Blog Post
An Unexpected Path to Redemption
by mansii
Ramona Ausubel's newest expertly crafted novel, Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty, explodes with searing heartache and shocking joy. Through failure, she reveals the mysterious grace that sometimes a person’s most devastating choices are also their means to redemption.
Beginning with all the glitz of Gatsby, we are introduced to a young couple in their 20s, Fern and Edgar, who enjoy the life of the rich while romanticizing visions of laboring for every penny. But when their wealth completely and suddenly disappears, Edgar and Fern catapult away from each other. Fern wants Edgar to take over his father’s business, be a man, and make them an income. Edgar revolts against Fern pushing him into the shackles of a life he does not want and runs head-long into his first affair.
In rage, and gasping for escape, both husband and wife set out on their own trips, paired with the temporary salves of other lovers, willing to risk their marriage to force their idea of happy. As wrongly motivated as their respective journeys are, these turn out to be pathways to redemption. Edgar becomes aware of his weakness as he incurs temporary blindness, causing him to long for the comfort of the wife who knows him in all his forms. Fern's journey confronts her with past regrets and destructive inherited values, a catharsis that reminds her that she is more whole not in isolation, but in the history and struggle of family.
Edgar and Fern return, softened, back into each other’s lives. Though their choices will undoubtedly scar, they have been rescued to a healing they had yet to know. Before the road they imagined existence and meaning might be found in a way of life they had not attained, with a different heritage and fulfilled dreams. Now, Fern and Edgar understand that completeness is found through giving of oneself, through allowing oneself to be defined in terms of another: a wife, a husband, a mother, a son, a neighbor, a friend.
In language emotional and gripping, Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty affirms the worth and beauty of that sacred word: family.
Blog Post
Lila: Raw and Beautiful
by mansii
After repeated suggestions to read Gilead, Marilynne Robinson's Pulitzer prize winning novel, I gave in and picked up the book's prequel, Lila, a 2014 National Book Award Finalist itself, as a starting point. I picked it up and, in a sense, I don’t think I will ever put it down. It did what an excellent book should do: it twisted my heart and in so doing challenged my way of thinking, and my compassion.
"Lila" follows the inward and outward journey of a wandering street girl to whom hardship is just a way of life. She has endured childhood abuse, the shame of a whore house, and the hunger pains and hardness of a life on the run. This background has become more than an experience but an identity. Though Lila's particular tragedies are hers alone, her questions and struggles strike a universal cord and make her achingly relatable. Which of us has not felt alone in a room of friends, or tried to earn the gifts of love and acceptance even when freely given? Which of us do not doubt our place in the world, or try to self-purge shame and fear? When Lila unexpectedly finds herself in the kind, small town of Gilead with the new comforts of a house, family, and community, she now wrestles with receiving this grace of the present. It seems unfitting to the tainted Lila she sees herself to be.
Lila slowly transforms as she works through an unlikely romance with an aging pastor who does not view her colored by her past, and offers her Hosea-like love. Far from stereotypical, rather than sermonizing the reader and wrapping up answers to age-old questions with a bow, this pastor is raw and human with his own pains and his own searchings. Together with us this pair considers troublesome questions that remain unsatisfied with trite answers. Questions such as what do we make of a world of suffering? What would it look like to be made new? How do we love flawed people who can display towards us both good and evil? And how do we live in light of loss? Together they learn to receive grace for themselves, and allow grace to transform their scars into compassion for others.
Marilynne Robinson has given us a book that is raw, humble, honest, and beautiful. Through her I am learning compassion for those I relate to least. Her wisdom challenges me to resist simplifying knotted questions, and in the not knowings to live in light of the gifts of grace.
If you have already enjoyed "Lila" as I have, you may also enjoy these finds:
Someone (2013) by Alice McDermott
The Thing About December by Donal Ryan
Benediction by Kent Haruf
I Curse the River of Time by Per Petterson
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #502 - "Faith is about doing. You are how you act, not just how you believe.” ~ Mitch Albom
by muffy
In A Song for Issy Bradley * debut novelist Carys Bray, "(w)ith courage, warmth, and intelligence...sweetly and subtly breaks your heart", as the Bradleys come to terms with grief, each in his or her own way.
A man of strong faith and even stronger sense of duty, Ian Bradley, math teacher and Mormon bishop in a secular British neighborhood, embraces his calling often at the expense of his family's needs. His wife Claire (a convert upon marriage to Ian) feels overwhelmed and lonely in caring for their large family - Zippy and Al, teenagers who endure and rebel in equal measures; 7 year-old Jacob, sensitive and wise-beyond-his years, is the one who tries to hold the family together when 4-year-old Issy dies of meningitis.
"In this wry, original, generous-spirited debut novel, members of a family come to terms with grief...They wrestle with belief and disillusionment, desire and hopelessness, pervasive sorrow and moments of transcendent joy. The result is riveting, powerful, and quietly devastating." It will appeal to fans of Me Before You; Little Bee; and Tell the Wolves I'm Home.
A much anticipated debut this December is The Bishop's Wife * * * by Teen author Mette Ivie Harrison, her first try at adult fiction, inspired by an actual crime.
Unlike Claire Bradley, Linda, the mother of five grown boys and the wife to Mormon bishop Kurt Wallheim of Draper (UT), embraces the duties and challenges of being the bishop's wife, having been raised a Mormon herself. But Linda is increasingly troubled by the church's patriarchal structure and secrecy, especially when a neighbor, Jared Helm, appears on the Wallheims' doorstep with his 5-year-old daughter, claiming that his wife, Carrie, disappeared in the middle of the night. Carrie's worried parents present quite a different image of the Helm household. The more Linda learns about the curious circumstances at the Helms' residence, the more she suspects Jared is responsible for his wife's disappearance.
When Tobias Torstensen, another member of the church becomes gravely ill, Linda tries to provide support for his wife Anna, who helped raise Tobais' sons after the death of his first wife, a mystery that begins to unfold as Linda finds an unlikely item hidden in their barn. Despite Kurt's entreaties to leave these problems alone, Linda is driven to investigate. The discovery of two bodies produces devastating revelations for the close-knit community, but Linda never thinks of giving up her search for the painful truth. For those who enjoyed Cage of Stars by Jacquelyn Mitchard.
Both Bray and Harrison were raised in strict Mormon households. Their unique perspectives and candor lend authenticity to these debuts.
* = starred review
* * * = 3 starred reviews
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #492 - “I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong... I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in miracles.” ~ Audrey Hepburn
by muffy
Miracle in a Dry Season * by Sarah Loudin Thomas is set in the small town of Wise, WV. (First in the Appalachian Blessings series)
Rumors and speculations swirl around single mother Perla Long and her 5 yr.old daughter Sadie when she comes to live with her uncle and aunt. Casewell Phillips, a church elder and a confirmed bachelor is charmed when he meets beautiful Perla, and before long, he is crafting doll furniture for Sadie. But like the townfolks, he is cautious of her past that hints of sordidness, and suspicious of her singular talent of producing literally an endless feast out of meager rations.
When a severe drought hits Wise, folks are torn between gratitude for Perla's gift, small-town gossip, and a minister bent on judgment. Perla and Casewell must look deep into their hearts and faith for guidance if they are to have a future.
"Thomas's fiction debut offers sympathetic, wholesome protagonists seeking to live faithful, prayerful lives and engaging supporting characters in subplots that explore the overarching themes of forgiveness, redemption, and the wideness of God's love."
Fans of Ann Tatlock, Karen Kingsbury, and Lisa Wingate now have a new author to watch.
* = starred review
Blog Post
"Lamb," an Unusual Gospel
by articia
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I am currently on my second copy of Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. My first copy of Christopher Moore's novel was read, re-read, and loaned out so often by myself and others that it eventually fell apart.
Jesus' pal Biff is brought back from the dead to fill in the missing thirty-year "gap" in the Gospels by writing his account of growing up with the Messiah. Moore writes with a sense of humor and sarcasm that some may find crude or offensive, but others may find themselves laughing out loud every few pages. This "gospel" is nothing like what you would expect; it's full of all the taboo topics: religion, politics, sex, drugs, and rock (just rock, you know...stonemason stuff?). Since Moore pokes fun not only at Christianity, but also at Buddhism, Hinduism, and just about every other major religion, this is a book for those who don't take religion or life too seriously. I find myself picking up Lamb any time I need a good dose of wit and sarcasm or a good reminder to step back and laugh.
Blog Post
Outstanding Teen Book: "Sorta Like a Rock Star"
by annevm
Seventeen-year-old Amber Appleton is homeless and virtually unparented. She struggles living in the school bus her mom drives, but somehow manages to do amazing things in her community – visiting lonely old people, teaching English and music to Korean Catholic women, and befriending an eccentric Vietnam veteran and his dog. She also is part of a school "marketing club" which calls itself Frank's Freaks Force Federation. She is, as the title says, Sorta Like a Rock Star.
But when violent tragedy strikes her life, she succumbs to weeks of deep depression. This part of the book is more than enough to break a reader's heart. Eventually, though, Amber heals, emerging stronger than ever, with her joyful spirit and remarkable ability to help and inspire others. This is an amazing feel-good story in which all the fascinating people in Amber's life are ultimately brought together. Matthew Quick is a superb writer and storyteller whose latest book is Boy21. Check it out.
Blog Post
Fireflies in December
by ErinDurrett
Fireflies in December is the debut novel of Jennifer Erin Valent about a 13 year old girl, Jessilyn, and her parents taking in her best friend Gemma, after Gemma's parent were tragically killed in a house fire. The problem is, the year is 1932, Gemma is black, the Lassiters are white, and they live in a small Virginia town. Jessilyn is the character of dreams, taking cues from her father and speaking out against the threats coming from her small prejudiced community. The tone and speech in the novel take you to the south to a time where the people faced struggles not only from the Depression but from intolerance as well. The plot of this novel reminds readers of the evil that ordinary human beings are capable of doing, even in the name of righteousness. If you don't mind some moderate religious undertones, this book is heart-warming yet bittersweet and reminds us that even in the face of violence and terror, goodness can still surround us.
Blog Post
Good vs. Evil
by RiponGood
People have been talking about the end of the world for a long time. Author G. P. Taylor's stories show how it may have happened in the 1700's. In the story Shadowmancer, Vicar Obadiah Demurral decides to take on God and take over the universe. Only two youths and a mysterious person from Africa stand in his way. Wormwood tells the story of Agetta Lamian, the young housemaid of Dr. Sabian Blake. Dr. Blake has found an ancient book titled Nemorensis, which has the power to unlock the secrets of the universe. Can they save not only London but the world from the certain destruction by the comet Wormwood?
Blog Post
The Beginning of the End
by RiponGood
Author Jerry Jenkins tells the story of Paul Stepola set in 36 P3, 36 years after World War III. He is an agent for the National Peacekeeping Organization. The organization's purpose is to root out and stop all religious activity. What happens when Paul sees the truth of what he is doing and how it fits into world events? The series begins with Soon: The Beginning of the End, followed by Silenced: The Wrath of God Descends and Shadowed: The Final Judgement.
How do you think the world will end?
Blog Post
Now Filming
by RiponGood
The movie adaptation of C.S. Lewis' Prince Caspian is schedule to come out on May 16, 2008. Be sure to check out our wide selection of Narnia books as you get ready for next year's movie release.