West to the Sun by T.G. Good

West to the Sun by T.G. Good Trade Paperback: 256 pages Publisher: Outskirts Press First Released: 2010

Source: Free review copy from author.

Back Cover Description:
"We're moving to Oregon." With these words, Jedediah Symons changes the life of his entire family forever. Leaving behind farm, family, and friends, the Symons begin a journey of thousands of miles across prairies, rivers, and mountains. With nothing more than the possessions that can be packed in a single wagon, their reliance on one another, and their faith in God, they battle storms, animals, hunger, and disease. Will they be able to overcome these obstacles? And how can 11-year-old Jeremiah help his family reach Oregon-their new home?

In West to the Sun, young Jeremiah experiences firsthand the adventure and the heartbreak of the Oregon Trail, the sorrow of leaving everything behind, and the joy of pursuing a new life. From the daily drudgery of hiking through the dry lands of the western frontier, to the extreme excitement of a buffalo hunt, mountains that reach the sky, bighorn sheep that battle for primacy, and rivers that threaten to swamp wagons and drown occupants, Jeremiah grows to appreciate the majesty of the country. Throughout their travels, Jeremiah and his family meet some of the men who made the western frontier: Joseph Robidoux, Jim Bridger, and Peg Leg Smith. Most importantly, Jeremiah learns the importance of family, friends, and faith-and what it means to be a man.


Review:
West to the Sun is an enjoyable historical fiction about an 11-year-old boy and his family traveling by wagon train along the Oregon Trail around 1849. Though not heavy-handed with the historical details, this is the sort of book you read because you like (or want to learn more about) this part of history.

Clearly the author carefully researched the physical terrain, the struggles, and the history of the trail. However, I did question a few of the minor details he gave about the animals, food storage, etc. But they weren't details that were critical to the story.

The tone of the novel was formal--partly because the author didn't use contractions (that I spotted). Even the obstacles and struggles were described so briefly and in such a matter-of-fact tone that there was rarely much chance to feel suspense and I, as a reader, usually felt held at a distance.

The characters were interesting and I wanted them to succeed, but they weren't very complex and only Jeremiah changed much.

The main characters were Christian. They did fairly frequently refer to God (as in, "God's amazing handwork" when referring to nature). There wasn't any preaching to the reader, though there was some non-religion-specific moralizing. I don't recall any mentions of Jesus, just God in general.

I don't recall any bad language, and there was no sex. I suspect that the novel would appeal most to tweens or teens (especially boys). Overall, I enjoyed this novel and would recommend it as good, clean reading to those wanting to learn more about the Oregon Trail.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt from Chapter One
When Uncle Peter arrived at our house, it was as exciting as Christmas, Declaration Day, and the fall harvest festival combined. The sun was brighter, the water fresher, and the apples crisper and juicier in our mouths. For a ten-year-old boy, life when Uncle Peter was around was a picture of excitement.

Uncle Peter was everything my father was not. His laughter was loud, showing his teeth underneath the beard that he always sported. He knew the games of boys and was never too important or busy to play them. He told stories of the things that he had seen in a way that made you dream of these previously unseen wonders. While his clothes were never stylish in a modern sense, the buckskin that he favored always spoke of daily adventure. The dirt was not that of the sweat in a field, rather it was the dust of the trail taken and not forsaken, the uncertainty of life beyond the horizon.

Giveaway: Recollections of Rosings

Recollections of Rosings by Rebecca Ann Collins Trade Paperback: 336 pages Publisher: SourceBooks Landmark First Released: 2010

I enjoyed Recollections of Rosings by Rebecca Ann Collins, so I decided to give away my Advanced Reader Copy. You can learn more about the novel by reading my review.

This contest is for USA and Canada residents only.

To enter the giveaway:

1) you can twitter me saying "Hi @genrereviewer. Enter me to win RECOLLECTIONS OF ROSINGS. Another novel by Rebecca Ann Collins is _________." (You need to fill in the name of another book by this author. Hint: Look at this website.)

OR

2) You can leave a comment to this post asking to be entered and giving the name of another book by this author. Please also leave some way for me to contact you--or follow this blog so you can see the winner announcement.


The winner will be randomly selected. I'll announce the winner at noon (Central Time) on March 8, 2010 on this blog. If you entered using twitter, I'll send you a @ or DM telling you of your win and asking where to send the book. If you entered using the blog comments, you'll need to leave your e-mail address or check back to see if you won so you can e-mail me your shipping address. If the winner hasn't responded with a mailing address within four days, I reserve the right to pick a new winner.

I hope everyone has fun with this!

Recollections of Rosings by Rebecca Ann Collins

Recollections of Rosings by Rebecca Ann Collins Trade Paperback: 336 pages Publisher: SourceBooks Landmark First Released: 2010

Source: Advanced Reader Copy from the publisher.

Back Cover Description (slightly modified):
The eighth novel in the bestselling Pemberley Chronicles series, with fascinating social history of the Victorian period as a backdrop.

Catherine Harrison and Becky Tate, daughters of Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins, grew up in the shadow of Rosings Park, domain of the formidable Lady Catherine de Bourgh; but as adults their paths have diverged dramatically.

When a catastrophe at Rosings Park brings Becky back to visit her sister, the two clash over their aspirations for the marriage of Catherine's young daughter, and both women are forced to confront the ghosts of their past—in particular, Lady Catherine's cruelty and deception in separating Catherine, when she was young, from an "unsuitable" man she had begun to love.

Can the two sisters reconcile or will their differing values ruin her daughter's chance at love and prevent Catherine from taking a second chance at happiness?


Review:
Recollections of Rosings is a historical romance set in England around the 1860s and is the eighth book in this Pride and Prejudice sequel series. I haven't read the previous novels in the series, but I was able to easily follow what was going on and who was related to whom. (There's also a character list in the back listing who the characters are.)

The original Pride and Prejudice characters played little part in this novel; it was primarily about their children and grandchildren. However, when the Pride and Prejudice characters and events were referred to or showed up, they were consistent with the information given in Pride and Prejudice.

The novel was in a writing style very similar to Austen's in word choice and phrasing. It also had the slightly slower pacing of those novels.

The author focused on the historical events occurring at the time and how it influenced the main characters more than Jane Austen did in her novels. The characters frequently talked about the nation-wide events (like the movement to provide education for the poor), but few details were given about the character's clothing, houses, etc. The main characters tended toward modern sensibilities when it came to the new ideas emerging at the time.

The characters were interesting, and I cared about what happened to them. However, this novel lacked the sharp conflict and heartbreak of Austen's novels. There was little excitement or suspense except in one scene near the very end. The few setbacks were too obviously mere delays rather than actual obstacles to the main characters' gratification. So it was a sweet romance read for the enjoyment of seeing nice characters achieve true happiness (with the added bonus of some interesting historical information worked in).

There was a minor amount of swearing. There was no sex. Overall, I'd recommend this novel as enjoyable, fairly clean reading.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt from Chapter One
Catherine had tried many times during the journey from Derbyshire to Kent, first by train and then by carriage to Rosings, to imagine what it would be like.

From the scant information in Mr. Adam's letter to Mr. Darcy, it had not been easy to create a picture of how Rosings would look after the fire. She could not contemplate it. The scale and grandeur of the building, set as it was in a formal park of much beauty, surrounded by hundreds of acres of orchard, woods, and farmland, had so impressed themselves upon her mind since childhood that it was well nigh impossible for her to picture its destruction.

She felt stunned, disbelieving, exactly as she recalled feeling when told that her father, Reverend Collins, had died suddenly of a heart attack, which had felled him without warning as he inspected the chapel at Rosings with Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Then she had been a mere girl, yet it was she who had had to support her mother and comfort her younger sisters, while still unable to accept it herself.

Which is probably why the shock was so severe, when the carriage turned off the road into the long drive and there, before their eyes, was revealed the terrible truth.

Nothing had prepared them for this.

It was nearly four days since the fire, yet parts of the building were still smoldering--the smoke, acrid and dark, drifting upwards--while everywhere across the once immaculate park was strewn the debris of days past. Scorched walls, crumbling masonry, and shattered windows--all those many dozens of windows that her father used to speak of in a hushed voice, whose glazing had cost Sir Lewis de Bourgh a fortune--shattered now, hung with ragged bits of rich curtains blowing in the wind.

In the Midst of It All by Tiffany L. Warren

In the Midst of It All by Tiffany L. Warren Trade Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Grand Central Publishing First Released: 2010

Source: Advanced Reading Copy from the publisher.

Book Description (my take):
After leaving yet another church due to an embarrassing scene caused by Audrey, her schizophrenic mother, Zenovia and Audrey join a new church group called the Brethren of the Sacrifice. The Brethren may have an odd church service, but they warmly welcome the newcomers, befriend them, and make them feel cared for.

Seventeen-year-old Zenovia has concerns about some of the teachings of the Brethren, but she pushes them aside due to her desire to stay near a Brethren boy she has a crush on. Her mother, Audrey, has no concerns. She's found the man she knows she's going to marry due to a vision she had years ago. But after Audrey marries, her husband convinces her to stop taking her medication in faith that God will heal her if she does.

As Audrey loses control again, Zenovia becomes angry and pushes the limits of Brethren rules in rebellion. Can Zenovia find soul-satisfying redemption for her sin within the Brethren or will their method of gaining salvation force her to leave everything she loves behind?


Review:
In the Midst of It All is Christian general fiction with a good dose of romance. The novel was a quick read, and the pacing was very good. However, the world-building lacked consistent depth. The scenes involving the Brethren meetings were clearly detailed, but the details surrounding the rest of Zenovia's life and the "outside" lives of the other characters were usually vague to nonexistent.

The characters were realistic and likable. I sometimes felt like they didn't have a lot of depth, though, as usually only surface motivations were explained. I did care about what happened to Zenovia and sped through the heavy foreboding of the first two-thirds of the novel to discover what happened next.

I rather wish the novel had started with a scene showing Audrey "going mental" in their last church prior to the Brethren so I could have felt why Zenovia stayed with the Brethren and emotionally sympathized with it instead of just understood it. It worked as written; I didn't feel the urge to "shake some sense" into Zenovia. But I think I would have been more deeply engaged by the Brethren scenes that way rather than just hurrying through them.

Audrey and Zenovia had visions. Audrey thought they were from God, Zenovia wasn't certain, and the issue was never clearly resolved. Religious beliefs were a main focus of the novel, though mainly the obey-the-rules beliefs of the cult rather than the teachings of traditional Christianity. The author assumed the reader was familiar with what the Bible really teaches on the topics covered as she generally didn't clarify the differences between that and what the cult taught. I don't think most non-Christians would find the novel preachy, but I suspect they might be confused by parts of it.

There was a very minor amount of explicit bad language. There was premarital sex, but it wasn't graphic. Overall, I'd recommend this novel to Christians as good, fairly clean reading.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt from Chapter One
Zenovia heard knocks on the door.

They were not the soft knocks of the children in the apartment next door. There were two of them--a boy and a girl. Always dirty, with unwashed faces and mismatched socks, if any. Their mama was on crack, like so many of the mothers in King Kennedy, one of Cleveland's most notorious housing projects.

The two children visited Zenovia and Audrey every morning looking for breakfast. But it was ten a.m. and they were probably plopped in front of their television, watching the Saturday morning cartoons.

Zenovia waited for the knock again. This time it came with a voice. "Hello? Is anyone home? We'd like to share the Gospel with you today."

Zenovia laughed. She had been thinking that the person behind the door was a drug boy running from the police or a crackhead hustling some stolen property. But it was a lady, and she wanted to share the Gospel. No harm there.

Still, she didn't answer the door.

Audrey rushed from the bedroom of the one-bedroom apartment. She was wearing a ratty yet colorful housecoat. Wild red hair framed her face like a flame, perfectly complementing her freckles and green eyes.

"Why don't you get the door?" she asked.

She didn't wait for a response, but went to the door herself. She swung it open wide and smiled at the two ladies who stood before her.

"Good morning!" Audrey sang.

"Well, good morning to you too!" said the lady.

Audrey asked, "Did I hear y'all say, y'all was talking about the Gospel this morning?"

"Yes, you did. The Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

"Well, come on in and keep talking! Zenovia, something told me we were going to have good news today."

Zenovia felt a smile tickle the sides of her lips. That something was a vision. Audry had been having them since she was a little girl, and Zenovia had started having them when she'd turned twelve. They were haphazard messages, sometimes future, sometimes past. Usually there wasn't enough information contained in the visions to do anything useful. Most times, Zenovia was annoyed by the visions; treated them like unannounced visitors. Just like the two Bible ladies.


[Note: Yes, Zenovia has dark skin like on the book cover.]

Read more from chapter one.

Shoofly Pie by Tim Downs

Shoofly Pie by Tim Downs Trade Paperback: 384 pages Publisher: Howard Books First Released: 2003

Source: Bought from Half.com.

Back Cover Description:
Within minutes of a murder, the first fly arrives at the scene. Soon there are hundreds, then thousands, and each one knows the victim's story...

Thirty-year-old Kathryn Guilford turns to Dr. Nick Polchak, the Bug Man, to help her learn the truth about the apparent suicide of her longtime friend and onetime suitor. Polchak introduces her to a mysterious world of blood-seeking flies and flesh-eating beetles. But there's a problem...

Kathryn Guilford has a pathological fear of insects.

Now she must confront her darkest fears to unearth a decade-long conspiracy that threatens to turn her entire world upside down.


Review:
Shoofly Pie was an enjoyable contemporary suspense/mystery novel. The mystery was fairly easy to figure out (this was a group read, and we all agreed on the who-done-it and why long before the end), but the detective also figured out the who-done-it at about the same time. Their problem was finding the proof that would stand up in court while surviving the ever-increasing body-count. So the suspense was sustained throughout the novel.

The characters were fairly complex. Nick was enjoyably quirky (though he started out as a jerk), and there was an underlying humor to the story. Nick's parts were very funny, and all of the characters--even the minor ones--were engaging.

My main complaint was the excessive level of detail given in two dramatic scenes that were supposed to be happening breath-takingly quickly. For example, in the prologue, the author gave extreme detail about the cars, how they were placed in relation to each other, personal details about a very minor character and his dogs, what the beehives looked like, and so on. I couldn't tell what details I should try to remember out of the onslaught, and the detail level slowed the pacing so much that the suspense was lost. Most of the novel hit the right level of detail, but these two "supposed to be going fast" scenes didn't work for me.

I was also disappointed in the climax. In order to have a huge, dramatic ending, both Nick and Kathryn did unexplained and very stupid actions that weren't in-character (since they were previously smart and quick-thinking in similar circumstances). The climax turned into a Hollywood suspense movie cliche--though with some funny, unique details--and was very predictable.

The examining-the-body scenes were graphic and gross, but Nick added such humor to the scenes that the gross details didn't bother even our normally easy-to-gross-out listener. I don't recall any bad language, and there was no sex. I'm looking forward to reading the next novel in the series. Overall, I'd recommend this novel as humorous, clean reading.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt from Chapter One
Cary, North Carolina, April 21, 1999

Nick Polchak rapped his knuckles on the frame of the open doorway. He glanced back at the Wake County Sheriff's Department police cruiser blocking the driveway, orange and blue lights silently rotating.

"Yo!" Nick called into the house. "Coming in!"

A fresh-faced sheriff's deputy in khaki short sleeves poked his head around the corner and beckoned him in. Nick wondered where they got these kids. He looked younger than some of his students.

Nick stepped into the entryway. Dining room room on the right, living room on the left. It was a typical suburban Raleigh home, a colonial five-four-and-a-door with white siding and black shutters. A mahogany bureau stood just inside the door. At its base lay three pair of shoes, one a pair of black patent leathers. Nick shook his head.

He knew the layout by heart: stairway on the left, powder room on the right, down a short hallway was the kitchen, and the family room beyond that.

Nick paused in the second doorway and took a moment to study the young officer. He stood nervously, awkwardly, constantly checking his watch. His right hand held a handkerchief cupped over his nose and mouth, and he winced as he sucked in each short gulp of air. Nick followed the officer's frozen gaze to the right; the decomposing body of a middle-aged woman lay sprawled across the white Formica island in the center of the kitchen.

Nick knocked again.

"Officer...Donnelly, is it? I'm Dr. Nick Polchak. Are you the first one here?"


Read the rest of chapter one.

First Test by Tamora Pierce

First Test by Tamora Pierce Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages Publisher: Random House First Released: 1999

Source: My personal library.

Back Cover Description:
"Girls are fragile, more emotional, easier to frighten." This is the typical attitude that Keladry of Midelan is up against. Kel is the first girl in ten years to take advantage of the decree that permits girls to train for the knighthood, and she is about to smash everyone's preconceptions about what girls can and cannot do...

Set in Tortall during the reign of King Jonathan III and Queen Thayet, First Test launches the Protector of the Small series, which chronicles the coming of age of a heroine who is far more than she seems.


Review:
The Protector of the Small series is a favorite of mine (an adult) and the 12-year-old girl I mentor. I had a concern about a statement in book three (Kel's mother tells her there are no drawbacks to sleeping around if you're not concerned about keeping the noble bloodlines pure...though Kel is prevented by circumstances from following through on this advice during the series), but otherwise the books had a great message.

Kel is a determined young woman who stands up for what's right, works hard to achieve her dreams, and uses her strength to protect rather than bully those who can't stand up for themselves. I love this girl, while my mentee mainly talks about all the animals in the book.

First Test is the first book of the series. The pacing and world-building were very good, and the situations were realistic--Kel dealt with unfair treatment, how to deal with bullies, and her fear of heights. The bad guy characters were a bit stock "boarding school bully," but I enjoyed the variety of engaging good-guy characters and the animals that Kel took under her protection (an ornery horse and some courtyard sparrows in this book).

Although in a medieval-type setting, the good-guy characters had some modern sensibilities about the treatment of the lower classes. (Which is fine; I'm just pointing it out.) The novel had made-up gods and goddesses, magical creatures, and typical fantasy-magic. Kel doesn't have magical abilities, though. There was no bad language and no sex. Overall, I'd highly recommend this book as fun, clean reading.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt from Chapter One
Alanna the Lioness, the King's Champion, could hardly contain her glee. Baron Piers of Mindelan had written to King Jonathan to say that his daughter wished to be a page. Alanna fought to sit still as she watched Wyldon of Cavall, the royal training master, read the baron's letter. Seated across his desk from them, the king watched the training master as sharply as his Champion did. Lord Wyldon was known for his dislike of female warriors.

It had been ten long years since the proclamation that girls might attempt a page's training. Alanna had nearly given up hope that such a girl--or the kind of family that would allow her to do so--existed in Tortall, but at last she had come forward. Keladry of Mindelan would not have to hide her sex for eight years as Alanna had done. Keladry would prove to the world that girls could be knights. And she would not be friendless. Alanna had plans to help Keladry through the first few years. It never occurred to the Champion that anyone might object.

Entertaining Angels by Judy Duarte

Entertaining Angels by Judy Duarte Trade Paperback: 294 pages Publisher: Kensington Books First Released: 2009 Author Website

Source: Bought from Half.com.

Back Cover Description:
From the author of the heartwarming Mulberry Park comes an uplifting, unforgettable new novel that proves that though our path through life sometimes takes us in unforeseen directions, it may also lead us to the places and the people we need most...

As a teen, Kristy Smith spent her nights dreaming of a college scholarship--dreams that ended abruptly when she became pregnant. Now Kristy works hard to support her young son, Jason, and her ailing grandmother, staving off regrets about the chances that slipped away.

When Craig Houston became a pastor, he envisioned making a difference in some distant, poverty-stricken country, not dealing with youth groups and shut-ins in a tidy suburb like Fairbrook. But things aren't always what they seem. Soon, Craig finds locals who need guidance even if they'll never admit it--like Kristy's best friend, Shana, who's always strived to be the perfect daughter; Renee, a pregnant teen trying to make it on her own; and Kristy herself, a vibrant and loving young woman unaware of just how much she has to offer. One by one, the residents of Fairbrook are about to learn that the future can surprise and redeem us, especially when there is courage and true friendship in abundance, and a little help from an unexpected source...


Review:
Entertaining Angels is religious general fiction about people who feel inadequate, unloved, or regretful and beaten down by past mistakes and sorrows but who discover God is at work in their lives. It's an uplifting and inspirational novel that reminded me of the TV show Touched by an Angel, but from the human's viewpoint and no big "I am an angel" reveal at the end.

I really bonded with the characters and wanted to know what happened to them. They were smart, but imperfect, and had realistic struggles and regrets. The world-building was good, and the pacing was very good.

Many of the characters were Christians, but they only referred to God, not Jesus. There was no preaching or "Jesus is the only way" comments. Non-Christian readers would probably enjoy this novel unless they're strongly anti-God.

There was no sex. The minor amount of bad language was in the "he cussed" style. Overall, I'd recommend this novel as well-written and enjoyable clean reading.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt from Chapter One
Renee Delaney trudged along the sidewalk on her way to the bus depot, her leather soles scraping against a layer of city grit on concrete.

It was too bad she hadn't put on her wannabe Sketchers when she'd left the house, but she'd been in a hurry and had slipped into the only other shoes she owned--a pair of worn-out brown sandals that had been resting near the cot in the back room where she'd slept. Now her toes were cold, and she had a sore spot just below the inside of her ankle, where the frayed strap had rubbed the skin raw.

The chill in the air caused her to shiver, and she drew her fists into the sleeves of her sweat shirt, which she'd chosen to wear because the extra-large garment hid the growing bump of her stomach. She'd never been fat in her life, but she wouldn't stress about that now, or she might freak out at the thought of how big she was going to get.

Up ahead, a man wearing a tattered gray trench coat with a dirty, red-plaid lining pushed off the wall he'd been slumped against. As he approached, he grinned. "Hey there, little girl."

Her stomach clenched, and her heart rate spiked. She knew better than to look away from him, so she eyed him warily and continued walking at the same pace.

As he approached, his smile broadened, revealing discolored teeth, the front one chipped. "Where you goin', girl?"

Yeah, right. Like she really wanted him to know. She narrowed her eyes in a don't-mess-with-me glare, which worked--sort of. He did walk past her, but his arm bumped her shoulder in the process.

He reeked of stale cigarette smoke and sweat on top of sweat. Cheap booze, too. And the horrible smell lingered, even after he passed her by.

She suspected he was homeless, just like she was.

Oh, God, she thought. Don't let me end up smelling like that guy.