Welcome to Faith 'n' Fiction Saturday! If this is your first here, please read this post to learn everything you need to know!
Today's Discussion
Anne Rice became quite famous for her books about vampires but when she converted back to her Christian faith, she left her vampire stories behind much to the dismay of her fans. She felt there were no redemptive stories to tell about vampires. Meanwhile, Christian fiction has been releasing a few more books about vampires.
So my question for you today is...what do you think about these kinds of stories? Do you enjoy the fictional vampire stories or the fictional stories about angels? Are you more likely to read a story about an angel than a vampire? What do you think is the appeal of these books?
(For further reading see this interview with Tracey Bateman on Christian vampire books and this article where Anne Rice asserts angels are the new vampires)
My Answer:
It may surprise you, but I'm far more comfortable reading a vampire story than a story about an angel. I think the difference is I think vampires are fictional, while I believe angels actually exist. And we have very little knowledge that has been revealed to us about angels. I generally think they are close to God, i.e. they see Him and serve Him directly and don't ever doubt His existence. They aren't humans, though. They are very mysterious! I watch the show Supernatural and I have to say that the portrayal of angels on that show constantly makes me cringe! It is interesting to think about, but I really don't enjoy fictionalized angel stories very much.
However, I am willing to give another angel book a try if you know of a good one that doesn't malign the character of God feel free to leave a comment with your suggestion!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Faith 'n' Fiction Saturday: Are Angels the New Vampires?
Currently Reading Eye of the God by Ariel Allison
I've been reading this book all week and still didn't finish in time! It's been a really busy week. I'm enjoying it...it's a fun read.
Here's the publisher's synopsis...I'll replace this post with a review when I finish!
eye of the god takes the fascinating history surrounding the Hope Diamond and weaves it together with a present-day plot to steal the jewel from the Smithsonian Institute.
We follow Alex and Isaac Weld, the most lucrative jewel thieves in the world, in their quest to steal the gem, which according to legend was once the eye of a Hindu idol named Rama Sita. When it was stolen in the 17th century, it is said that the idol cursed all those who would possess it. That won’t stop the brilliant and ruthless Weld brothers.
However, they are not prepared for Dr. Abigail Mitchell, the beautiful Smithsonian Director, who has her own connection to the Hope Diamond and a deadly secret to keep. Abby committed long ago that she would not serve a god made with human hands, and the “eye of the god” is no exception. Her desire is not for wealth, but for wisdom. She seeks not power, but restoration.
When the dust settles over the last great adventure of the Hope Diamond, readers will understand the “curse” that has haunted its legacy is nothing more than the greed of evil men who bring destruction upon themselves. No god chiseled from stone can direct the fates of humankind, nor can it change the course of God’s story.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Baby-sitters Club Week November 9-13
Hi Everyone!
I'm so happy to share with you that Baby-sitter's Club Week will be November 9-13. The following blogs have signed up to post. But don't worry...it's not too late to get in on the action! But I need your help! I forgot to ask for your email addresses last time and I really need them. So if you could please fill out the form again, with the day that works best for you and your email address, I'll be in touch with details! If you didn't sign up the first time around, you still can by filling out the form below.
The Following Blogs Expressed Interest in Participating:
Notes from the North --Memory Post
Booking Mama --Review
Books, Movies, Chinese Food --Memory Post or Character Spotlight
Deckled Edges --Memory Post
Shannan Loves Books and Movies --Review
Debbie's World of Books --Review
Read What You Know --Other
A Bibliophile's Bookshelf --Review
The Olive Reader --Review
One Librarian's Book Reviews --Memory Post
Bonjour Cass --Review
The Book Resort --Review
Book Addiction --Review
Stella Matutina --Review
Mode a la Pie --Character Spotlight
Cover to Cover --Memory Post
The Novel World --Character Spotlight
Book Crumbs --Memory Post
Ashley's Library --Character Spotlight
Even if you name is on the above list PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM AGAIN! Thank you so much! Also, anyone out there that can make a button for us? Let me know by shooting me an email at mypalamyATgmailDOTcom.
Thanks!
FIRST: Last Breath by Brandilyn and Amberly Collins
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
and the book:
Zondervan; 1 edition (October 1, 2009)
Brandilyn and Amberly Collins are a mother/daughter team from northern California. Brandilyn is a bestselling novelist, known for her trademarked "Seatbelt Suspense". Amberly is a college student in southern California. She and her mom love attending concerts together.
Visit the author's website.
Here's a video about the first book in the Rayne Series:
Product Details:
List Price: $9.99
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Zondervan; 1 edition (October 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310715407
ISBN-13: 978-0310715405
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
The last words of a dying man, whispered in my ear.
Were they true? What did they mean?
Your father sent me. The stunning claim drilled through my head, louder than the crowd’s screams.
Guitars blasted the last chord of Rayne’s hit song, Ever Alone, as Mom’s voice echoed through the Pepsi Center in Denver. The heavy drum beat thumped in my chest. With a final smash of cymbals the rock song ended. Multicolored laser lights swept the stadium, signaling the thirty-minute intermission.
Wild shrieks from thousands of fans rang in my ears.
I rose from my chair backstage. Tiredly, I smiled at the famous Rayne O’Connor as she strode toward me on high red heels. In the lights her sequined top shimmered and her blonde hair shone. She walked with confidence and grace, the picture of a rock star—until she stepped from her fans’ sight. Then her posture slumped, weariness creasing her beautiful face. Mom’s intense blue eyes usually glimmered with the excitement of performing, but now I saw only the wash of grief and exhaustion. How she’d managed to perform tonight, I’d never know. Except that she’s strong. A real fighter.
Me? I had to keep fighting too, even if my legs still trembled and I’d probably have nightmares for weeks.
Your father sent me.
I had to find out what those words meant.
“You’re a very brave young lady,” a Denver detective had told me just a few hours ago. I didn’t feel brave then or now.
“You okay, Shaley?” Mom had to shout over the screams as she hugged me.
I nodded against her shoulder, hanging on tightly until she pulled back.
The crowd’s applause died down. A heavy hum of voices and footsteps filtered from the stadium as thousands of people headed for concessions and bathrooms during the break.
Kim, the band’s keyboard player and alto to my mom’s lead vocals, stopped to lay a darkly tanned hand on my head. A strand of her bleached white-blonde hair was stuck to the gloss on her pink lips. She brushed it away. “You’re an amazing sixteen-year-old.”
I shrugged, embarrassed. “Thanks.”
Mick and Wendell, Mom’s two remaining bodyguards, approached without a word. I gave a self-conscious smile to Wendell, and he nodded back, sadness flicking across his face. His deep-set eyes were clouded, and the long scar across his chin seemed harder, more shiny. At five-eleven, Wendell is short for a bodyguard but every bit as muscled. Tonight his two-inch black hair, usually gelled straight up, stuck out in various directions. He hadn’t bothered to fix it since the life and death chase he was involved in just a few hours ago. Seeing that messed-up hair sent a stab through me. Wendell was usually so finicky about it.
Mick, Mom’s main personal bodyguard, folded his huge arms and stood back, waiting. Mick is in his forties, ex-military and tall, with a thick neck and block-shaped head. I’ve rarely seen emotion on his face, but I saw glimpses of it now. He and Wendell had been good friends with Bruce, Mom’s third bodyguard.
Bruce had been killed hours ago. Shot.
And he’d been trying to guard me.
My vision blurred. I blinked hard and looked at the floor.
“Come on.” Mom nudged my arm. “We’re all meeting in my dressing room.”
Mick and Bruce flanked her as she walked away.
Usually we don’t have to be so careful backstage. It’s a heavily guarded area anyway. But tonight nothing was the same.
Kim and I followed Mom down a long hall to her dressing room. Morrey, Kim’s boyfriend and Rayne’s drummer, caught up with us. He put a tattoo-covered arm around Kim, her head only reaching his shoulders. Morrey looked at me and winked, but I saw no happiness in it.
Ross Blanke, the band’s tour production manager, hustled up alongside us, trailed by Stan, lead guitarist, and Rich, Rayne’s bass player. “Hey.” Ross put a pudgy hand on Mom’s shoulder. “You’re doing great.” He waved an arm, indicating everyone. “All of you, you’re just doing great.”
“You do what you have to,” Stan said grimly. His black face shone with sweat.
Narrowing single file, we trudged into the dressing room. Mick and Wendell took up places on each side of the door.
Marshall, the makeup and hair stylist, started handing out water bottles. In his thirties, Marshall has buggy eyes and curly dark hair. His fingers are long and narrow, deft with his makeup tools. But until two days ago, he’d been second to Mom’s main stylist, Tom.
“Thanks.” I took a bottle from Marshall and tried to smile. Didn’t work. Just looking at him sent pangs of grief through me, because his presence reminded me of Tom’s absence.
Tom, my closest friend on tour, had been murdered two days ago.
Mom, Ross, Rich and I sank down on the blue couch—one of the furniture pieces Mom requested in every dressing room. Denver’s version was extra large, with a high back and overstuffed arms. To our left stood a table with plenty of catered food, but no one was hungry. I’d hardly eaten in the last day and a half and knew I should have something. But no way, not now.
Maybe after the concert.
Stan, Morrey and Kim drew up chairs to form a haphazard circle.
“All right.” Ross sat with his short, fat legs apart, hands on his jeaned thighs. The huge diamond ring on his right hand was skewed to one side. He straightened it with his pinky finger. “I’ve checked outside past the guarded area. The zoo’s double what it usually is. The news has already hit and every reporter and his brother are waiting for us. Some paparazzi are already there, and others have probably hopped planes and will show up by the time we leave.”
Is Cat here? I shuddered at the thought of the slinky, effeminate photographer who’d bothered us so much in the last two days. He’d even pulled a fire alarm in our San Jose hotel the night before just to force us out of our rooms. Now by police order he wasn’t supposed to get within five hundred feet of us. I doubted he’d care.
My eyes burned, and my muscles felt like water. Little food, no sleep, and plenty of shock. Bad combination. I slumped down in the couch and laid my head back.
Ross ran a hand through his scraggly brown hair. “Now at intermission folks out there”—he jabbed a thumb toward the arena—“are gonna start hearing things. Rayne, you might want to say a little something when you get back on stage.”
Mom sighed, as if wondering where she’d find the energy to do the second half of the concert. “Yeah.”
I squeezed her knee. If only the two of us could hide from the world for a week or two.
Make that a whole year.
Rich frowned as he moved his shaved head from one side to the other, stretching his neck muscles. His piercing gray eyes landed on me, and his face softened. I looked away.
Everyone was so caring and concerned about me. I was grateful for that. Really, I was. But it’s a little hard to know you’ve been the cause of three deaths. Under all their smiles, did the band members blame me?
Ross scratched his hanging jowl. “We got extra coverage from Denver police at the hotel tonight. Tomorrow we’re supposed to head out for Albuquerque. It’s close enough for Vance to drive the main bus without a switch-off driver, and the next two venues are close enough as well. But that’s just logistics. We’ve all been through a lot. Question is—can you all keep performing?” He looked around, eyebrows raised.
“Man.” Morrey shook back his shoulder-length black hair. “If three deaths in two days isn’t enough to make us quit …” His full lips pressed.
I glanced hopefully at Mom. Yeah, let’s go home! I could sleep in my own bed, hide from the paparazzi and reporters, hang out with Brittany, my best friend—who was supposed to be here with me right now.
But canceling concerts would mean losing a lot of money. The Rayne tour was supposed to continue another four weeks.
Mom hunched forward, elbows on her knees and one hand to her cheek. Her long red fingernails matched the color of her lips. “I almost lost my daughter tonight.” Her voice was tight. “I don’t care if I never tour again—Shaley’s got to be protected, that’s the number one thing.”
I want you protected too, Mom.
“I agree with that a hundred percent,” Morrey said, “but at least the threat to Shaley is gone now that Jerry’s dead.
Jerry, one of our bus drivers—and a man I’d thought was my friend—killed Tom and Bruce, and then came after me earlier that night. A cop ended up shooting him.
Kim spread her hands. “I don’t know what to say. I’m still reeling. We’ve barely had time to talk about any of this tonight before getting on stage. I feel like my mind’s gonna explode. And Tom …”
She teared up, and that made me cry. Kim had been like a mother to Tom. Crazy, funny Tom. It was just so hard to believe he was gone.
I wiped my eyes and looked at my lap.
“Anyway.” Kim steadied her voice. “It’s so much to deal with. I don’t know how we’re going to keep up this pace for another month.”
Mom looked at Ross. “We can’t keep going very long with only Vance to drive the main bus.”
Ross nodded. “Until Thursday. I’d have to replace him by then.”
“With who?” Mom’s voice edged.
“I don’t know. I’ll have to jump on it.”
“You can’t just ‘jump on it.’ We need time to thoroughly check the new driver out.”
“Rayne.” Ross threw her a look. “I did check Jerry out. Completely. He had a false ID, remember? That’s what the police said. I couldn’t have known that.”
“You might have known if you’d checked harder.”
Ross’s face flushed. “I did—”
“No you didn’t! Or if you did it wasn’t good enough!” Mom pushed to her feet and paced a few steps. “Something’s mighty wrong if we can’t even find out a guy’s a convicted felon!”
What? I stiffened. “How do you know that?”
Mom waved a hand in the air. “The police told me just before we left the hotel.”
We’d huddled in the manager’s office after the policeman killed Jerry.
I stared at Mom. “When was he in jail?”
Mom threw a hard look at Ross. “He’d barely gotten out when we hired him.”
Heat flushed through my veins. I snapped my gaze toward the floor, Jerry’s last words ringing in my head.
Your father sent me.
How could my father have sent Jerry if he was in jail?
“Rayne,” Ross snapped, “I’ve told you I’m sorry a dozen times—”
“Sorry isn’t enough!” Mom whirled on him. “My daughter was taken hostage. She could have been killed!”
Rich jumped up and put his arms around her. “Come on, Rayne, it’s okay now.”
She leaned against him, eyes closed. The anger on her face melted into exhaustion. “It’s not okay.” Mom shook her head. “Tom’s dead, Bruce is dead. And Shaley—”
Her words broke off. Mom pulled away from Rich and hurried back to the couch. She sank down next to me, a hand on my knee. “Shaley, you’re the one who’s been through the most. What do you want to do?”
My throat nearly swelled shut. Go home! I wanted to yell. But I couldn’t. It wouldn’t be fair. This wasn’t my tour. I didn’t have to pay the bills.
I glanced around at all the band members. Morrey was holding Kim’s hand. Stan and Rich watched me, waiting. A canceled tour wouldn’t just affect them. Rayne had three back-up singers, one of them Carly, who’d been such a help to me. Plus all the techs and roadies. They’d all lose money.
Wait—maybe Mom would let me go home and stay with Brittany. Now that Tom’s and Bruce’s killer was dead …
“Shaley?” Mom tapped my leg.
“I don’t … I can’t stop the tour.”
Ross exhaled. “Rayne?”
Mom looked at the wall clock and pushed to her feet. “We can’t decide this now. It’s only fifteen minutes before we have to be back on stage. I still need to change.”
Stan stood. “I say we figure on doing Albuquerque, and then we can decide about the rest.”
“Yeah, me too.” Rich got up, along with everyone else. I could see the business-like attitude settle on all their faces, including Mom’s. Soon they had to perform again. Every other concern must be pushed aside. In the entertainment world the saying was true: the show must go on.
Within a minute everyone had left except Mom, Marshall and me. Mom threw herself into a chair by the bright mirrors so Marshall could adjust her makeup. When he left she changed into a steel blue top and skinny-legged black pants.
I sat numbly on the couch, four words running through my mind. Words, I sensed, that would change my life.
Your father sent me.
Mom didn’t know what Jerry had whispered to me as he died. I needed to tell her.
But how? Like me, she was running on empty. It would be one more shock, another scare. I wasn’t sure she could take anymore and still perform.
Had Jerry told me the truth? Had the father I’d never known—the man my mother refused to talk about—purposely sent a killer to join our tour?
I needed to know. I needed to find out. Because if it was true—the danger was far from over.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Wisdom Hunter and Shadow Government
The introduction to Wisdom Hunter makes it sound like the most incredible book ever written. The author lost several friends and was fired from his position for writing out against legalism. It sold thousands of copies. I was excited to read it, but didn't make it past 100 pages. The writing was too simple for me and the story felt predictable. It's possible it took unexpected turns, but I just wasn't feeling it.
Book Summary: Pastor Jason Faircloth knows what he believes. His clear faith, in fact, is why he is one of the most prominent pastors in Atlanta. He relies on it to discipline his daughter, his wife, his church. He prays daily that others would come to see God’s ways as he does.
And it is about to cost him everything.
Groping for answers in the face of tragedy, Jason begins a search for the only family he has left: the granddaughter kept hidden from him. Soon he finds himself on an international adventure that will take him straight into the depths of his soul. He is determined not to fail again.
A fast-paced suspense novel rich in spiritual depth, Wisdom Hunter explores what it means to break free of Christian legalism—and discover why grace can mean the difference between life and death.
Shadow Government I didn't even start to be honest. It looks a wee bit like paranoia to me.
Book Summary: Security cameras, surveillance of private financial transactions, radio frequency spy chips hidden in consumer products, eavesdropping on e-mail correspondence and phone calls, and Internet tracking. No one is protected, and privacy is a thing of the past.
An ultra-secret global elite, functioning as a very real shadow government, controls technology, finance, international law, world trade, political power, and vast military capabilities. These unnamed, unrivaled leaders answer to no earthly authority, and they won’t stop until they control the world.
In Shadow Government, prophecy expert Grant Jeffrey removes the screen that, up to now, has hidden the work of these diabolical agents. Jeffrey reveals the biblical description of Satan’s global conquest and identifies the tools of technology that the Antichrist will use to rule the world.
Readers will have their eyes opened to the real power that is working behind the scenes to destroy America and merge it into the coming global government. Armed with this knowledge, readers will be equipped to face spiritual darkness with the light of prophetic truth.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Waiting on Wednesday: Oh how I'm Waiting
I adored Pamela Binnings Ewen's The Moon in the Mango Tree and I've eagerly been looking forward to her next book. In our present time of authors cranking out books sometimes twice a year, waiting two years seems like such a long time! Her next book is slated for release in mid 2010 from B&H Fiction. Here's the scoop:
In the steamy city of New Orleans in 1974, Amalise Catoir sees Phillip Sharp as a charming, magnetic artist, unlike any man she has known. A young lawyer herself, raised in a small-town Christian home and on the brink of a career with a large firm, she is strong and successful, yet sometimes too trusting and whimsical. Ama's rash decision to marry Phillip proves to be a mistake as he becomes overly possessive, drawing his wife away from family, friends, and her faith. His insidious, dangerous behavior becomes her dark, inescapable secret.
In this lawyer's unraveling world, can grace survive Ama's fatal choice? What would you do when prayers seem to go unanswered, faith has slipped away, evil stalks, and you feel yourself forever dancing on shattered glass?
Oh the wait!!! The wait is killing me!!!!!
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where bloggers lust after forthcoming books.
(HT: Relz Reviewz)
Review: Japan Took the J.A.P. Out of Me by Lisa Cook
First off, I should say this title slightly offends me. I recognize it's meant to be a clever play on words but I'm not sure it's something that should ever be played on like that. But I tend to be overly sensitive about these things, so it's possible most people simply don't care.
For some reason that didn't register with me when I requested to review this book. All I saw was Japan...and I wanted to read it because I also spent a year and a half in Japan and love reading about similar experiences from different perspectives. Unfortunately, I really didn't enjoy this perspective at all.
Yes, I recognize that I was supposed to be aware that Lisa was spoiled...and so I expected some humorous tales about her adjustment to life in Japan. Unfortunately, I never really found her humor funny, or her arrogant ethnocentric mindset very forgiveable.
Lisa agrees to move to Japan with her husband the day after their wedding without really thinking about it at all. Okay I do get that she's madly in love and wanting to follow her husband around, but she's not 18, she's 29. Surely, it must have entered her mind to at least google "life in Japan"??? But if I'm to believe the way the story is told, she basically moves there without thinking about it at all, and wants to go home immediately.
Japan is not the United States this is true. And there is a lot to get used to, especially if you don't normally do your own laundry. Sometimes reading her thoughts was a reminder of all the negative things my co-workers and fellow ex-pats would say when I was in Japan. I don't know why but a lot of the things mentioned never really bugged me. I got that some Japanese people would be uncomfortable sitting next to me on the train, and that people would stare. But for all of those situations, there was always so much good to outweigh the bad.
Also, I was actually a huge fan of the public transportation. Sure, there were times I wished I could go in a car, and I was spoiled to have close Japanese friends who had a car but I think the public transportation for the most part was excellent.
So pretty much the whole book was Lisa complaining about Japan, about the mindsets and attitudes towards women, so on and so forth. But she got to travel to a lot of incredible places! It wasn't until she went to the Peace Museum in Hiroshima that she came around a little bit and I think that's a testament to just how powerful an experience that place is. I was also incredibly humbled by the atmosphere and the hope that exists here. I really wish everyone could go there.
Anyway, there's a ton of profanity and I really didn't need to know all about her and her husband's sex life. I found this account to be a pretty superficial account of Japan, but maybe a more interesting story about the first year of marriage between a former Marine and spoiled Jewish American Princess.
Anyway, I don't think Lisa ever really came to appreciate or love Japan. (as evidenced by the panic attack she had when going to a Japanese restaurant once back home) And that's sad. So I hope not too many people read this, as I do appreciate and love Japan and I think there's a lot more interesting stories and narratives about life there to be found. Despite all her negativity, though, it did make me want to go back!
Rating: 2.5/5
Things You Might Want to Know: Lots of profanity and sex
Source of Book: review copy from publisher
Publisher: Downtown Press (Simon and Schuster)
Monday, October 26, 2009
Review: A Little Help From My Friends by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt
Being a Christian isn't about being good. It's about walking the path of truth and light, and when something isn't right, not being afaid to stand up and say, "Not today, not if I can help it, not without a fight."
I have really been enjoying this series so I was eager to read this installment as well. The Miracle Girls is a group of four high school friends who met their freshmen year and became friends. Each book covers another year of high school through the first person perspective of one of the girls. This time it was Zoe's turn, the daughter of a couple of hippies who became Christians during the Jesus movement.
Zoe's got a boyfriend and her best friends and she really thinks it's going to be a great year. But....there are problems at home and her dad moves out. An arrogant new guy from New York is her partner in history class and Zoe can't quite figure him out or the confusing feelings she has when she's with him. And her friends still haven't figure out a way to reinstate their English teacher who lost her job.
A Little Help from My Friends covers all of these conflicting experiences in Zoe's life as she fights to keep her parents together. It's fun and light like the others and engrossing. I loved Dean, the new guy a lot, really he's my favorite love interest in the books so far. But even while I enjoyed this one, I think the second book remains my favorite.
These books are, fun, not terribly deep and light on the spirituality. I look forward to reading all of them and I am really interested to see how Riley's story plays out. I think that I'll be sad when all the stories are done though!
Rating: 4.25/5
Things You Might Want to Know: It is Christian fiction but like I said earlier, pretty light.
Source of Book: Review copy provided by publisher
Publisher: Faith Words (Hachette)
Blog Tour: Flesh and Fire by Laura Anne Gilman
I started to read this book during the wee hours of the Read-a-thon and it simply wasn't working for me. I hope to approach it with a fresh outlook later. It's gotten quite a lot of praise. :) Yes I received this from the publisher but less than a week before the blog tour date.
Publisher's Description:
Once, all power in the Vin Lands was held by the prince-mages, who alone could craft spellwines, and selfishly used them to increase their own wealth and influence. But their abuse of power caused a demigod to break the Vine, shattering the power of the mages. Now, fourteen centuries later, it is the humble Vinearts who hold the secret of crafting spells from wines, the source of magic, and they are prohibited from holding power.
But now rumors come of a new darkness rising in the vineyards. Strange, terrifying creatures, sudden plagues, and mysterious disappearances threaten the land. Only one Vineart senses the danger, and he has only one weapon to use against it: a young slave. His name is Jerzy, and his origins are unknown, even to him. Yet his uncanny sense of the Vinearts' craft offers a hint of greater magics within -- magics that his Master, the Vineart Malech, must cultivate and grow. But time is running out. If Malech cannot teach his new apprentice the secrets of the spellwines, and if Jerzy cannot master his own untapped powers, the Vin Lands shall surely be destroyed.
In Flesh and Fire, first in a spellbinding new trilogy, Laura Anne Gilman conjures a story as powerful as magic itself, as intoxicating as the finest of wines, and as timeless as the greatest legends ever told.
The trailer:
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Review: Strangers by Taichi Yamada
I spotted this book on another book blog and was instantly intrigued. Part of the intrigue lay in the fact that the blogger hadn't actually written an English review--only one in Dutch!
Anyway, I got a copy rather quickly and devoured it the day after the readathon. Which is saying something, I think.
Strangers takes place in Tokyo and is the story of an aging TV scriptwriter who has just finalized his divorce with his wife. Left a bit poorer as a result, he has moved into his office as it's the only place he can afford. Most people use the apartments as offices and the story opens with our narrator feeling the building is unusually quiet.
On his birthday, he decides on a whim to go back to Asakusa, the place of his childhood home. He hasn't been there since his parents died in a tragic accident when he was still quite young. While there, he sees a man who is the spitting image of his father. Is it his father? And if so, how did he get there without aging a day?
Strangers drew me in immediately with it's strange atmosphere and somewhat tragic voice of Harada. Throughout the story, I certainly had my own suspicions about what was happening and what was going on, but I just couldn't stop turning the pages. I took a short break to do some shopping, and longed to get back to the book. And even after turning the last page, I was still thinking about it. Yes, on the surface this is a ghost story, but I really just think it's so much more than that. It's a story about loneliness and isolation, it's a story about putting the past to rest so the future has a chance. In fact, it's a heart twisting portrait of the way the past drains us until we let it go.
This isn't really a scary read, though there is an overall eerie factor to it, but it is a worthwhile one. I think I will be thinking about it for a long time to come.
Ratings: 4.5/5
Things You Might Want to Know: ghosts. oh and a very very very little bit of sex.
Source of Book: I bought a used copy on Amazon.
Publisher: Vertical
Wrapping up my 14 Hour Readathon
1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
erm, the first hour? I was still sleeping in my bed! :)
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
I really enjoyed The Broken Teaglass, but for me, the key is to read several different kinds of books.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Not really...I think it's important for each person to individualize the experience to get as much out of it for them personally
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
Actually for me, it worked well to not try to do 24 hours but to start at a comfortable time, schedule some breaks and go to bed at a decent time. I still got a lot of great reading time in, but I also still really enjoyed every part of it.
5. How many books did you read?
2 and a 1/2. Or about 900 pages.
6. What were the names of the books you read?
The Broken Teaglass, A Little Help from my Friends, Japan Took the J.A.P. out of Me
7. Which book did you enjoy most?
The Broken Teaglass...it was a little bit mysterious, a little bit funny, with fantastic characterization and writing
8. Which did you enjoy least?
Japan Took the J.A.P. out of me...I couldn't stop being offended by the narrator...will share many many thoughts in my full review.
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? N/A
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
I will participate if it's a date that works for me....ever since I heard of the Readathon I have participated--I've been lucky that way that's it's always worked out. I love having the time to read and knowing that 300 other passionate readers are reading as well. It really is so much fun.
A huge thanks to everyone behind the scenes who organized the event, Trish, Ana, Hannah, and Eva, all the mini-challenge hosts, and all the people who did little things here and there. It is very much noticed and deeply appreciated.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Readathon: Mid Event Meme
1. What are you reading right now?
The Broken Teaglass by Emily Arsenault which so far is fabulous. I'm really enjoying it.
2. How many books have you read so far?
HA! The equivalent of a whole? (2 halfs)
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
Mmmm...I don't know what other books I'll read yet so I don't actually know! I am considering The Knife of Never Letting Go as well as Pretty Little Liars
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
No not really. My life is pretty easy.
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
Yes tons! Woke up late and keep getting distracted by this here computer!
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
No surprises really....this is my fourth readathon.
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Nope, I love everything about the Readathon. Though admittedly, a later starting time would work better for me.
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
Nothing!
9. Are you getting tired yet?
Yes very which is why I'm doing this survey. I only slept a few good hours last night.
10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
No tips, but is it normal to keep getting distracted by all the fanatastic snacks I have? :)
An Update on the Readathon!
It took longer than anticipated but I finished A Little Help from My Friends by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt. I will write a review, but the verdict is good. :)
I have also been happily munching away on cheez-its and drinking diet mountain dew while also waiting for pizza to come soon. The picture of health, I am.
I'm starting The Broken Teaglass by Emily Arsenault now...has anyone read it? We'll see how it goes.
I hope everyone else is having lots of fun!
I'm here!
Well I stayed up late reading. And so I got a late start. But I'm here now close to finishing a fun YA book, A Little Help from My Friends. I'll be checking in again soon! :)
Hopefully there will be a fun challenge I can do this afternoon!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Review: Over the Holidays by Sandra Harper
As I've mentioned before, I really love holiday stories and so I jumped at the chance to review this book. I actually like all sorts of different kinds of stories at Christmas...I even indulge in quite a bit of Harlequin reading for the holidays. If you've ever had a time period in your life where nothing felt like Christmas, you might understand the value of books that bring the spirit of the holidays to life. Which is to say, that's what I prefer. Stories that are about hope and love and compassion and generosity and miracles and family and friendship.
But I also enjoy a good fun story with lots of laughs and Over the Holidays is a bit more to that side. It's funny and cute and easy to read, but there is a fair bit of crass language and too much on the commerical side of Christmas to make it the perfect Christmas read. But it's a fun one for when you're just starting to anticipate the upcoming holidays.
There's a big cast of characters in the book, and maybe only too many different perspectives. Vanessa and her sister Thea, Vanessa's sister-in-law, Vanessa's niece...well you get the picture.
Basically this book is about how the holidays are hectic, busy, and never quite what you expect. It sort of reminded me of one of those original Lifetime movies. It was fun, but not necessarily my style of Christmas book.
Rating: 3.75/5
Things You Might Want to Know: Lots of language, and some sex
Source of Book: Publisher provided review copy
Publisher: Pocket Books (Simon and Schuster)
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Transformation Study Bible
A couple of weeks ago, I was feeling really spiritually dry when this review offer came through. It felt like a gift from God. Something I like to do is switch up translations every few years because the difference in translations keeps the text and the words fresh and gives me new perspectives. It was about time for a switch from the ESV translation and I have always enjoyed Warren Wiersbe's writing, so this seemed like a good new study Bible. Since it's impossible to really review the Bible, I'll just post the press release below.
For over thirty years, millions have come to rely on the timeless wisdom of Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe’s “Be” Commentary series. Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary and insights on Scripture have helped readers understand and apply God’s Word with the goal of life transformation. According to Dr. Wiersbe, “It isn’t enough for us simply to read assigned portions of the Bible each day, as helpful as that is. A truly transforming experience involves meditating on what we read (Ps. 1:2), studying it carefully in the light of other verses, and then obeying what God tells us to do (Josh. 1:8).” Now available for the first time, The Transformation Study Bible offers the full text of the highly readable New Living Translation with accompanying notes and commentary from the 50 books in Dr. Wiersbe’s “Be” series.
“The Transformation Study Bible will better enable readers to appreciate, appropriate, and apply the Word of God, which will result in ‘purity, joy, right values, hope, comfort, freedom, new life, peace, guidance, wisdom, integrity, encouragement, and effective prayer,’” states Wiersbe. In other words, if you want to be a new person, knowing and obeying the will of God and becoming more like Jesus Christ, there is perhaps no finer tool to encourage that process than The Transformation Study Bible.
One of the most anticipated and comprehensive study Bibles of the year, The Transformation Study Bible has been a lifetime in the making by a man who is widely known as a prolific and trusted writer and theologian. The former pastor of The Moody Church in Chicago, an internationally known Bible teacher, and someone who has given his life to a deep examination of the Word of God, Dr. Wiersbe lends his vast experience and scholarly insight to the most beloved and revered book of all time. This effort is to encourage believers of all levels to know and love the Bible and to experience the same transformation that has radically changed his life. The result is a Bible that is clear, understandable, and applicable to the lives of its readers.
Dr. Wiersbe writes, “The remedy for discouragement is the Word of God. When you feed your heart and mind with its truth, you regain your perspective and find renewed strength.” By providing a new set of tools for Bible students of all levels, David C Cook and Warren Wiersbe have partnered to provide an essential tool to help bring the “perspective” and “renewed strength” that comes from a life transforming study of God’s Word. This fantastic and long awaited resource will bring more clarity than ever before to the study of God’s Word.
CFBA Book Spotlight: The Fence My Father Built by LInda S. Clare
My address has finally been straightened out so hopefully I'll have real reviews for you starting in November! Here's the scoop on The Fence My Father Built (yes that's an amazon link but it's not my associate link)
About the Book: When legally separated Muri Pond, a librarian, hauls her kids, teenager Nova and eleven year-old Truman, out to the tiny town of Murkee, Oregon, where her father, Joe Pond lived and died, she's confronted by a neighbor's harassment over water rights and Joe's legacy: a fence made from old oven doors.
The fence and accompanying house trailer horrify rebellious Nova, who runs away to the drug-infested streets of Seattle. Muri searches for her daughter and for something to believe in, all the while trying to save her inheritance from the conniving neighbor who calls her dad Chief Joseph.
Along with Joe's sister, Aunt Lutie, and the Red Rock Tabernacle Ladies, Muri must rediscover the faith her alcoholic dad never abandoned in order to reclaim her own spiritual path.
Disclosure: I received this book for review...but not until Sunday...not enough time to read it!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Review: Watch Over Me by Christa Parrish
In pi, he saw the reflection of God. Pi was constant, always the same--yesterday, today, and forever. It was irrational, like the cross, foolishness to those who didn't believe. It was transcendental;no finite sequence of operations on integers could ever create it.
I thought Christa Parrish's debut novel, Home Another Way, showed a lot of promise and I was really looking forward to her second book. I started reading it after finishing The Dead and the Gone, with a little apology to her in case the book paled in comparison to those compulsive reads.
I didn't need to apologize. I was sucked in almost immediately to Watch Over Me. She has such a fantastic way with words, I found myself pulling out my pen several times to mark passages and rereading them, allowing myself to savor the beautiful use of language and the way the characters took shape and came to life.
And what great characters! Watch Over Me centers around Benjamin Patil and his wife Abbi, and a sixteen year old boy Matthew who suffers from a rare genetic disease that has left him deaf and with kidney failure. One day, Benjamin, the town's deputy and a former soldier to Afghanistan, finds a newborn abandoned in a field. He saves her life and the hunt for the mother begins. Benjamin and his wife Abbi are having marital troubles....troubles that began before he went to Afghanistan but have grown more severe since his return. Ben is clearly in pain, suffering from the death of his best friend and all he experienced during war. Abbi also suffers, from self-loathing and self-doubt and an in inability to accept Ben's love. And Matthew, who they hire to help out at the house, comes from a poor family and is in desperate need of a kidney transplant. Can the baby save Benjamin and Abbi's marriage? Can Matthew be saved?
Parrish reaches deep into the emotional core of these characters. They feel real and like people you know. I felt as though I was suffering with them and present with them throughout the story. I ached with their pain. I understood their doubt. I longed for them to find peace.
I really appreciate that Parrish doesn't take us into the dark regions of their heart and then paint a rosy picture perfect ending. I loved the ending, even cried a little. I found it emotionally satisfying, but not because everything turns out the way you want, but rather because hope blooms in unexpected ways.
I found Watch Over Me to be gorgeously written, emotionally honest, with well drawn characters I cared deeply about and you know what? I would even say it was a page turner. I hated to put it down and picked it up every chance I got.
A good book passage!
His father said science tied people together--everyone had the same cellular components, the same DNA--but books, Benjamin thought, formed tighter, more intimate connections. He walked the mall, the campus, the airport, looking at those who passed, trying to decipher the words within the person. Which words did they share? Had that mother comforting her crying toddler read Anna Karenina? Did the Count of Monte Cristo stand sentry on the bookshelf of the business in the food line...what about titans of the past--presidents, kings, and explorers? What books had they experienced along with him, and insignificant Desi boy who still forgot to throw his dirty clothes in the hamper?
Rating: 4.75/5
Things You Might Want to Know: Christian fiction
Publisher: Bethany House
Source of Book: Review copy from publisher
Why Adult Literacy Matters To Us All
We talk about literacy a lot in the book blogosphere especially as it pertains to children. There's an entire dedicated group of bloggers, frequently referred to as the kidlitosphere, that is especially committed to spreading the word about literacy issues for children. I am so grateful for their tireless efforts and I think they are doing a phenomenal job.
But I think something we don't talk about as much is adult literacy. I feel a bit to blame for this, actually, since I've worked in adult literacy for four years now. Before I worked with adults who struggle with their reading skills, I never really thought about being an adult and not being able to read. Not only not being able to read, but not being able to read well. And I can only imagine that there are many others who don't think about this either.
But the truth is that there are many adult who have low to no reading skills. And this matters. It impacts us all and it impacts our children. So while I really really believe in preventative measures against illiteracy with children, I also believe that it's never too late for anyone. Adults can still to learn to read and it can change their lives.
Why does adult literacy matter to children's literacy?
*Because adults are parents who will or will not read aloud to their young children.
*Because adults are parents who will decide how important books and reading are in a household.
*Because adults are parents who will help their children with their homework.
*Because adults are people who can demonstrate that reading is to be enjoyed and books are to be loved.
I bring this up now, because I read about a new initiative by Christian fiction author Melanie Wells called I Told Two Friends. Basically, they are encouraging you to buy two copies of her book, My Soul to Keep (which is a great creepy read) and give them to two friends and tell them about the campaign. The idea is that they'll do the same. 100% of the author's profits from the books will go to the group Pro Literacy. Is this the best way to raise money for the cause of adult literacy? I don't know, but I admire that she's doing something!
Here's the official blurb from the site:
I Told Two Friends is an online campaign led by Dallas author, Melanie Wells, to rally book lovers to help fight adult illiteracy. Readers are invited to join our effort to raise $100,000 for the cause by purchasing Melanie Wells’ novel, My Soul To Keep, and encouraging two friends do the same. 100% of the author’s profits will go to ProLiteracy, an international non-profit whose mission is to end adult illiteracy worldwide.
Tell two friends, and they’ll tell two friends, and so on and so on … and help thousands of eager adults learn to read this sentence. Be part of the solution!
Go check out the I Told Two Friends website...and get involved! If you don't participate in this particular campaign just remember that adult literacy is an issue for all of us...and not just because of our children. But because everyone deserves the chance to one day read a novel and fall in love with it.
I feel inspired by an author trying to raise her voice about this...I hope you will doubly enjoy the blessing it was to be able to read this blog post today. :)
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Review: The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Last week when I reviewed the first book in the Moon crash Trilogy, Life As We Knew It, I mentioned that I was saddened by the portrayal of Christians. Becky commented that the second book, The Dead and the Gone, took a different approach. Additionally, the ad for The Dead and the Gone in the back of Life As We Knew It said it was an exploration of faith. That, and the fact that I couldn't stop thinking about Life As We Knew It made me feel like I had to read it right away. But I knew even if I ordered it through Amazon I wouldn't get it for a few days. And since the paperback version is coming out soon, most stores wouldn't be carrying the hardcover version. Luckily, one of my Borders had it in stock and I had them pull it for me and went to pick it up.
The Dead and the Gone covers a lot of the same time period as Life As We Knew It, but takes place in New York City instead. The story is told in third person instead of diary format. I have to say, it seems New York and the main character seventeen year old Alex, had it much worse than the Miranda's family in Life As We Knew It. Alex's father is in Puerto Rico for a family funeral and his mom takes the subway the first night the crisis happens. Alex and his two younger sisters never hear from them again.
In a city, things are worse. When people die, and die they do, they just stay in the spot where they died, waiting to be stripped of anything that might get food for others and to be eaten by rats. Alex and his sisters try to survive and Alex works hard to take care of his sisters. The advantage that Alex and his sisters have is their church. They are devout Catholics and the church does do a lot to take care of the people, including distributing food weekly, keeping lunches at the school, and using the students to do work for the community in exchange for food. But I wouldn't say this is a really deep exploration of faith. Faith enters into this story in a way it didn't in Life As We Knew It, certainly, though.
I felt so much affection for the character of Alex and his sisters. I absolutely loved them and felt very much invested in their outcome. I raced through this book and felt miserable when I had to set it down. In fact, the entire cast of characters is rich and interesting and it was heartbreaking to lose any of them. Pfeffer's New York during this crisis is a bleak and miserable place and this book is darker than Life As We Knew It. But the same resiliancy of the human spirit, power of love and sacrifice is present.
I honestly don't know how I'm going to recover from these two books. I don't feel interested in reading anything else at the moment. The next book doesn't come out until April, though. Until then, I'll just have to pick up something totally different to cleanse the palate. :) So in short....if you're looking for a book to give you characters to care about deeply, ruin you emotionally, and steal your sleep and free time...well I really recommend these two books! :)
Rating: 4.75/5
Source of Book: I bought it.
Publisher: Harcourt
Sunday, October 18, 2009
A Bunch of Different Things
After the fall festival recipe exchange, I had people start asking if I had anything planned for Christmas along the same lines. :) And yes actually, Nicole and I are working on something we think is pretty awesome and we'll share as soon as we get details together and probably after Halloween...just know it's coming! :)
I'm also planning a pretty big Christmas theme for the month of December on this blog. Since this is my blog, I'm going to freely say Christmas and yes there will be lots of faith tie-in, because honestly the Christmas season is a time when God feels dearer to me than any other if that can possibly make sense. Having said that, I hope even if you aren't Christian or even if you don't celebrate Christmas you will enjoy it. I love year end celebrations of all kinds, and I have always enjoyed learning about how other faiths and cultures celebrate this time of year.
I tell you all of this now because I'd like to invite a few guest posts for the month of December...but there's a catch. You have to love holiday music. And now you've probably figured out my theme! I'm looking for a few guest posts about either a Christmas song that is special to you or a special memory involving holiday music...that sort of thing. If you have some ideas of the kind of post you'd like to write, please shoot me an email at mypalamyATgmailDOTcom or use the contact form at the top of this blog and we'll talk! :)
Now to something coming up much sooner...the readathon!
I love the readathon and this time around I am going to be totally selfish. I have signed up for one thing and one thing only which is to be a reader. I am really hoping to get a lot read this time and will probably try to stay off the internet as much as possible in order to achieve that goal. But so much of the readathon is the fun of connecting with everyone so I will allow myself periodic breaks to check in! I only finished two books last readathon and that is a big reason for this decision. :) I was originally planning to read New Moon and make it a tradition to read the next book in the series right before the movies comes out, but I'm just not feeling it. I don't even have a pile to show you, because I am simply overwhelmed with choice. So I will probably post a picture of my pile at the actual starting point.
I Dare You Challenge
Also I thought I should update you on my progress in the I Dare You Challenge! In case you didn't know, Sharon and Rebecca dared me to watch the first season of Cheers by February. I am three discs into the first season of Cheers which means that I have just one left. I am really enjoying it, much more than I thought I would. Is it LOST? Not by a long shot, but it's a lot of fun. And how is Ms. Nymeth doing with Buffy? I don't even think she's started yet! Which might be smart, because as soon as you start you have less left to enjoy. :) Meanwhile, Swapna in her overacheiver ways finished the first season of Veronica Mars before I had time to write up a formal dare challenge post. And of course she likes it, who doesn't?
Book Acquisition Ban?
Lastly, I am in serious need of considering a book acquisition ban. Somehow the amount of books I'm acquiring sneaks up on me and suddenly I'm trying to figure out were else I can stash books. And I'm really really really running out of space. But the thought makes me so sad....and I know how weak I am. To be honest, I'm partly convinced that a book acquisition ban would only work if I also instituted a book blog reading ban....the lust for books in my heart when I read all your fabulous reviews is hard to squelch. Ah, but this is venturing into another post I have planned...so for the moment if you have any ideas on how I could make this work, please let me know!
That's all for this Monday morning....tell me what you think about it all and don't forget to email me if you have a great Christmas music related story! :)
First Chapter of Love is a Battlefield by Annalisa Daughety
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
and the book:
Barbour Books (October 1, 2009)
Annalisa Daughety lives in Memphis, Tennessee, where she works as an event planner. After attending Freed-Hardeman University, where she majored in American Studies, Annalisa worked at Shiloh National Military Park as a park ranger. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and loves gardening, shopping, and watching sports. For more information, visit her Web site at .
Visit the author's website.
Product Details:
List Price: $10.97
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Barbour Books (October 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1602604770
ISBN-13: 978-1602604773
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
Yet, two weeks ago, one last soldier had been injured on the majestic field. And Kristy had the battle scars to prove it. Admittedly, her wound was emotional, not physical, but she still wondered if the splintered pieces of her heart might be tougher to knit back together than a bullet-shattered bone.
Ready or not, her recovery time was over, so she squared her shoulders and headed back onto the hallowed ground. Never let it be said that Kristy couldn’t soldier up with the best of them. Ranger hat firmly in place and gold badge glinting in the May sunlight, she marched briskly to the visitor center.
“Morning, Kristy.” Ranger Owen Branam stopped putting money in the cash register slots long enough to nod in her direction. “You have a nice trip?” He closed the drawer, finished with his preparations for the day’s visitors.
Nice trip? A cruise spent faking allergies to explain away tears. Who wouldn’t enjoy that?
“Lovely.” she managed what she hoped was a convincing smile. “The weather was great.” Scooting past him, she attempted to make it to her office without further questioning.
“Umm. Kristy?”
The apprehension in the older man’s voice made her stop in her tracks. She slowly turned to look back at Owen.
He ran his finger around the neck of his shirt as if he had a little too much starch in the collar. “The chief asked me to have you go straight up to his office when you got in.” He motioned toward the counter. “You can leave your things here. I’ll keep an eye on them while you’re upstairs.”
Only five minutes into her morning and her plan to fly as far under the radar as possible had already gone out the window. So much for the low-key first day back she’d hoped for.
“Thanks, Owen.” Kristy put her hat on the counter and tucked her purse underneath the desk.
As she got to the top of the stairs, an unfamiliar voice called out a greeting to Owen. Twisting around, she peeked over the railing. Wow. A Johnny Depp lookalike was helping Owen straighten the brochures. The second thing she noticed about him, after his movie star resemblance, was the park service uniform he wore. Surely, he wasn’t a new employee. She’d only been gone a few weeks. Things didn’t usually happen that quickly at Shiloh National Military Park.
“Glad to have you back.”
The gruff voice of Chief Ranger Hank Strong made her jump and turn around.
She felt her face grow hot. Had he been watching her ogle Ranger Depp? She cleared her throat.
“Glad to be back.” She followed him into his office and perched on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs in front of his desk. Her gaze skimmed over a hodgepodge of furniture, maps, and historical books. None of the furnishings matched, except for Hank’s oversized desk and equally oversized chair that had always reminded her of a king’s throne.
“Good, good.” Hank settled himself behind the desk and peered at her over his round bifocals. “Look, Kristy. There’s no easy way to tell you this.” For a moment, an expression that looked like uncertainty flitted over his weathered face.
Uh-oh. As befitted his name, Hank Strong was always sure of himself. Whatever he was about to say, she wasn’t going to like it.
“I told you before you left on your trip there’d be a job waiting for you when you got back,” Hank paused.
Kristy could tell he was choosing his words carefully.
She nodded. “Yes. And believe me, I’m so grateful.” When she’d turned in her two-week notice, it had felt like she was letting him down, letting the park down. After all, she’d begun working at Shiloh while she was still in college. It was the only place she’d ever worked—or ever wanted to work, for that matter. After her plans had abruptly changed, she’d been relieved when Hank stepped in and told her there was still a place for her at Shiloh.
“Well, there was one thing I didn’t mention.”
“Oh?” Why do his words sound so ominous?
“By the time I found out you weren’t moving and were still available to work, your position had been filled.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Kristy. The paperwork had already gone through. There was nothing that could be done.”
She tried to catch her breath. Knowing she was at least able to come back to work at the park was the only thing that had gotten her through the past two weeks. “But you said. . .” Her voice trailed off as she willed herself not to panic.
“I know. I said I had a position for you. And I do.” He leaned back a little in his chair, visibly relieved to have the bad news off his chest. “You’re welcome to stay on as a seasonal ranger.”
Seasonal? That was where she’d started, nine years earlier, the summer after her freshman year of college. She glanced around, hoping for a paper bag she could breathe into. Of course, what she needed most was a rewind button that would allow her to go back in time and decide not to quit her job. But if she could travel back to the past, knowing what she did now, there wouldn’t have been a reason to leave Shiloh in the first place.
“You want me to be a seasonal?” Kristy’s voice squeaked. “What about my salary?”
A frown drew his bushy brows together. “There’ll be a pay cut. And you’ll move to the office shared by the seasonal staff. In fact, Owen has already put your box of office doodads in there.”
If she hadn’t been so shell-shocked, she probably would’ve laughed at his word for the contents of the box she’d left in her former office weeks earlier. Instead, all she could think was how she’d planned to stop by and pick her things up once the movers arrived. But the moving van had been permanently rerouted.
“You can still live in park housing. I know you’ve already packed most of your things, but Owen said he didn’t think you’d actually moved anything out yet.” He handed her a manila folder. “Your decision, kiddo. We’d love to keep you around. You’re a great park ranger. But I understand if you want to go in a different direction now.”
She took the file from him and glanced at the paperwork inside. The contents of the folder would effectively help to move her back down the career ladder she’d been climbing.
“What happens in September?” The seasonal positions at Shiloh ran from Memorial Day through Labor Day. And since they were only a few days shy of Memorial Day, she figured she should feel lucky there was even a seasonal position still available. They usually filled pretty quickly.
“Well.” He leaned back even farther and pressed his fingertips together. “At that juncture you’ll have a few options. Perhaps a permanent position will open here. Or we can look around at other parks and try to get you a transfer.”
Or I can leave the park service.
He rose to his feet. “If you want to think about it for a day or two, that’s fine.”
She knew Hank well enough to know that giving her time to consider the offer was his way of being sympathetic. Despite her trembling legs, she managed to stand. “Thank you,” she mumbled and scurried for the stairs, her mind spinning like a recently fired cannonball.
A permanent position opening at Shiloh was pretty much out of the question. Most of the rangers planned to stay until retirement age, some of them even longer. And she wasn’t interested in a transfer. This was the park she loved. Kristy had grown up in nearby Savannah, Tennessee, and some of her earliest memories were of the cannons and monuments at Shiloh.
Owen avoided eye contact with her as she descended the stairs.
Thanks a lot, buddy.
He’d obviously known what the meeting was going to be about, but hadn’t had the nerve to give her a warning before she went upstairs. Kristy couldn’t blame him though. No one liked to be the bearer of bad news.
And with her newfound knowledge, the mystery of the unfamiliar ranger was solved. The Johnny Depp lookalike was the ranger who now had her position. Not to mention her office.
She silently gathered her hat and purse from the front desk and took them to the room reserved for seasonal staff. As she passed the office she used to occupy, a fleeting glance told her that Ranger Depp wasn’t inside. The seasonal office, if it could even be called an office, was full of old desks and equipment. Kristy turned on the light and took in the sparsely decorated white walls. It was a far cry from the cheerful yellow she’d painted her former office last year. Thankfully, the other members of the seasonal staff wouldn’t arrive until Monday. At least I should have peace until Memorial Day. She could even move the desks and junk, buy some paint for the walls, and live out the next few days in Pretend Everything’s Okay Land.
Except, eventually, she’d have to face reality.
She flipped on the computer and silently tapped her fingers on the desk as she waited forever for it to boot up.
Can I do this? Can I take a step down in pay and status? Seasonals were at the low end of the totem pole. She remembered those days all too well. Getting assigned the tasks no one else wanted to do and being expected to do them without grumbling. Would they do that to her again? Or would she continue to be treated as permanent staff, despite the demotion?
Demotion. Ouch.
Either way, it wouldn’t be pleasant.
She glanced down at the box of her things on the floor next to the computer, and tears flooded her eyes. Empty picture frames peeked out from the box flaps. The pictures that had once been in them were nowhere in sight. Someone had wanted to spare her feelings today. Either that, or they didn’t want to be stuck with an emotional female to console.
The frames might’ve been without pictures, but Kristy knew what they’d once held. Her heart pounded as she grabbed all three frames and tossed them in the trashcan, taking unexpected pleasure in the sight and sound of shattering glass. A yellow and white wad under a large shard caught her eye. She couldn’t resist carefully fishing it out of the can, even though she knew better.
Kristy unwrinkled the ball and smoothed it out on the old, beat-up desk, running her hand over the creases in the paper. Fancy paper, as Owen called it months ago when he’d first seen it. Her vision blurred with fresh tears, but she didn’t need to read the words to know what they said.
For a long moment, she stared down at the engraved invitation.
To her wedding.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Scary Movies
So last week I mentioned an interest in seeing the movie Paranormal Activity because I heard it was genuinely scary. I like to be scared in movies! (not so much in like haunted houses or theme parks where creepy looking people stalk you)
Also, it's one of those homemade movie type of horror films and those usually do have an intensity factor that is hard to acheive in the regular old horror film. Blair Witch unsettled me, Cloverfield entertained me, and Quarantine also kept me on the edge of my seat. So I thought it had the potential to be fantastic.
I liked it, I did, but it was not that terrifying to me. And it should have been more terrifying than most movies because it's about demons and that's usually the key to really scaring the crap out of me. It got me to thinking about what movies have really scared me.
I came up with four that I think were really creepy and scary to me. Yeah. Four. Since my family's Halloween tradition was to watch a scary movie, I thought I'd share them with you in the spirit of the season.
The Skeleton Key
This movie really freaked me out. I don't even remember all the specific parts of it that were freaky, but it was freaky!!! I think the worst was the conclusion...or...what enabled the magic to work. I don't want to spoil it if you've never watched it, but to me this was a horror film that worked.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
I mentioned that demons succeed in freaking me out. I've never even allowed myself to watch the famous movie The Exorcism because of this. Ifeel like The Exorcism of Emily Rose worked to make everything seem real (it was based on a true story) and that just made everything seem so believable. I couldn't sleep the night I watched it. It was truly terrifying without being over the top.
The Others
Creeeepppppy! Everything about this was creepy, but pictures of dead people are just especially creepy. I don't think this kept me up at night, but I definitely remember it in all it's creeptastic glory.
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
No other movie in the history of movies has terrified me as much as this completely disturbing film. Of course, I was like 7 or something when I watched it. Back in the days when the library didn't have the latest and greatest movies, but just a few oldies but goodies. This movie gave me nightmares, but more importantly it stuck with me throughout the years. I watched it again as an adult a few years ago and was struck by just how disturbing of a film it is! But still rather interesting. If you want to know what terrified me the most, think maid and the hammer.
How about you? What movies scared the crap out of you? Were you scared by any of the same movies that scared me? Do you have any recommendations for me on scary movies?
Friday, October 16, 2009
Faith 'n' Fiction Saturday: Publishers and Branding
WAIT! If this is your first time participating in Faith'n'Fiction Saturday please read this post. It will tell you how it all works and what it's all about!
***REMINDER*** No Faith'n'Fiction Saturday next week as many of us will be participting in the 24 Hour Readathon. There's still time to sign up!
Today's Topic
This week Thomas Nelson, the largest Christian publisher announced a new division for self publishing. They named this new endeavor, Westbow Press. This was a bit of a shock for those of us who remember books on the shelves by some of Christian fiction's most accomplished writers published under the Westbow imprint of the past.
When asked about this, Michael Hyatt responded that readers don't pay attention to imprints and publishers. To be honest, I found this rather insulting and it also made me question why publishers would try to brand themselves if readers don't really care anyway. Even before book blogging and reading book news every day, I paid attention to publishers. I figured if a publisher published enough different sorts of books that I liked, than I would like a lot of their stuff.
This really holds true today. I have favorite publishers in Christian fiction and in the general market. There are publishers I know I will read new authors from and other I'm less likely to pick up.
How about you? Do you know who the Christian publishers are? Who are your favorite publishers or imprints? Do you have certain perceptions of the kinds of books each publishing house brings out? Tell it like it is...even if you have no idea what I'm talking about!
