National Pet Month

Animals are pretty awesome. Statement. No need to even ask your opinion because if you don’t like animals, then I don’t like you. Seriously, you probably don’t have a soul. Well April is National Pet Month, so for the occasion, I read Oogy: the dog only a family could love by Larry Levin.

Oogy is the story of a beautiful puppy who was used as bait for fighting dogs and overcame it to become an amazing family member to one lucky family. Oogy was found with half a face because, as a bait dog, another dog attacked and mutilated him. He was a puppy taken to the animal ER and expected not to make it out, but with the help of committed doctors and staff, this resilient puppy returned to health. What is truly extraordinary about Oogy’s story is that even though the dog had obviously been through traumatizing experiences at the hands of humans, he was gentle, loving, and friendly to everyone he met. Never did he snap or show resistance to anyone or anything he came in contact with. Oogy went to a home with the Levins where he thrives. Not only is he a remarkable animal, but he found a remarkable home with people who love him like a son/brother.

Oogy’s story is inspirational. To think that an animal would still trust and love humans after his ordeal is mind boggling. That is the part of the story I loved. Do you think a human could do that? The Levins spoil Oogy and for good reason. To them, he is not just a pet, he’s an individual who has seen and felt more hurt than anyone deserves, and he is a member of the Levin family. At points I felt the level to which Larry went with his pet was a bit overboard, but I’d try to remind myself that Oogy is more of a son to them than a pet. This was not a spectacularly written book and I found myself getting frustrated at chapters that were not about Oogy, but considering the book is barely 200 pages, I skimmed through it pretty quickly.

I recommend skimming through this book. Read the chapters about Oogy because he is an amazing animal and his story is sadly rare. Not many fighting dogs have happy endings. Luckily, this one does.

If you enjoyed this story here are some other suggestions

•  Dewey: the small town library cat who touched the world by Vicky Myron
•  The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick’s dogs and their tale of rescue and redemption by Jim Gorant
• A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

A Wind in the Door

In second grade, my very bestest friend, also named Kristin (the reason we became besties), had our teacher read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle aloud to us. Now Kristin is a very smart cookie. She was way ahead of me and a voracious and sophisticated reader ahead of her time. At the age of 7/8, A Wrinkle in Time was a bit ahead of me, but I remember being thoroughly absorbed in it. I reread the book a few years ago and am astonished that it was read to me at 7. It’s kind of intense! Well I decided I really wanted to finish the series because it’s a classic and I love the titles.

A Wind in the Door is the second book in the Time series. Charles Wallace, the youngest of the Murry siblings has just started school and is coming home bloodied and bruised because he doesn’t fit in. Now he is seeing dragons and starting to get very sick. Meg, his older sister, soon discovers the “dragon” as well and is taken on a journey with Calvin O’Keefe and a few new arrivals through the universe and into the mitochondirion of Charles Wallace. This is a journey to save Charles Wallace’s life and help dispose of a force so hateful that it seeks to extinguish all life.

The Time series is most certainly science fiction. The Murry parents are both scientists, and a lot of the extraordinary things that happen to the children revolve around science and different discoveries the parents are currently making. Although I am thrown off by science-y science fiction (chemistry and physics you allude me yet again!), this book was not out of my comprehension. I mean it is for children, so I would hope it wouldn’t be over my head. I kept waiting for the children to go somewhere out of this world and it wasn’t until about half way through the book that they finally left God’s green earth. In this I was frustrated because I was impatiently waiting for more to come. My expectations were not met with a whole new universe until the book was about half done. Then the problem became that events got melodramatic. Maybe I’m too old to be reading this book, but the way Meg interacted with the other characters and the level of drama annoyed me. There was too much explanation on top of panic and confusion. Everything got jumbled together and it felt like we were rushing to get to the end.

Although I still think it’s a well written classic, it was not my favorite. I will finish the series and I do highly recommend Ms. L’Engle for children who love science or science fiction. 

A Fitzwilliam Darcy Novel

Fitzwilliam Darcy, a man who has been speculated about, revered, and loved throughout the ages, finally gets his own take on the action of Pride and Prejudice. In Pamela Aidan’s trilogy, including An Assembly Such as This, Duty and Desire, and These Three Remain, we encounter Darcy’s mind and heart on what is happening during the period of P&P.

Having read the first novel, An Assembly Such as This, a few years ago, I was a bit lost on what happened, but it wasn't too hard to catch up in Duty and Desire given this is based on my favorite novel. Duty and Desire starts at the “silent period”, as I've heard it referred to, in P&P where Bingley and Darcy leave Hertfordshire and are not seen for a bit of time. Well now we hear what Darcy was up to.

Darcy goes to Pemberly to visit his sister and see how she’s progressing after the unfortunate incident with Wickham. He finds her altered for the better and becoming a fine young woman. Darcy, himself, feels the need to exercise Elizabeth Bennett out of his system and thus accepts an invitation to an old college friend’s gathering at his estate. While at this gathering, Darcy decides he must seriously start wife hunting and thus sets his eyes on the women at the party. Lady Sylvanie, the stepsister of the host, soon catches his eye with her fairy like looks and mysterious past. What started as a mere gathering of old acquaintances soon turns upon its side. The host, Sayer, is in financial trouble and on the edge of ruin. Darcy’s cousin’s fiancé is overly attentive to Darcy’s person, and an afternoon excursion to a local spot turns sinister. Soon Darcy finds himself in the middle of a mystery and events that can only be described as from a gothic novel.

I was utterly surprised by the turn this novel took. Not in the least did I expect this would take a Gothic twist or that Mr. Darcy would be embroiled in such events. That’s certainly not what I’m sure anyone thought would happen when Darcy was separated from the Bennetts. I think I spent most of the buildup going “no this isn't where Aidan’s taking this novel. She wouldn't turn all Mysteries of Udolpho on us!”. She did. Although it was a turn from Austen’s form of story and writing (outside of the parody in Northranger Abbey), it was intriguing. I cannot say I preferred it to the regular line of Regency drama however. Social graces and foibles are the usual and I missed that.

Aidan gives Darcy a passionate, yet reasonable character who shows affection to those he loves and forethought on his actions. However, this trilogy has left me bored and waiting at points. I want more out of them than what Aidan offers.

I suggest this trilogy for those of you who enjoy Pride and Prejudice and all things Austen and would love to hear how others perceive Aidan’s drawing of Darcy’s character. I will finish the trilogy because the ending is my favorite part and now I must know Darcy’s take on the events that occur. 

English Refugees and Bees

Little Be by Chris Cleave is the story of two women from two different worlds who end up colliding through a tragic incident. Little Bee is a young woman who is in an immigration detention center outside of London, England. Originally from Nigeria, she fled from her mother country because of men who murdered her family, only to find herself detained in another uncomfortable circumstance. Sarah is a British magazine editor who happened to be with her husband on a beach in Nigeria when Little Bee and her sister ran across her path. The story picks up in England a couple years later. Little Bee is just getting out of jail, and Sarah’s husband has just committed suicide. In each other, these two women find a comrade. Sarah and Little Bee struggle with the past horror they both went through and look to a future where they can both be freed from the pain of what was inflicted upon them.

On the back of the book, there is very little description given as to what the plot of the story is. “Once you have read it, you’ll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don’t tell them what happens. The magic is in how the story unfolds.” That is the quotation from the back cover and it is a letdown. This is a great marketing technique to make readers want to know the mystery behind the story, but all in all, this was not a Sixth Sense kind of novel where you cannot give away the ending or ruin the story. Like many novels, you are not given the full story at the beginning, it unfolds for you. 

What makes this novel think it is so special that readers must be forewarned not to talk about it with those who haven’t read it? If its only special feature is that you don’t know the major plot point prior to reading it, it’s a pretty pathetic novel.

The novel is split between the voice of Little Bee and Sarah. I found myself rolling my eyes during Little Bee’s chapters. The writing is well done, but the things the author has Little Bee say and think are a little out there. It was over the top. Sarah is practical, but Little Bee is more of a dreamer, which makes sense when you find out the meaning of her real name.

I didn't particularly like the characters and I wasn't a fan of the story. I liked where the story was starting to go at the end, but then was disappointed by the vague ending.

If you are into immigration issues and refugees, then this is a book that may interest you. For me, it didn't do anything. It brought to light that yes, we have issues with immigrants and this young woman’s story was tragic, but I just wasn't interested. Maybe that makes me like everyone else who overlook real world problems, but this is my fun reading time, damn it! I’m allowed to overlook problems when I need an escape. 

Three Colonels and Jane Austen

In June, I will be hosting a number of Jane Austen themed programs including a Jane Austen impersonator. In preparation for the festivities, it’s my duty to read as much Austen inspired literature as possible. What a difficult life I leadJ Thus here is the first installment of my Austen Inspired reading.

Napoleon Bonaparte has escaped Elba and is back on the continent to claim France as his dominion. Here begins our tale. Over in jolly old England we meet back up with two of our favorite Colonels from Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, that is Colonel Fitzwilliam and Colonel Brandon. There is a newcomer to this bunch in the form of former rogue, Colonel Buford. We follow the three through their romantic entanglements with other well-known characters and then in the end, at the Battle of Waterloo. This novel focuses on new relationships forming between Colonel Buford and Caroline Bingley along with Colonel Fitzwilliam and Anne de Bourgh.

Although it had its eye rolling love scene, this novel was well done. Jack Caldwell did a wonderful job of bringing to life new characters, while keeping the old relationships at arm’s length as to not ruin the relationship the reader had formed with Jane Austen’s characters in former novels. He writes about characters who are seldom mentioned or minor characters in her other books. In this way, he doesn't have the problem of both remaining true to Austen’s main characters and pleasing fans by remaining faithful, yet adding onto the stories.

I found some of the characters' actions a bit unbelievable. For example, though I truly enjoyed her as a character in this book, I do not know that Caroline Bingley could completely reform herself from the woman she was in P&P. Caldwell goes into the detail of how Caroline sees the error of her ways, but it’s just a little too righteous for a character who was such a social climbing ninny. He also has Mr. Collins have a realization about Lady Catherine and even apologize for his errors. No. Stop right there. Mr. Collins is fun and annoying because he is so oblivious. Don’t turn him into something he isn't.

I truly enjoyed the parallel story lines and even the intermingling of other notorious characters from Persuasion and Northranger Abbey. Caldwell also did an excellent job portraying the characters and military strategy during the Battle of Waterloo. Other than my discomfiture with characters’ actions, as stated above, I did not have any complaints. The story is fast and compelling. I found myself wanting to stay up late and get up early to read this novel.

If you are a Jane Austen fan, might I suggest An Assemble Such as This by Pamela Aidan. It is the first in a trio of books written from Fitzwilliam Darcy’s perspective as his journal during the period of Pride and Prejudice.

Presidential Romance

A friend recommended a book to me and was rather insistent upon my taking a look at it because she thought it was so sweet. Because she’s my best friend and it seemed to mean a lot to her, I picked up the book. Mary Higgins Clark typically writes mystery/suspense novels, but she had a hankering to write a historical romance with none other than our nation’s first president, George Washington, and his lovely wife, Martha or as she was called, Patsy. The book is A Mount Vernon Love Story and it works on two fronts seeing as George loved his home, Mount Vernon, and he loved Patsy, who eventually lived in Mount Vernon.

The novel starts as Washington is stepping down from the Presidency and handing the reigns to Adams. From here, George reminisces about his younger years and thus other chapters take place before and during the Revolution. Every two chapters or so, the novel flits back to George as he’s leaving the Presidency and anticipating his return to Mount Vernon. The novel deals mostly with Washington’s personal life, but of course his military and public years cannot be ignored. This, however, is a novel about love and the trials that George deals with on that front. God knows that even a general has a hard time with strategy when it comes to love.

The novel was sweet. My dear friend was right. It is an easy read, weighing in at a measly 230 pages. I enjoyed learning about the personal history of George Washington and a little about Martha. Washington was a very measured and disciplined man, so seeing his affection and adoration of his wife and stepchildren was enlightening. My problems with the book stem from the writing style and the depth of the story.

Obviously, when talking about the public and personal life of a president, there’s a lot to cover. I applaud Clark for taking on such an enormous undertaking, but I felt there was a lot missing. She skimmed over major events in Washington’s life and did not go as in depth with his personal life as she could. This is a rich subject and I felt that it only touched on the surface and quickly ran on to the next event. The other thing that threw me off was the chapter to chapter jumps from old George to young George and the terrible transitions from one to the next. Yuck. Just do a chapter at the beginning when he’s old and have a good transition into his early years, then at the end go back to him going to Mount Vernon after his term is finished. Boom. I just made your book better Mary Higgins Clark.

Return to Fairyland

I cannot believe I forgot to post this from back in October/November, so here ya go!

While perusing the children’s section, I ran across The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherine M. Valente, the sequel to The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. I immediately locked into its purple allure with the familiar cover design and long title. It was stunning that I had not been informed there was a sequel to Valente’s book! Luckily, it just came out.

September is swept back to Fairyland where things are amiss. Magic is rationed because all the shadows of fairyland’s creatures are being taken to Fairyland Below and the shadows hold the magic of a being. September’s quest this time around is to get the shadows back to Fairyland so that magic might once again return. The problem is that the Queen of Fairyland Below is Halloween, September’s shadow! Shadows are the dark side of a person. The yearnings and contained attitudes and personality that the human person does not show. After failing to convince the shadows to go back to being 2 dimensional slaves of their human counterparts, September must find the prince of Fairyland and wake him from an enchanted sleep so he can take power back from Halloween. Along the way, September discovers all sorts of inhabitants of Fairyland Below, and some somewhat familiar faces.

As in the first book, Valente writes beautifully. I often wonder at this being a children’s book. Although the subject material seems childish, the writing and content are sophisticated and philosophical. It is deep and thought out with themes of family, love, self-awareness, coming-of-age, and so much more. The characters are intricate and it often reminded me of Alice in Wonderland with riddles and strange ways of saying things or getting to a point. The vocabulary is advanced as are the ideas presented. Sure a ten year old could read this, but an adult could read it too and get a lot out of it. This is a great example of a book that you would read when you’re young and reread when you’re older, just to find hidden meanings and new ideas.

I preferred Fairyland Below to Circumnavigated actually. I think the plot of this one ran a bit smoother. Maybe I just enjoyed it more, but either way, this is a fantastic book. As September is getting older, she’s dealing growing up, finding an occupation, and a place for herself. This theme runs throughout the book and lends to part of the coming-of-age aspect of this read. However, it does not slap you in the face like some coming-of-age novels, with overly referenced teenage angst and troubles or morals. This is a novel that lets its reader puzzle on meaning and interpretation.

This is fantasy, as you can tell by the title, because it deals with a pretend world, so it was just up my alley. If you have not read the first book, you need to in order to understand the plot and characters fully in this book. I highly suggest giving this book a read.