Allie

Well in case you haven’t noticed, I haven’t posted anything since my verdict on the Twilight Saga. That’s because I haven’t read anything other than articles on digital imaging since I read the Twilight Saga. My class on digital imaging is absolutely not one of my favorite things, so I won’t mention it again! But between it and getting ready for the arrival of the Dukeling (now only a month or so away!), I haven’t had many opportunities to read for pleasure. Normally, I don’t read non-fiction if I can help it, so this is definitely a notable occasion.

Greg and I are fans of Craig Ferguson. I really can’t explain why. He’s got a dirty mind and a filthy mouth and he certainly does not share many of our beliefs and values, but he has at least two things going for him: he’s brilliant and he’s Scottish. I’m not sure how funny he really is, but things just seem to sound funnier with a Scottish accent. We started watching his show because we watched Dave (I liked him at the time, but I’m over him now) and sometimes we would just leave the TV on and stay up too late. During the most recent election, shortly after he had become a naturalized citizen, Craig delivered a few passionate monologues on patriotism and voting that really won me over. Then he started playing with puppets, and I was hooked. So now we DVR his show every night and usually watch it the next night instead of Dave.

Greg checked out American on Purpose, Craig’s autobiography, from the library. After he finished it, he handed it to me and told me that it was a fast read and that I’d enjoy it. I did. I did not enjoy some of the language – Craig is particularly fond of the f-word – but I was fascinated by the story and by the fact that this dude who left school at sixteen is as brilliant a writer as he is a comedian and late night host. Of course, he does read extensively, and I always say that avid readers are generally not stupid.

Greg was right: this book is a fast read. I’m not sure whether it’s entirely true and accurate, but it is certainly an interesting story. I suppose it’s a fairly typical Hollywood story – alcohol, drugs, women, failures and successes – but he tells it in a witty, cynical style that is easy to get caught up in. His story of coming from a lower class Scottish family to achieving fame and fortune in America, while working through all kinds of sordid stuff, is pretty interesting. But woven through it all is this philosophy, this idea that America really is the greatest country in the world, and that ultimately his life is about becoming a part of this country. Craig Ferguson may be an unlikely patriot, but he somehow manages to be an inspiring one.

Yes, it’s true.  I must confess that I actually checked out and read all four of the Twilight books.  Now, you might ask (as I sometimes ask myself): “Why would someone who refuses to read or see anything involving vampires, feels sick at the mention of blood, and is annoyed by teenage love stories read the Twilight books?” It’s a good question.  So why did I?  Peer pressure.  I caved.  So many people I know were talking about the books and the movies, and I wanted to have an informed part of the conversation.  So I read them.  And the first thing I have to say after reading them is that I do not want to kill myself, wash my brain out with soap, or wish I had found some better way to waste my time.  Because these books are actually good.  Anyone who finds my reviews boring can stop reading now. If you’d like to know more, please feel free to continue. 🙂

The first book, Twilight, is a teenage love story with a twist: Boy meets girl, boy saves girl’s life, they fall in love.  The twist, of course, is that while the girl (Bella) is a fairly ordinary human, the boy (Edward) is a vampire.  Oh no!  Have I said too much?  Honestly, if you don’t know that, you need to get out more.  So Twilight continues and introduces Bella’s family and friends and the Cullen family of “vegetarian” vampires who feed on animals instead of humans.  Bella’s presence in a group of vampires, even if they are “good” vampires, leads to some fairly predictable conflicts, as well as some not-so-predictable ones.  There is some humor, exciting action, and great character development.  Despite all the teenage angst and the melodramatic love story, I decided the first book wasn’t so bad, so I went on to the next: New Moon.

New Moon picks up right where Twilight picks off, and just as I was beginning to dread a whole book filled with, “Oh Edward, I love you so much, why can’t I be a vampire too?” things took a very interesting and unexpected turn.  Heart-broken and half-crazed Bella now turns to her friend Jacob Black, who helps her repair a motorcycle.  They develop a very close friendship and just as Bella is beginning to hope that she might begin to enjoy life again, Jacob starts acting very strange.  It’s only a matter of time before Bella discovers that Jake isn’t totally human either, and that his family are the mortal enemies of Edward’s family.  Before she can work out all of those difficulties, she’s off to Italy to try to save Edward from certain death at the hands of the Volturi, the powerful “ruling family” of the Vampire world.  Things end pretty well, but now there’s this whole Edward-Bella-Jacob thing to have to deal with…on to the third book: Eclipse.

Now we have several conflicts to deal with: Bella’s “best friend” Jacob likes Bella, who loves Edward; vampires vs. werewolves (oops, did I say werewolves…?); and a crazy evil vampire, bent on vengeance, creating a nasty army to come take Bella out.  If you haven’t figured it out, Bella is a sort of magnet for otherworldly, supernatural trouble.  After a whole book full of emotional roller coasters, danger, and action, some conflicts are resolved, while some become even more troublesome and painful.  At this point, it looks like there is no possible way to really resolve everything happily, which is why we have book four: Breaking Dawn.

Breaking Dawn is a LONG book.  It’s actually three books in one: Books one and three are told like the rest of the series, in first-person by Bella, but in book two we get to hear from Jacob.  Each part is essentially its own story, but they all tie together into a very fascinating whole.  That’s my best way to describe this book: absolutely fascinating and, for the most part, totally unexpected.  At the end of book two, I had to put the book down and just say, “Whoa.”  It’s really almost brilliant.  The last part is very good too, but I have to say I was mildly disappointed in the ending.  There is ultimately a final confrontation with the Volturi, in which there is a good chance that pretty much everyone will die, but I won’t spoil that for anyone who hasn’t read them and might possibly do so at some point.  I will just say that Stephenie Meyer did channel enough genius to resolve the conflicts in a way that was both surprising and satisfactory, just that the ending lacked a certain…something.  That’s all.

In my opinion, the best thing about these books was the characters.  They are very well-developed, and almost seem like real people, despite the somewhat fantastic nature of the story.  I think the only exception is Edward.  I understand that the point of his character is to be absolutely perfect, but still, I like my heroes to have some flaws, and Edward simply doesn’t.  Bella and Jacob are both much more “real,” and for me, likable.  Of course, they’re much more human, and Edward isn’t, so maybe that is intentional.  I don’t know.  But it’s my review, and so my opinion stands.  I neither like nor dislike Edward.  Comment if you’d like.

The other great thing about these books is how well the story moves.  Every once in awhile it does get bogged down by its own weight, but for the most part, it’s a good balance of romance, action, normal stuff, and even some humor.  In the meantime, we really get to know and understand the characters so that we actually care about what happens to them.  I was even able to get past my aversion for blood and vampires and enjoy the story, although I did have at least one fairly disturbing nightmare during the course of reading the series, and I seriously doubt I’ll have anything to do with vampire-related material in the future.  I also have to say that I’m not sold on the genre of “paranormal romance,” which is how I would classify these books.  Not really fantasy or horror, and definitely more than just romance, they sort of hover somewhere in between.  Twilight definitely feels more like a straight romance, while Breaking Dawn really seems to enter the world of fantasy, but none of it is totally one or the other.

A few final comments, and then I’ll be done.  First of all, these books are remarkably “clean.”  Considering the fact that they deal primarily with vampires, who are generally portrayed with large amounts of sex and grisly, bloody violence, there is actually very little of either in these books.  More blood than sex, but not terribly graphic.  There are a few scenes in Breaking Dawn that were a little hard for me to handle, but again, I am a total weakling when it comes to any mention of blood.  So if you were curious about those aspects of the story, perhaps I have helped to enlighten you.  Finally, I will say that while these books were good and I enjoyed them, I would not list them among the best I have read, and I’m not likely to ever read them again.  But I do recommend them to anyone who enjoys a good story and can tolerate a lot of romance.  They are worth the read.

I just had the pleasure of being able to enjoy reading one of Georgette Heyer’s Regency Romance novels for the first time.  I don’t get that experience very often, because I’ve read most of Heyer’s books by this point, and read several this year that I didn’t necessarily care for.  Sourcebooks has been putting out beautiful trade paperbacks of Heyer’s works for a few years now, and I got two of them for Christmas: The Grand Sophy, my absolute favorite, and Regency Buck, which I had never read.  Although The Grand Sophy must still remain my favorite for several reasons, Regency Buck is now right up there with Sylvester, Cotillion, and a few other of my “almost favorites.”  If you aren’t a fan of Regencies and don’t want to be yawning by the end of this review, you might want to stop here.  For anyone brave enough or who just doesn’t have enough else to do, feel free to read on. 🙂

Unlike many of Heyer’s Regencies, which set up with a drawing room conversation between a few minor characters or a major and a minor character, Regency Buck launches right into the story.  Mr. Peregrine and Miss Judith Taverner are on their way to London after the fairly recent death of their father has left them wards of the Earl of Worth, who they have never met.  On the way, Perry hears of a prize fight about to take place near the town where they have randomly stopped to rest, and he insists they stay for it.  Judith reluctantly agrees, and they meet several interesting gentlemen during the course of their stay.  One, a very pleasant man who gives up his rooms at the inn for them, turns out to be their cousin, Mr. Bernard Taverner.  The other is a high-handed dandy who seems rather lacking in manners, accosts Judith on the road, and refuses to give his name.  To their dismay, when the Taverners reach London they discover that this insufferable person is none other than their guardian, Lord Worth.  Despite his obvious reluctance to have anything to do with them, as the young Taverners make their place in society, Lord Worth continues to take a high-handed approach with them.  Judith finds herself unable to decide whether she detests his interference or appreciates the security he provides.  Meanwhile, several plots to remove the Taverners from their large fortune – and also possibly their lives – must be dealt with, as well.  The mysterious aspect of the plot is so subtle that the reader is never totally sure whether anything nefarious is actually taking place or who the villain or hero will turn out to be.

This book is set at the very height of the fashionable Regency period, when Beau Brummell actively sets all the fashions, Gentleman Jackson is quite active in his club and in society, Almack’s is at it’s very height of influence, and the Prince Regent’s summer castle at Brighton is the place for high society to spend the warmer months of the year.  Judith and her brother are swept along by all the brilliance and activity that their rank and fortune allows them.  Judith in particular is quite the rage, with her combination of beauty, fortune, and pert opinions.  She is pursued by a number of suitors, including a Royal Duke, but finds much more interesting pursuits for herself in driving a phaeton and becoming a connoisseur of snuff.  Her easy friendship with such society greats as Mr. Brummell and Lord Petersham, not to mention her guardian and protector, Lord Worth, keeps her buffered from some of the censure that some of her unorthodox behavior might otherwise incur.  She is certainly one of the most delightful and fascinating of Heyer’s heroines.

As I mentioned, I enjoyed this book very much.  I think it is an absolute essential read in the genre of Regency Romance.  It defines and describes the period better than any other book I have read, while also presenting an intriguing plot and a very satisfying romance.  Having read An Infamous Army, I was already familiar with most of the characters.  Because Regency Buck actually comes first, a few of the plot twists were ruined for me, but I still found the book hard to put down.  For anyone considering reading Georgette Heyer, it is important to know that most of her books stand alone, but a few have common characters.  They are These Old Shades, Black Sheep, Regency Buck, and An Infamous Army, and they make the most sense if they are read in that order.  I didn’t care for An Infamous Army, which is much more historical than romantic, and contains both an irritating heroine and painstakingly accurate details of the Battle of Waterloo.  Unless that somehow sounds exciting, I would suggest skipping that one altogether.  The other three are quite good, though Regency Buck is the best, and can be read by itself.

This book is a treasure. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers is one of those rare books that absolutely every adult should read. If you haven’t read it, do it! Even if you happen to be a guy! Yes, it is a novel, and it is a romance novel, and actually, it’s a Christian romance novel, which might make some of you groan and gag, but no matter. You have got to read this book. It is really so much more than a novel. It’s an allegory, a retelling of an ancient story, and a revealing glimpse of humanity at its best and worst. It will rip your heart out, break it into pieces, and then very slowly put it back together, whole and new full of hope and promise. All that from one book? Yes. You just have to read it.

Set in the California Gold Rush, the book first introduces Angel, an incredibly beautiful girl with an unspeakably horrible past, a miserable present, and a hopeless future. We then meet Michael Hosea, a godly, wholesome farmer whose peaceful life is interrupted when God tells him to marry a prostitute. The complicated, heartrending, beautiful story of their relationship fills the book. Every character in the book fills an important role: Michael, the forgiving husband who loves his wife no matter what; Angel, the tortured soul who runs from love, refuses hope, and yet longs for peace throughout the story; Paul, the antagonist, who allows his bitterness to wreak destruction in the lives around him; the Altmans, who bring a picture of the “perfect” family in contrast to Michael and Angel’s struggle; and even Duke, so great an instrument of the Enemy that sometimes the two are indistinguishable. Yet despite the symbolism and allegory of the story, still the characters seem real, with real emotions, real failures, and real victories. Although I could never imagine the kind of life Angel lived, still I could feel her struggle, her futility, and the belief that everything that had ever happened to her was somehow her fault, that she had been to blame from the moment of her birth. Yet just as real as all that is the steadfast love of her husband, wooing her with a picture of the deeper, greater love that God had in store for her.

Reading this again, years after the first time, I did notice that there are a few lines that are a little cheesy, a couple of cliche’s, and a little more sappy sweetness than I had noticed before. It’s not flawless writing, but it’s still excellent and powerful, and definitely a cut above what you often get with Christian fiction. Also, it is a little more “racy” than Christian fiction usually is, although some writers have gotten a little edgier in recent years. Anyway, I wouldn’t recommend it to younger readers, but for older teens and adults, I definitely think it’s a must-read!