Because it is such a hefty tome, and because I was not able to renew it from the library, I only finished Volume I, "Fantine." Les Misérables is comprised of five volumes (Fantine, Cosette, Marius, St. Denis, and Jean Valjean), so my goal will be to read and review it in five installments. "Fantine" starts off with the story of the bishop, known as Monseigneur Bienvenu, and describes what a selfless, generous man he is. Nearly everything he has and any money he collects he gives to the poor. He always puts the needs of others above his own, and his door is always open to anyone who passes by. It is upon this door that Jean Valjean knocks after being released from prison having served 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread. Though he is spurned by everyone he passes because of his yellow ticket that identifies him as an ex-convict of the galleys, Jean Valjean is welcomed into the bishop's home where he receives a warm meal and a soft bed. Despite this kindness he has been shown, Valjean leaves in the middle of the night, taking the bishop's silver dishes with him. When he is caught and the threat of the galleys looms again in his future, the bishop tells the police that the silver was a gift and he gives Valjean two silver candlesticks as well telling him to use the silver to become an honest man. The rest of the book focuses on Fantine, who leaves her daughter with an innkeeper so that she can return to her hometown and make money to support the fatherless child. Fantine's destiny becomes entangled with that of Monsieur Madeleine, her boss and the owner of the town's factory to which the village owes most of its fortune.
Francis Bacon wrote, "Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few are to be chewed and digested." Les Misérables is most certainly one to be chewed and digested.
Rating: **1/2
A popular YA author, Sarah Dessen tends to pop up often in the middle schools and high schools. I see her books in the libraries and under the arms of kids walking down the halls. The name seemed familiar (I realized later that a couple of years ago I read
Keeping the Moon by Dessen), and I wanted to check out her work. The only book of hers available at my local library last week was
Lock and Key.
Seventeen-year-old Ruby thought that she was doing just fine on her own in the months after her mom left her alone in the yellow house, but the social worker who found out about it thought otherwise and transplanted Ruby from her destitute surroundings to the opulent neighborhood where her sister Cora and brother-in-law Jamie live. Cora and Jamie take Ruby in and send her to Perkins Day, an exclusive and wealthy private school that couldn't be farther away from Ruby's comfort zone. After being separated for ten years, Ruby and Cora are unsure how to move forward in their relationship, but Jamie, as always, is ready to make the best of things and make Ruby feel like a part of the family, even as she struggles to define just what that means. To complicate her life even more, Cora and Jamie's neighbor Nate, who also goes to Perkins Day, keeps offering to help Ruby when the last thing she wants is to make friends or be indebted to anyone. However, accepting his help may be just the thing she needs.
Lock and Key was just okay. I didn't really like it or dislike it. It was a quick read, and I think it would appeal to its target market, but that is not me. Unlike most of the YA lit that I read that manages to cross the gap and appeal to adults as well as teens,
Lock and Key is too juvenile in how it unveils its themes (Read: it hits you over the head with them.). Nevertheless, I think I remember enjoying
Keeping the Moon, so I'm not turned off of Dessen altogether, and I would be willing to try another of her books sometime.
Author: Carl Hiaasen
Genre: Middle Grade, Fiction
Rating: ****
I picked
Hoot up from a teacher for whom I sub regularly. She has a FABULOUS classroom library that I love to raid. Carl Hiassen is a very popular children's book author (and journalist and columnist), and
Hoot is a Newbery Honor Book that I've had my eye on for a while.
Roy Eberhardt is the new kid at school, again. Disappointed with the Florida landscape and missing the mountains and wilderness of Montana, Roy just tries to keep his head down and get through each day without too much trouble from the school bully. When he happens to see a strange barefoot boy running through the yards by a bus stop one morning though, Roy grows curious. His investigation might get him into trouble, but it also leads him to meet Beatrice, discover the burrowing owls in danger of losing their habitat, and have one big memorable adventure.
I thought Hoot was a cute story. I can imagine really loving it as a kid and getting wrapped up in Roy's escapades. The book deals with themes that relate to bullying, the environment, family, and loyalty. Even as an adult, I really enjoyed reading it and can easily see how it is such a popular, award-winning book.
Title:
The Heroes of Olympus, Book One: The Lost HeroAuthor: Rick Riordan
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Rating: ***
I really didn't think I was going to read this book. Though I enjoyed the Percy Jackson series, I thought (at the time) that that was enough Rick Riordan for me and that I would spend my reading time on new and different authors. However, I saw it on the shelf of that amazing classroom library I mentioned above and figured why not?
The Lost Hero features three main characters: Jason, Piper and Leo. Each chapter is told from one of their three perspectives. Jason wakes up on a bus full of troubled kids headed to the Grand Canyon with Piper asleep on his shoulder, only he doesn't know who she is or who Leo is, even though he says he is Jason's best friend. Jason doesn't even know who he is or what he is doing there. He has absolutely no prior memories. The action picks up quickly when the Jason, Piper, and Leo battle storm spirits on the Grand Canyon walkway. Annabeth shows up and takes them to Camp Half-Blood where they learn they are demi-gods and are quickly given a quest to rescue Hera, Zeus' wife, from mysterious danger. If they fail in their quest, Olympus will fall and the earth will be overtaken by the giant king.
Perhaps it is just the length, but
The Lost Hero feels a little more grown up compared to
Percy Jackson and the Olympians. More Roman mythology was introduced with the Greek, but no prior knowledge of either, or of the Percy series, is needed to understand or enjoy the book. Humor is used to break up the suspense, but the suspense is enough to keep the pages turning. I enjoyed the traditional quest tale and the mythological references.
Title:
Choosing to SEE: A Journey of Struggle and HopeAuthor: Mary Beth Chapman
Genre: Christian, Non-fiction
Rating: *****
At a friend's house recently, I saw this book sitting on a side table. After picking it up and reading the back and introduction (because that's what I do when I see a book laying around), I decided I really wanted to read it. Fortunately, that friend let me borrow her copy right away.
Mary Beth Chapman is the wife of Christian singer/songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman, and in 2008 the two of them faced one of life's greatest tragedies: the loss of a child.
Choosing to SEE is Mary Beth's memoir sharing not only that tragedy but the whole roller coaster of a life that she would have never chosen for herself but that she has learned to embrace. She shares how her faith has affected the way she sees the twists and turns of a life filled with fame, family, travel, adoption, and one major tragic event. Though it is not the quiet suburban life she always pictured for herself, it is a life full of faith, hope, love, and redemption.
I remember hearing the devastating news story when it came out: driving up their driveway, Steven Curtis Chapman's son had accidently hit and killed his sister - five year old Maria Chapman. I remember praying for the Chapman family and wondering how they were going to get through such a blow to their whole family. Not only had they lost their youngest child, but it was at the hands of a beloved son. It came as no surprise to me as I read this book, that God gave this faithful family the strength to love each other and stay together through their grief. The book does not focus solely on this event in Mary Beth's life though. She shares parts of her childhood and growing up, how she met and married Steven, and how their family grew in unexpected ways. Much of her life is not the way she had planned it, and she is open and transparent about her doubts and questions along the way. Through it all, she trusts God and reveals how He has been faithful to her every step of the way. Her hope and belief are uplifting and encouraging just like this book.
Title: The Power of a Praying Wife
Author: Stormie O'Martian
Genre: Christian, Non-fiction
Rating: ****
I bought this book over a year ago after my mom suggested it to me. I've been slowly making my way through it ever since.
For each of the thirty chapters in this book, Stormie Omartian writes an introduction to the topic, shares anecdotes and teaching, provides a powerful prayer, and supplies relevant scripture. The topics range from work and family to fears and the future.
The book is actually fairly short and easy to read. The reason it took me so long is that I would only read a chapter at a time here and there. Now that I've finished it, I definitely plan to go back and use the prayers regularly. Most of them can easily be adapted for other people in your life as well, and if you are unmarried, you could easily use it to pray for a future husband, for a father, brother, or friend. Omartian shares how praying for her own husband has worked for her and how others have used prayer to see true transformations. I appreciate that the first chapter is devoted to praying for yourself and getting your heart in the right place as it reminds the reader that prayer is not a magical tool to make your husband act the way you want him too. However, it can be a powerful force in your marriage and a blessing for you and your spouse. I would definitely recommend it.
