Here is Part 1
of Rutabaga’s Reads 2014. I’ve been referring to this compilation as my
Hodgepodge Edition, thanks to the range of age categories and book genres.
Happy Hodgepodge to You!
Odd Interlude: A Special Odd Thomas
Adventure (Jan. 1, 2013)
by Dean Koontz.
Adult Thriller/Mystery/Science Fiction.
Welcome to
Harmony Corner. Incidentally, you won’t find harmony there, but there is a
corner. Odd Thomas will have to take care not to get stuck in one. Oddie has a
sixth sense “with several facets,” one of which draws him to places of trouble.
That is how he comes to arrive in Harmony Corner. Despite its name, grave
darkness lurks. It may lurk in the man with the horrifically scarred face or the
mother whose daughter is too beautiful to live. What is the evil presence that
appears to inhabit Harmony Corner? Oddie intends to find out and save them,
despite doubting his heroic abilities. The “too beautiful” daughter is Jolie
Ann Harmony, a sarcastic twelve-year-old, and she helps Oddie out in a pinch.
Oddie finds that he especially wants to save her, so that she can live her life
and not merely endure it. Will she take it with a grain of salt? Can Oddie save
her and her family?
This was the first time I’ve read a
Koontz book, and I was pleasantly surprised by it. Honestly, I thought it’d be
a little dry when in fact I liked it. There is humor and sarcasm and fun
allusions to modern- and former-day characters/people/literary works. I’d
recommend this book to those who like some sci-fi with their fiction. Odd Thomas
is a character who’s likable because he’s a hero but doesn’t think he is. It
makes him humble, yet he’ll resort to drastic measures like “unapproved
borrowing.” Both witty and dark, it lives up to its odd title character -- not odd in a weird way, but a good one.
Princess Posey and the First Grade Parade (May 27, 2010) by Stephanie Greene.
Stephanie Roth Sisson, illustrator.
Chapter Book Fiction.
Like many young
girls, Posey is no stranger to playing dress-up, and when she puts on her pink
tutu, she becomes Princess Posey, the Pink Princess. As the Pink Princess,
Posey feels she can do anything, even walk into her First Grade classroom by
herself. But without her tutu … she’s just Posey, and that Posey is scared to
enter First Grade by herself. There’s a chance meeting with Miss Lee, her new teacher,
and Posey has an idea to propose. Will Miss Lee be receptive to her idea? How
could this idea help allay Posey’s first-day jitters?
“First Grade Parade” is a cute
chapter book, geared for readers who are ready to read more than picture books.
Posey’s dilemma is entirely plausible, and I think the story would resonate
with many young readers. After all, how many of us remember first-day-of-school
jitters from when we were young? This is also a story to lift kids up. They may
not be able to make Posey’s idea a reality, but perhaps they’ll find the
confidence needed to face their first day of school head-on.
Lynne Avril, illustrator.
Children’s Picture Book Fiction.
Can you guess
which holiday is Ruby Valentine’s favorite? It’s Christmas! Kidding. It’s
Valentine’s Day, and she’s just moved to the hill outside town. Valentine’s Day
is nearing, and she’s prepping for a big party at her house to celebrate. Even
her pet bird is helping her prepare. She’s invited everyone in town, and when
the big day comes, the area’s been covered by a snowstorm! How will Ruby handle
things when her plans have to change? And change again?
This children’s tale has a lot of
pink and red and hearts. Her bird is named Lovebird, her house has a
heart-shaped window, she sits in a heart-backed chair, and the town is called
Heartland. It is a cute story for Valentine’s Day with rhyme and colorful
illustrations. The sugary sweetness feeling of it all might make some adults
cringe, but anyone can appreciate Ruby’s generous spirit. It’s a nice story of
celebrating with those you love, and it has a great message that’s good for any
age!
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Christian Fiction.
Farewell Modern
World, Hello Amish Country! Jennifer Burns has yearned for a simple life since
she was a little girl. After meeting an Amish gal several years ago, she’s
decided to leave her fancy life – where she never wanted for anything growing
up with money – and travel to the Old Order Amish community of Hickory Hollow
in Lancaster County. Jenny has plans to learn the Amish ways and eventually be
baptized. But is she ready to give up her modern life completely? To say good-bye
to her car and electricity? To be of a humble and submissive spirit? She
witnesses someone going someplace one shouldn’t, by order of the Bishop. That
person asks Jenny to keep the secret, which eats at Jenny. After all, she is
working to be a baptized member, learning everything from darning socks to speaking
Pennsylvania Dutch to Amish etiquette. She’ll have to confess everything she knows when her Proving
time comes, but that would betray a trust. What should she do?
Rebecca and Samuel Lapp become hosts
to the seeker, Jenny. Rebecca is open to welcoming her, albeit with some
anxiousness over Jenny’s worldliness and knowing that she lost her only
daughter to the modern world. Will she feel like she’s failed as a mother if
Jenny leaves Hickory Hollow and returns home? Samuel is exceedingly wary of the
seeker to the point that he practically ignores her. Will he warm to the
seeker’s presence? Marnie Lapp is the Amish gal who encouraged Jenny to come to
the Hollow. But Marnie’s going through a conundrum of her own. Does she dare
defy her stubborn father’s expectations to fulfill the request of her
betrothed?
Lewis’ Hickory Hollow is fictitious,
but the Hollow’s setting within Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is a real
place. I appreciated the point of view this story followed, being from that of
an Englischer wanting in. I
continually enjoy how Hickory Hollow seems like such an idyllic place, yet it’s
not without its trials, and, in the case of this book, its secrets. Lewis’
books are very good, fictional literature, and they also provide very good
insight into the Old Order Amish way. There are definitely gender roles, but
there is such a sense of positive spirit, love and community. And figuring that
out is no secret!
Book One in the Home to Hickory Hollow series: The Fiddler
Book Two in the Home to Hickory Hollow series: The Bridesmaid
Book Three in the Home to Hickory Hollow series: The Guardian
Photography Book Nonfiction.
The landscape is
silent, and times of a bygone era stand still in Julie Bronson’s first book of
photography. Previously I summarized and reviewed her “Vanishing Barns” book.
This first book focuses on dilapidated houses, most of which are
long-abandoned. Looking at the houses now, there is a sense of loss -- loss due
to time passing and loss due to abandonment. Some of the photos are almost
eerie to look at, as if the ghosts of yesteryear lurk within the shells that
remain. And that is part of the wonder of the book.
The images Bronson captures
represent ever-fleeting pieces of local history. It is like seeing a firefly
light up in the night: You see it – THERE! – but before you know it, the
firefly and that moment are gone. It is sometimes the case with this vanishing
beauty. There one day, but perhaps gone the next because of time, nature or
man. The page numbers in this book are helpful, and I really liked the story
from her aunt. Bronson’s passion for photography is evident, and if those walls
could talk, surely they would thank her for visiting.
See Also: Rutabaga’s Reads 2012: Part 9 for “Vanishing Barns on the Backroads.”
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