1556 Pages Later

Time for a book review! As all of you know, I am a total book-aholic. I love to read. And I enjoy lots of different genres too. So I typically bounce around quite a bit and am usually up to read just about anything.

First off, The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom.

I know I mentioned this one at the end of my book list, but I wanted to follow up since I hadn't finished reading it at the time. I... loved... it! By far, hands down, one of the best books I have ever read. One thing that some people may find strange about me considering I am a book lover is that I don't like to buy books. A. I am cheap. B. I don't re-read books. Unless I have to. I read Huck Finn multiple times for classes. Occasionally I will revisit a book that I really liked but forgot how it turned out. But in general, it's the same way with me for TV episodes. If I have seen it once, I don't want to watch it again. Why is it different with movies though? Anyway, back to the subject. The Hiding Place is a book that I would own in a heartbeat. One I would definitely read again. And one that I really want my kids to read. It is so beautiful, so moving, so inspirational. I am so glad I read it! I highly highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.

Next: Beyond Summer by Lisa Wingate.

First off - the story of how I stumbled on this one. After finishing The Hiding Place, I went to the Orem Public Library in search of a new book. I have a love/hate relationship with that place. I love the layout and the feel, and of course the location. However, they rarely have more than a few copies of each book - especially popular ones. This has always driven me crazy. I went with the intent of picking up one of the books some of you recommended on my last book post. However, I could only recall a couple of them off the top of my head and the few copies they had were all checked out. Go figure. So I wandered around aimlessly, trying to decide what I was in the mood to read. I stopped in front of the Staff Picks and browsed for a bit. I have found some great reads there before. Nothing really stood out to me though. That's when I noticed Beyond Summer.

My first impression? Gag. Horrible title. Horrible cover. I am sorry Ms. Wingate, but it's the truth. I know you are never supposed to judge a book by its cover - but I have to say I believe it's impossible. I always try to look past that, but my goodness. 9/10 times I have made up my mind about a book within seconds of seeing the cover. This one was no different. But, I picked it up anyway. Truthfully, I only did it to read the back and get a good giggle off the plot, which I assumed would be a horribly cheesy chick flick.

I was surprised. It was about embezzlement. Fraud. Home loan scandals. Foreclosures. You name it. Very real stuff told from very real perspectives. I was actually immediately interested. No, it didn't sound like an adventure or fast paced book, but it sounded real. Genuine. And interesting. So I got it. I have to admit I actually enjoyed. I thought the issues it addressed, the friendships created and tested, and the real life view it presented were really good.

One day while I was getting ready to leave work, my co-worker asked what I was reading. I had had the book faced down on the counter. He picked it up, flipped it over, and said, "Oh! Is this why you had it faced down?" referring to the cheesy cover and title. I burst out laughing and admitted, "Yes, yes it is." So unfortunately despite my liking the book, I was still a little embarrassed at the cover. Silly? Self-conscious? Yes. I know, I know. But I can't help. But despite the embarrassment, it was still a good read. I would probably give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Next: Secret Speakers by KSR Kingworth.

My first impression? Awesome cover! Awesome title! This is kind of cover I like. This immediately had me intrigued. In fact, I had several people ask me about it based solely off the cover. So hats off to Ms. Kingworth and her cover designer. Although I just noticed something... The book that I read didn't have that lizard there. It had what I assumed to be more of a dragon hand/paw. What's the technical word for that? Either way its still very cool. But the lizard actually makes more sense...

I actually met the author at a fundraiser my sister hosted to buy enough Scentsy Buddies for each child attending MDA camp to have one. She lives in the neighborhood just north of my parents, and although she had never met anyone in my family, she saw a flier and stopped by. She is an amazing woman and I could have talked to her for hours. My mom of course set us up talking since she was recently published and that is my life-long dream. After a much too short conversation, she ran home and brought back two copies of her book along with the book on cd. She gave a book to me and to my little brother. I was super excited!

It is a good read. It is young adult fantasy and has been compared to the Narnia series because of its Christian allegories. But the author is LDS, so this one had even more depth and beauty to it. There is a lot of doctrine in it, but it is told in such a way that you don't feel preached to. In fact, it is so beautifully done, with so many of the Gospel truths intertwined, you would never even know. It is light and for lack of a better word, pure. It reads quickly and I think it probably enjoyable for all ages. I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

And lastly, The Reincarnationist by M.J. Rose

Talk about total opposite read from the previous one! After finishing Secret Speakers, I was back at the library in search of something new. I had a specific book I was after, and the computer said it was there... but it lied. So I stood in the aisle where the book should have been and decided that I would just wander that aisle and pick something up from there. I wasn't really even sure what I was in the mood to read, but I stumbled across this one and was immediately interested. Again - great title. Great cover. I had never heard of the book or the author before, but it is a mystery thriller dealing with some historic truths (kind of like Dan Brown). I really like this kind of book (historic thrillers). In fact, I am tempted to say it's my favorite... but it depends on my mood.

So a couple of days later while I was at work I told my friend, another book-aholic, about my find. At the time I was only a chapter or two in. So far, so good. He looked up a review and said that it looked like it was pretty interesting... although apparently the author is best known for her "naughty" thrillers. What?!?! I was shocked. I didn't even know what to say! There were no half-dressed women on the front and from the plot summary on the back, I didn't suspect a thing. I was unsure what to do. I decided to proceed with caution. And everything was fine - until bam! There is was. Ahhhh!!! Flip the pages, flip the pages! Why on earth is this thing taking a whole chapter?! It turns out that that "relationship" was indeed necessary to the plot - in fact a major driving force of it, but I didn't need the details. Ugh.

Aside from that chapter and unexpected paragraphs here and there, it was really good. I loved the plot. I don't believe in reincarnation, but the idea was fun, and I was impressed with the authors use of multiple layers to tie together the current story. The motivation was great. The mystery was great. The suspense was awesome. I felt the end rushed a little bit, and I am still a little unsure of what happened. But the story in and of itself was really good.

Plot wise, I would give this a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Other content - 1 out of 5. I really enjoyed the writing style. I would love to read more of her work, but knowing what I know now... I don't think so. It's just such a bummer! I hate finding someone that I really enjoy reading but that there is just too much crap to make it worth it. Unfortunately a lot of movies are that way too. I understand not every book will be as wholesome as Secret Speakers or the likes, but I just don't see the need to add a bunch of junk that doesn't serve a purpose. It's one of the things that I think about quite a bit as a potential writer. Trying to find an audience is really hard. I don't want to limit myself to just an LDS group, although sometimes that feels like it would be easiest. But a lot of publishing companies demand you add a certain amount of bedroom scenes, and I don't want to do that. I guess it depends on what genre I pick too though. And I am also equally as undecided on that. I want to be able to write what I am passionate about, but my passion for books, subjects, and genres changes so often!

Sigh. So this has been a reading adventure. I finished The Reincarnationist within a week of picking it up. I wandered the library in much the same fashion as before, hoping that some book would jump off the shelf. But everything looked the same. And as much as I really enjoyed the mystery of the last book, I wasn't in the mood for that. I was about to leave the library when I spotted a book on the bottom shelf of the Staff Picks. I had never even noticed the bottom shelf. Instantly I had two in my hand that I really wanted. I decided to just pick out one at a time though. I am about a third of the way through my current book and loving it. It is a biography of sorts, and every time I find one of these books I think to myself, "Now this is my favorite type of book!" Hahaha. I will give you the title and the full report when I am finished. That's my level of suspense for this post...