We Have a Winner

Very belatedly, I have selected the winner to the Return to Exile give-away using random.org. (My sincere apologies for the tardiness. I guess I've prioritized the work that puts funds in my bank account, the sleep I need to function, and my reading time over this blog of late. Hopefully, I'll soon find a way to put more hours in my day!)

And the book goes to ... Sue.

You may be interested to know that E.J. Patten has posted a Book Group Discussion Guide for Return to Exile on his blog here.

You may also be interested to know that I have several review copies in my reading queue - so stay tuned for additional give-aways!

The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner

Published in 2008 by WaterBrook Press. 307 pages.
2009 Salt Lake County Library's Reader's Choice.


I chose The Shape of Mercy, which had been on my to-read list since 2009, as the June read for Natalie's Book Club. Only three of the group members read the book, but the six of us who were able to meet for lunch earlier this week still had a great discussion.

Back row (l-r) - Sue, Natalie, Holly.
Front row (l-r) - Leslie, Alison, Linda.
Like Katherine Howe's The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, this novel alternates between a contemporary storyline and one set during the Salem witch trials - which I find to be a fascinating time in history. It tells of the lives of three women - Lauren, a young college student, who goes to work for Abigail, an elderly librarian, to transcribe the diary of Mercy, a woman accused as a witch in 1692. The historical aspects actually seemed to be better developed, even though that story is told only through sparse diary entries.

A work of Christian fiction, The Shape of Mercy addresses the important theme of judgment. I think I agree with a member of the book group who described the moral message as "a little heavy-handed" - but it also provided me with good food for thought. What assumptions do I make about other people? How does that affect my ability to connect with or compassionately serve them? Do my judgments ever harm others?

Just today I discovered that Susan Meissner wrote a blog from October 2008 to November 2010 related to The Shape of Mercy. (You can find it here.) As explained in the first post of the blog:

Have you ever wished the characters you've read about in a book lived on after you turned the last page, that you had a backstage pass to their lives beyond the confines of the book's pages?

Here on The Shape of Mercy blog, Lauren, Abigail, Clarissa [a secondary character], and even Mercy, will live on in posts that will appear on Mondays and Fridays. We begin where the book left off.

What a fun concept!

A day or two before the book group meeting, I jotted down some possible discussion questions while I waited at the auto repair shop for my car. We considered some but not all of these at our lunch. (NOTE: I don't consider any of the questions to necessarily be "spoilers" - but if you, like my friend Chelsea, don't want to know much about a book before reading it, come back later to read the questions.)

• What did you think of the title? Consider the implications of the word shape as well as those of mercy. What do you think Meissner was trying to say in the novel about "the shape of mercy"?


• Comment on the theme of judgment. Did the juxtaposition of the two storylines as illustration of this theme work for you?


• How much did you know about the Salem witch trials before you started reading this book? What did you think about Abigail's requirement that Lauren not research anything about the trials while she was transcribing the diary? Why do you think Abigail did that?


• Did Mercy's story's ring true to you? What did you think about its conclusion? Was it satisfying to you on both an intellectual and an emotional level?


• Were you surprised to discover why Abigail had chosen not to marry the man she man she loved? [By the way, I am almost always surprised by such "revelations" - but one book club member said it was quite obvious.] How do their circumstances further illustrate the theme of judgment?


• What similarities and what differences do you see among the three main characters of the novel - Mercy, Abigail, and Lauren?


• Comment on the quality of "Christian fiction." Among things to consider: Are excellence in writing and "cleanliness" mutually exclusive in modern works of fiction? Can a book have a positive moral message without being overly focused on religious practice? Why does much fiction ignore the spiritual or religious lives of people? [By the way, I frequently avoid Christian fiction because my experience has generally been that the writing is not stellar. I'm always pleased to find a novel - such as The Secret Life of Bees - that enhances my spiritual understanding without sacrificing superb writing.]


• Do you love the feelings behind the following passage from the book as much as I do?

  In the beginning, I [Lauren] chalked up [Abigail's] talkative moods to being a retired librarian who missed being around people who loved books. I suppose that was a small part of it. But there were other reasons Abigail pounced on any opportunity to discuss a book we had both read. Dissecting a book was the same as making sense of life. You have to find a way to interpret life, or you'll go nuts. That's her way. It is also mine.

2012.35

What I've Been "Reading" As I Commute

Seven of the last ten books I've read were audiobooks. Unfortunately, my "day job" is cutting deeply into my reading (and blogging) time at present - but at least I can "read" while commuting. Here are three of the books on CD I've finished in the past two months.

Innocent by Scott Turow
Published in 2010 by Hachette Audio.
Audiobook read by Edward Herrmann
and featuring Orlagh Cassidy.

I loved Presumed Innocent when I read it twenty-two years ago. I also loved this sequel, which continues the story of Rusty Sabich and Tommy Molto who are again - twenty-two years later - pitted against each other after the mysterious death of Rusty's wife.

Innocent is more psychological than I remember the original to be but with the same tightly-woven plot that kept me guessing. Listening to this one - about fourteen hours long on twelve CDs - made two weeks' worth of commuting almost fun!

(This book definitely contains adult language and themes.)

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The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
by Aimee Bender
Published in 2010.
Audiobook read by the author.

I quite enjoyed this odd tale of magical realism. The writing is absolutely gorgeous, and the premise is unique. I will be definitely be looking for more from this author.

For the record, I was bothered about a couple of the realistic aspects, such as why no one seemed to have ever heard of a cell phone. I think that for the magical to be "believable," the realism has to be fully real.

2012.26


Ten Miles Past Normal
by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Published in 2011.
Audiobook narrated by Jessica Almasy.

Delightful, even sweet, Ten Miles Past Normal is a wonderful depiction of a fourteen-year-old learning to be herself, striving to "live large" and accepting the fact that she can happily exist at a place "ten miles past normal."

2012.19

Return to Exile by E.J. Patten

Illustrated by John Rocco.
Published in 2011 by Simon & Schuster. 500 pages.

As a participant in the
Return to Exile blog tour,
I received a copy of the book
from the publisher.
Thanks, Simon & Schuster!
First sentence: Phineas T. Pimiscule was not what you'd call an "attractive" man.

Plot summary (from the Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data): On the eve of his twelfth birthday, Sky, who has studied traps, puzzles, science, and the secret lore of the Hunters of Legend, realizes his destiny as a monster hunter.

Why I read this book: When I heard about the "spring re-launch" blog tour of this Fall 2011 publication - written by a Utah author and in my 13-year-old son's favorite genre - I knew I wanted to be part of the fun. I love to support local authors, both in person and on this blog. (Another local author's debut novel will be featured here soon!) Besides, I figured I could coerce my son into writing a review for the post.

What I thought: Return to Exile - while seeming to borrow a few concepts from Harry Potter - is immensely imaginative. There was one strange character who I had a hard time getting my head around - but for the most part I loved the creativity of Patten's world-building. One creature I particularly enjoyed was the giant Gnomon mother Rauschlot. I also appreciated that although the book is likely to be viewed as a "boy book" (a gender-biased concept I despise), the leader of the young monster hunters is female and the main character Sky has a sister who adds some comic relief. The plot of Return to Exile is quick-moving and compelling - which was crucial to my reading enjoyment given the exhaustion I've felt from my "day job" of late - but it is complicated and also quite intense and violent, which makes me think that the book is better for older kids than a "middle grade" label might imply. I look forward to the December release of the sequel The Legend Thief.

From the peanut gallery: A big fan of Brandon Mull, my 13-year-old son is probably the ideal audience for Return to Exile. As expected, he loved it!

In his own words -

Return to Exile was a complicated, hypnotizing book that could not have been more creative. E.J. Patten has obviously spent time and effort on the book. At night, I often role-played in my mind how the rest of the book would turn out, later finding out the next part was so much more mysterious and exciting.

My favorite character is Hands, who was brave, nice, and always full of the adventure-craving spirit. He was always craving danger but was kind and fun to laugh at his and Andrew's lame jokes.

The best monster would be a Shadow Warg. It just sounds so cool, and it's really powerful. It brings a cool image to my mind. It reminds me of a character in a graphic novel I read - mysterious and dark.

My 16-year-old daughter has been very busy studying for her AP exams, so her "fun" reading is on hold. She's eager to read Return to Exile, though, especially because she and I got to meet the author back in March at Writing for Charity.

A note about the illustrations: Caldecott honoree John Rocco of the Percy Jackson series created the cover art and the pictures that start each chapter. I think they are awesome!

For more information: Visit E.J. Patten's blog "Patten Pending" here. Visit John Rocco's website here. The blog tour calendar is here, with links to all the participant's posts; I particularly enjoyed Suey's "Authors Pick Five", the passages quoted by Booklogged, and Diana's post, which asks the probing question, "What's up with the goulash?" (Be forewarned: Diana includes a couple of spoilers.)

To share in the joy of a good book: An autographed copy of Return to Exile is available for an interested reader! I will randomly select one lucky person from among those that leave a comment on this post by Friday, June 1. For an additional chance, "like" the book's Facebook page here (and let me know you did so in your comment).

2012.27

A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel

Subtitled Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana. Originally published in 2001. Audiobook read by the author.

More a collection of personal essays than a cohesive memoir, A Girl Named Zippy provided me with a week's worth of pleasurable commuting time. Laugh-out-loud funny at times, it also has some tender moments. I especially enjoyed Zippy talking about her relationship with her father and about her mother's faith.

I don't think I would have picked Zippy up on my own - but that's the beauty of participating in a book club. I look forward to discussing it over Thai food later this month. Maybe we'll look at some of the questions in the Reading Group Guide.

2012.25

Coming Soon!

Due to a late book shipment, I'll be a trailing participant in the blog tour for E.J. Patten's Return to Exile on May 11. Be watching for reviews from not only me but also my teens! Our tour stop will also include an autographed copy giveaway! In the meantime, why don't you check out some of the other tour stops? The tour calendar is here. You could also "like" the Facebook page here.

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

Subtitled A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are.
Published in 2010 by Zondervan. 237 pages.

"He hath filled the hungry with good things" (Luke 1:53).

Last fall when a new-comer to my long-time book club suggested that we read Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts this year, I knew nothing about the book. I knew nothing about Voskamp's popular blog. I had no reason to support that suggestion other than an attraction to the idea of learning to be more grateful in my daily life.

One Thousand Gifts ended up being our read for January, and I fell in love with this life-changing book!

Just for balance, before I rave some more, I'll say that most of the group did not love the book. Several of them found the poetic, not-necessarily-grammatical nature of Voskamp's writing to be distracting, even annoying, and they didn't read far into the book. I will admit that Voskamp's writing style is far removed from my own - but it didn't take me long to come to embrace her beautiful words. One group member chose to not read the book at all, with the assertion that she already knew how to keep a gratitude journal. It is true that the basic concept of creating a list of things for which one is grateful is nothing new. This book, however, is so much more than that!

Because all of the members of the book club are Christian, though with different church affiliations and levels of activity, I don't think that the book's religiosity was a deterrent to their enjoyment of the book - but so as not to misinform any potential readers, I will mention that Voskamp's premise is solidly based on Christian theology, and she references the Bible frequently.

For me, reading One Thousand Gifts was the perfect way to begin the year 2012. I found the book insightful and meaningful, and I learned a lot about myself as I read Voskamp's thoughts. The title alone was an impetus to my choice of Fullness as my "one little word" for the year. (For more information about the "one little word" concept, see Ali Edwards' blog posts here.) As I read I learned more about what "fullness" can mean for me, and I felt immersed in the abundance of God's grace. I enjoy books for many reasons, but much of my reading is for "fun." A lot of it is escapist, taking me to other worlds just for the experience. The books I really love, though - fiction or nonfiction - change me somehow, allowing me to see myself or the world in which I live in a new way. One Thousand Gifts is such a book.

On the surface, I don't have much in common with Ann Voskamp. I'm an accountant who works in a downtown office building. She's a farmer's wife, attached to the land in ways I doubt I'll ever understand. She homeschools her six children. I have half as many kids, and I'm a big advocate of the public education system. I have a master's degree. She never finished university. Nonetheless, I feel a connection to Ann Voskamp, as we both strive to walk a grace-filled life.

By the way, I bought One Thousand Gifts for my Kindle, which allowed me to easily mark some the passages that I loved most. Here are just three:

Thanksgiving creates abundance; and the miracle of multiplying happens when I give thanks - take the just one loaf, say it is enough, and give thanks - and He miraculously makes it more than enough.

When we find ourselves groping along, famished for more, we can choose. When we are despairing, we can choose to live as Israelites gathering manna. For forty long years, God's people daily eat manna - a substance whose name literally means "What is it?" Hungry, they choose to gather up that which is baffling. They fill on that which has no meaning. More than 14,600 days they take their daily nourishment from that which they don't comprehend. They find soul-filling in the inexplicable. They eat the mystery. They eat the mystery. And the mystery, that which made no sense, is "like wafers of honey" on the lips.

Count blessings and discover Who can be counted on. ... Is that why the Israelites kept recounting their past - to trust God for their future? Remembering is an act of thanksgiving, a way of thanksgiving, this turn of the heart over time's shoulder to see all the long way His arms have carried.

I suspect I will be thinking about Ann Voskamp's ideas for a long time. Just today I discovered a 19-page readers' guide on her website. I think I'll use that guide as I re-read One Thousand Gifts in the coming months, seeking to more fully live it.

2012.4

After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick

Published in 2010 by Scholastic Inc.
Audiobook performed by Nick Podehl.


After Ever After is the fabulous sequel to Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie (which I read in 2010). There are some great life lessons here, maybe especially for young teens but actually for everyone. As the back cover says, "After Ever After is a real, tender, hopeful, and funny story about what happens when you stop surviving and start living again."

I was thrilled that I was able to convince my 12-year-old son to read both books. He's usually more excited about fantasy than he is about realistic fiction, but he ended up loving these! I think he could really relate to both eighth-grade protagonists - Steven in Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie and his little brother Jeffrey in After Ever After. (That parallelism was very fun for me too.)

I "read" this via audiobook. It has four discs, running 4 hours and 37 minutes. The narrator was fantastic!

After Ever After is a nominee for the 2012 Beehive awards, sponsored by the Children's Literature Association of Utah.

2012.7