Summerhill Secrets Series

Summerhill Secrets Series, by Beverly Lewis

This is a series of children's books which I had read years ago, probably in the 7th grade.  I re-read them sometime during October but have taken my pretty time procrastinated in writing about them.  The main character is Merry Hanson, who lives in Pennsylvania Amish country.  She is not Amish, but distantly related to them, and has many friends who are Amish.

The books all read like children's mystery novels, but not all the plots of each book are mystery.  The first book, Whispers Down the Lane, involves Merry's friend Lissa, who has run away from home and has asked Merry to hide her.  Merry finds herself torn between her desire to help her friend, and the possible consequences of harboring a runaway.  Book two is Secret in the Willows and this book is indeed a mystery novel.  Someone had been vandalizing an Amish home, and Merry believed the wrong person was being blamed for it.  Catch a Falling Star (book three) deals with the details of a middle school love triangle, or hexagon, or whatever convoluted shape teenage crushes can create.  Although that is not really a stage of my life I am interested in reliving, I did find the author's depiction of the complexities of middle school relationships to be quite accurate.  Book 4 is Night of the Fireflies and deals with Merry's backstory of losing her twin to cancer, and the events in the present which dredge up those past memories.  It is a significant book for helping readers in its target age group to identify feelings they might be having and discuss them openly with their parents, although it is still fiction and belongs in the children's fiction section of a bookstore, as opposed to the bereavement/grief or parenting sections.  Book five is A Cry in the Dark and continues with that theme when Merry discovers an abandoned baby in her gazebo.

In every book, there is a clear explanation, in terms middle-schoolers can understand, of Amish beliefs and practices and how they differ from "English" people (all non-Amish).  The books are engaging even for an adult to read, although many complex ideas an adult would think of are ignored (the lack of involvement of child protective services when a baby is discovered, simply because Merry's father is a doctor is one that comes to mind).  However, it is refreshing to go back to that child-like mindset and just forget all the complicated things for a while.

These books are very entertaining, and I would recommend them to teenage girls, teenage boys who aren't afraid to be caught reading a book with a female character, and anyone interested in Lancaster Amish lifestyles written from a child's simplistic viewpoint.

The 5 People You Meet in Heaven

The Five People You Meet in Heaven, by Mitch Albom

This book is unusual.  Most of the time when you read a book, you know that no matter how many bad things happen to the main character, none of them will be bad enough to kill, except maybe at the end if it is one of those tragic stories.  This book is not like that.  The first chapter is called The End, and it begins with "This is a story about a man named Eddie and it begins at the end, with Eddie dying in the sun."

Thankfully, the book doesn't open with a gruesome death scene, but explains a little about how Eddie got to his predicament that killed him, and then after that, Eddie finds himself somewhere else, where he learns that in heaven, before reaching his own paradise, he must meet five people who had influenced his life on earth in some way.  They will each teach him a lesson explaining life, so that he can make some sense of his time on earth.  Interspersed with Eddie's meetings with these five people, are snippets of the past, letting us get a glimpse of who Eddie was on earth.  After all, we didn't really know him on earth, because the story began on his last day here.  So we need to have some reference point.

I see this book as a work of philosophy, explaining a little to the reader about what life means on earth, and why we are here, and how we should live.  Some people could object to the version of heaven as depicted in this book, but I don't really see the book as a work of theology.  The setting of heaven seems to be simply the author's method for getting the points across.

Each of the five people had some quite startling things to reveal to Eddie, so it was interesting, and a very quick read.  I would suggest this book to anyone.  And everyone.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories in the Sketch Book, by Washington Irving

This book is a very difficult read.  In fact, I'm going to share with you a little secret.  I started it in October and I haven't finished it yet!  Gasp!

The problem for me, lies in the fact that the book is an anthology.  I loved certain stories.  But others were incredibly boring.  To me, an anthology is an author's way to get things published that would normally get thrown in the editor's trash bin.

To be fair, there were some stories that were not interesting to me, but which had wonderful insight about life in England in the early 1800s, life in England from an American's perspective, death, immortality through writing, and relationships between men and women.  I can understand why they may have been included in the publishing, but they still did not interest me, and slowed the speed of my progress through the book.

In case you don't know anything about the author, he was American-born, but the majority of the things collected in his Sketch Book were written during a time when he lived in England.  This book was written at the beginning of the 19th century, using a slightly more formal and outmoded pattern of speech.  A reading of this book would be a major accomplishment for a middle-schooler to undertake, because of the amount of vocabulary words and slightly different syntax sometimes used within the book.  It may even be on some advanced high school reading lists (depending on your school).

And now for a quick review of some of my favorite stories:

Rip Van Winkle.  I'm sure you are familiar with this one already.  A man falls asleep for 100 years and wakes up to find everything is changed.  It is a great story, and the detail of the descriptions is very vivid and seems to place you right in the scene.

The County Church; The Widow and Her Son.  These two are placed right next to each other, and take place in the same church.  The first is a visit to the church and observations of the simplicity of faith (vs the big "megachurches" of the city) and the second is a picture of what happens when tragedy hits the church family.  I felt I could relate to the stories and observations made about church life.

The Boar's Head Tavern, Eastcheap.  This one is a unique writing and really only appreciated if you are familiar with Shakespeare's "Henry" plays.  Being a total book nerd, I love Shakespeare.  I also love history so the narrator's quest for the history of the Tavern is also interesting to me.

The Specter Bridegroom.  This was quite a fascinating piece of fiction (rather than some of the others which seem to be observations about life).  I have no idea why the Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle became so famous while this one did not.  I have a mental image of Peter Jackson and Tim Burton teaming up with Johnny Depp to make this into a movie.  I hope it happens, as that would be awesome.

There are plenty more, but I will leave you with those.  If you like somewhat antiquated language, want to read a challenging book for school but think Shakespeare is too challenging, or if you like anthologies or reading the classics, this book is for you.

In the Company of the Courtesan

In the Company of the Courtesan, by Sarah Dunant

As you can tell from the title, this book is about a successful courtesan, Fiammetta, and her loyal dwarf Bucino. The story begins in 1527 with the sack of Rome by Charles III, the Duke of Bourbon, in the name of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Fiammetta and Bucino lived in Rome at the time, and the first several pages depict their efforts to survive the war zone and escape. The events described, although from Bucino's point of view instead of third person, are roughly exactly as described in Wikipedia, with the names of actual historical figures appearing alongside the fictional characters created for the purpose of the book.

Bucino and Fiammetta escape to Venice, where they attempt to begin their lives again. While there, they meet or are influenced by more historical figures, such as the artist Titian, the writer Pietro Aretino, the architect Jacopo Sansovino, Niccolo Machiavelli, and the healer/witch Elena "La Draga" Crusichi. With the exception of the architect and Machiavelli, these characters play large parts in the plot of the story, and in the end, we discover Fiammetta to be the unknown courtesan who posed for Titian's "Venus of Urbino" which depicts nothing from Urbino at all, but the painting eventually was owned by the Duke of Urbino and received its title from him.

Because the story is written from the point of view of Bucino, this book is unique in that a "deformed" character is the hero. In many books and movies, the hero must be perfect in appearance and morals, unless of course he is an anti-hero, in which case he must be perfect in appearance but a complete jerk. Bucino is neither a jerk, nor perfect in appearance. He is business-like, and can be gruff when business demands it, and occasionally makes mistakes like any human, but on the whole I think that he is a great character, loyal to Fiammetta, and kind to everyone he meets until they give him a reason not to be kind.

I would be extremely interested in seeing this book turned into a movie, if only because there are so many great actors out there who are passed up for the main roles because their growth was stunted or they don't look like Hollywood expects people to look. The exception would be Martin Klebba, who became fairly well-known after Pirates of the Caribbean, but who has since starred in a few projects. But lets face it, there are too few movies out there with abnormal-appearing actors in the main character roles.

For a book about a courtesan, this book is surprising in that there are no sex scenes. Sure, there are some pretty specific descriptions of body parts, but after the first few times, the reader begins to realize that these parts are tools of the trade for the characters and to omit those references would be like a book about a construction worker that omitted any reference to a hammer and nails. In fact, one of the things I particularly like was that the author was often able to use crude descriptions and beautiful poetry within the same sentence. Bucino mentions that this is something Fiammetta is able to do, and says that it is in a way a reflection of herself, however I would venture to argue that it is more a description of the cities of Rome and Venice- beautiful sculpture and architecture, holy and pious cities, that are also known for their corruption and prostitution.

The plot of the book was somewhat rambling, but still entertaining, especially in the last half of the book. It is also interesting to note that all the little adventures or episodes that occur become more intertwined in the last third or quarter of the book, and as the plot progresses, you begin to see how everything actually was connected. I enjoy books like that, although I'm sure it never happens in real life (which is probably why I enjoy books like that).

All in all, I would recommend this book to adults who are interested in non-conventional characters, the history of Italy (specifically Venice), or who have an interest in art with a preference for Titian over, say the artists with Ninja Turtle namesakes.

The Darwin Awards: Evolution in Action

The Darwin Awards: Evolution in Action, by Wendy Northcutt

Most people by now know about the Darwin Awards. Darwin's theories state that those organisms with superior physical or mental capabilities will survive to pass on their superior genes to the next generation. The Darwin Awards celebrate those individuals who support Darwin's theories by removing their dumb genes from the gene pool. Only those people who have successfully killed or castrated themselves through their stupidity are eligible for the award.

This book is a collection of the stories of yearly Darwin Award winners, as well as honorable mentions (those who have stupid accidents but are still capable of passing their genes along), personal accounts (stories from followers of the Darwin Awards who have to add their own two cents), and urban legends (stories of stupidity that have not been proven as truth).

It is an entertaining and somewhat morbid read, not a daunting length, and not challenging as far as the writing or reading level is concerned. I would recommend this book to anyone who revels in the justice of stupidity being rewarded by death, and anyone who is not turned off by gruesome or bloody tales.

Grace in Thine Eyes

Grace in Thine Eyes, by Liz Curtis Higgs

This book is connected to the series that ended with Whence Came a Prince. It is not necessary to read the first three books in order to read this 4th one. In the author's words, the series is a trilogy followed by a sequel dealing with the next generation of the family, and a knowledge of the events of the first three books is not necessary.

In my opinion, a prior knowledge of the Bible is not recommended. In the first three books, knowing the story of Jacob, Esau, Rachel, and Leah kept me wondering how the author would get around one obstacle or another in translating the books from ancient Hebrew culture into 1790s Scotland. This fourth book, very closely follows the life of Jacob's daughter Dinah. The situation surrounding her life can happen in any time period, so knowing what happens will slightly ruin the surprise, and also will keep you from becoming too attached to some characters.

Interesting to note is that Dinah is not recorded in the Bible with any written words. The author reflected this by making Davina (the character of Dinah) mute, due to laryngeal trauma as a child. I have read a handful of books in which the main character is mute (one by enchantment, two about animals- Vulpes and White Fang, and one by a traumatized psychology). This is the only one I have seen that utilizes music so expressively, to compensate for the lack of a voice. Davina is also a fiddler, so I connected with her very readily because of my friendship with A_____.

This book is an intriguing tale of love, betrayal, shame, forgiveness, deadly revenge, gossip, strength, and wonderful Scottish music. That sounds really cliched, but if you think about it, thats what people like to read. Except the music part. Somehow, even though the notes aren't there on the page, I felt that I could hear the music in the background through the whole book. Davina's voice became synonymous with violin music, so that even though the words were there on the page, it was the music I was hearing in my head as I read.

This book is great for musicians, anyone who likes a love story or Scotland, anyone who has been hurt by a man or gossip and wonders where they can find the strength to make it through the disgrace, and anyone who seeks to have a better understanding of the Biblical story of Dinah.

Thorn in My Heart

Thorn in My Heart, by Liz Curtis Higgs

In the book of Genesis, Jacob and Esau are twins fighting for the family inheritance. Jacob gains a reputation as a deceiver and flees to a distant land, where he works seven years to marry his boss's daughter, only to find out on his wedding night he has married her sister by mistake. So he works another seven years for the "right" bride.

This book takes that whole story, sets it in Scotland in the 1780s, and enhances the drama and intrigue that the Bible only hints at. It tells the story of Leah, Jacob's first wife, who had to live with the pain of knowing she was not the "right" bride.

I really can't say much more. The novel is heart-wrenching at times, and at other times you could lose yourself in the excitement and romance of the moment. While the author is a Christian, and the book has a Christian message, there were a few- ahem, bedroom- moments where I thought, "Wow I can't believe I bought this in a Christian bookstore!" Having said that, I also have to say, the author managed to masterfully keep the entire book pure. This is not one of those cheap dime-store romance novels.

It was good enough that I ordered the second book online the moment I finished this one.

Eternity In Their Hearts

Eternity In Their Hearts (Revised), by Don Richardson

The premise of this book is as follows: Christian missionaries show up in some remote corner of the world, trying to figure out how to tell the natives that God loved them so much that He sent his Son to die for them. They greet the missionaries, saying that yes, they know the great God already but did not know what his plan was to redeem mankind. Or better yet, that the great God told them the missionaries were coming and they had been waiting anxiously for the words the missionaries wanted to tell them.

Apparently, this has happened many times throughout the world, and throughout history. The author also takes the reader through the Bible and explains how and why God is able to speak to "pagan" people, even without a missionary presence. (The answer? God speaks to people when their hearts are ready, not when a Christian decides to listen up and follow God to a remote corner of the world.)

The bottom line that hit home for me is that some Christians are incredibly stuck up, to think that God needs us to go and preach the good news. In truth, He wants us to go. We will be blessed by the fruits of our labors and our obedience to Him. But He doesn't need us to go. If we refuse, there will be another way for Him to speak to people who need to hear the good news, but we will have lost the opportunity to play a key role in it.

Thats all I really have to say about it. Its quite a fascinating book, especially from a historical standpoint.