Fairy tale retellings are a dime a dozen. No, really. They are. It's not always deliberate, but a few in particular, occur frequently. Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and The Princess and the Frog are notable examples. Because of this, sometimes even a mediocre story can come off as amazing Continue Reading
Book Reviews
This Split-Time Book Has Me Eager to Read More
This split-time novel has the unique distinction of keeping me completely riveted even while I battle lack of sleep. No, really. It does. I don't know if you can get "jet lag" coming home after a short flight from South Carolina to Ontario, California, but if you can, I've got it. After spending Continue Reading
What if the Secret to Your Future Lies in the Past?
First of all, I'm going to warn you I'm book drunk. That fuzzy-headed, impossible to articulate a word, and warm feeling that radiates from your heart at the end of a fabulous book has taken over, and I can't promise to make any sense of this review. Example? That word "sense"? I spelled it both Continue Reading
What Happens When Favorite Authors Take Me to Dream Destinations
A cornfield emerges. Walking through its stalks, hands touching the emerging silks, eyes closed--bliss. The silks change to crisp-edged papers. A voice whispers, "If you write it, she will read." I doubt that happened to J'nell Ciesielski--or ever will. Still, there's truth in them thar words! Continue Reading
Happy Days Are Literarily Here Again–Thank Goodness!
It happens to all of us--authors and readers alike. Sometimes books just don't "click" with us. The worst is when "everyone" loves a book and you just don't. So disappointing and well... I mean, it's easy to get the feeling there's something wrong with you. That happened with a book by Michelle Continue Reading
The Best Book I’ve Ever Kind of Liked
Sometimes, I sit down to write a book review and don't know what to say because I have so many thoughts battering my brain for first crack at the door. Other times, I don't know what to say because despite my sometimes "brutal honesty," I strive to be kind in my reviews--even on books that I really Continue Reading
Sometimes the Best Reads Are Out of Your Usual Comfort Zone
The cover drew me first--that ethereal blend of coastal beauty and a woman in a diaphanous gown. The title then caught my attention. Of Ink and Sea. Something about it called to me. A closer look turned my admiration for the cover to a bit of disappointment. The woman floated in air. Nothing to Continue Reading
The World is Full of Depraved People
There's such a fine line between mental illness and the natural result of the depravity of man. The True Colors Crime Series sure does show the true colors in the hearts of men--black as coal and burning even hotter. I don't necessarily like being reminded of the ugliness out there, but I do Continue Reading
A Regency Christmas to Delight Your Heart
The cover of An Ivy Hill Christmas sold me. While my daughters are enormous fans of Julie Klassen, I had not read anything by her. However, the festive air of snow on hedges, evergreen boughs, a manor house, and a gentleman... well, who wouldn't be impressed? By the time the book arrived, I Continue Reading
Anger and Rebellion Hide Hearts Full of Pain and Bitterness
Picture it. July of 1982-1984. Somewhere in there. Arizona. Phoenix, no less. In that little apartment on Osborn, just down from 7th Avenue. My grandmother lived there. While I recall visiting her at what I think was a mobile home in Ray, Arizona when I was two or three, that's all I remember. Continue Reading
Was This Book Really the Best I’ve Read by This Author?
"I don't notice point of view or historical anachronisms. I just like to read a good book." It's not that I don't envy my mother that. I do. It would be nice to just be able to sit down, read a book, and not notice repetitive words, anachronisms, or if the book was written in present tense. Continue Reading
What Do Pretty Ribbons Have to Do with Ugly Murder?
I remember my father saying, "You have to watch out for those mountain folks. They have long memories that extend back before they were born." I didn't really get what that meant until I read Catherine Marshall's Christy. Suddenly, those words had context. Meaning. It only makes sense, then, Continue Reading
