’s words have you thinking that you’ve totally had that happen to you or you wish-you-said-that-out-loud-but-didn’t-because-you’re-that-nice/mature/grown up. A lot of the time her words have you laughing or cringing inwardly or wondering why she wrote that.

            I chuckled throughout the book, though not in one long laugh (because who could really laugh that long in one breath?). For those who like to know, choice words do come up in the book. “Bossypants” is at times and all-together witty, sarcastic, light-hearted, stone-faced, ridiculous, enlightening and funny. As entertaining as I found it to be, I know this won’t be for everyone based on reading interests, time and/or the known inclusion of vulgar words. If you take nothing else away from this review, know that she grew up middle-class and is more similar to us than not, but who happens to be far more publicly known than we are!

Clockwork Princess (Mar. 19, 2013) by Cassandra Clare.

[WARNING: SPOILERS -- if you haven’t read the previous books]

“The good suffer, the evil flourish, and all that is mortal passes away” is what immortal warlock Magnus Bane tells a rather distraught William Herondale, which explains the tone of much of the book. Will is a Shadowhunter of the London Institute, as is his best friend and parabatai, Jem Carstairs. With Tessa Gray, they all suffer together and as individuals. Will is torn over his love for Tessa, knowing she’s engaged to Jem; Tessa not only loves both Will and Jem, but she’s still being pursued by Mortmain; and Jem’s life is rapidly deteriorating, especially when the yin fen is nowhere to be found. Mortmain jumps in full violent force with his army of clockwork creatures (automatons) and his evil-bad self flourishes. For all that the Shadowhunters (a.k.a. Nephilim) are – angelic blood runs through their veins – they are still human and lead mortal lives. What would it be like to live eternally and watch all your loved ones die? How would you survive the deaths of the many you love?

            By the Angel, it’s all so dramatic (in a good literary way). Clare’s prose in the final installment of The Infernal Devices trilogy sparkles as brightly as a roomful of royal gems. I daresay that this trilogy is better than The Mortal Instruments (TMI) series, though I’m a dedicated fan of that series, for it came along first. “Clockwork Princess” includes multiple references to TMI, providing answers to questions you may or may not have had. It is rich in detail and deep in its measure of love and struggle, good and bad. For me, the conclusion offered a very satisfying end to a supernal YA fantasy trilogy.

            Book One in the trilogy: Clockwork Angel

            Book Two in the trilogy: Clockwork Prince

Sleep No More (Oct. 16, 2012) by Iris Johansen.

Sandra Duncan is not the motherly type, but she’s Eve Duncan’s mother, and she’s come to appeal to Eve’s because-you’re-my-daughter side. Sandra wants Eve to find Beth Avery, a woman only slightly older than Eve who’s been confined to a “behavioral health” facility for over a decade. Beth has recently gone missing, and the lack of information about Beth is mysterious. She enlists the help of Detective Joe Quinn and a very reluctant and snappish Dr. Kendra Michaels, who has the unique ability to find clues that others usually miss. Other characters abound as well, including a caregiver at the health facility, Jessie Newell. It seems that the more they uncover about Beth’s history – including the discovery that she was heavily sedated and kept more prisoner than resident-in-healing – the higher the body count rises. Who’s behind it all? A presence from the powerful Avery family? An assassin with his own agenda? Or are both groups intertwined?

            “Sleep No More” is a mystery-thriller that is classic Johansen. The “good” characters have heart, but there’s plenty of violence, vileness and hate. It’s very cat-and-mouse. For those familiar with Johansen’s thrillers, there are no surprises. She’s very consistent. Her Eve Duncan character is featured in many novels, but this could work as a standalone. I am intrigued by her new character, Jessie Newell. Not much is mentioned of his past, which I think could be colorful. I wouldn’t be surprised to see his character pop up in a future novel.