2019 - First Quarterly Review

To assist my blog readers, I've decided to summarize my reading four times a year, providing a brief description, the page count, and a grading scale (5 thumbs up - Highly Recommend, 4 thumbs up - Enjoyed, 3 thumbs up - Good, but not as satisfying as I'd hoped, 2 thumbs up - Meh, and 1 thumb down - Regret, wishing I could get back the time invested). I might also document the mention of agents in the acknowledgement section - this is primarily for my own purposes, since it benefits a writer to know what agents represented similar works.

I read the following books during the first quarter of 2019 (for my full review, click on title):

Little Big Love by Katy Regan - Zac Hutchinson and his mother, Juliet, have both been fine since the disappearance of his father, Liam, but as Zac's unhappiness and weight builds, Zac determines to find his father and discover the reason behind his vanishing from their lives. - 368 pages, 👍👍👍👍

Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks - When Hope Anderson shows a visiting Zimbabwe man, Tru Walls,  the Kindred Spirits mailbox, she has no idea she will fall in love, give up that love to follow duty, and one day return to the mailbox with hopes of finding Tru and true love once again. - 320 pages (I listened to the audio, 8 CDs, 9 hours), 👍👍👍

Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb - An elderly Thomas Harding returns to Paris one final time with a handful of letters telling a WWI love story and one final letter to read. - 400 pages, 👍👍👍👍

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael L Finkel - For twenty-seven years Christopher Knight lived in a small tent in the woods of Maine, surviving by stealing his necessities from nearby cabins and a camp for disabled individuals, conversing with nobody, not even himself, drawn to the isolation the same way extroverts are drawn to people. - 224 pages (I listened to the audio, 5 CDs, 6-1/2 hours), 👍👍👍👍

Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis - Abducted by two scientists, Dr. Elwin Ransom is taken to another planet and offered as a sacrifice to the alien life forms known as "sorns" on Malecandra. After narrowly escaping, he meets other alien species and appeals to the highest one hoping to return to earth. - 158 pages, 👍👍

Hurricane of Love: My Journey with Beth Wheeler by Dan Wheeler - The story of the life of a powerfully-friendly woman, told from the perspective of her husband as he says goodbye after her intense three-year bout with cancer. - 199 pages, 👍👍👍

Something Other Than God: How I Passionately Sought Happiness and Accidentally Found It by Jennifer Fulwiler - The story of one woman's conversion from atheist, pro-choice non-believer to Catholic, pro-life believer. - 248 pages, 👍👍👍

Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression by Mildred Armstrong Kalish - A memoir tracing the author's childhood experiences and way of life during the Depression, including intricate descriptions of recipes, chores, and the values of that era. - 304 pages (I listened on audio, 8 CDs, 9-1/2 hours), 👍👍

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty - When nine individuals descend upon an unconventional health resort hoping for transformation, they get a bit more than they bargained for and must depend on one another to tackle the transformation process. - 450 pages, 👍👍👍

An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen - Jessica Farris gets more than she bargained for when she signs on to make easy money by participating in a psychological study concerning ethics and morality. As the questions grow more invasive and the participation more suspicious, Jessica finds herself in too deep to walk away. - 371 pages, 👍👍👍👍

The End of Alzheimer's: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline by Dr. Dale Bredesen - The RECODE protocol is the first program to ever put forth a solution to Alzheimer's and to bring hope to countless afflicted. The author identifies the complexity of the problem (36 metabolic triggers) and provides a complex solution that attacks the disease through diet and lifestyle changes. - 320 pages, 👍👍👍👍👍

The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson - In book two of the Truly Devious series, Stevie Bell returns to the secluded Ellingham Academy determined to piece together the puzzle pieces to the mystery of a crime that rocked the school years ago. The reader is left hanging once again, without much in the way of further resolution. - 373 pages, 👍👍

A Girl's Guide to Moving On by Debbie Macomber - A mother and her daughter-in-law forge new paths after divorce. - 339 pages (I listened on audio, 9 CDs, 11 hours), 👍👍👍

The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton - In 1862, a group of young artists seclude themselves in a country manor house to seek inspiration and creativity, but their time ends with one missing and one dead. Over a hundred and fifty years later, an archivist finds a satchel containing clues. - 485 pages, 👍👍👍👍

The Red Address Book by Sofia Lundberg - 96-year old Doris wishes to capture the special moments of her life for her one remaining family member, a great-niece in America. As she flips through the red address book given to her by her father, she recalls the many individuals long-gone whose stories intersected her own and enriched her life. - 290 pages, 👍👍👍

The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor - Eddie Adams recounts his twelfth summer, when his gang discovered a dead body in the woods. Now, in 2016, he is determined to unravel the many clues, including the anonymous chalk drawings that led them to the body. - 277 pages, 👍👍👍

The Man Who Wasn't There: Investigations into the Strange New Science of the Self by Anil Ananthaswamy - Engrossing stories of the sense of self distorted by brain disorders like Cotard's Syndrome, alien limb disorder (BIID), Alzheimer's, Schizophrenia, and other conditions. - 266 pages, 👍👍👍👍

Longbourn by Jo Baker - A lyrical, flipped tale of Pride and Prejudice, focused on the lives and needs of the Bennet family's servants. - 354 pages (I listened on audio, 11 CDs, 13-1/2 hours),  👍👍👍👍

Warcross by Marie Lu - Emika Chen hacks into the international Warcross game, unintentionally thrusting herself into the action. Instead of arrest, she is offered a job to root out an internal security problem, but is she in over her head? - (agent, Kristin Nelson) 353 pages, 👍👍👍

Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris - Ellis Reed snaps a photo of two grubby-looking kids, unaware that its placement in his newspaper will catapult the children into a new life fraught with obstacles. Can he undo the damage done by his photograph and will he win the girl? - 352 pages (I listened on audio, 8 CDs, 9-3/4 hours), 👍👍👍

Book Review: Sold on a Monday

Sold on a Monday is a tender tale inspired by an actual newspaper photograph. Kristina McMorris thrusts us into the world of the 1930's and teases out the troubles of single parents in a time of economic uncertainty. It, again, visits that intriguing idea I have recently wrestled with: how seemingly insignificant actions can have unintentional and long-reaching ramifications.

When Ellis Reed stumbles onto a pair of young boys holding a sign that reads "2 children for sale," he cannot imagine the chain of events his small snapped photo will instigate. He doesn't even bother to pitch the photo to his editor at the paper where he works, but someone else finds the photo in the darkroom and passes it along. Could it be the break of a lifetime? His editor requests a story to go with the photo. Lillian Palmer, the editor's secretary, encourages Ellis to find a personal angle to the story. It doesn't take much to stir the pain of the past within him, as he thinks of the brother he lost as a child.

Lillian battles her own scars. She hides her young son's existence (he lives with her parents in another town) so she can maintain her job at the paper. Her hopes of landing her own column seem out of reach until the Lindbergh baby is stolen. As a mother, she recognizes the agony faced by both Mrs. Lindbergh and the mother of the two young children affected by the scandalous photo Ellis took. Can Ellis and Lillian find a way to right the wrongs?

I loved the cover and the premise. Although the pacing flagged a bit, I continued to listen. I would give the book three stars. It didn't bowl me over, but it was still a worthwhile investment of time.

Book Review: Warcross

I didn't realize that Warcross, by Marie Lu, is the first in a two-book series. Thankfully, however, the second book is already available, and I have put my name on my library's hold list. Seventeen magazine bills Warcross as The Hunger Games meets Minecraft. I think readers who enjoyed Ernest Cline's Ready Player One will enjoy Lu's virtual reality gaming series (although, of the two, Cline's is better).

Emika Chen is down on her luck. Her father's death left her with his gambling debts and illegal hacking led to a ban on her computer use. Thus, she is scrabbling a living as a bounty hunter. None of that can stop her from watching the worldwide sensational Warcross games. But, when she hacks into the game, attempting to steal a power-up, she enters a world of even higher stakes. Instead of being arrested, they fly her to Tokyo and offer her a job. But who can she trust in this world of virtual reality?

Emika is a colorful character with rainbow-dyed hair and an armload of tattoos. Her spunky grit draws the reader into her plight. Though the protagonist is a girl, the virtual reality gaming aspect of the book will suck boys in equally. The fast-paced action keeps you turning pages. What drives the young prodigy Hideo Tanaka, developer of Warcross and the Neurolink virtual reality glasses? Who opposes his developments and triumphs? Can Emika find the opponent and eliminate him?

I'm not much of a gamer, so I skimmed through the gaming details. I tolerated the romance aspect (thankfully none graphic, though one scene involved the couple swimming in the raw). Still, I followed Emika's journey with interest.  Indeed, the book provided plenty to think about concerning our use of technology. Why do we give up our privacy in order to participate? Are we so sucked into the current rage we ignore inherent dangers? Is virtual reality an enhancement or a threat? Who monitors the ethical ramifications of new technology? So many questions to ponder.

When I came to the cliffhanger ending, I recognized the book left more questions than answers. The final reveal was significant enough to garner my curiosity for the second installment. I can imagine this book as a movie, but could only find information on Lu's Legend book. The acknowledgements mentioned a film agent, so perhaps Warcross will one day be available in movie form. In the meantime, I will happily invest a few more hours in the sequel, Wildcard.

Book Review: Longbourn

I cannot recall if I read much Jane Austen in my earlier years. Did I read Pride and Prejudice as a teen, perhaps for my Individualized Reading course in my senior year? As an adult, I'm not drawn to Austen's books, however that may have changed. After listening to the audio version of Jo Baker's Longbourn, a flip-side of the Pride and Prejudice story, treating the lives of the servants in the household, I am more eager to tackle Austen's original works. I discovered available audio versions of both Pride and Prejudice and the recent modernized version, Eligible, by Curtis Sittenfeld. After a lengthy spate without adequate audio options, I'm quite thrilled.

Longbourn begins with an introduction to an orphaned servant girl, Sarah, who works as a housemaid for the Bennet family. She and another housemaid, Polly, strip their hands to the bones working with the pig slop, the laundry, and the dishes. Governed by the austere Mrs. Hill, the world the girls inhabit is small and predictable. Life, as they know it, shifts irreversibly when a new footman arrives to share their load.

The writing was lyrical and true. I loved this beautiful passage rendering the disguised birth of the master's illegitimate child:

"In the witching hour of a winter night, she brought forth a tiny scrap of a boy who opened blue-black eyes and studied her with a sleepy wisdom, and whose suckling was a dragging ache in her breast, and whose tiny ruddy fists kneaded at her as though he was quite deliberately reshaping her and making her into someone altogether new. What had hitherto seemed to be a problem to be solved, was now revealed to be the answer. The very fact of the child made everything that had gone before shift and ripple and settle differently because it all now led to this, and him, and he was as perfect as a syllabub or a pillowcase, straight off the line. This could not be dealt with reasonably; reason had nothing to do with it."

It explains how she grieved as she handed over her child. To save the master's reputation, someone else would feed and raise the boy. The intensity of emotion, the craft of wording, the transformation a child brings into a mother's life... it all moved me beyond measure. The characters and historical setting came to life.

I much prefer the British cover, shown left. If you are a fan of Austen's Pride and Prejudice, you will enjoy this alternate tale of what goes on behind the scenes. The lives of the servants might not be as glamorous as the lives of the Bennet sisters, but their need for love and a place in the world is just as intense. Sarah must root through her options and decide what she wants from life. Should she return the interests of Ptolemy Bingley, a servant on a neighboring estate, or will she find love right there at Longbourn? Will she cast aside her only known source of employment to chase after love? Or will she deaden her desires and settle for the stability of hard work? Both upstairs and downstairs, security is a constant craving.

Coveting a Writing Space

I work at two different desks throughout the day. In the early morning, I head downstairs to my tremendously cluttered downstairs desk to have my morning devotions, do my Bible Study Fellowship reading/questions, and write my daily two pages of free-writing. Usually, at that time of the morning, my husband is upstairs reading his e-mail on the living room computer and so I have enough isolation to get my morning work out of the way easily.

After the boys have been delivered to school (and I've completed my treadmill time and any morning cleaning), I sit at a small desk in the dining room to begin the day's writing tasks. It is a pleasant enough location. The window in front of the desk overlooks the backyard sanctuary where my husband feeds the birds and other critters. For the most part it is quiet in the mornings, until my husband comes up to get himself a morning cup of tea and, around noon, comes to make his lunch (almost always, talking to me, while doing so). Once the boys return home from school, any work at this upstairs desk is out of the question and there is much foot traffic downstairs because the boys and John generally work out then.

In my head, I have long dreamt of having a special writing sanctuary - a small amount of space to work undisturbed. Oh, what joy when I stumbled upon a listing for this playhouse:

It is a 12 x 10.5 x 10.5 foot structure on 2x4 runners, listed as in decent condition (under a few pine trees for cover) offered for FREE. The inside looks sound, as well:

My mind whirred with possibilities: a small couch in the lower area, along with an easy chair and a book shelf. A small desk and chair in the loft below the window for writing. I didn't want to mention it to my husband until I had called a specialty shed-moving company to get an estimate of how much it would cost to move this small playhouse from the current location to ours, but he came up and noticed me perusing the photos longingly and my hopes spilled out to him.

He had plenty of arguments against my schemes: what if it leaks or is in really bad condition? - photos can make something look good, when really it isn't; what if you go to the trouble to transport it here and then you never use it? - realize, Wendy, it will be doggone hot in the summers and freezing in the winters; what if it falls into disrepair? - this FREE writing shed could cost us a bundle to have someone come tear it down and remove it from the property; where would you put it? - it would look horrible close to the house and yet a truck would rut the yard (especially in current ground conditions) in getting it to a further location; how would you get a fan or heater out there to make it more comfortable? - running electricity to it would cost money, as well; and, finally, why can't you simply move your downstairs desk to the guest room where there is less foot-traffic and fewer interruptions? I can think of another argument he left unsaid: why should we invest money in a writing shed, when nothing you write ever profits us a dime? Now, he is in a foul temper with me just for asking.

I went ahead and secured an estimate. The man I spoke with (very cordial and talkative) estimated it would cost $500 to move the shed, if the ground is level in their yard and in ours. He was literally shocked to find someone giving a playhouse like that away for free. He said they generally cost well over $10,000 to build. He declared, "there won't be longevity on that." I thought he meant the structure wouldn't last long, but he clarified: "someone will snap up that deal right away and, from the photos, it looks as if it is quite sound."

I listed my husband's arguments, and he admitted that my husband raises some valid points ("pictures talk pretty, but can hide a whole lot of ugly," the truck would certainly rut the lawn in these conditions, "FREE isn't always free"), but said he'd snap it up if it was his decision. He even mentioned some things that could be done to enhance the shed, should we buy it and hire him to transport the thing. To avoid rutting the yard, I suggested it might be positioned next to the barn (which would either mean a longer walk to use it or a drive to park by the barn gate, but would place it closer to access of electricity).

But, knowing my husband's fierce opposition, I decided to honor his opinion and his feelings on the matter. My bubble burst. To give the dream a decent burial, I wrote this post. The pipe dream lived in my head for a few hours and then dissolved. It was fun while it lasted. Now, I'm off to tackle the clutter atop my downstairs desk. We shall see if moving it to the guest room provides the isolation my writing requires. Then again, perhaps the clutter can stay. These famous writing workspaces aren't exactly immaculate. I can deal with the paper distractions, just not the people distractions.

What about you? If you are a writer, what would your dream writing space look like?

Getting to Know Me; What a Gaffe

When my former college contacts me about alumni events in Indianapolis, I rarely respond. I connected with few other students (the only ones I still have minimal contact with are fellow Lit. majors and none live in Indy). I worked three jobs as a student and considered myself too poor even for the dollar movies in the chapel on Friday nights. Lack of time and resources, combined with my social awkwardness, kept me from establishing lasting bonds. But in January, I received an invitation for a Wheaton-in-Indianapolis event I knew I'd enjoy, regardless of my social ineptitude. The gathering included a performance of "The King and I." Since my husband had no desire to attend, I eagerly invited my friend and fellow writer's group member, Stacy, to join me. We had a marvelous time!

Wheaton provided a pre-show talk, given by the granddaughter (a Wheaton alumna) of the author of Anna and the King of Siam, Margaret Landon (another Wheaton alumna). Not only was it informative and fun, they even provided light refreshments (something wholly unexpected). Stacy and I arrived, filled small plates, and selected an empty table. Just as I was telling her about a new writing project I'm working on, a couple joined us at the table (the woman graduated from Wheaton in 1984, three years before me). We enjoyed pleasant conversation, as they talked of their jobs and Stacy spoke of the current play she is writing for Monmouth College (requiring great historical accuracy, while still providing sufficient entertainment value). While "getting to know" each other, I put my foot in my mouth.

There's an adage that says, "Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open your mouth and prove them right." In my hazy memory of my college days, I remembered the students wanting to put on what I thought was "The King and I" for a fun spoof. I distinctly remembered the copyright issue surrounding their use of "I Could Have Danced All Night"... but I'm a Wheatonite (had to explain that to my sons who couldn't imagine a college forcing students to sign a pledge not to dance). I considered it a delightful story and also wanted to share it with the speaker (not sure when she was at Wheaton). After the show was over, I fully understood the gaffe I had made. That song isn't from "The King and I" but from "My Fair Lady." Oops!

Despite the ignorance I displayed, it was such a fantastic experience. It is always extra fun to attend a play/musical with a playwright (knowing she is assessing props and devices used to convey the various pieces of the story). The music was marvelous and the dancing delightful. The woman who played Tiptin had a powerful and stunning voice. I wanted to give her a standing ovation every time she opened her mouth to sing. The humorous bits were fun: the use throughout the play of the phrase "etc., etc.," the hilarious escapade when the king insists that Anna's head always be lower than his own, and the king's trickery to get Anna to apologize when she had no such intention. Even though it was a much later night than I'm used to having (four hours past my typical bedtime), it was worth the next day's exhaustion. I'm so grateful to Wheaton for offering this unique opportunity and for providing such an enjoyable evening out with my friend.

Book Review: The Man Who Wasn't There

The red cover with the intriguing title and the invisible man in black shoes lured me in enough to turn to the inside cover. There I discovered the words that clinched it for me: "latest neuroscience" and the Library Journal's recommendation of this book for fans of Oliver Sacks. I love books on the brain and how it works and Oliver Sacks was the top author for neuroscience books. Sadly, he's gone now, but Anil Ananthaswamy is picking up the reins and filling the void.

The Man Who Wasn't There: Investigations into the Strange New Science of the Self explores fascinating examples of maladies of the brain. Individuals with Cotard's Syndrome believe they are dead. Alzheimer's patients lose their sense of self when their memories loom out of reach due to neurological tangles and plaques. Those struggling with Body Identity Integrity Disorder (BIID) beg for amputation, convinced that one of their limbs doesn't truly belong to their body. Schizophrenics hear someone outside of themselves telling them to do dark and destructive things. Other individuals experience depersonalization in the face of trauma. They feel detached and absent from their lives.

This book is riveting. Strange stories support the scientific terminology so that a layman can understand the disorders and the parts of the brain affected. While I still appreciate Oliver Sacks more (after all, he has a proven track record and many books to choose from), I would certainly attempt another Ananthaswamy book. I intentionally overlooked the Buddhist and evolutionary leanings (not my perspective), but gleaned enough substance to make it worth the investment. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys investigating the brain and its functions.

Recently Abandoned Audio Books

Photo by Findaway Voices on Unsplash

What a slump I'm experiencing in my audio book selections. The last two completed works only garnered two out of five stars, in my opinion. Now, I've also wasted time and energy on books I could not continue. I attempted Joshua Ferris's The Unnamed. If only books came with smut alerts, I would not have invested my time in half of the 7 cds. It is really a shame, too, because the premise was thoroughly intriguing. Ferris tells the story of a man who loves his job as a high-powered lawyer, his marriage to a loving wife, and his role of father to a searching teen daughter. Yet, he battles spells of compulsive walking, never knowing when or in what elements the urge will take hold. During the episodes, he walks until he falls asleep and his wife must come fetch him. No doctor can diagnose a condition or proffer a cure. It has the potential to tear his happy family life apart. But, why, oh why, do authors feel the need to include gratuitous smut?? The filth didn't even advance the story in any way. It ruined the book for me, despite my interest in discovering the final outcome. Thankfully, when I looked it up on Amazon, I discovered that over a fourth of the reviews expressed dissatisfaction with the book, calling it depressing with little to no resolution. So maybe, I dodged a bullet after all.

Next, I picked up a non-fiction book. Certainly, I'd enjoy better success. No chance of smut on the horizon. Indeed, it was a book about the brain, one of my fascinations. Alas, The Genius Checklist by Dean Keith Simonton was not a good fit either. I liken it to the experience Charlie Brown has when listening to the teacher in school. The words began to sound more like wah-wah wah-wah, wah-wah wah-wah. I only listened to two out of 8 discs, but never felt reeled in sufficiently. The paradoxical tips promised for teaching a person how to develop creative genius sounded like a load of gobbledegook. Perhaps I would have fared better if I could have skimmed a physical copy of the book, instead of attempting to stay focused on words like psychopathology and orthogonal (had to look that one up - it means "at right angles"). I understood what the author was getting at. Indeed, while discussing the correlation between creativity and mental health, I worried for my poet friends because they apparently hold more propensity toward madness. Still, it just didn't light a fire strong enough to keep investing. Although Simonton "has studied creativity and genius for more than four decades," he failed to provide interesting enough stories to keep me riveted through boring data. I may attempt the hardback version.

Another book, snagged from the display shelves near the front desk, was by Danielle Steele and I thought Beauchamp Hall would certainly be a novel I could enjoy. It promised a story about a woman escaping to the English countryside where a manor house tale is filmed. Alas, once again, the author felt a need to include sexual content. I gave her one pass on the first involved description, thinking it might be a one-off. However, I gave up on the six-disc tale when a dirty video accompanied further activity. It is becoming harder and harder to find clean content in the books that are currently published. Very discouraging. When I took these woes to my husband, he suggested listening to music during my treadmill time. Alas, I'm most fully distracted from the exertion when I'm absorbed in a book. So, now I'm off to the library once again (this time with no kids in tow, so I can devote clear consideration) and hoping to have greater success with audio books than my last five attempts.

Book Review: The Red Address Book

As I read The Red Address Book, I hoped it would be a title I could recommend to my mother-in-law. After all, it is about a woman in her mid-90s who reviews her life by skimming through entries in her address book. I imagine my mother-in-law could relate to Doris's remorse at the passing of so many influential individuals in her life. She has one last lifeline - a great niece, Jenny, who lives far away in America. As she writes about the various intersections with people, she continues to connect with Jenny on Skype.

Doris's life takes her across the globe, from Sweden to France to the United States to England and back to Sweden. What a touching tale! Alas, I'm not sure I will recommend it because it has a few raunchy patches detailing repeated rape and a resulting pregnancy that the woman scorns. Still, the storytelling in the book is beautiful, and the ending made me want to sit down and write out my own memories to capture for my family. I devoured the book in the space of a few days and am glad to have read it, despite the difficult scenes.