Book Review: "Barefoot Summer" by Denise Hunter

Barefoot Summer Denise Hunter
Published: May 28, 2013
ISBN-10: 1401687008
Genre: Christian Fiction
Source: LitFuse Publicity Group
Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

Summary:
In the years since her twin brothers drowning, Madison McKinley has struggled to put it behind her.  Despite the support of her close-knit family and her gratifying job as veterinarian in their riverside town, the loss still haunts her.

To find closure Madison sets out to fulfill her brother's dream of winning the town's annual regatta.  But first she has to learn to sail, and fast.

Beckett O'Reilly knows Madison is out of his league, but someone neglected to tell his heart.  Now she needs his help--and he'll give it because he owes her far more than she'll ever know.
Madison will do anything--even work with the infamous Beckett O'Reilly--to reach her goal.  And as much as she'd like to deny it, the chemistry between them is electrifying.  As summer wanes, her feelings for him grow and a fledgling faith takes root in her heart.

But Beckett harbors a secret that will test the limits of their new love.  Can their romance survive summer's challenges?  And will achieving her brother's dream give Madison the peace she desperately seeks?

My Thoughts: 
Barefoot Summer is a light read--and I'm not saying that as a criticism, only as a fact.  There is nothing wrong with lighter books...sometimes a light read is just what the doctor ordered.  And, Barefoot Summer, was an entertaining read for me.

Probably the best thing about this book, for me, were the main characters.  Madison is wholly believable as the naive young woman who is haunted by her brother's death and going through a crisis of faith.  I found their romance to be sweet, albeit predictable, and I rooted for both characters.

However, I do have some criticisms of the book.  For one, there are too many minor characters in it.  I had a hard time keeping track of who was who.  It also took me some time to get comfortable with this book.  Barefoot Summer is the first in a new series but it felt like I was reading a book somewhere out of the middle of the series.  At first there were so many loose ends that came without explanation that I just felt confused.  Finally, I really felt that some of the plot twists were unbelievable.  The plot definitely needed a bit of trimming.

For a light read, I was entertained.  However, I fear the flaws I mentioned may prevent me from reading later books in the series.

I received a copy of this book to review from LitFuse Publicity Group.  All opinions are mine, and mine alone, and I received no other compensation for this review.

Denise Hunter is celebrating her new Chapel Springs Romance series with a Summer Fun Giveaway. The first book, Barefoot Summer, is already a favorite with readers. “Hold-your-breath romance, heartache, and laugh-out-loud moments. It’s more than a good read. It’s a delight.” -- Lisa
 
Summer: it’s all about sunny skies, star-gazing, swimming, spending time with loved ones, and living as if a small part of the weight of the world has been lifted off your shoulders.

Get ready for some serious summer fun with Denise’s 12-Day Summer Sun giveaway. From June 10-21, keep your computer near as you head to the lake or your friend’s barbecue because Denise will be giving away a summer essential each day!

Saturday Snapshot - June 15

To participate in Saturday Snapshot: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky below. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

We recently went up north to see my husband's family, who live on about 6 acres in the woods.  One of my daughter's favorite things to do when we're up there is to go "frog hunting" with her daddy.  This time was no exception!

Hunting with Daddy

The first catch was a tadpole

Finally, a frog!  Don't worry!  The little guy went right back in the water after we all got a good look at him!

Book Review: "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed

Wild Cheryl Strayed
Published: March 20, 2012
ISBN-10: 0307476073
Genre: Memoir
Source: Library
Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

Summary: 
At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything.  In the wake of her mother's death, her family scattered and her own marriage soon destroyed.  Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life: to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State--and to do it alone.  She had no experience as a long-distance hiker, and the trail was a little more than "an idea, vague and outlandish and full of promise."  But it was a promise of piecing back together a life that had come undone.

Strayed faces down rattlesnakes and black bears, intense heat and record snowfalls, and both the beauty and loneliness of the trail.  Told with great suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild vividly captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her.

My Thoughts:
There are a couple of reasons why I should not have liked this book.  First of all, it was spectacularly hyped by the time I got to it--Strayed is a local author, so we heard a lot about this book in this neck of the woods.  And it was an Oprah book.  And it is going to be a movie soon.  That alone probably could have kept me from the book except that one of my close friends, whose taste in books (as long as they are not Russian novels) is similar to mine, raved about it.

Second reason: it falls into a category in my mind of books about women overcoming personal demons and difficult histories that women love and I hate.  I grouped it together with The Glass Castle and Carry On, Warrior and, worst of all in my mind, Eat, Pray, Love.  Wild definitely shares characteristics with these books, in my opinion, but I guess I'm a slow learner and decided to read it anyway.

The third reason became apparent as I started the book.  Strayed, at least at the beginning of the book, is incredibly unlikable.  This is usually the kiss of death for me when reading memoirs, but not in this case.  Strayed is able to write about her past unpleasant self in a way that you just know that she will eventually get past this and, now, she is much nicer.  At least I hope so!

You'd think it would be a case of three strikes and you're out with this book, but I actually truly enjoyed this book.  Yes, Strayed is an utter mess as she starts her hike--and rather, well, stupid when it comes to some her personal choices about hiking and life.  But she does learn and she does grow and, really, that is what this book is about.

Strayed uses language beautifully and her descriptions make you feel as if you are on the PCT (although, having hiked some sections of the PCT in the Gorge, I have something to compare to which I can compare her descriptions!).  She is not afraid to describe the person she really was when she started this journey in 1995.

The only complaint I have about this book is that, once she gets into Oregon on the trail, Strayed starts to rush towards the end of the book.  I understand why this may be--at that point she's well on her way to healing--but I was looking forward to reading her adventures in Oregon as she'd be on my turf!  Instead, the bulk of this book takes place on the California segment of the trail.

This is not a book about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail--there are other books to be found if that is what you are wanting (or, and this is a shameless plug, you can check out my friend Ryan's blog.  His PCT hike posts start in April 2010).  If you are looking a book about personal growth, recovery and triumph, then Wild would be an excellent book for you.




I was not solicited for this review, nor did I receive any compensation.  All opinions are mine and mine alone.

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (Vintage)
by Cheryl Strayed

Book Review: "She Rises" by Kate Worsley

She Rises Kate Worsley
Published: June 18, 2013
ISBN-10: 1620400979
Genre: Historical Fiction
Source: TLC Book Tours
Rating: 3.0 / 5.0

Summary:
It is 1740 and Louise Fletcher, a young maid, has been warned of the lure of the sea for as long as she can remember--after all, it stole away her father and brother.  But when she is offered work serving a wealthy captain's daughter in the bustling naval port of Harwich, she leaps at the chance to see more of the world.  There she meets Rebecca, her unexpected and fascinating mistress.

Intertwined with Louise's story is that of fifteen-year-old Luke, who is beaten and press ganged, sent to sea against his will on board the warship Essex in the service of His Majesty's Navy.  He must learn fast and choose his friends well if he is to survive the brutal hardships of a sailor's life and its many dangers, both up high in the rigging and in the dark decks down below.

She Rises brings to vivid life both land and sea in Georgian England, but explores a thoroughly modern and complex love story that burns brightly in the shadows.  Bold, brilliant, and utterly original, She Rises is an accomplished and gripping search for identity and survival.

My Thoughts:
This is a hard review for me to write as I am truly conflicted about this book.  Worsley has a beautiful writing style and is especially skilled at bringing 18th century England--and the sea--to life.  I also found the idea behind this book to be original and fascinating.

But...

All in all, this book just didn't work for me.  As much as I liked the idea of the book, I don't think that idea came to fruition effectively.  Writing parallel stories, as Worsley has done here with Louise and Luke, is not always successful and, in this case, I found it horribly distracting.  The two tales do come together eventually, but it doesn't make up for the majority of the book where the stories seem to operate on their own.

Worsley did a fine job creating the main characters of Louise and Luke, but I can't say much about any of the other characters in the book.  Most problematic was Rebecca.  She was an incredibly unlikable character and Worsley never really made the case for the attraction between Rebecca and Louise plausible--which is at the center of this novel.

This is Worsley's debut novel and, fair or not, I am chalking this up to inexperience.  Worsley's writing is certainly top notch--and I'd be willing to read any future books of hers--but she needs to improve her structuring and finessing the structure of her stories.

Want a second opinion?  Check out some of the other stops on the tour!

Monday, June 3rd:  Bookworm Meets Bookworm
Tuesday, June 4th:  Raging Bibliomania
Wednesday, June 5th:  Literally Jen
Thursday, June 6th:  Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews
Monday, June 10th:  Peeking Between the Pages
Tuesday, June 11th:  Unabridged Chick
Monday, June 17th:  The Book Barista
Tuesday, June 18th:  Read. Write. Discuss
Wednesday, June 19th:  Confessions of an Avid Reader
Thursday, June 20th:  Lit and Life
Monday, June 24th:  Broken Teepee
Tuesday, June 25th:  Let Them Read Books
Thursday, June 27th:  Historical Tapestry / Adventures of an Intrepid Reader
Monday, July 1st:  Bookfoolery

This review is part of a book tour by TLC Book Tours.  I received a copy of the book to read and review.  All opinions in this review are mine, and mine alone.  I received no further compensation for this review.

Saturday Snapshot - June 8

To participate in Saturday Snapshot: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky below. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

I firmly believe that we never stop learning.  I also wish that I could have stayed in college forever.  Anyway, our community college has a number of great non-credit classes for people to take.  I think I may have found  one for me....

Saturday Snapshot - June 1

To participate in Saturday Snapshot: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky below. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

My kids are very interested in plants and what goes on in the yard.  However, saying they are interested in "gardening" may be going a bit too far....

Book Review: "Revealing Heaven: The Christian Case for Near-Death Experiences" by John W. Price

Revealing Heaven: The Christian Case for Near-Death Experiences John W. Price
Published: February 19, 2013
ISBN-10: 0062197711
Genre: Non-Fiction, Christianity
Source: Personal Copy / Kindle
Rating: 3.0 / 5.0

Summary: 
In Revealing Heaven, Reverend John W. Price makes the case for how near-death experiences can be gifts from God and are fully compatible with Christian spirituality and the Bible. As a pastor open to near-death experiences, he has heard more than 200 personal accounts of this phenomena.

Todd Burpo's bestelling book Heaven Is for Real, the story of a young child’s near-death experience, has validated the existence of heaven and of God for many. Yet there are Christians who remain uncomfortable with the idea of near-death experiences; they wonder if these events are in line with the Bible and Christian teaching.

In Revealing Heaven: The Christian Case for Near-Death Experiences, Reverend Price shares compelling testimonies that prove that Christians can not only trust near-death experiences as valid and consistent with Biblical teaching, but he demonstrates how they can help us understand death, grief, and what happens after this life is over, and provides ample reasons for us to be open to these amazing stories and to hope for what we’ve always dreamed about.

My Thoughts:
I came to this book through reading reviews from other bloggers, reviews that were decidedly mixed. As I read more reviews, I realized that they fell into two groups.  On the one hand, there were the people who liked the book.  On the other, there were people who were upset because Price questioned their view of Christianity.  According to Price, non-Christians, animals, and (gasp!) homosexuals go to heaven and there were a lot of people who were not happy in the least about that.

I'll admit it--I wanted to see what the hubbub was about.

Before I go further, I think I should state where I stand on death, Heaven, Near Death Experiences (NDE's), and the like.  In short, I believe in it all.  I am a devout Christian and I believe that there is everlasting life.  However, I also believe that, as mortals, none of us are even remotely able to understand God and his ways.  To hold Him strictly to our interpretation of the Bible is arrogant and wrong.  Nor do I have any patience for those who use God's word to support their views, rather than letting God's word form their views.  Who are we to question who gets into heaven and who does not?  So, when Price's research leads to possibility that it is not just the chosen few who get into heaven, not only am I fine with that, I'm relieved.

Okay, that is out of the way and what I think of the people who decried this book as being "wrong."  But what did I think of the book?  Frankly, I wasn't overly impressed.  This really doesn't have anything to do with the content--as I said, Price was preaching to the choir with me on this one.

However, this was not a successful book for me.  While I'm all on board with the content of this book, the writing lost me.  Price is a rather clunky writer, which made this hard to read at times.  I also felt that he needed to spend more time editing to streamline his work.  He gives many examples of NDE's throughout his book, but he doesn't do so in a way that differentiates one from another.  Then he refers back to them by the subject's name and I wasn't able to keep all the information straight.

My other major complaint with this book is Price's ego.  He spends a lot of time talking about he turned around a congregation and about how he improved things.  There is even one NDE he reports where Jesus--yes, Jesus!--tells a woman that he--John Price--is right and she should listen to him.  I mean, yeah, that could have happened.  But there is just something about going around saying that Jesus says you are right that makes me doubt the messenger a bit.

So, there you go.  If you are looking for information about NDE's, it is here in this book.  However, you will have to look through the writing--and the author--to get to the information.

I was not solicited for this review and received no compensation.

Revealing Heaven
by John W. Price

Book Review: "The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit" by Emma Thompson

The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit by Emma Thompson
Published: March 7, 2013
ISBN-10: 0723276331
Genre: Children's Literature
Source: Library

Summary (from Powells.com):
Celebrate 110 years of Peter Rabbit with a new, original tale written by Oscar-winning actress and screenwriter Emma Thompson and based on the original tales by Beatrix Potter. In this story, Peter's adventures take him beyond the boundaries of Mr. McGregor's garden and all the way to Scotland! With 72 pages of beautiful text and illustrations, this hardcover picture book, which includes an audio CD of the story narrated by the author, is sure to become a classic — and a collector's item!

My Thoughts:
I have two confessions about this book.  First of all, I decided to read it to my kids based solely on the fact that Emma Thompson wrote it.  I adore Emma Thompson and I've always felt that she had a good way of relating to children.

Secondly, and this may be a bit blasphemous, but I enjoyed this book far more than any book written by Beatrix Potter.  I remember not especially liking the original books as a child and was rather aghast to discover how harsh they could be when I re-read them to my own children.  Thompson's book, however, is far different.

For one thing, Emma Thompson has written a story a child would enjoy, not a moral lesson.  And Thompson fully develops this story, unlike the original Potter stories.  I found it great fun to read with my kids as the story is so well paced.  And it gave me a chance to practice my (hideous) Scottish accent.

This is a book I would recommend to any parent looking for something fun to read to their child.  And, to the parents of my childrens' friends....your kid will probably get this from us on their next birthday!

I was not solicited for this review and all opinions are mine, and mine alone.

The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit
by Emma Thompson and Eleanor Taylor

Armchair BEA: Introductions

I'm late to the party on this one, but I couldn't pass it up!  I'm joining into the Armchair BEA this year!  To kick things off, here is my introduction post!

Please tell us a little about yourself: Who are you?  How long have you been blogging?  Why did you get into blogging?

Wow, what an opener! First off, my name is Melinda and I'm a stay-at-home Mommy and reader and writer; I'm a Christian (but the "happy" kind, not the "dark" kind--I believe in loving one another, not judging on another) and a non-affiliated voter with strong views that lean to the left.  Thankfully for you all, I don't go into politics here!

I've been blogging in one form or another for probably a decade.  I started because I liked to write and I had things to say.  In all those years, I've focused my blogging and this blog is now just a book blog.  Because, when I'm not writing, I'm reading (or, you know, I'm doing Mom things...).

Where in the world are you blogging from? Tell a random fact or something special about your current location. Feel free to share pictures. 

photo credit: Ninga via photopin cc

I sort of live here.  No, I don't know who is getting married.  I took a picture off Photo Pin.  This the metro part of West Metro Mommy, with a hint to the west part.  I actually live here....

photo credit: rocket ship via photopin cc

I took that off Photo Pin, too.  Thank goodness for random people who are willing to put their pictures in the public domain.  Or, at least, they don't know that they are doing that.

As for some interesting facts:

• Believe it or not, this is the birthplace of the Mai Tai
• You can take your dog into a pub here
• You can get married in a donut shop (but not just any donut shop....)
• We are the home of the oldest orchestra in the west
• We average 144 days of sun a year.  Which sounds like a lot until you realize that we average 221 days of clouds and/or rain.
• We have the world's greatest bookstore

photo credit: shichahn via photopin cc

Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you. 
I'm terrified of Monkeys.  Not necessarily chimpanzees, but the little rodent-looking ones.  Marcel on Freinds gave me nightmares.

What literary location would you most like to visit? Why? 
I'm going to twist this around a bit and tell you my favorite literary location that I have visited, that would be Louisa May Alcott's house in Concord, Massachusetts.  As a girl growing up reading Little Women, this was like coming home.  And, if you are the Thoreau persuasion, Walden Pond is not far away.

What is your favorite part about the book blogging community?
Um, my ever-growing TBR list?  Well, yes, there IS that.  There is also a community of people who are as crazy about books as I am.  I have a few friends--my closest friends--who are of the same mind, but I don't see them as much as I'd like. The blogging community gives me a chance to discuss books when I can't get together with my friends.

And there, my new friends, is my humble little intro!

The 1000 Book Project, Week 5

If you aren't aware of my 1000 Book Project for my kids, please check out this post.

This week as a pretty productive book week for us.  Of course, we had over 50 books out from the library, so that helps. The counts for this week (L is my 4 year old daughter and C is my 2 year old son):

L - 27 books in the last week (125 / 1000)
C - 16 books in the last week (101 /1000)

My daughter's favorite books were:

Roly Poly Pangolin by Anna Dewdney
As a Llama Llama fan, this was not a big jump for her.




Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert
My daughter actually received this book from her preschool teacher on her last day of school.  They read a lot of Lois Ehlert's books in class and my daughter really enjoys this ABC book (as does my son!).



Spunky Tells All by Ann Cameron
This was actually the first chapter book I tried with my daughter.  We read it over a couple of weeks and she enjoyed it, but I think that was more because of the novelty of it being a chapter book.  We're heading to the more familiar territory of Beverly Cleary next.



And my son's faves for the week were:

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
Yes, I know it is a classic, but I had never read it before!  I was afraid it would be too advanced for him, but he seems to like anything with trucks or machines.



Cock-A-Doodle-Doo, Creak, Pop-Pop, Moo by Jim Aylesworth
My son is at an age where he likes the sound of things and this is a great book for that...



Firefighter Ted by Andrea Beaty
This was intended to be more for my daughter, but my son enjoyed it more.  It was simple enough for him to follow the story and he seemed to like the illustrations.