Book Review: Cat Among the Pigeons

Another spate of bad luck with audio books! Two went by the wayside after investing several discs into the story. It makes me sad, but I don't have time for literature that cannot stay out of the gutter. Thus, I picked up Agatha Christie's book, Cat Among the Pigeons. This clean read held my interest.

All is not well at Meadowbank School for Girls. Teachers keep turning up murdered. In  this mystery, the reader knows from the outset what the perpetrator is after, but doesn't know the identity of the perpetrator. Is it a teacher from within the school or is it an outsider intent upon finding hidden treasure? Hercule Poirot took quite a while to appear on the scene. Nonetheless, he wraps things up, and the mystery comes to a satisfactory conclusion.

I may look into Christie's autobiography. I'm encouraged to learn she experienced the same self-doubt all writers encounter. At her website, I found this quote: "You start into it, inflamed by an idea, full of hope, full indeed of confidence (about the only times in my life when I have been full of confidence).... You then get into difficulties, don't see your way out, and finally manage to accomplish more or less what you first meant to accomplish, though losing confidence all the time. Having finished it, you know that it is absolutely rotten. A couple of months later you wonder whether it may not be all right after all."

Book Review: Apples Never Fall - Highly Recommend

It is thrilling to read a book by a skillful writer. I shake my head in wonder at Liane Moriarty's expert ability to pace the plot, reveal clues with gradual aplomb, people vivid scenes with three-dimensional characters, and keep the reader turning pages (even when there are a lot of them). Somehow I didn't pick up Apples Never Fall until four days before it was due back to the library. I had no idea whether I could finish it in time. My reading mojo seems hit or miss. But I read the first half in three days and the last half in one. Setting it down, I wanted to pick the book up all over again to take notes on each well-timed clue. I wish I could chat with the author about the writing prompt she said propelled the story and about how she knows what bits to milk and what bits to cut. This was an adventure.

The book portrays the children as an extension of the parents. Joy and Stan Delaney run a tennis academy. Tennis is their life. Their four children grow up in this driven environment and develop competitive natures, not unlike their parents. But when Joy Delaney goes missing, the siblings must ferret through their past and decide if they believe their father is guilty or innocent. To complicate things, perhaps their unanticipated house guest plays a role. The Delaney's welcome Savannah, a victim of domestic violence, into their home. Now the siblings must also deal with feelings of jealousy and protectiveness.

I marveled at how each seemingly insignificant detail comes into play when the dust settles. Moriarty weaves an intricate web of emotional fragility and personality quirks! And then, there is the undercurrent of human truth upholding the responses of the characters. The author expertly taps into the fatigue of motherhood, the intensity of sibling rivalry, and the fear of inherited failures. I would have picked it up again and dissected the master strokes of character and plot development if not due back. This was a supremely satisfying read. Far better than Nine Perfect Strangers and even worth wading through some material that might have caused me to set it aside if I hadn't trusted the skill of this author. I even wondered if the author wrote the final chapter first. It had that feel. Moriarty is a true artist. She paints with words and knows from the outset the image she desires to craft. I am in awe of her talent! 

Book Review: The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party

The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party is the 12th book in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series and the last installment I had read over a decade ago. From here on out, I will enter fresh territory with plenty more to devour. At this point, there are a dozen more books in the series, so I'm only halfway through. Plus, somehow I'd like to watch the movie versions of the books.

As Mma Makutsi's wedding approaches, she determines to find the right shoes. I love how the author gives each character particular individuating characteristics. For Mma Makutsi, it has always been her 97 percent score and her love of shoes. For Mma Ramotswe, it is the love of her tiny white van. Is the van reappearing or is it simply a ghost van she is spying? For Charlie, the apprentice, it is his love of girls. His recent girlfriend is pregnant with twins and he is fleeing his responsibilities. For the orphanage matron, it is her manipulative ways. Will she finagle an invitation to Mma Makutsi's wedding because of her troubleshooting expertise? As always, this little slice of life in Botswana is ripe with humanity and grace.

Wading Through Car Woes

For the past three or four months, we've had cars in the repair shop almost continuously. I had joined my Bible Study Fellowship group in September, but car trouble continues to plague us. For now, I am considering joining an on-line group, despite my discomfort with Zoom. That's saying something. The silver lining is that my sister suggested we join an on-line group together (how she can swing that when Salvation Army officers hit their busiest season in the weeks leading up to Christmas, I don't know).

In September, the Pontiac needed a cylinder repair. Shortly after that repair, it began leaking oil. We took the car to two shops before it was finally fixed. Then, Trevor's car broke down not far from our house, just a week after a thorough check declared it in great shape. We had it towed, and the mechanic said it was a blocked fuel pump. While his car was in the shop, he drove the Pontiac to his girlfriend's house. When he went to come home, that car wouldn't start (the other cylinder). The repair costs overtook the value of the car. Thankfully, we sold it (only for a few hundred dollars - ugh) to the mechanic in a repair shop we frequent all too often. The mechanic's son had just totaled his car, so he was needing a vehicle for a teen. Still, it cost us well over $200 for the lengthy tow all the way from the girlfriend's house to the mechanic's shop nearby. 

Because the Pontiac gave up the ghost on us, I had to take my retirement money out early and purchase a used vehicle to replace the Pontiac as the car I drive. 

This 1-owner, 78K miles, Chevy Malibu is a very smooth ride and a joy to drive. However, within a week of having this new-to-me car, the engine light came on. Groan. The issue is deep within the engine, requiring a dismantling that will cost around $500 just to get to the part. Given the troubles with Trevor's car, we are holding off on that repair because the mechanic said it is not an urgent repair.

After the fuel pump repair, Trevor's car was in the body shop for well over a week to repair the damage from his collision with a fox. Not long after getting the convertible back, he drove to his girlfriend's house and the car would not start when he intended to return home. This is always a major pain because his girlfriend lives so far away. To avoid towing it all the way back to our regular mechanic, we had it towed to a shop near them.

This time around, it was the starter. However, given supply delays and staffing issues, the car was in that shop for over a week (requiring lots of trips back and forth to take and pick up the boys from school). The same day the car wouldn't start, he also informed us that when he turned on the defrost, the windshield cracked. We had noticed a small crack after the fox collision. However, the insurance wouldn't cover that because we couldn't prove it was a consequence of the fox. Oh joy! Yet another period without his vehicle.

Bryce has been dealing with car woes, as well. In September, during a drive home from work (he lives in Dallas now and has a lengthy commute to his plant), his brakes went out. Luckily, he wasn't going fast, and he discovered an auto shop right off the interstate. They diagnosed a blown vacuum pump. In October, his car began to shudder. Somebody mentioned a free diagnostic test at O'Reilly Auto Parts. They fixed the issue. Praise God.

Car troubles are taxing emotionally. Trevor has started a new job at Pizza Hut and needs reliable transportation. All told, John says we have spent $10,000 in car towing and repairs over the last few months. Still, even with these car woes, we have so much to be thankful for. I'll take car issues over health issues any day. Yes, it has been expensive, but God has provided for our every need and He is greatly to be praised. Plus, the repairs have seemed to be by honest mechanics. That, too, is a blessing in this day and age. We've never been unable to get where we absolutely need to go, so we'll continue to wade through these woes and withstand discouragement by trusting God to provide.

Book Review: Making Room for Christmas

I'm always excited when a friend publishes a book. Eager to support my friend Kimberly, I purchased her new advent guide entitled Making Room for Christmas: An Advent Journey Toward a More Meaningful Christmas. K.D. Sullivan's simple little devotional will inspire your advent worship. It will help you be more intentional in celebrating the season of Christ's birth. The inn-keeper missed out on an outstanding opportunity to make room for the Savior's birth. How often do we fail to set other priorities aside in our focus on the Lord? He arrives to provide life. Yet, we settle for putting him in the stable. Each daily devotional draws attention to our need for the Savior and His eternal purpose in our lives. The guide suggests accompanying activities and carols. I bumped this ahead on my scheduled reviews because the paperback copy of the book is on sale through Thanksgiving for only $5. The Kindle version is available for $2.99. Please support my friend and join her on a journey this Christmas. If you purchase, post a photo of the book on Facebook (tagging Kimberly Sullivan, so she'll know), and write a brief review, you can be entered into a giveaway drawing for a set of advent cookie cutters - how fun!

========

12/5/21 - YAY!! I won! I won! I can't wait to use my new advent cookie cutters!

Book Review: It's Not Your Turn

Okay, so this idea of waiting for my turn to come around resonates with me. How long can one throw oneself into a passion before the lack of fruit causes one to till over the entire garden and erect a chicken coop? Seriously! I agree with this author's main point: It may not be your turn YET, but there is a purpose in the waiting and we must clap for others when they take home the prize and we don't. Moreover, I loved many of the stories and illustrations Heather Thompson Day shares in It's Not Your Turn: her conversation with a man on a plane, her husband's fall from a mountain, and a friend's loss of a husband to an errant wave that broke his neck (unthinkably tragic).

I appreciated her reference to Paul J. Meyer's SMART goal process. Our goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time bound. At the end of that chapter, she emphasized friend selection. How important it is to find others who are running in the same direction as you. This was so good, I had to type it out for my teenaged sons to read. 

However, I disagreed with some of her perspectives. She divides Christians into two categories: happy Christians with a loving God and unhappy Christians with an angry God. Somehow progressives believe a HOLY God, who wants more for you than bondage to sin, is NOT a loving God, but an angry God. In reality, God's love demands His holiness, just as His holiness demonstrates His love for those of us who readily admit we fall short. Holiness threatens the status quo and the common desires of sinful man. Thus, progressives delude themselves into thinking a holy God doesn't care about who we are in Him, just wants to smother us with the warmth of His love. 

The author outlines progressive theologian James Fowler's "Stages of Faith." Considering his diagram, they might say I haven't progressed far enough in my Christianity. Again, with Alisa Childers, I ask: Can it even be called Christianity? For example, in looking up more about Fowler, I read this explanation of his supposed Stage 5: when a "Christian" questions "those myths and taboos and standards that we took in with our mother's milk.... We... examine those, which means we're ready for a new kind of intimacy with persons and groups that are different from ourselves. We are ready for allegiances beyond our tribal gods and our tribal taboos." According to Fowler, if I progress far enough, I will arrive at a universal acceptance of everyone and every action, the great equalizer that renders salvation from sin impotent for demanding or achieving any change. 

So, while I enjoyed her Oprah methods, I couldn't agree with her Oprah conclusions. Indeed, it may not be my turn. And I'm fine with waiting for His provision. Truly, I'd rather bank myself in Jordan Raynor's perspective in his most recent book, Redeeming Your Time. He reminds his readers that God doesn't need us to be productive, but the gospel frees us to be productive. He still wants us to show up and leave the results to Him!

Book Review: The Double Comfort Safari Club

The Double Comfort Safari Club is the 11th book in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. In this installment, a jealous and meddlesome aunt threatens Mma Makutsi's relationship with Phuti. Her nemesis, Violet, is up to mischief again. This time, she attempts to swindle a kind gentleman. Mma Ramotswe must solve a case for a deceased woman who wished to bequeath a settlement on a kind safari guide. Unfortunately, she lacks the name of the camp or the guide. Throughout this formulaic series, humanity and the "old Botswana morality" shine again and again.

Book Review: Grit

 

A few months back, I was again pushing the writing boulder up the hill and questioning the time, energy, and passion invested. I'm aware fear often renders my efforts halfhearted. For example, that particular moment of despair came after four query rejections. Four is, as they say, a drop in the bucket. After all, Dr. Seuss pitched his first book 27 times to repeated rejection. Four is nothing. Still, depression took hold. I wondered when a person just gives up and says "it must not be in the cards for me." 

I continue to place my efforts before the Lord and wait on His timing for their use. Meanwhile, I wrote a quick letter to Jordan Raynor (author of Called to Create, Master of One, and Redeeming Your Time). Something in his newsletter hit a nerve and my knee-jerk reaction was to bend his ear with my pain. Gracious author that he is, he responded to my letter with a video response. So cool! He encouraged me and then, right up my alley, made some book recommendations. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, by Angela Duckworth, is an excellent study of the trait I need. It may feel like an uphill battle, but if I let the rock slide down even an inch, it will never make it up the hill.

This book is fascinating. Duckworth makes a thorough study of the key character trait that sets achievers apart from dabblers. Writing demands passion and perseverance. Too many writers give up mid-stride. Or, like me, have written and edited many books only to hear crickets. The frustration is palpable. But can I let these set-backs immobilize me if I believe God desires me to continue putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard)?

I appreciated the section discussing deliberate practice. Indeed, I wonder if my efforts have been deliberate enough. Perhaps I need to focus more on the stretching goals and push myself to ship more, despite the rejections. I also enjoyed the parental instruction for instilling grit in children. I'm not sure my parenting falls in the wise parenting quadrant of her chart. Still, I shuddered to read of John Watson's approach in his book, Psychological Care of Infant and Child (1928). His encouragement to never hug or kiss or even keep consistent caregivers (for fear the child will form unhealthy attachments) sounded so severe. Plus, I loved the John Wooden quote, "Success is never final; failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts."

As Duckworth proclaims, grit is more important than genius. All the talent in the world won't matter if you don't push through obstacles. Thankfully, you can foster grit. I intend to institute her "Hard Thing Rule," and to push myself to ignore the rejections and send my writing into the world regardless of the setbacks. Grit paired with God's grace can only bring growth. And if you're not growing, what's the point?

Book Review: You Are Not Alone (thriller)

Since I recently read another book with this same title (entirely different and written for parents of prodigals), I felt I should identify this title. I wondered if this might be a book I'd have to set aside. I devoured a previous page-turner (An Anonymous Girl) by this writing duo, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, but worried this one might have inappropriate passages. What a pleasant surprise! Apart from a few (careful, detached) descriptions of some sexual attacks, this book was cleaner than most modern thrillers. The authors even referred to foul words rather than include them (when a young girl heard her mother express curses). The story enticed and held my interest.

When Shay Miller watches a woman fall to her death in front of a subway train, it devastates her. Lonely and disillusioned, she attends the woman's memorial service, hoping to learn more about her. Instead, she meets a few of the woman's glamorous friends. They bend over backwards to be helpful. As they slowly suck her into their sphere, she must decide if they are friend or foe.

With fully believable characters and a fast-moving plot, You Are Not Alone is alluring. I loved Shay's specific affinity for statistics and data. The story kept me guessing throughout. And, as I mentioned, despite covering some dreadful details, it handled such aspects with grace and poise. I'm hoping this writing team continues to churn out psychological thrillers and hoping future ones provide a clean read.