Remembering favorite writers from my early years

From the Rosamund du Jardin website:

"Most people wonder why I like these books so much when I am a child of the '80's and the '90's and these books are about what it was like to be young during the '50's and the '60's. To tell you the truth, I don't know myself! Perhaps it's because they are about a time when it was safe to walk a girl home at night or when people drank malteds in the soda shop while wearing their charm bracelets and sweater sets. In some ways, their world of wearing class rings and hoping for orchid corsages is the opposite of my world of MTV, gangs and violence, and teenage pregnancy, but it's still the same when it comes to joys and heartaches, growing up and learning."

Most people remember Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Robert Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963) for his poem, The Road Not Taken.

However, my favorite Frost poem is Reluctance. It ends like this:

Ah, when to the heart of man
Was it ever less than a treason
To go with the drift of things,
To yield with a grace to reason,
And bow and accept the end
Of a love or a season?

Mary Stolz, et al

I've liked that poem ever since my early teen years, when I read a book whose title was taken from it: A Love, or a Season, by Mary Stolz. To be honest, I don't remember what the book was even about. I do remember that Mary Stolz was one of my favorite writers at the time, along with the likes of Betty Cavanna, Rosamund du Jardin and Janet Lambert.
(By the way, if you were ever a Rosamund du Jardin fan, this website dedicate to her is really enjoyable.)

While some of these books were already ten to 20 years old when I was reading them, they still resonated with me as a starry-eyed bookworm.

Francena H. Arnold

Christian fiction was in its early stages, but there was some good stuff out there even then. I loved Not My Will, Light in My Window and Then Am I Strong, by Francena H. Arnold. (I even listed Not My Will as one of my Top 25 Books of All Time.)

I've since lost track of most of my copies of these books, but I see now that many of them are available online. Moody Publishers has even re-released Not My Will. I will probably eventually purchase some of my favorites online. Reading them again will be a delight.

Any favorites that you'd like to let me know about?

 (Originally posted on my main blog, Notes in the Key of Life, 3/26/07.)

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children: my review

"Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" is one of the most charmingly quirky books I've read in quite some time.

With unbridled imagination and deft world-building reminiscent of Andrew Peterson's fantastical books (a must-read if you love fantasy), this tale also fulfilled my number-one need in a reading experience: the motivation to keep turning pages because I couldn't wait to see what happened next.

It's about Jacob Portman, a 16-year-old self-described bored rich kid from Florida, whose grandfather raised him on unbelievable tales of bloodthirsty monsters and children with unusual abilities who live in an idyllic haven on an island in Wales.

Jacob had long since stopped believing his grandfather's stories, despite the fact that he had the photographs to "prove" them.  Photographs that Jacob could see were often doctored, and not even that skillfully.

And because Jacob's grandfather was a Jewish man whose family was killed in the holocaust, and who joined the army to fight the Nazis, it was easy to decide the monsters in his grandfather's tales were simply an allegory for the real-life monsters he had fought.

It isn't until Abraham Portman's death that Jacob begins to believe all the stories might have been real. And prompted by his grandfather's last words, Jacob embarks on a trip to the Welsh island, determined to learn the truth.

Criticisms of the book

Because I enjoyed this book so much, I was really surprised to see the number of one- and two-star ratings it got on Goodreads.

Most of the criticism seems to be that the cover of the book was misleading.  Readers thought they were in for a chillingly creepy horrorfest, and were disappointed to find that it's a young-adult fantasy novel in which the only creepy things are the actual photographs that pepper the book.

Having read some things about the book, I wasn't expecting a bone-chilling tale, and I actually liked the story's air of fresh, sweet innocence.  Don't get me wrong...there's danger, bloodshed and mild scariness, but nothing along the lines of Stephen King or Dean Koontz.

About those photographs 

The vintage photographs are quite real, and author Ransom Riggs admits he built the story around them.  To me, they lend a quirky charm, despite the fact that some of them are rather weird and creepy.  They all came from the hands of collectors of such pictures.  One can't help but wonder about the circumstances in which some of them were taken.

A sequel is coming--yes, the book pretty much ends on a cliffhanger--and Riggs promises that more such photographs will be featured.

Overall, I truly enjoyed reading "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children," and I look forward to finding out what happens in their further adventures.

"Waterfall," by Lisa T. Bergren--Time Travel, Intrigue, Hot Italian Guys

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What red-blooded American teen-aged girl wouldn't want to be transported to a time and place where she's surrounded by hot young Italian guys?

That's exactly what happens to Gabi Bettarini in Lisa T Bergren's Waterfall. Oh, but there's more. There are medieval feuds, violent battles and deadly intrigue. And the hottest young Italian guy, who has his eye on Gabi, has a fiancee who pretty much hates her.

Plus, she can't find her sister, who apparently transported to medieval Italy with Gabi but is nowhere to be found.

I was thrilled when I received this book, because I've loved anything I've ever read by Lisa T. Bergren, and I've always been fascinated with time travel.

Then I saw that it was aimed at young adults. But you know what? That didn't dampen my enjoyment of the book one bit.

If anyone is equipped to be transported to medieval Italy, it's Gabi and her sister Lia. Because their mother and their late father were archaelogists, they've spent a lot of time in Italy and have a solid knowledge and sense of its history.

Their dad made sure Gabi had fencing lessons, and Lia happens to be an expert at archery. Both very handy skills to have in the setting in which they find themselves.

And Gabi is what the British call a "plucky" girl--brave, even daring, never one to back down from a challenge or stay too discouraged about some of the more daunting realities of medieval life.

Oh, and conveniently, she finds herself speaking in the Italian vernacular of the day without even trying--a smart device on the author's part.

The story is written from Gabi's perspective, and she sounds like a teen-ager (albeit an intelligent and well-educated one.)

Bergren says her eldest daughter Olivia and her friends were the first to read the book: "They set me straight on things that would make other kids roll their eyes." With those kind of consultants, Gabi's voice is authentic and genuine.

There's plenty of danger and suspense (along with the gentle romance) to keep the pages turning. And just the novelty of a 21st century girl finding herself in this era has a very engaging fish-out-of-water appeal.

I've never met a Lisa T. Bergren book I didn't like, and this one is no exception. Although I'm closer to Gabi's mother's age than Gabi's age, I'll definitely be reading the next book in this series!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Wynn-Wynn Media. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

My Review of Operation Bonnet, by Kimberly Stuart

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Note to self: Read more books by Kimberly Stuart.

The back cover of Operation Bonnet declares: "NOT your grandmother's Amish fiction"...and boy, is that right!

To be honest, I'm a little tired of Amish fiction. (Don't kill me, those of you who love it and those of you who write it.)

But with the exception of the fact that, yes, there ARE Amish characters in this book...well, that's pretty much where the resemblance ends to any other Amish-related book you've ever read.

21-year-old Nellie Monroe is a "luminary." One of her elementary schoolteachers dubbed her that because of her precocious intelligence, and Nellie still accepts the designation.

Still with some college to go, working at a golf course, Nellie longs to be a private detective. So she jumps at the chance for a real bonafide case--helping her ex-Amish co-worker Amos determine if he still has a chance with his still-Amish love, Katie.

To do this, she has to get up-close and personal with the nearby Amish community--which she does, by somewhat underhanded means.

So involved is she in her case...as well as the fact that her beloved grandmother, Nona, is fading mentally...that she fails to notice that her long-time best friend, Matt, has been in love with her for years.

Kimberly Stuart's witty, pop-culture friendly writing fairly sparkles off the page, and made me laugh out loud more times than I can count.

Nellie is an immensely likable heroine, and I couldn't wait to find out what she would do next.

As for the Amish characters? Honestly, this book probably made them come to life more than any other Amish fiction I've read. In particular, I loved the ex-Amish boy, Amos...his attempts to fit in with "English" society are nothing short of hilarious.

Through it all, Nellie finds herself more and more drawn to her Nona's steadfast faith.

Operation Bonnet is an engaging, fun, intelligent, and genuine novel...a sheer joy to read. That's why anything else by Kimberly Stuart is going to be high on my to-read list!

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Note: This book was provided to me by Wynn-Wynn Media in exchange for my honest review.


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