Book 16, Blog 2

This story is incredibly enjoyable! Both hilarious and touching, it compels me to experience Elner's world as well as to reflect on the joyful and important things in my own sphere of influence. One passage in which a character reflects on her appreciation of sunrise and sunset (thanks to Elner) touched my heart and made me remember someone who had a similar impact on my life.

I have been moved to tears more than once, but not out of sorrow. Rather, I am touched at the happiness and joy of reflecting on a life well spent.

That having been said, I do have a few issues with Elner's encounter with "god". While it is a lovely concept that the afterlife would be a familiar place (an old friend's home) with familiar faces ("god" takes on the image of people Elner knew in life), there is a lot of politically correct pandering in these moments of the god interview.

It's fiction...I get it. However, I have a hard time when writers take artistic liberties with people, places, beings, etc. that are very real (in my humble yet accurate opinion). I can read her account of an encounter with god and smile at it, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Yet another attempt at relativism and the general laid-back approach to Truth.

I still like this book. I am only suggesting that I would like it more if we were left with less about Elner's afterlife experience and more of the reflections her friends and family have on her life. In my opinion, stories written in this way are done so in an attempt to make us all feel better about getting older and facing our own mortality. I don't want to be made to feel better about myself - I want to be told the Truth. That's Truth - as in Absolute Truth, not relative truth.

And what is the Truth? Well, it boils down to Grace and Mercy...not doom and gloom. It is full of love and peace and leaves no room for hatred, bigotry and any other form of sin. Forgiveness - it is divine. Heaven is real. God is real. But the Truth does make people uncomfortable, especially when it shows us (all of us...myself included) where we fall short...extremely short; and the repercussions of that. But just because I'm uncomfortable or even offended by the Truth doesn't make it any less true.

I only hope that anyone reading this blog sees my heart and doesn't misunderstand what I am saying. The ideas that Fannie Flagg puts forth in Elner's encounter with god are, for the most part - loving and hopeful. But if you're looking to this encounter to prepare you to meet god someday...just remember...it's fiction.

Fannie Flagg's Can't Wait to Get to Heaven

While I've always been a big fan of the film Fried Green Tomatoes and a die-hard Southern girl, I must admit that I have never read a book by Fannie Flagg. Thanks to my dear friend, Tina Turley, that is changing! She gifted me with a copy of Flagg's Can't Wait to Get to Heaven and I decided it would be my next read.

The first chapter immediately captivated my attention with the saucy Southerner, Elner Shimfissle - a character that already reminds me of several friends and family members. For non-Southerners...YES! We're really like this!

I can tell that this is going to be a fun read with lots of laughs. Thank you, Tina for the book!

Chris Cleave's Little Bee - Final Blog

This book is a must-read. Cleave seamlessly creates a world of beautiful people and extraordinary events - all based in reality with poignant clarity and soul. The story unfolds as the lives of two characters - Little Bee and Sarah collide and intertwine, painfully, humorously, redemptively.

I don't want to say much more, for fear of ruining any of the experience for any potential readers out there. The story is enthralling; you will find yourself finishing the book before you've realized how deeply the characters have affected your own life. There is such truth in these characters and their situations, you cannot look away from it.

I am not even sure how to classify this book, other than to say, "read it. Now." You will not soon forget the characters - any of them. Cleave's writing has captivated me and I will be reading more of his work soon.

Book 15, Blog 1

My next read is Chris Cleave's Little Bee. I was enjoying a nice stroll through Barnes & Noble, checking out the paperback books on the "buy 2, get 1 free" display. And yes, I judge books by their covers...and their back covers.

So what made me pick up Little Bee? The first two sentences of the back cover read, "We don't want to tell you what happens in this book. It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it."

This book presents me with a challenge - to blog about it as I read without ruining the "magic...[of] how the story unfolds".

Two chapters in, and I'm already experiencing some greatly appreciated "shock" - it's not what I expected...but I like it. So far, so good!

Book 8, FINAL Blog...Finally

I have finished James Fenimore Cooper's epic tale, The Last of the Mohicans. While it did take me several weeks...make that months to get into and out of this book, I am glad to say that I completed the read. The further I got, the better it got, to where the final few chapters were compelling me to spend late nights with my book light.
So why was it so hard to get into? Well, the language is tough. It was not the use of words unfamiliar to me, but rather word order and phrasing that didn't come naturally. Additionally, each character had a minimum of two names..."Magua" was also "le renard subtile" and was also referred to as "Huron" and "chief" at various stages. The "scout" was "Natty Bumpo", "Nathaniel", "La longue carabine", "Hawkeye", etc. etc. I couldn't keep the characters straight, much less the various names for the native tribes. Perhaps I didn't try hard enough. Perhaps I need the elementary, picture version.
I do have the film version starring Daniel Day-Lewis. I will be watching it soon. However, having seen parts of it, I know it strays from the story quiet a bit. I think my greatest dislike of this is that in the book, The Scout (Day-Lewis's character) is a godly man who actually presents the Gospel and is a reverent, honest man who appreciates the differences between the "pale faces" and the various tribes. In the movie, Hollywood has created an otherwise non-existent love story between his character and one of the daughters, "Cora". Leave it to the movies to add sex where it isn't to see tickets.
My next read is yet to be determined, as I have been gifted several excellent choices and have also received other great recommendations. Feel free to post comments making suggestions!

Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia

Jumped is a brief - but jam-packed book about three high school girls in NYC; Trina, Dominique and Leticia. The reader sees events of the story from each girl's perspective to get the "full" story.
Basically, Trina loves herself and is extremely confident. We discover that Dominique and Leticia would say - to a fault. Leticia wants to stay out of it, when she sees an exchange between Dominique and her friends that indicates Trina will get "jumped" after school. Trina is oblivious to this threat. Dominique's motives run so much deeper than an annoyance by Trina...but Trina will be the perfect release for Dominique's rage over being benched for her grades and her frustration with her teacher. So, does Leticia "get involved", as the school's theme song encourages her? Or does Trina get completely surprised by Dominique after school? Or does Dominique find another means of release or just change her plans?
I can't tell you that. It will spoil the ending! But I can say that the richness of the build-up is much more fascinating than the moment of truth - 2:45pm. As an adult reading this, I know what I want to happen. However, truth in writing suggests that the author might choose to unfurl events differently than I might expect. I like that. The message of the story presents young adult readers with an opportunity ripe for discussion - "what would you do?"
A great story. A quick read. A wonderful "teachable moment" opportunity.