by Alexandra Fuller

Random House, 2001

Rating: A

It’s the 1970′s and Bobo (Alexandra) has been living in Rhodesia since she was two. She’s a young white girl, born to English parents. That’s her on the cover of the book. Don’t you love that expression on her face? She is curious, feisty while still being a sweet child. What I really admired is her strong inner core, her fierceness. She needs it for Africa is her home. It is all she knows. She loves her country but it’s also frightening.

In this memoir of her early childhood, Alexandra, called Bobo, recalls the details of her family life as well as the events in her country. Rhodesia was fighting to be free of British rule. It succeeded (becoming Zimbabwe) but it was not the safest environment for a young white girl. Bobo learned, at a young age, to be proficient with an uzi and other weapons.

Bobo/Alexandra’s family life was also complicated. They were poor, moved a lot, drank even more and experienced the loss of three children. Only Bobo and her older sister survived. To be kind, I’ll say that her mother is a character. She swings back and forth in her moods, is a strong racist, and drinks so much some days that she neglects her children. But the family holds themselves together with an enormous bond.

Alexandra tells the story in Bobo’s voice and from Bobo’s head. It worked very well for me. I could hear the little girl as she observed and interacted with the world around her. The earliest accounts skip around a bit as does a child when telling you about events. The book has both it’s sad and humorous moments. I sobbed reading about the drowning death of Bobo’s little sister. I hooted out loud when reading about the visit of two missionarys – the horrible tea and sandwiches and their quick departure after sitting on a couch loaded with fleas.

One of the best parts of Alexandra Fuller’s writing is her ability to convey to the reader the sights, sounds and smell of Africa.

What I can’t know about Africa as a child (because I have no memory of any other place) is her smell: hot, sweet, smoky, salty, sharp-soft. It is like black tea, cut tobacco, fresh fire, old sweat, young grass.

This is a beautifully written trip to another place and another time. I highly recommend it.

Source: I read this book as a part of a discussion group at the public library. You can also find this book at Amazon.

It is my pleasure to welcom Edith Wharton to my blog by way of the Classics Circuit. January has been designated as the month to read Ms.Wharton’s works and tell others about them. I chose to read one of her non-fiction pieces, The Writing of Fiction. As a reader, I’m interested in knowing how various writers look at their art. My objective is a better appreciation for and an understanding of the stories I spend so much time with.

The Writing of Fiction is a series of essays about the author’s craft. She begins with a general discussion on the writing of fiction and then moves to several essays on short stories, more essays on constructing a novel, a good discussion on character and situation and concludes with a section on Marcel Proust.

I’m not going to cover all of the points in these essays. Rather I’d like to share some of the highlights I found interesting, plus share some quotes from the book so you will have a little taste for her writing.

I found her discussion of the difference between the short story and novels to be most interesting. According to Ms. Wharton, a novel, because of its length, allows for the development of characters and can better show the passing of time. The writer of the short story should emphasize what she calls, the situation or predicament.

The chief technical difference between the short story and the novel may therefore be summed up by saying that situation is the main concern of the short story, character of the novel; and it follows that the effect produced by the short story depends almost entirely on its form, or presentation.

Short stories must be vivid and grab the reader from the very beginning. Good novels do the same but they have the luxury of length to develop the various aspects of the story to a great depth.

. . . the typical novel usually deals with the gradual unfolding of a succession of events divided by intervals of time, and in which many people, in addition to the principal characters, play more or less subordinate parts. No need now to take in sail and clear the decks; the novelist must carry as much canvas and as many passengers as his subject requires and his seamanship permits.

I could keep going in my comments and quotes of this slim little volume. It served my original objective of learning how this particular writer viewed her craft. It took me quite a few pages before I got into the rhythm and style of her writing. It was worth hanging in there until I understood her writing. One thing Ms. Wharton did was to filled me with a desire to read more short stories.

I hope you’ll fix other stops on the Edith Wharton tour. You can find the schedule here.

The Writing of Fiction

by Edith Wharton

Simon & Schuster, 1925

Rating: A

Check your public library for a copy of this book. Copies are also available at Amazon

[Source: I purchased this book. Disclaimer: I am an Amazon Associate.]

By Hank Phillippi Ryan

MIRA, 2009

My Rating: A

I’m feeling pretty smug right now but I’ll try not to strut in an obnoxious way. Why am I smug? Because, for once, I have a great book that is number one in the series. Not only the first book – I have all four books! Okay, that was too much strutting, wasn’t it. I plan to tell you about all four of the books over the next month or so. Let me begin by telling you about the first book – Prime Time.

Charlotte (Charlie) McNally is an award-winning investigative journalist for Channel 3 in Boston. She has won numerous Emmys which tells me she’s very good at her job. But Charlie worries because she’s getting old – I guess 46 is over the hill in TV news – and she’s also worried about finding her next big story. Evidently, you are only as good as your next story.

Charlie has a loyal friend and business partner in Franklin, her producer. Franklin is smart, resourceful, and as courageous as Charlie. The other trait they have in common is a built-in hunch factor, what people used to call a nose for news. They “smell” something when a local man, who had been sending spam emails to Charlie, dies in a car accident that his widow believes was not an accident.

Charlie’s hunt for a good story turns into a great mystery involving corporate fraud, murder, a little romance and a lot of danger. The story has numerous twists and turns and had me guessing till the very end. The plot was so clever.

Since the story was told in the first person, it felt as if I was one-on-one with a real-live journalist as she looked at all the minute details of the case and figured it all out. That feeling was enhance because I knew the author, Hank Phillippi Ryan, is, in fact, a TV investigative journalist. Just like Charlie, she has won Emmys for her TV work but I’m also happy to tell you she has won awards for her books.

As soon as I finished Prime Time I picked up the second book, Face Time. A word to the wise: get them all. You won’t be able to read just one.

For a copy of Prime Time check your local public library. This book is also available at Amazon

Source: Nancy Berland, Public Relations
I am an Amazon Associate.

Simon & Schuster, 2007

My Rating: C+

Lucy is approaching her twenty-second birthday, approaching adulthood. As a gift, as a rite-of-passage, Lucy is given a five-week trip to Paris with her mother. From a small rented apartment they venture out to see everything that Paris has to offer. They see the major attractions of Paris but they also see the small art museums and galleries, the bookshops, the food market, the flea market, the little specialty shops, the bakeries and the restaurants. All the things this traveler would love to see.

Lucy kept a journal of her trip that included not only words, but drawings. You see, Lucy is a graphic artist, a cartoonist so this travelogue was her own brand of diary. She shared with the reader the various places she and her mother visited on a day by day basis. Also fun were her descriptions and drawings of the food they ate.

My only complaint about the story itself was that the middle section seemed to drag. It felt like she was doing a lot of whining and sharing of too many details (I really didn’t need to know when she started her period).

This is my first graphic novel. My son chuckled when he saw me reading it. He said, “I don’t think of women in their sixties reading graphic novels.” Well, why not? Actually, I can think of one reason: some of the print was so small it required my magnifying glass. The words were hand printed so there were times when her handwriting was hard to figure out. Except for those complaints, reading a graphic novel was a fun experience – even for a woman of a certain age. I will come back and read a few more this year. Any recommendations?

[Source: the Public Library]

French Milk is also available at Amazon.

(I am an Amazon Associate)

The 7 Great Prayers

by Paul and Tracey McManus

The McManus’ created the prayers during an extremely low period in their lives. They had nothing left to do but pray.

“One sleepless night, we lay in bed in the middle of the night and began to thank God for what we did have. We had our health, we had each other, and we had three beautiful children. We focused on our blessings rather than all that we were losing.

That simple prayer of gratitude was life-changing.”

The book has seven different prayers, one for each day of the week. The authors believe the success comes in repeating the prayers over and over and so they offer a 21 day prayer challenge within the book. The idea is to repeat the prayers continuously for 21 days and it will become a habit.

The prayers are not religious mumbo jumbo. They are very positive and help the prayer to focus on the blessings in one’s life. They are prayers of gratitude.

You can purchase this book at the author’s website or at Amazon.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

The Mudhogs

by Dalton James

This past July I told you about two books by Dalton James, the eight year old who has written and illustrated his own books (The Sneakiest Pirate and The Heroes of Googley Woogley). He has now come up with a third book, The Mudhogs.

The new story is narrated by a tick who stays attached to a pig. He tells the tale of three pigs who are upset because there has been no rain which means they have no MUD. They live for mud. They try all sorts of things to bring on the rain and even travel the world in search of mud.

The illustrations are “pure kid” and so sweet. I could tell that Dalton has advanced in both his drawing skills and his writing ability. My youngest granddaughter, Lou, loved the other two books and I’m sure she is going to love this one.

You can purchase The Mudhogs on Amazon.

by Barbara Robinson

HarperCollins, 1972

My Rating: A

I’m a huge fan of reading Dicken’s Christmas Carol at this time of the year but – there is also a great American Christmas classic that’s fun to read too. Fun is the operative word here.

Synopsis (from Amazon):

The Herdmans are the worst kids in the history of the world. They lie, steal, smoke cigars, swear, and hit little kids. So no one is prepared when this outlaw family invades church one Sunday and decides to take over the annual Christmas pageant.

None of the Herdmans has ever heard the Christmas story before. Their interpretation of the tale — the Wise Men are a bunch of dirty spies and Herod needs a good beating — has a lot of people up in arms. But it will make this year’s pageant the most unusual anyone has seen and, just possibly, the best one ever.

My evaluation:

The addition of the Herdman kids changes a pageant that has been the same every year into something completely different. Those horrible Herdman kids could ruin the whole Christmas pageant but the rest of the kids can’t wait to see what “those kids” will do next: steal from the collection plate or cause fights or bring out the fire department, again, or all of the above.

Do you see how I just wrote the paragraph above? It’s as if I know the Herdman kids. I think they were in my classroom when I taught public school or maybe it was a Sunday School class. Anyway, I have a feeling you will recognize them too.

This is a good read-out-loud and laugh-out-loud book for the holidays. It may even make your eyes mist over. It’s perfect for all ages. It’s actually written for children in grades 3 to 6 but even this Nana still loves reading it. Find this one and share with others. It will bring pleasure to your Christmas traditions.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is available at Amazon

Source: My own purchased copy. I am an Amazon Associate.

I enjoy reading novels about fictitious Amish, especially those that seem real. I’ve read three of these novels this year but Leah’s Choice is the best of them all. Here’s the synopsis from the author’s website.

Amish teacher Leah Beiler finds her settled life disrupted by the appearance in Pleasant Valley of two very different men: Daniel Glick, an Amish farmer with three young children and a past that haunts him at every turn and Johnny Kile, the fiancé who left her behind when he jumped the fence to the English world. Leah must suddenly decide between two pathways, either of which will change her life.

My evaluation:

Leah loves her Amish life and all the people in her family and community. She is a serious, passionate teacher of Amish children in all eight grades. As I walked through the daily life of Leah I saw how positive a community it is.

This time – this bonding with her community – was surely one of the strengths of Amish life. Sharing worship and a common meal, they did what the earlier followers of Jesus did, and it built the ties between them more surely with every bite, every joke, every shared story.

But, I could also see why some Amish would choose to leave. The attractions and distractions of the outside world – the English world – is the main concern of the story. Leah has a chance to see that other world in several ways. Leah saw the attraction through the lives of others and she too was attracted by books and education the outside world offered. But to leave would mean permanent separation from her family.

This is a story of relationships and romance and at the same time a story of strong Christian faith. Leah called on her faith to help her.

She’d prayed, caught herself worrying, and prayed again.Why can’t I be confident in Your answers to my prayers, Father? I feel so torn . . . Maybe that was the point. Maybe God was reminding her that only through relying on Him would she find the right path.

I’ve read lots of Christian fiction that is poorly written, preachy and usually dumb. Fortunately, this is one Christian fiction story that is way above others in the genre. The author, Marta Perry, has written over thirty novels. Leah’s Choice is the first in her Pleasant Valley series. The next two will be published in 2010. I’m looking forward to reading those and some of her other novels as well. For more information on Marta Perry visit her website here.

Leah’s Choice is available at Amazon.com

[Source: Review copy from the author. I am an Amazon Associate.]

Once the stocking stuffers were examined, the children were always eager to move on to those mysterious packages under the tree. But first – breakfast -

I don’t know what you do for breakfast on this special day. I’d love to hear your ideas. I have tried all sorts of foods from the grand farm/country breakfast to breakfast casseroles (everyone hated my sausage and egg strata) to something simple. Generally something simple and fast was the best way for us.

You can’t get any faster than muffins and quick breads. These can be done days, even weeks ahead of time. Wrapped carefully, they freeze well and keep for weeks. They can be taken out of the freezer the night before or quickly warmed in the oven.

Mad About Muffins by Dot Vartan is my go-to choice when it comes to making muffins. This book has so much variety among it’s 117 recipes that I have yet to make them all. Here is a sample of choices from this book that are just right for Christmas morning:

• Cherry Lemon – with dried cherries and fresh lemons
• Orange Pineapple – with orange juice, crushed pineapple and a marmalade glaze
• Cranberry Hazelnut – with fresh cranberries, golden raisins and a tiny bit of brandy
• Oatmeal Applesauce - with chunky applesauce, rolled oats and chopped walnuts
• Ham and Cheese – with diced ham and shredded Swiss cheese
• Banana Peanut Butter – exactly what it sounds like – perfect for the little people

I stumbled on several other good muffin books at the library this week. So, if this idea of muffins for Christmas suits you, you still have plenty of time to get to the library and put together some tasty treats for Christmas morning.

Whatever you serve this holiday season, I trust it will be a happy and tasty day for you.

For more discussions of good food, visit Weekend Cooking at Beth Fish Reads.

[Source: I purchased this book a decade ago.]
I am an Amazon Associate.

The book cover, pictured above, is from Wikipedia. It is the original, first edition book jacket from 1929. Isn’t it gorgeous? Here also is the “dust jacket blurb”:

“When Gerald Wade died, apparently from an overdose of sleeping draught, seven clocks appeared on the mantelpiece. Who put them there and had they any connection with the Night Club in Seven Dials? That is the mystery that Bill Eversleigh and Bundle and two other young people set out to investigate. Their investigations lead them into some queer places and more than once into considerable danger. Not till the very end of the book is the identity of the mysterious Seven o’clock revealed.”

This novel was different from the previous nine. It was lighter in tone and, at times, cheerful. It was still a mystery but it had some romance and some playfulness on the part of the young people trying to solve the case. According to Ms. Christie’s autobiography, she made these changes on purpose.

“This was a sequel to my earlier book The Secret at Chimneys, and was one of what I called ‘the light-hearted thriller type.’ These were always easy to write, not requiring too much plotting and planning.”

In the official biography of Agatha Christie, author Janet Morgan describes this time in Ms. Christie’s life as one of loneliness. She was now divorced and had “a circle of married friends in London but, having been used to having a husband, it was not the same to go about alone or even with another woman. As she had always done in such troughs, Agatha worked.” Amazing, isn’t it?  She hunkered down and gave us this fun and high-spirited novel. Thank you, Ms. Christie.

I read this novel as part of the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge. It’s a perpetual challenge in which I am attempting to read all of Agatha Christie’s novels in order of their publication date.

10 down / 70 to go

If you’d like to know more about the challenge, visit Kerrie at Mysteries in Paradise.

[Source: the public library]

A Cousin’s Prayer
by Wanda Brunstetter
Barbour Publishing, 2009
My Rating: C+

Within the last few weeks I’ve received two books in the Amish romance genre. This genre has become very popular in the past few years, probably because it reflects a way of life that is basic and much more simple than the hectic life style most of us lead. Today  l want to tell you about A Cousin’s Prayer. Next week I’ll share the story of Leah’s Choice.

A Cousin’s Prayer is the story of Katie Miller who is experiencing depression and panic attacks caused by an accident which killed her fiance. Katie feels responsible. After the accident Katie was living in a Plain community in Florida but now is forced to return to her family in Indiana. Being home causes the panic attacks to accelerate.

My evaluation: For the most part, this was a pleasant and heart warming story. There were, however, things that bothered me. I found the majority of the main characters rather mean spirited, not what you’d expect from a good Christian community. I also had trouble with the dialogue. It was written in a very simplistic style that didn’t seem realistic. And, there was way too much extraneous material added in.

What I did like were the two main characters, Katie and Freeman. I found them to be near humans with nice flaws thrown in. The character of Eunice was perfect as someone I loved to hate, if you know what I mean. Although I had some problems with this book I want to read at least one more by this author, maybe one of her earlier books. I like her writing. I think my problems may be with this book.

A Cousin’s Prayer is the second in the author’s Indiana Cousins series. I didn’t read the first book and I didn’t feel it was necessary to the story. The author, Wanda Brunstetter, has written four other Amish series, cookbooks, and numerous children’s books. More information is available at her website: Wanda Brunstetter.

[Source: I won this book from Library Thing's Early Reviewer program.]