The Unbearable Lightness of Scones by Alexander McCall Smith~★★★

Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Title: The Unbearable Lightness of Scones
Release Date: January 12th, 2010
Publisher: Anchor
Genre: Fiction

Book Cover: "Featuring all the endearing characters we have come to know and love, The Unbearable Lightness of Scones finds Bertie, the precocious six-year-old, still troubled by his rather overbearing mother, Irene, but seeking his escape in the cub scouts. Matthew is rising to the challenge of married life with newfound strength and resolve, while Domenica epitomizes the loneliness of the long-distance intellectual. Cyril, the gold-toothed star of the whole show, succumbs to the kind of romantic temptation that no dog can resist and creates a small problem, or rather six of them, for his friend and owner Angus Lordie.
With his customary deftness, Alexander McCall Smith once again brings us an absorbing and entertaining tale of some of Scotland's quirkiest and most beloved characters---denizens of the beautiful, stoic city of Edinburgh."

Taryn's Review: At first I didn't realize this book was part of a series until I was halfway into it. I was wondering why the background wasn't explained more and then I actually read the back of the book and realized what was going on!

I really liked some the characters' stories. Bertie and his family dynamics really captured my attention, as well as how Bertie deals with a mother who is very, well, suffocating. Matthew and Elspeth were interesting, especially since they both seem so keen on running their marriage in an odd fashion that really has nothing to do with love. I also found Domenica to be a mystery and would love to learn more about her story.

I did not enjoy Angus Lordie's story and halfway through the book just started skipping his sections. Big Lou and her boyfriend had the same effect on me. I don't know exactly what it was, but those sections were so forced to try and get through so I gave up.

I think I would give another book in the series a try (preferable the first one!), but if it didn't convince me to keep reading, I wouldn't bother. I don't know if for more me the stories I did enjoy are enough to keep me reading, especially through the ones I really didn't like.

The Elephant Keeper by Christopher Nicholson~★★★★

Author: Christopher Nicholson
Title: The Elephant Keeper
Release Date: August 4th, 2009
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Fiction

Book Jacket: "England 1766: After a long voyage from the East Indies, a ship docks in Bristol, England, and a rumor quickly spreads about its unsafe cargo---some say a mermaid is on board. A crowd forms, hoping to catch a glimpse of the magical creature. One crate after another is unpacked: a zebra, a leopard, and a baboon. There's no mermaid, but in the final two crates is something almost as magical---a pair of young elephants, in poor health but alive.
Seeing a unique opportunity, a wealthy sugar merchant purchases the elephants for his country estate and turn their care over to a young stable boy, Tom Page. Tom's family has long cared for horses, but an elephant is something different altogether. It takes time for Tom and the elephants to understand one another, but to the surprise of everyone on the estate, a remarkable bond in formed.
The Elephant Keeper, the story of Tom and the elephants, in Tom's own words, moves from the green fields and woods of the English countryside to the dark streets and alleys of late-eighteenth-century London, reflecting both the beauty and the violence of the age. Nicholson's lush writing and deft storytelling complement a captivating tale of love and loyalty between one man and two elephants that change the lives of all who meet them."

Taryn's Review: When I was younger and in the 7th grade, my teacher decided we had to write our own little books. Mine was about a boy who found a baby elephant and tried to keep him in his garage. When I saw the cover of the book, I picked it up off the New Fiction shelf as it brought back the warm fuzzy feelings of my little book about an elephant!

I am glad that I picked this book because for the first two parts of the book, I really loved this book. Tom Page is such a great character and the elephants are written so well. Tom is amazed by the elephants and makes it his job to teach them and protect them. He privately names them Jenny and Timothy and spends most of his time with them.

I was so captivated by the story in the first two parts and was thrilled to read such a refreshing book. It was different, yet believable; and the topic was so interesting to think about...what kind of exotic animals were brought back to England during the Expedition ages (people for that matter, too)?

However, the third part was a big let-down. I'm not sure where the author was trying to take the book, but I didn't like it. Tom and Jenny are now living in London, and Tom's venture back to his hometown seemed so unconvincing. Also, the sudden obsession with an old sweetheart by the name of Lizzy Tindall really made the last part just drag.

Despite the poor ending, the the first two of the book are spectacular. I would have gladly given this book a 5-star review had the last part been better. Nicholson is a gorgeous writer, and I look forward to his next book (hopefully with some improvements regarding book endings!).

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak~★★★1/2

Author: Markus Zusak
Title: The Book Thief
Release Date: September 11th, 2007
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Genre: Fiction

Book Cover:
"'How does it feel?' 'How does what feel?' 'When you take one of those books?' At that moment, she chose to keep still. If he wanted an answer, he'd have to come back, and he did. 'Well?' he asked, but again, it was the boy who replied, before Liesel could even her mouth. 'It feels good, doesn't it? To steal something back.'"

Taryn's Review: I heard a lot of hype about this book and was excited to finally read it. I'm not one to normally get into Young Adult books, this one had such glowing reviews that I knew I had to give it a chance.

At first, I almost quit the book. I hated the narrator. He was a big turnoff for me, but I pushed through and once I got into the heart of the story, I was intrigued enough to stay. Liesel Meminger is given to the Hubermann family who live on Himmel Street as their foster daughter. Liesel makes a life for herself in Molching, Germany right before the start of World War II with her new mama and papa while still dealing with the horrors of her own past.

I did not find myself attached to Liesel as much as I was to the young man who was Liesel's best friend and neighbor named Rudy Steiner. He was sweet, but still had his tough exterior when he needed it. You could just tell in his heart he only wished good things for Liesel, and as he got older, I loved how he kept pestering her for a kiss!

At one point in the book, the Hubermanns hide a Jew in their basement by the name of Max. I really felt uncomfortable with Max and Liesel's relationship. I know it wasn't sexual or romantic, but it still felt like Max was doing something wrong with Liesel, perhaps depending too much on the child for comfort and hope. I can't quite explain it, but I just didn't like it.

As with many around the globe, WWII permanently altered the only world Liesel and the others on Himmel Street had ever known. Although not the best book I've ever read (and maybe not deserving for as much hype as it got) I would still recommend this book to anyone, adult or young adult, and if you're like me and turned off by the narrator, just keep going and ignore him. It's worth the read (and you will need tissues). I normally would prefer a little more of an adult vocabulary, but keep in mind, this book is written for Young Adults.

The House at the End of the Road by W. Ralph Eubanks~★★★★

Author: W. Ralph Eubanks
Title: The House at the End of the Road: The Story of Three Generations of an Interracial Family in the American South
Release Date: May 19th, 2009
Publisher: Smithsonian
Genre: Non-Fiction

Book Jacket: "In 1914, in defiance of his middle-class landowning family, a young white man named James Morgan Richardson married a light-skinned black woman named Edna Howell. Over more than twenty years of marriage, they formed a strong family and built a house at the end of a winding sandy road in South Alabama, a place where their safety from the hostile world around them was assured, and where they developed a unique racial and cultural identity. Jim and Edna Richardson were Ralph Eubank's grandparents.
Part personal journey, part cultural biography, The House at the End of the Road examines a little-known piece of this country's past: interracial families that survived and prevailed despite Jim Crow laws, including those prohibiting mixed-race marriage. As he did in his acclaimed 2003 memoir, Ever Is a Long Time, Eubanks uses interviews, oral history, and archival research to tell a story about race in American life that few readers have experienced. Using the Richardson family as a microcosm of American views on race and identity, The House at the End of the Road examines why ideas about racial identity rooted in the eighteenth century persist today. In lyrical, evocative prose, this extraordinary book pierces the heart of issues of race and racial identity, leaving us ultimately hopeful about the world as our children might see it."

Taryn's Review: As someone who recently became fascinated with her own family history, Ralph Eubanks' book really swept me up. So often people just want a name of those in their family tree without ever wondering who that person really was.

Eubanks, who considers himself black, has a unique situation in that his maternal grandfather was born white to an elite family, while his maternal grandmother was black (or interracial). Although the children are born looking white and even have "white" written on their birth certificates, Eubanks' grandparents chose to raise their family as black in the predominately black town of Prestwick, Alabama. In fact, Eubanks' own mother did not realize her father was white until her own mother died suddenly and someone mentioned it to her.

Eubanks asks great questions on his quest to really get to know his grandparents Jim and Edna while trying to understand how and why his grandparents chose the path they did in life. He pieces together what information he can, sometimes finding new ideas, yet other times getting shut down (especially in personal interviews). Eubanks' writing style also reminds me of a professor lecturing on his or her favorite subject, where you can just feel the thought and care that has gone into understanding and sharing the topic.

There was one question that plagued me while I was reading. Eubanks' grandfather Jim was raised in the neighboring white city but moved to Prestwick when he married Edna. Eubanks notes that while Jim was friendly to those in Prestwick, he could have a bad temper to the point of people being afraid of him. Jim also kept his white ties with the higher ups of the area to retain safety during his bootlegging campaign, but interacted with the blacks in his community as friends and employees in his logging business. Eubanks never raises the question of what if the community (or some within the community) didn't want Eubanks there? What recourse could black citizens in the 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s even have if they wanted him out? They couldn't chase him out, as whites would have done, because of the color situation. I know many whites were opposed to the marriage, but I'm inclined to think that some of Edna's family and friends had to be equally as appalled at her marrying a white man. Again, this is speculation on my part, but it's not an angle that Eubanks discusses in the book.

Overall, this was a great read combining the idea of race and identity in a way that most people can understand, even if they can't relate to it. Eubanks' use of his own family also helps his passion show throughout the book. I would have loved if Eubanks put in more pictures, especially since he often eludes to the fact that he looks like his white grandfather and photos would have helped that visual, but even without pictures, it's a wonderful book.

The Bright Side of Disaster by Katherine Center~★★★★

Author: Katherine Center
Title: The Bright Side of Disaster
Release Date: June 26th, 2007
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Fiction

Book Jacket: "Jenny Harris always expected that she'd fall in love, get married, and have a baby---in that order. Now, very pregnant and not quite married, she actually doesn't mind that she and her live-in fiance, Dean, accidentally started their family a little earlier than planned: she's happy to have to so much to look forward to. But Dean---who is charming enough that Jenny can overlook his bad facial hair, his smoking habit, and his total commitment to a cheesy cover band--is acting distant, and not in a pre-wedding jitters kind of way. The night he runs out for cigarettes and just doesn't come back, he demotes himself from future husband to sperm donor. And the very next day, Jenny goes into labor.
In the months that follow, Jenny plunges into a life she never anticipated: single motherhood. At least with the sleep deprivation, sore boobs, and fits of crying (both hers and the baby's), there's not much time to dwell on her broken heart. And things start looking up: Jenny learns how to do everything one-handed, makes friends in a mommy group, and even manages to give dating tips to her sweet, clueless father---who's trying to court her sassy mother again, fifteen years after their divorce. She also gets to know a handsome, helpful neighbor---with a knack for soothing babies---who invites her out dancing. But Dean is never far from Jenny's thoughts or, it turns out, her doorstep, and in the end Jenny must choose between the old life she thought she wanted and the new life she's been lucky to find."

Taryn's Review: I actually liked this book more than I thought I would, which is always nice. We all know a girl like Jenny; she's with the completely wrong guy who is a total jerk, but she is also one of the sweetest girls you know. Dean made it clear to Jenny she was an afterthought after another woman turned him down, but Jenny, despite opinions from those to who love her, got into a serious relationship, engaged, then whoops, pregnant! You have a girl you're thinking of, don't you! I know it, me too.

Anyway, the book wasn't what I'd call deep reading, just a book about a girl who finds herself in a crappy predicament while 40 weeks pregnant. Center doesn't dig to deep into the psyche of her characters, but still lays out an entertaining story line, especially in highlighting the juggling act Jenny has when it comes to caring for her baby alone.

I did like the way the author had Jenny teeter when Dean tried to pop back into the picture. I think that's true for so many women who are like Jenny. Besides, isn't it so much harder to tell the man "no" when he throws the fact that he is the baby's father in her face?

One point I didn't like in the book was Jenny's struggle to breastfeed in regards for how long her baby went without adequate milk because Jenny was so against formula feeding. I don't imagine most mothers would have their children on the verge of dehydration because they refused to give them formula. My other annoyance was how Jenny wasn't working the entire 8 months after the baby was born (where did her income come from?) and how easily it was made for her to never have to worry about it again. It just gets annoying...sometimes I want to read about women who don't have a rich mommy/daddy to make life perfect.

Overall, it was entertaining and passed the time quickly. So often you want to shake some sense into Jenny, but that's what keeps you reading the book!

Resilience by Elizabeth Edwards~★★★★

Author: Elizabeth Edwards
Title: Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life's Adversities
Release Date: May 8th, 2009
Publisher: Broadway
Genre: Non-Fiction

Book Jacket: "She’s one of the most beloved political figures in the country, and on the surface, seems to have led a charmed life. In many ways, she has. Beautiful family. Thriving career. Supportive friendship. Loving marriage. But she’s no stranger to adversity. Many know of the strength she had shown after her son, Wade, was killed in a freak car accident when he was only sixteen years old. She would exhibit this remarkable grace and courage again when the very private matter of her husband's infidelity became public fodder. And her own life has been on the line. Days before the 2004 presidential election—when her husband John was running for vice president—she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After rounds of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation the cancer went away—only to reoccur in 2007. While on the campaign trail, Elizabeth met many others who have had to contend with serious adversity in their lives, and in Resilience, she draws on their experiences as well as her own, crafting an unsentimental and ultimately inspirational meditation on the gifts we can find among life’s biggest challenges. This short, powerful, pocket-sized inspirational book makes an ideal gift for anyone dealing with difficulties in their life, who can find peace in knowing they are not alone, and promise that things can get better."

Taryn's Review: I really admire Elizabeth Edwards. Recently, I heard on the radio where Elizabeth Edwards said that her husband did, in fact, father the child of Rielle Hunter (his mistress) then he needed to step up. She was quoted as saying, "Every child needs their father." Wow. I was blown away by this attitude of understanding. I then caught a glimpse of her book on the library shelf and knew I had to read it.

Elizabeth Edwards writes very eloquently. She touches on her life and it is so painful to read at times I don't know how anyone could survive and still have the grace she seems to possess. The book is not a political commentary at all, but truly focuses on Elizabeth's life, both in the past and now.

I could hardly stand to read about the death of her son, Wade. He sounds like he was an extraordinary young man and the quotes that Elizabeth chose from some of his essays are quite stunning to have been written by someone who was so young. Only years later to endure breast cancer, remission, return of cancer and a very private betrayal by her husband turned public is so much hurt and pain.

Yet, Elizabeth seems to so elegant in her attitude on how to deal with everything. I can't imagine that I would have the ability after all that hurt to deal with the world so beautifully, but she seems to be legitimately trying.

She does not harp into deals on the affair, which was very appropriate in my opinion. She simply states things from her side and perhaps a touch of bitterness towards his mistress does show in the book, but honestly, that's the worst that comes from Elizabeth on the matter in the book and what woman wouldn't be bitter? I can't say if I were in her position I would have the dignity to not write horrible things about the woman who engaged in an affair with my spouse!

At times, Elizabeth does overwrite some memories and explanations and repeats some things too often. In a few sections I felt my attention wane a bit because of this, but overall, it wasn't a huge issue that I found deterred me from the book. I would really recommend this book. Elizabeth Edwards has endured some horrific obstacles, but she is very admirable in her decision of how to handle them.

Flies on the Butter by Denise Hildreth~★★

Author: Denise Hildreth
Title: Flies on the Butter
Release Date: April 8th, 2008
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Genre: Fiction

Book Cover: "Rose Fletcher's come a long way from her South Carolina up-bringing of Sunday church and Mamaw's fried chicken. As a high-powered child advocate in Washington, DC, Rose has put her Southern upbringing behind her. But the peace and happiness she sought has eluded her. With her marriage on the brink of disaster, her mind races with the chaos her life has become.
But now Rose must head South for home---a place where the mother she headed north to escape still resides.
She'll face her demons, relive her coming-of-age, and confront the issues that kept her away all these years. It'll take the intervention of strangers and a painful miracle of grace to help her find that place called 'home' once again."

Taryn's Review: I really struggled to finish this book. A great example why glares on the back of the book...upbringing is spelled two different ways in the first two sentences. These inconsistencies are the same in the book. It lacks any real flow and was wretchedly cutesy while trying to be serious.

Rose basically is "messed up" because of something her mother did (the author doesn't say until the end). But many of her flashbacks are wonderful, which gets you wondering, what was so terrible? And because of her "messed up-ness" Rose lies to her husband Jack, who adores her beyond belief, about wanting children and continues to take her birth control, and then engages in an affair with a senator, all the while Jack still loving her. Gag me, please.

On her trip home to see her dying Mamaw (grandma), Rose meets a Lily and a Daisy. Really. Some preacher in a random church knows her old best friend when Rose stops to sit in the church. And finally, some old lady in the hospital creepily knows what is going on with Rose, gives her advice, and Rose is awakened. When Rose goes back to thank said lady, she's gone, her cancer having magically disappeared. Sure.

I could have done without reading this one. I was intrigued what Rose's mother did to her that was so awful and when I found out, I wasn't shocked. In fact, it was ridiculous because Rose became exactly the woman her mother was through her selfish acts. My opinion on this book is to pass it over.

The Penny Pinchers Club by Sarah Strohmeyer~★★★1/2

Author: Sarah Strohmeyer
Title: The Penny Pinchers Club
Release Date: July 2nd, 2009
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Genre: Fiction

Book Jacket: "Living in New Jersey---the state that boasts the most malls per capita---Kat's favorite recreational activity is a no-brainer: shopping. But when she discovers that her husband, Griff, has been hiding a secret bank account and exchanging dubious emails with his attractive young assistant, her joyful consumerism suddenly loses its appeal. Are their fights about money more serious than she understood? Is he, as her friends suggest, preparing for a divorce? Just in case, Kat decides it's time to start saving. Unfortunately, having racked up tens of thousands of dollars in debt (of course she needed those tiki torches from Pier 1!), Kat finds herself in way over her head.
Drastic times call for drastic measures. Kat starts by canceling cable and kicking her $240 monthly Starbucks habit. But what starts out as a simple effort to cut costs soon becomes an over-the-top obsession when she joins an eclectic but lovable group of savers called the Penny Pinchers Club. Soon she is pumping her gas at dawn (when it is thicker) and serving dinner she retrieved at the grocery store Dumpster. Kat is saving money, to be sure, but what she's really saving is time---time she spends with Griff, their daughter...and an old flame, who resurfaces
at precisely the wrong moment, offering Kat a life where money is no object.
An irresistible and wonderfully warmhearted novel about the unexpected ways hardship can lead to happiness, The Penny Pinchers Club is the perfect pick-me-up for these troubled times."

Taryn's Review: This was a quick, fun read for me. I started before bed one night and was done the next afternoon. Strohmeyer writes in such a way that it's really easy for someone to get sucked in and not notice how quickly the pages are being turned!

I think Kat found herself in a situation to where if one looks at all the evidence, the outcome appears to be pretty grim. But rather than talking to her husband about the evidence, she takes the worst-case-scenario mindset and meets with a divorce lawyer at the urging of her sister. The divorce lawyer tells Kat to buck up, save her money, and contact her once she's got $15,000 saved for the divorce fee and get her affairs in line.

This is how Kat finds the Penny Pinchers, via her cleaning lady. I really wanted to love the group, but none of the characters really stuck out to me. In fact, as much as I hate to say it, I think I would have liked the book more without them. Kat could have got some ideas from them, looked for ideas online, and taken the same route she did. I truly did try to like the club members, but none are memorable to me, even now as I just finished the book.

I really liked how Strohmeyer made both Griff (Kat's husband) and Kat's old flame Liam likable, conflicting the reader as to what Kat should do. I was with Kat sometimes, thinking, "How can Griff be cheating? He acts like he loves her so much!" But then Liam sweeps in, with his money and open heart, and he's pretty tempting.

The end was a surprise for me. I thought it would be more predictable (and some parts were), I was pleasantly shocked. This is a great book for when you're trapped inside on a cold snowy afternoon, or just want a chick lit book for a little getaway.

Old Christmas by Washington Irving~★★★★★

Author: Washington Irving
Title: Old Christmas: From the Sketch Book of Washington Irving, Illustrated by R. Caldecott
Release Date: First released 1875; this edition is the 4th ed. reprinted in 1925
Publisher: Macmillan & Co: London
Genre: Non-fiction

First Paragraph: "There is nothing in England that exercises a more delightful spell over my imagination than the lingerings of the holiday customs and rural games of former times. They recall the pictures my fancy used to draw in the May morning of life, when as yet I only knew the world through books, and believed it to be all that poets had painted it; and they bring with them the flavour of those honest days of yore, in which, perhaps with equal fallacy, I am apt to think the world was more home-bred, social, and joyous than at present. I regret to say that they are daily growing more and more faint, being gradually worn away by time, but still more obliterated by modern fashion. They resemble those picturesque morsels of Gothic architecture which we see crumbling in various parts of the country, partly dilapidated by the waste of ages, and partly lost in the additions and alterations of latter days. Poetry, however, clings with cherishing fondness about the rural game and holiday revel, from which it has derived so many of its themes---as the ivy winds its rich foliage about the Gothic arch and mouldering tower, gratefully repaying their support by clasping together their tottering remains, and, as it were, embalming them in verdure."

Taryn's Review: I have a thing for old, lonely, beat-up books tucked deep between shiny new books on the library book shelf. A faded glint of gold caught my eye, and on the maroon binding I saw in fancy scroll the title Old Christmas. The book itself is just plain maroon and rather small, but I felt attached immediately and added to my bag.

The story itself is fun. Irving talks about how much times have changed, especially among the new generation at Christmas (sound familiar?). The main story of the book is about how one past Christmas he was invited by his friend to celebrate the holiday at his friend's family's old manor in the country. The host of the festivities, The Squire, is hellbent on keeping old traditions alive and explains many of them to Irving along the way. The book is divided into 3 sections: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Christmas Dinner. Some of the traditions are lost today, but are enjoyable to read about. I've heard of Wassail and Yule Log, for example, but it was much for exciting to hear about it in context rather than just having it explained for what it was.

The book can be a challenge on the vocabulary front, but I enjoyed it and learned some new words along the way. I love Irving's writing style and Caldecott's pictures only make the book that much more quaint.

The book doesn't have a lesson; it's just about a festive, jovial, wonderful English Christmas memory and also passes along some Christmas traditions that Irving enjoyed being a part of. It's not going to be for everyone, trust me on that, but if you have an open mind, I would highly suggest this little Christmas gem.

Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas by Ace Collins~★★★

Author: Ace Collins
Title: Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas
Release Date: October 1st, 2001
Publisher: Zondervan
Genre: Non-fiction

Book Jacket: "Behind the Christmas songs we love to sing lie fascinating stories that will enrich your holiday celebration. Taking you inside the nativity of over thirty favorite songs and carols, Ace Collins introduces you to people you've never met, stories you've never heard, and meanings you'd never have imagined.
The next you and your family sing 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,' you'll have a new understanding of its message and popular roots. You'll discover how 'Angels from the Realms of Glory,' with its sublime lyrics and profound theology, helped usher in a quiet revolution in worship. You'll learn the strange history of the haunting and powerful 'O Holy Night,' including the song's surprising place in the history of modern communications. And you'll step inside the life of Mark Lowry and find out how he came to pen the words to the contemporary classic 'Mary, Did You Know?'
Still other songs such as 'O Come, O Come, Emmanuel' trace back to mysterious origins---to ninth-century monks, nameless clergy, and unknown commoners of ages past. Joining hands with such modern favorites as 'White Christmas' and 'The Christmas Song,' they are part of the legacy of inspiration, faith, tears, love, and spiritual joy that is Christmas.
From the rollicking appeal of 'Jingle Bells' to the tranquil beauty of 'Silent Night,' the great songs of Christmas contain messages of peace, hope, and truth. Each in its own way expresses a facet of God's heart and celebrates the birth of his greatest gift to the world---Jesus, the most wonderful Christmas Song of all."

Taryn's Review: I think this book would be a great one to start at the beginning of December and just read two or three of the song stories up until the night of Christmas. I liked the book a lot because some songs you know by heart, but some you just don't hear often on the radio or on your favorite Christmas CD. I actually brought up YouTube and pulled up some of my favorite songs, some forgotten carols, as well as ones I hadn't heard of before, like "Good King Wencesles."

Do I believe the author on some of his histories regarding the songs? No. He cites nothing, will tell the reader the origin of this song is a mystery, but then drum up some story about it still. I chose just to take it at face value and enjoy what could be the history of some of the songs.

I didn't like at one point in the book the author claims that one theologian was "less-educated" than another so he didn't really take the Bible as literally, making him radical because of this. I don't think it's fair to say being "less-educated" (I don't know what Collins defines educated as, either, so that creates another issue) makes one choose how they interpret the Bible. But, Collins has his own biased in writing the book from his religious standpoint, and at times it filters through in his stories how the songs came about.

I do wish Collins would have either started each story with the lyrics or at the end. They are just randomly stuck on a page in each story. It was annoying to be mid-sentence and on the next page was the song itself, then the next page continued the story. I don't like to be interrupted and I felt like that's what the lyrics did in their placement.

Overall, a cute Christmas collection in my opinion. I really enjoyed looking up the songs afterward and listening to them as well. I wouldn't take the book as fact on all accounts, but it was still nice to have memories drummed up of songs from the past.

Happy 1 year to The Book Blogger!

It's our 1st birthday!

Civil War Wives by Carol Berkin~★★★★

Author: Carol Berkin
Title: Civil War Wives: The Lives and Times of Angelina Grimke Weld, Varina Howell Davis, & Julia Dent Grant
Release Date: September 8th, 2009
Publisher: Knopf
Genre: Non-fiction

Book Jacket: "Here are the life stories of three women who connect us to our national past and provide windows onto a social and political landscape that is strangely familiar yet shockingly foreign.
Berkin focuses on three "accidental heroes" who left behind sufficient records to allow their voices to be heard clearly and to allow us to see the world as they did. Though they held no political power themselves, all three had access to power and unique perspectives on events of their times.
Angelina Grimke Weld, after a painful internal dialogue, renounced the values of her Southern family's way of life and embraced the antislavery movement, but found her voice silenced by marriage to fellow reformer Theodore Weld. Varina Howell Davis had an independent mind and spirit but incurred the disapproval of her husband, Jefferson Davis, when she would not behave as an obedient wife. Though ill-prepared and ill-suited for her role as First Lady of the Confederacy, she became an expert political lobbyist for her husband's release from prison. Julia Dent Grant, the wife of Ulysses S. Grant, was a model of genteel domesticity who seemed content with the restrictions of marriage and motherhood, even though they led to alternating periods of fame and disgrace, wealth and poverty. Only late in life did she glimpse the price of dependency.
Throughout, Berkin captures the tensions and animosities of the antebellum era and the disruptions, anxieties, and dislocations generated by war and its aftermath."

Taryn's Review: I really enjoyed this book and was glad it caught my eye at the library. Many times we are taught the masculine side of history and women's roles are overlooked and deemed insignificant. Carol Berkin chose three interesting women for her study.

The book isn't representative of all women in the Civil War. All three are white, elite women married to prominent figures of the time. Yet, it's still interesting the similarities the women share and the difference in opinions and view they have. The book is especially nice because you can read one woman's life story, leave the book for a while, and then come back and start a new person's story.

I think Berkin did a fantastic job on each woman's story, but at times I felt Varina's story was overshadowed by her husband, Confederacy president Jefferson Davis. At times when reading Varina's story, I would wonder what Varina was actually doing when the story focused on Jefferson. I also wish Berkin would have mentioned their ages more often. I know she gives the birth date for each, but as a reader, it would have been helpful if at times Berkin threw in a phrase like, "Now forty-seven, Grimke..." She does occasionally, but normally when the girls got married and a few years before they passed away and upon their deaths.

It's not often I do this, but I really disagree with the book jacket when it speaks of Julia Dent Grant. I don't think she was ever really restricted by marriage and motherhood. In fact, of all the women, she seemed to most enjoy her role as "Gen. Grant's wife" and she didn't seem to mind that she lacked knowledge on pressing topics of the day. She seemed perfectly happy attending to her domestic duties as wife, mother, and hostess.

Ultimately, this book is a great read. Again, I think Varina's story got overshadowed quite a bit (thus 4 stars), but it's one I would highly encourage anyone to read, especially women who want to more about some of the historic women that experienced life during America's horrific War Between the States.

The Christmas Pearl by Dorthea Benton Frank~★★★

Author: Dorothea Benton Frank
Title: The Christmas Pearl
Release Date: October 23rd, 2007
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Holiday Fiction

Book Jacket: "Theodora is the matriarch of a family that has grown into a bunch of truculent knuckleheads. While she's finally gotten them all together in South Carolina to celebrate, this Christmas looks nothing like the extravagant, homey holidays of her childhood.
What happened to the days when Christmas meant tables groaning with home-cooked goodies, over-the-top decorations, and long chats in front of the fire with Pearl, her grandmother's beloved housekeeper and closest confidante?
Luckily for Theodora, a special someone who heard her plea for help arrives, with pockets full of enough Gullah magic and common sense to make Theodora's Christmas the love-filled miracle it's meant to be."

Taryn's Review: Last year I noticed this book on my library's list of Christmas books, but it was always checked out. I get sentimental around Christmas and really wanted to read a heartwarming story about Christmas so I waited eagerly for it to come in, but I always missed checking it out. When I went to the library at the end of November this year, I snatched it up, as I need a little holiday cheer.

The book is sappy, sweet and Southern. I really enjoyed the beginning of the book when Theodora recounts what Christmas time was like when she was a child. Granted, she grew up as the white child of an wealthy, elite family in the South, so her Christmases were grand, but she also felt loved by those all around her, including her family's maid Pearl. Pearl never seems to mind her role as maid and seems to genuinely love Theodora and her family.

Flash forward 80-some-odd years later. Theodora is the last living member of her childhood Christmas memories and all her current family members do is bicker and fight. This is where the book seemed to lose it's hold on me. Theodora takes little responsibility for never piping up and telling her family members to stop it, so in sweeps Pearl, a Christmas angel, to help Theodora's family realize the gift they have in each other through her Gullah magic.

Sometimes I like magic in a book, but in this case, I wish the family could have gotten along without the Gullah spells placed on them by Pearl. It seems so, well, easy to make everyone get along then. There isn't much substance to the family making up, just a yelling match and then all is well. But I did enjoy hearing about the recipes in the book and loved that author included some at the end of the book.

Overall, it was okay for me. I loved the beginning, but even with Pearl back, I really didn't feel the holiday vibe I was looking for in the 2nd half of the book. I think there are much better Christmas books out there, but this was quick and fairly entertaining, especially if you want a Christmas read and don't have much time to devote to a book in December.

Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan~★★★

Author: Erick Setiawan
Title: Of Bees and Mist
Release Date: August 4th, 2009
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Fiction

Book Jacket: "Raised in a sepulchral house where ghosts dwell in mirrors, Meridia grows up lonely and miserable. But at age sixteen, she has a chance at happiness when she falls in love with Daniel---a caring and naive young man. Soon they marry, and Meridia can finally escape to live with her husband's family, unaware that they harbor dark secrets of their own. There is a grave hidden in the garden, there are two sisters groomed from birth to despise each other, and there is Eva---the formidable matriarch and the wickedest mother-in-law imaginable---whose grievances swarm the air in an army of bees. As Meridia struggles to keep her life and marriage together, she discovers long-buried secrets about her new family that inexorably push her love, courage, and sanity to the brink.
Of Bees and Mist is an engrossing fable that chronicles three generations of women under one family tree over a period of thirty years---their galvanic love and passion, their shifting alliances, their superstitions and complex domestic politics---and places them in a mythical town where spirits and spells, witchcraft and demons, and prophets and clairvoyance are an everyday reality. Erick Setiawan's astonishing debut is a richly atmospheric and tumultuous ride of hope and heartbreak that is altogether touching, truthful, and entirely memorable."

Taryn's Review: This book started out very dark and depressing, but there was something intriguing about the way Erick Setiawan wrote the book that kept me reading. My heart ached for the loneliness that Meridia was suffering through and that combined with the supernatural realm of the book like ghosts, mists, and premonitions seemed like it would make for an interesting story so I kept reading.

Quickly, the book turned into a story we all know. Lonely girl falls in love, moves out to escape bad family only to find her mother-in-law is a monster-in-law who is desperate to hold onto her son. But what kept me going was the magic and mysticism of the book. You really don't have a clue when or where the story takes place but it works. It has a hint of 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez to it, but it isn't the same caliber as that book.

The book kept throwing secrets out here and there that also made me want to keep reading. I think the family struggles are something anyone can relate to, even if ours aren't as extreme as Meridia's.

However, the book is long. And I was very frustrated when Daniel returned to his mother Eva; how many times does someone need to see the truth before they really believe it? The book has some strong symbolism and underlying themes, but honestly, I wasn't in the mood to decipher it and just enjoyed it at face value. I wouldn't say I loved the book, since it was hard to connect with (I mean, bees swarm around, mists carrying people off, fortune tellers being summoned), but it was fascinating to read and held my attention well. I don't know that it will stick with me, but it was worth the read.

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler~★★★

Author: Laurie Viera Rigler
Title: Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict
Release Date: April 29th, 2008
Publisher: Plume
Genre: Fiction

Book Cover: "After nursing a broken engagement with Jane Austen novels and Absolut, Courtney Stone wakes up and finds herself not in her Los Angeles bedroom or even in her own body, but inside the bedchamber of a woman in Regency England. Who but an Austen addict like herself could concoct such a fantasy?
Not only is Courtney stuck in another woman's life, she is forced to pretend she actually is that woman; and despite knowing nothing about her, she manages to fool even the most astute observer. But not even her level of Austen mania has prepared Courtney for the chamber pots and filthy coaching inns of nineteenth-century England, let alone the realities of being a single woman who must fend off suffocating chaperones, condomless seducers, and marriages of convenience. This looking-glass Austen world is not without its charms, however. There are journeys to Bath and London, balls in the Assembly Rooms, and the enigmatic Mr. Edgeworth, who may not be a familiar species of philanderer after all. But when Courtney's borrowed brain serves up memories that are not her own, the ultimate identity crisis ensues. Will she ever get her real life back, and does she even want to?"

Taryn's Review: While I was at the library searching for books, weighing heavily on my mind were some personal issues that were bothering me. As I looked at many books, it hit me that I needed something fun. I wanted a book where I didn't have to think too deeply, yet could get me safely entranced enough to escape my own surroundings for a bit. Along the shelves this book popped out at me and into my bag it went.

The book was just what I needed. It isn't particularly amazing. The writing itself isn't that fantastic. The book has storyline flaws. But it was fun to read. Imagine if you woke up in the setting of your own favorite books. How would I react if I woke up in a bedroom of Tara Plantation? Or would I be able to fit in if I found myself living in a shanty house in war-torn Afghanistan? That's where the book keeps you entertained; a 20-something Los Angeles woman parading around 1813 England, laughing in her mind at the shocking difference between the two worlds. At times Courtney made me laugh when she explained how she'd deal with each issue if she were back in the 21st century.

The book is simple and doesn't develop too deeply beyond what's going on in Courtney's head. Courtney aka Jane Mansfield has to realize how her actions in this time period not only affect her, but her family and friends. It's very convenient that Courtney can selectively have some memories of Jane's easily at hand (like embroidering and dancing), but has to wait as the brain only gives her small clues at a time about the mysterious Mr. Edgeworth and no memory of her friend Mary, Jane's mother and father, and more.

Overall, the book is not a classic book nor a deep, thought-provoking book. But it's fun, and it's a great escape when you need a break from the 21st century yourself!

The Anthologist by Nicholson Baker~★★

Author: Nicholson Baker
Title: The Anthologist
Release Date: September 8th, 2009
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Fiction

Book Jacket: "The Anthologist is narrated by Paul Chowder---a once-in-a-while-published kind of poet who is writing the introduction to a new anthology of poetry. He's having a hard time getting started because his career is floundering, his girlfriend Roz has recently left him, and he is thinking about the great poets throughout history who have suffered far worse and deserve to feel sorry for themselves. He has also promised to reveal many wonderful secrets and tips and tricks about poetry, and it looks like the introduction will be a little longer than he'd thought.
What unfolds is a wholly entertaining and beguiling love story about poetry: from Tennyson, Swinburne, and Yeats to the moderns (Roethke, Bogan, Merwin) to the staff of The New Yorker, what Paul reveals is astonishing and makes one realize how incredibly important poetry is to our lives. At the same time, Paul barely manages to realize all of this himself, and the result is a tenderly romantic, hilarious, and inspired novel."

Taryn's Review: I'm not a huge fan of poetry, at least not yet in my life. This book is so much about poetry that there were moments I really struggled through the writing. Honestly, iambic pentameters and such are of no interest to me, but they mean a lot to Paul Chowder, the narrator of the book.

Paul is someone who would drive me crazy in real life. He's someone who almost knows too much about his passion (poetry) and tends to ramble on and on and on about the subject. Although, I did feel sad for Paul when he admitted he doesn't have a talent for rhyme, something that he truly loves.

I wish the book would have focused more on Paul and Roz's relationship. The author of the book really doesn't take us deep into the life that was between the two, and when they do interact after the breakup, they act so formal and polite with one another. It's rather odd, but in the same sense, it can be chalked up to the fact that Paul is odd, too.

I think anyone who really loves poetry or has a desire to learn more would really enjoy this book. That is really the focus of the book, and Paul's life is merely a backdrop against the poetry and poets who invade his mind. I learned a little bit, but in the end, it's not a book I'd pick up again.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford~★★★★

Author: Jamie Ford
Title: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Release Date: October 6th, 2009
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Fiction

Book Jacket: "In the opening pages of Jamie Ford's stunning debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Henry Lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle's Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery: the belonging s of Japanese families, left when they were rounded up and sent to internment camps during World War II. As Henry looks on, the owner opens a Japanese parasol.
The simple act takes Henry back to the 1940s, when his world was a jumble of confusion and excitement, and to his father, who was obsessed with the war in China and having Henry grow up American. While "scholarshipping" at the exclusive Ranier (it's actually Rainier throughout the book...) Elementary, where the white kids ignore him, Henry meets Keiko Okabe, a young Japanese American student. Amid the chaos of blackouts, curfews, and FBI raids, Henry and Keiko forge a bond of friendship-and innocent love-that transcends the long-standing prejudices of their Old World ancestors. After Keiko and her family are swept up in the evacuations to the internment camps, she and Henry are left only with the hope that the war will end and that their promise to each other will be kept.
Forty years later, Henry Lee, certain that the parasol belonged to Keiko, searches the hotel's dark, dusty basement for signs of the Okabe family's belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot even being to measure. Now a widower, Henry is still trying to find his voice: words that might explain the actions of this nationalistic father; words that might bridge the gap between him and his modern, Chinese American son; words that might help him confront the choices he made many years ago.
Set during one of the most conflicted and volatile times in American history, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is an extraordinary story of commitment and enduring hope. In Henry and Keiko, Jamie Ford has created an unforgettable duo whose story teaches us of the power of forgiveness and the human heart."

Taryn's Review: This was a great book to jump back into reading with. Jamie Ford did a really wonderful job highlighting the horror of a time that often gets little more than a blurb in history textbooks.

Henry is a character that I was able to identify with easily and connect to. Henry's father is the type of person we've all known in life; a man who is stubborn in his choices and prejudice against all those he believes have wronged him. He wants nothing more than to make Henry the perfect Chinese American boy.

Henry is often alone at school until Keiko enters. Keiko is delightful, so the reader can understand Henry's draw to her after his initial reaction to ignore her because she's Japanese. The friendship that develops between the two is so sweet; it's the kind of friendship you wish you had as a child and hope that your child can have with someone else. The two genuinely love each other and it's just a pleasure to see Henry shed his father's beliefs and see that Keiko is not the "evil Japanese" that many Americans have made all Japanese people out to be.

I really did enjoy the book and I love the way that Ford chose to tell the story. The reason for my four stars is while the story was so intriguing, I wasn't able to get as emotionally involved as I would have liked and I'm not sure why I wasn't able to reach that level in the book. Except for the end, however. The last line of the book was the most perfect way to end the book and it brought tears to my eyes. I don't blame the writer at all for the error in the book jacket (tsk, tsk Ballantine Books!) .

If you have a chance to pick up a book that you want to be sucked into, this is it. I didn't want to put it down!

The Hiatus is Over!

Due to a hectic schedule the last two months, I wasn't able to read any books (I know, the horror!). But after some life changes and a new job, I have time again! I went to the library, got some books checked out, and plan on starting to read again tonight. Happy reading to all! I can't wait to get posting again! :)

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink~★★★

Author: Bernhard Schlink
Title: The Reader
Release Date: Mti Edition, December 30th, 2008
Publisher: Vintage
Genre: Fiction

Back Cover: "When fifteen-year-old Michael Berg falls ill on his way home from school, he is rescued by Hanna, a woman twice his age. In time she becomes his lover, enthralling him with her passion, but puzzling him with her odd silences. Then she disappears.
Michael next sees Hanna when she is on trial for a hideous crime, refusing to defend herself. As he watches, he begins to realize that Hanna may be guarding a secret she considers more shameful than murder."

Taryn's Review: I liked the book, but I felt very emotionally distant from this book at the same time. Michael tells the story very unemotionally, so for me, I really never felt the passion, the heat, the pain from Michael's point of view.

Hanna was a mystery throughout the book. She was very odd in her behavior towards Michael. One moment she bathes him and the next, she wants nothing to do with him. Michael finally discovers the reason for some of her outbursts, but it is years to late, and by this point, Hanna has condemned herself to a life sentence in prison for her role as an SS guard in WWII.

I think the question here is if Michael really loved Hanna, or if he loved her the way he originally thought he had. In the end of the book, as a reader, I asked myself if Michael was doing his deeds to Hanna out of love or if he was doing them out of pity for her, or perhaps even out of guilt for his lack of action during Hanna's trial.

The end of the book was shocking to me. Hanna again threw Michael for a loop that neither he nor I saw coming, but if we would have looked at history, it may have told us that Hanna never changed at all and history would indeed repeat itself in one form or another. I wouldn't say not to read this book, but it's one that will take more effort than simply picking the words up off of the pages.

O Pioneers! by Willa Cather~★★★

Author: Willa Cather
Title: O Pioneers! (Part of Willa Cather: Three Complete Novels)
Release Date: Originally released in 1913; this edition released 1992
Publisher: Gramercy Books
Genre: Fiction

Book Jacket: "...O Pioneers! is the classic, moving tale of the frontier. When Alexandra Bergson's father dies she is left in charge of his unsuccessful farm and her younger brothers. The unyielding land of the Nebraska Divide would be challenging enough, but a violent passion shakes this courageous young woman to her core and changes her life forever..."

Taryn's Review: I actually went to the library in search of My Antonia by Willa Cather, but they don't carry it. I had seen part of O Pioneers! in a class and decided to give it a try instead.

The story was good and Willa Cather definitely has a gift for prose, but something was missing for me in this story. I can't put my finger on it at the moment, but no single character grasped me and pulled me deep into the story. While I like Alexandra and Marie and Emil and the many others, I didn't find myself emotionally involved in their lives.

My other question in the story is why Emil was so infatuated with Marie. He had the world at his fingertips, but yet he yearned for a woman who was already married. I guess these are the reasons we have love stories in the first place, but Emil did not even appear to try to love anyone outside of Marie. And poor Alexandra, not realizing Emil's desires for her best friend.

I would recommend the story, as Willa Cather just has a lovely way of writing. It is also an American classic, highlighting the story of an immigrant man's family prospering in the United States, and how money and wealth still isn't protection from pain.