Archive for July, 2009

Author:          Elizabeth White

Publisher:       Zondervan

ISBN #:          978-0-310-27390-5

Type:             Fiction:Christian

Pages:           326 Trade Paperback

Published:      May 1, 2009

Website:         http://bethsquill.wordpress.com./

Purchase:      $10.18 @ Amazon (HERE) 

The Story

“A Passion for Dance
Gilly Kincade is a rising star on the New York ballet scene. Dancing is her life’s passion, second only to her love for Jesus, and she believes her faith sets her apart–but hasn’t held her back. Chosen for a plum role in a new ballet choreographed for her, it seems the sky’s the limit. Then she meets Jacob Ferrar….“

A Passion for God
Jacob Ferrar has left behind the glittering temptations of stardom in New York ballet. He has established a reputation as a brilliant, innovative artistic director of a regional dance company in Alabama, with a vision for choreography that glorifies God and encourages the audience. In fact, he’s certain nothing could make him go back….

Becomes Love’s Tour de Force
When Jacob offers Gilly the lead in his original Easter ballet, she begins to reevaluate what she’s willing to sacrifice for dance. And he sees exciting potential of shining light on the world’s dark stage. But their brilliant first performance is destroyed by a terrible accident, and Gilly and Jacob find themselves facing an uncertain future. Together, they dance the fine line between personal vision and God’s will, listening for the beat of the Father’s heart.”

(Excerpt is from www.bethsquill.wordpress.com)

The Review

This year has been a great time for me to discover Christian Fiction.  Although I’ve read a considerable amount of Christian YA Fiction, this was my first adult Christian book that I’ve been presented for review.  I have come to really enjoy reading stories about people struggling to lead honorable lives that radiate their faith.   Being a Christian for many years, my relationship with God has been strong at times and weak at others.  But the truth of my heart is that Jesus is at the center of it.  However, for me, learning to live a life that honor that love is sometimes difficult when you’ve got the pressures of real life around you. 

I admit that, at times, I’ve been angry with God and at other times I’ve completely lived to glorify him.  What is interesting to me about reading fiction with the heroes/heroines as strong Christians, is that I am reminded that you can make good choices in your life that honor your faith.  In the case of this story, our heroine Gilly is a prima ballerina for BNY.  She’s world traveled and at the beginning of the height of her career.  She’s got a very supportive family who helps to keep her rooted in her faith.  On the other hand, she works amidst a secular team of people who she feels the innate need to exhibit her love of God to.  The great thing about Gilly is that she attempts to demonstrate this through the witnessing of her life rather than the use of preaching of words. 

Gilly meets Jacob and the reader knows that this duo is headed for a destiny of marriage and family.  However, their age difference, lifestyle, and work commitments refrain them from making a logistic connection.  Despite the odds stacked against them, they have God at the center of their relationship.  With this in place, there is not much that either of them can do to avoid the inevitable… which is an eventual future together.

In addition to my ability to relate to this book from a Christian viewpoint, I also easily bonded with the book as it centered around dance.  Dance, music, and the performing arts have been my passion since I was a young girl.  Dance lessons were a very important part of my life and my heart.  Although I was not a ballet dancer, I’ve taken many a course in my past.  And, I love love love to watch ballet.  So, this read just drew me in and held me there… in first position!

Overall, this book was just RIGHT UP MY ALLEY!  Dance, love, God… what more can I ask for?  It was the perfect read for me.

The Giveaway 

Elizabeth White has graciously offered a SIGNED COPY of the book to one of my very lucky readers!  As you do a little dance and get ready to enter enter enter, let me share the rules:

* Contest Begins Today & Ends August 14th at 5pm PST *

* 1 entry for leaving a comment *

* +1 entry for sharing which type of dance is your favorite *

* +1 entry for visiting Elizabeth’s Website (blog) and leaving her a comment *

* +1 entry for following me on either facebook or twitter *

* +1 entry for mentioning the contest on your blog *

* +2 entries for following me on GOOGLE READER *

GOOD LUCK!

The Rating

On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale,” I would rate this book an 8.5 out of 10. I think that Elizabeth White wrote a very solid book!  I enjoyed the characters of Gilly, Victoria, Jabob, Graham, and Dimtri very much.  In addition to the cast of characters, I loved the way that White used the element of tragedy and miracles to confirm God’s work in our lives.  It was just what I needed to remind me of the possibility of God’s miracles in my own life. 

Many thanks to The Blog Tour Spot for including me in this blog tour!  Here are the links to the other blogs on the tour:

4BoyBarbarians4Us
A Novel Menagerie
A Peek at My Bookshelf
Blog Tour Spot
Book Junkie Confessions
Books, Movies and Chinese Food
Cindy’s Stamping and Reviews
Drive Home Productions
Fictionary
Fresh Brewed Writer
Gatorskunz and Mudcats
Giving Up on Perfect
J’s Spot
Life is one daily adventure
Lighthouse Academy
Net’s Book Notes
Quiverfullfamily.com
Real Women Scrap
Refresh My Soul
Scraps and Snippets
Springs Writers
Steeler Girl’s Blog
Sueth sayings
The Law, Books and Life
The Sarah Jane Diaries
The Sassy Pear
The Writing Road
Wild Words . . . Photos and Fine Art

Welcome to “The Score,” A Novel Menagerie’s weekly music feature.  Each  Thursday, I will share an artist and a song that I favor.  Thereafter, the song will be available to you in my sidebar widget until the following week’s selection.

I welcome your suggestions for future artist spotlights.

Remember:  If you are reading this post via email or Google Reader, you will need to click over to the post to fully enjoy the song of the week!

This week, I am highlighting a song that I heard at the end of this week’s season finale of The Bachelorette.  I just loved the song, but had no idea who sang it.  I did a little bit of internet research and VOILA… Martina McBride!  This, of course, makes sense because earlier in the season Jillian and Jake had a personal concert date with her. 

I have not listened to the entire album, Shine, as of yet, but I love love love this song.  Overall, there are many songs by Martina McBride that I really enjoy, especially “My Valentine,” “In My Daughter’s Eyes,” and “This One’s For the Girls.”  All, great songs.    

Enjoy!

Here is the Music Player. You need to installl flash player to show this cool thing!

I pinch myself
Sometimes to make sure I’m not in a dream
That’s how it seems

I close my eyes and breathe in the sweetest moments I’ve ever known
It feels like home

And here I am
I want to be your everything
There you are
Turning winter into spring

And everyone that sees you
Always wants to know you
And everyone that knows you
Always has a smile
You’re a standing ovation
After years of waiting
For a chance to finally shine
Everyone calls you amazing
Yeahhhh
I just call you mine

I fall apart
And just a word from you
Somehow seems to fix
Whatever’s wrong
Ohh
You reach into the weakest moments and remind me that I’m strong
You gotta know
I’d be a fool not to see or even worse to forget
That you’re more than I deserve

Cause everyone that sees you
Always wants to know you
And everyone that knows you
Always has a smile
You’re a standing ovation
After years of waiting
For a chance to finally shine
Everyone calls you amazing
I just call you mine

Nothing makes sense when you’re not here
As if my whole world disappears
Without you what’s the point of it

Cause everyone that sees you
Always wants to know you
And everyone that knows you
Always has a smile
You’re the dream that I’ve been chasing
After years of waiting
For a chance to finally shine
Everyone calls you amazing
I just call you mine
Everyone calls you amazing
I just call you mine

Author:          Jennifer Niven

Publisher:       Plume/Penguin

ISBN #:          978-0-452-28945-1

Type:             Fiction:American History

Pages:           416 Hardback

Published:      July 28, 2009

Website:         http://jenniferniven.com/

Purchase:      $10.20 (HERE) 

The Story

In 1933, Velva Jean was a 10 year old girl searching for entry into heaven by being saved in her belief in Jesus Christ.  After she is baptized, her life as she knows it begins to crumble around her.  Her father leaves the family home and very shortly thereafter her mother dies.  She and her brother, Johnny Clay, are soon taken into the Appalachian Mountain home of their older sister, Sweet Fern.  Although their father eventually returns, he never takes custody of them and their parenting remains the responsibility of Sweet Fern and her husband. 

Velva Jean Hart’s passion is music and she is a beautiful young singer.  She dreams of one day singing at the Grand Ole’ Opry.  Johnny Clay supports her in this dream and spends his days being Velva Jean’s best friend and companion.  Their adventurous ways take them on mountain trails where they meet a cast of different characters.  A mysterious man, known as “Wood Carver,” becomes Velva Jean’s unlikely friend.  He was an outcast to this small society and believed to have murdered a man.  However, Wood Carver is a man with a generous and wise spirit who encourages Velva Jean to follow her heart when she visits him. 

At the young age of 15, Velva Jean and Johnny Clay visit a traveling church revival in which Velva Jean recognizes the young preacher to be a boy of the mountains and her youth.  His handsome appearance and engaging words entrap Velva Jean in a young love.  His attraction to Velva Jean was mutual and within a year she marries the irresistible young preacher, Harley Bright.  Their honeymoon is cut short when they receive the telegram that Harley’s mother has passed away.  The newlyweds move into Harley’s family home with his moonshine distilling father, Levi.

As major roads are being built into the mountains, tragedy strikes the family.  Between the ages of 15 & 18, Velva Jean is a on road of self-discovery, love, and finding the true voice within her… will it drive her all the way to The Grand Ole’ Opry?    

The Review

This American family’s story exposes to its readers what life in the Appalachian Mountains was like in the 1930’s before major roadways were built through them and thereby connecting them to the outside world.  Our heroine, Velva Jean, exudes the purity of heart and the human desire to make one’s dreams come true.  This novel is beautifully descriptive in both the setting and its characters.  As such, the reader of this heartfelt novel desires to observe Velva Jean’s happiness materialize.

This book was, for me, more than a plain family saga.  It had plenty of unexpected twists and turns in the plot line that enriched the overall story.  I enjoyed reading of the days of mining, bootlegging, and riding trains to visit nearby communities.  What was difficult for me to relate to, yet completely comprehensible to me, was the thought of dying in the same small town that you were born in… where all of your community members know you, your family, and its legacy.  At this time and in places such as these, the expectation of a young woman would be to marry within the locality, have babies, and be satisfied with that life.  Women didn’t have the same rights as the men and their place was in the home, with the children, and minding her husband.  Cognitively, I am educated to know this as the truth within our history.  However, placing that life into my imagination sends my thoughts into sadness.  Women were so undervalued and under-utilized for their talents and minds.  With my sassy mouth and sharp thinking, I certainly wouldn’t have been experiencing a successful marriage in obedience to my husband had I lived in that time!  On the flip side, maybe I wouldn’t have known or thought to be any different. 

Like Velva Jean, if a shiny yellow truck sat behind my house unused, I would learn to drive despite what the neighbors, or my husband, might think.  As my spirit mirrors hers, I would never let go of my dreams and eventually find my way to achieve them… as long as it takes and no matter how difficult it may seem.

The Rating

On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale,” I am giving Velva Jean Learns To Drive a rating of 8.5 out of 10.  The story was brimming with the whispers of the mountains and the private wishes of the heart. There were a few things that I had wished for Velva Jean that she never got to experience, but I believe that Niven did this character great justice in the ending she wrote for her.

My heartfelt thanks to the publisher for presenting me with the opportunity review this enchanting book. 

Author:           Elle Newmark

Publisher:       Atria Books

                    Simon & Schuster

ISBN #:          978-1-4165-9054-5

Type:             Fiction:Historical

Pages:           384 Hardback

Published:      December 30, 2008

Website:         http://ellenewmark.com/

Purchase:      $17.16 @ Amazon (HERE) 

The Story

“It is 1948, the dawn of the Renaissance, and Venice teems with rumors of an ancient book that holds the secret to unimaginable power.  It is an alchemist’s dream, with recipes for gold, immortality, and undying love.  Everyone, rich and poor alike, speculates about the long-buried secrets scrawled in its pages and where it could possibly be hidden within the labyrinthine city.  But while those who seek the book will stop at nothing to get it, those who know will die to protect it.

As a storm of intrigue and desire circles the republic that grew from the sea, Lucianno, a penniless orphan with a quick wit and an even faster hand, is plucked up by an illustrious chef and hired, for reasons he cannot yet begin to understand, as an apprentice in the palace kitchen.  There, in the lavish home of the most powerful man in Venice, he is initiated into the chef’s rich and aromatic world, with all is seductive ingredients and secrets.  

Luciano’s loyalty to his street friends and the passion he holds for a convent girl named Francesca remain, but it is not long before he, too, is caught up in the madness.  After he witnesses a shocking murder in the Palace dining room, he realizes that nothing is as it seems and that no one, not even those he’s come to rely on most, can be trusted.  Armed with a precocious mind and insatiable curiosity, Luciano embarks on a perilous journey to uncover the truth.  What he discovers will swing open the shutters of his mind, inflame his deepest desires and leave an indelible mark on his soul.”

(Excerpt is from inside cover of The Book of Unholy Mischief)

The Review

This novel is outside of the type of book that I normally choose to read, but I had heard good things about it and thought it would be a fun adventure for me.  However, what I discovered after I read about 1/3 of this book, is that it was just too far outside of my “preferred fiction” and I was really struggling to finish the book for the review.  That is not to say that this isn’t a well written book with an interesting story.  In fact, it was well written.  I just couldn’t connect with this story if my life depended on it.  But, I did finish the book and it does have a happy ending… and, I just love those happy endings where the story comes full circle.  This book delivers that.

Despite it not being my favorite type of story, I must share in all fairness that I really liked the FANTASTIC food and cooking descriptions delivered within the novel.  The recipes and discussions surrounding the food were my favorite parts of the novel.  While reading this book, I craved cheesecake, almonds, light salads, cheese, wine, and fish.  I kid you not, this book made me hungry! 

As far as the characters and story line… if you like the Renaissance/Pre-Renaissance era(s) and/or Venice, then this book is one that you will love.  The descriptions of the characters and locations were vivid and rich.  In addition, there are some interesting parts to the story involving secret potions and love that do raise intrigue and interest. 

The author has put considerable effort and time into this novel.  She was kind enough even to sign the book for me.  She has built a beautiful website that readers of this book are sure to enjoy.   

There are parts of this novel that will linger in my memory and I don’t think I’ll ever look at an onion the same way again!

The Rating

Amazon.com has given this an overall rating of 4 stars after 63 reviews.  That’s pretty good.  Unfortunately, on Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale,” I would rate this book a 6 out of 10. It’s very well written, I just wasn’t totally engrossed in the subject matter nor the story line.

Thank you, Tracee, for including me in Pump Up Your Book Promotion Tour.

Madly, Truly, Deeply In Love…

Tonight’s season wrap-up show was 75% joy and 25% heartache.  Everybody seems happy… all, but Reid.

Melissa Rycroft, last season’s Bachelor rejected fiance, kicked off tonight’s show.  There was really “no-new-news” with Melissa.  The most poignant thing she shared during the interview was that The Bachelor experience was just beginning for her.  She realized that “the sky’s the limit.”  After being questioned on Jason’s decision to leave her for Molly, Melissa stated that he believed that Jason made the right choice.

Next up, Kiptyn.  Nothing less than exhibiting pure class and reserve, he relayed that when he told Jillian “all of those things,” that he meant it.  He seems to be healing just fine from the heartbreak and welcomed seeing her by stating, “I still have love for Jillian.  I’d love to see her.”  Even though Kiptyn admittedly came to love Jillian, he seems to be on the road to heartbreak recovery.

Reid follows Kiptyn’s interview and immediate sadness seems to hush the crowd.  He confessed, “I’m hanging in there.”  After being questioned by Chris Harrison about his feelings, Reid shared that he still loves her and still maintains the same emotions that he did that fated day in Hawaii. 

As he talked about his attempt to win her back, he explained that he had over 10 calls with the ABC producers to manage his last ditch effort to get the girl.  Although he admits that he didn’t present “the greatest ring in the world,” he honestly thought that when she put her hand over her heart upon seeing him that he had won her back.  Obviously, that not being the case, Chris Harrison questions, “Do you still feel like a piece of you is missing?  The love of your life is missing?”  Reid quietly admits, “Yes.”  Chris’ response, “You loved her that much?” “Of course,” he replied.  Even though Reid could not turn back time and do things differently, he wishes he could.  My impression is that he honestly believed that things would have ended differently.  However, Jillian disagrees.

When Jillian and Reid see one another again, Reid’s pain becomes even more evident.  In summary, Jillian communicates that she doesn’t regret her decision because she never could have ever let Ed go.  When Chris prods Reid for more questions that he may have for Jillian, Reid replied that he didn’t see it fit to ask those questions now in light of Jillian’s words about her decision to be with Ed.  He admits that he has questions about the night in the Fantasy Suite, but elected not to ask them now.  Both Reid’s and Jillian’s faces told enough of the story that we didn’t really need to hear them discuss it.  My immediate wonder was how Ed was going to react to this interaction between the two of them.

A little, young hottie then asked Reid out, but he is still healing from the break-up with Jillian.  It’s more than obvious that he is still in love with her and she no longer maintains those feelings for him.  She wants to put him in the “friends box” and move on with little guilt about what happened between the two of them.  Overall, there was just such a sadness in Reid’s eyes that I’ll never forget.  I’ve lived that type of pain.  Although it gets easier, you never forget it.

Ed finally comes out and this couple is CLEARLY in love!  They can’t stop touching each other and Ed cannot stop kissing her on the cheek.  They smile, hold hands, talk, and just genuinely seem to be on CLOUD 9.  I’m truly happy for the both of them.  When asked, the couple answered that they plan to marry within the next 12 months.  In addition, in September, Jillian is moving in with Ed.  So, Chicago will become the new home of the self-proclaimed hot-dog queen. 

When questioned about the mankini, Ed claimed that he really didn’t think that they were that short.  And, Jillian apparently loved the mankinis.  Chris Harrison tried to call her out on this, but she defended it whole-heartedly.   Apparently, he’s even bought himself a navy pair to turn on his fiance even more. 

I especially loved the out-take that they showed while running the credits in which Ed teased Jillian about swimming like a dolphin to recover boulders that he threw on the bottom of the pool.  Apparently, there’s $50 bucks in it for her for every boulder she managed to bring back.  If you can have fun with rocks, I guess you can have fun with anything.

Congrats, Jillian & Ed.

The Bachelorette Finale: The Final Rose

The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All

The Bachelorette:  Mmmmmm Maui and Mankinis

The Bachelorette:  The Moment We’ve All Been Waiting For… Wes Is Gone!

The Bachelorette:  Ed Is Back!  Jake To The Rescue!  Michael Is Straight Up In Love With Her!