The Duggars: 20 and Counting!: Raising One of America's Largest Families-How They Do It
By: Michelle & Jim Bob Duggar
Published: 2008
# of pages: 240





Official Description: 

This practical, positive book reveals the many parenting strategies that Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar use as they preside over America’s best-known mega-family. Each time a new baby arrives, the press from around the world clamors for interviews and information. Visitors are amazed to find seventeen (baby number eighteen is due January 1, 2009) well-groomed, well-behaved, well-schooled children in a home that focuses on family, financial responsibility, fun—and must importantly, faith.Readers will learn about the Duggars’ marriage—how they communicate effectively, make family decisions, and find quality time alone. They’ll discover how the Duggars manage to educate all their children at home, while providing experiences that go beyond the family walls, through vacations and educational trips. And they’ll see how the Duggar family manages their finances and lives debt-free—even when they built their own 7,000-square-foot house.Answering the oft asked question—How can I do with one or two children what you do with seventeen(soon to be eighteen)?—Jim Bob and Michelle reveal how they create a warm and welcoming home filled with what Michelle calls “serene chaos.” They show how other parents can succeed whether they’re rearing a single child or several. With spiritual insights, experience-based wisdom,  practical tips, and plenty of humorous and tender anecdotes, the Duggars answer the questions that pour into the family’s Web site on a daily basis—especially after every national media interview and TV appearance—including their segments on the Discovery Health Channel’s “Meet the Duggars” series.

My opinion:  I started reading this book out of idle curiosity, not expecting to learn anything from it or even finish it.

Boy, was I wrong! This book was the answer to several prayers. From feeling insecure about new ministry responsibilities to parenting issues to what to do with some extra space in our house, this book has given me answers and peace.


The overall tone is very encouraging.  I expected to feel inadequate and guilty while reading this, like I often do when hearing about "perfect" families.   But although the Duggars have qualities and ways of doing things that I'd like to emulate, I feel encouraged and motivated.  This books makes it obvious that the Duggars aren't all that different from me.  They worked hard for what they have and were blessed in the process.  For some reason I thought they had always been where they're at now.  


I really believe that non-Christians will also find this book interesting and encouraging.  While the Duggars do share their faith in the book and talk about it throughout, it isn't pushy or really detailed.  


I just want to add, when I say I want to emulate the Duggars in some aspects of their lives, I do NOT mean that I will be having 19 kids!  I understand why they do, but do not at all feel convicted to do the same.



Why I gave this book 5/5 stars: An answer to prayers, easy to read, helpful and practical advice throughout, very uplifting and motivating.

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Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey
By: The Countess of Carnarvon
Published: 2011
# of pages: 292

Official description: Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey tells the story behind Highclere Castle, the real-life inspiration for the hit PBS show Downton Abbey, and the life of one of its most famous inhabitants, Lady Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon and the basis of the fictional character Lady Cora Crawley.  Drawing on a rich store of materials from the archives of Highclere Castle, including diaries, letters, and photographs, the current Lady Carnarvon has written a transporting story of this fabled home on the brink of war. Much like her Masterpiece Classic counterpart, Lady Almina was the daughter of a wealthy industrialist, Alfred de Rothschild, who married his daughter off at a young age, her dowry serving as the crucial link in the effort to preserve the Earl of Carnarvon's ancestral home.  Throwing open the doors of Highclere Castle to tend to the wounded of World War I, Lady Almina distinguished herself as a brave and remarkable woman. This rich tale contrasts the splendor of Edwardian life in a great house against the backdrop of the First World War and offers an inspiring and revealing picture of the woman at the center of the history of Highclere Castle.

My opinion:  I saw this book at a small bookstore I visited in a town near Chicago.  I was intrigued since I had just started watching the series "Downton Abbey" on Netflix.  I had heard a lot about it for months and when I finally started watching it I fell in love!!  So this book caught my eye and I checked it out at the library when I came home.

I started reading it while reading a novel and it was hard for me to get into.  I figured it was just a boring history book and put it on the back burner.  But after a couple of weeks it was the only book I had left so I gave it my full attention.

Like I said, it took awhile, but I ended up really enjoying it!  It's not how I thought it would be, more of a day to day "story" of the family and servants.  For some reason I expected it to be more like the TV series, just with real historical figures.  But it's more like a history book and covers an extensive time period.  However, the Carnarvons' lives were filled with drama.  The entire family was involved in WWI and then Lord Carnarvon and Almina were involved in Egyptology, especially the discovering of "King Tut's" tomb along with Howard Carter.  I used to love reading about ancient Egypt and the discoveries of the Valley of the Kings.  It's neat to think that I once read about Carnarvon, but don't remember his name (instead Howard Carter's stuck in my memory).

It's kind of odd to think about this being the inspiration for "Downton Abbey."  I don't really get it.  Besides the fact that Lord Carnarvon married Almina for her money to save Highclere just like the Earl marries Cora for her money to save Downton, there doesn't seem to be much of a connection.  Of course, I haven't watched Season 2 yet...which I gather takes place during WWI.

I recommend this book to lovers of history and those who want to read an overview of WWI.  I think this would be an interesting way for high schoolers to learn about the time period.

Why I gave this book 4/5 stars:  Interesting record of historical events, especially WWI and the discovery of "King Tut."  Sometimes frustrating when it discovered people that were unrelated to the Carnarvons or their stories.  


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One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd
By: Jim Fergus
Published: 1998
# of pages: 320

Official description: One Thousand White Women is the story of May Dodd and a colorful assembly of pioneer women who, under the auspices of the U.S. government, travel to the western prairies in 1875 to intermarry among the Cheyenne Indians. The covert and controversial "Brides for Indians" program, launched by the administration of Ulysses S. Grant, is intended to help assimilate the Indians into the white man's world. Toward that end May and her friends embark upon the adventure of their lifetime. Jim Fergus has so vividly depicted the American West that it is as if these diaries are a capsule in time.

My opinion:  I liked that the author re-wrote history (with an explanation at the beginning).  The "historic event" he chooses is original and interesting.  If only someone else could take the same idea and write a better novel!  I didn't like the main character, May Dodd, at all.  She was hard to relate to, but also didn't seem realistic at all.  It felt like she was a modern day woman, an unfeminine modern day woman, put back in the 1800s.  I'm sure there were liberal, unconventional women in 1875, but not like May Dodd was in this novel.  I can't imagine even a modern day woman reacting the way May reacts when placed in a completely different environment, culture, and people group who don't speak the same language.  She wasn't a realistic woman, and that's what the book is about.  The physical and mental journey of white women whose lives are turned upside down.

She blasts everyone whose viewpoint isn't like her own.  That also includes Christians and I felt like Fergus realized he'd been too harsh and then included a Christian character that May likes at the end.  The reader doesn't get to know that character well, so it was odd when he seemed to be an important character at the very end.  Once again, I just felt like it was an obvious way for Fergus to pacify anyone he may have offended.

Most of all, I felt that it would have been better if there had been a different ending.  Since Fergus was rewriting history, couldn't he have rewritten history?  I think that would have been really neat.


Why I gave this book 2/5 stars:  Original story, interesting (and hopefully accurate!) facts about the Cheyenne history and culture in the late 1800s, unbelievable main character, too many unrealistic viewpoints for that period of history.

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Secrets of Eden
By: Chris Bohjalian

Published: 2010

# of pages: 362

Official description: From the bestselling author of The Double Bind, Midwives, andSkeletons at the Feast comes a novel of shattered faith, intimate secrets, and the delicate nature of sacrifice.
"There," says Alice Hayward to Reverend Stephen Drew, just after her baptism, and just before going home to the husband who will kill her that evening and then shoot himself. Drew, tortured by the cryptic finality of that short utterance, feels his faith in God slipping away and is saved from despair only by a meeting with Heather Laurent, the author of wildly successful, inspirational books about . . . angels. 
Heather survived a childhood that culminated in her own parents' murder-suicide, so she identifies deeply with Alice’s daughter, Katie, offering herself as a mentor to the girl and a shoulder for Stephen – who flees the pulpit to be with Heather and see if there is anything to be salvaged from the spiritual wreckage around him.But then the State's Attorney begins to suspect that Alice's husband may not have killed himself. . .and finds out that Alice had secrets only her minister knew.
Secrets of Eden is both a haunting literary thriller and a deeply evocative testament to the inner complexities that mark all of our lives.  Once again Chris Bohjalian has given us a riveting page-turner in which nothing is precisely what it seems.  As one character remarks, “Believe no one.  Trust no one.  Assume all of our stories are suspect.”

My opinion:  Didn't like it very much.  It was depressing with all of the domestic violence and disfunctional characters.  The whole angel thing was weird and didn't really fit with the main story line.  I liked the plot twist at the very end (the last few pages!), but I wish the rest of the book had been less disjointed and the characters easier to relate to.

Why I gave this book 2/5 stars:  Depressing, graphic violence descriptions, weird characters that were hard to relate to, a whole theme in the book that wasn't really developed and didn't go with the rest of the book.

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The Night Strangers
By: Chris Bohjalian
Published: 2011
# of pages: 375

Official description: From the bestselling author of The Double Bind, Skeletons at the Feast, and Secrets of Eden, comes a riveting and dramatic ghost story. In a dusty corner of a basement in a rambling Victorian house in northern New Hampshire, a door has long been sealed shut with 39 six-inch-long carriage bolts.             The home's new owners are Chip and Emily Linton and their twin ten-year-old daughters. Together they hope to rebuild their lives there after Chip, an airline pilot, has to ditch his 70-seat regional jet in Lake Champlain after double engine failure. Unlike the Miracle on the Hudson, however, most of the passengers aboard Flight 1611 die on impact or drown. The body count? Thirty-nine – a coincidence not lost on Chip when he discovers the number of bolts in that basement door. Meanwhile, Emily finds herself wondering about the women in this sparsely populated White Mountain village – self-proclaimed herbalists – and their interest in her fifth-grade daughters. Are the women mad? Or is it her husband, in the wake of the tragedy, whose grip on sanity has become desperately tenuous?   
The result is a poignant and powerful ghost story with all the hallmarks readers have come to expect from bestselling novelist Chris Bohjalian: a palpable sense of place, an unerring sense of the demons that drive us, and characters we care about deeply. 
The difference this time? Some of those characters are dead.

My opinion: First of all, why is the book called The Night Strangers?  The title doesn't match the story at all.  Secondly, this is an intense, but not too scary, book!  I enjoyed reading it because it kept my attention, made me wonder and think about what was going on, and creeped me out without really scaring me.  I thought the blend of story lines was unique and while I was wondering if they would collide in a messy heap, I was pleasantly surprised when it all came together at the end.  I particularly liked the ending because it was unexpected and original.

I didn't connect with any of the characters and found myself frustrated with the character of Emily throughout the book.  Her husband is going through PTSD and depression, but she isn't very supportive or involved in his life.  And when things start getting weird, she doesn't question it until it's too late.

I can imagine this book being made into a movie.  It wasn't in depth enough (as far as the characters) for me to really like, but it was entertaining.  I recommend it to fans of horror, suspense, and paranormal fiction.  It has one brief sex scene and some language, but nothing overwhelming.  There's also a theme of witchcraft throughout the book.

I have to mention: I really liked another of Bohjalian's books called Midwives.  Excellent writing on an issue that is so controversial (at least where I live!).  It's also just a good story.

Why I gave this book 3/5 stars:  Interesting, easy read, unique story line, characters not easy to relate to, story line not engrossing enough to keep me completely hooked.

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Neverwhere


By: Neil Gaiman

Challenge:  Once Upon a Time

Published: 1996

# of pages: 370

Quote: "The marquis had told them where to wait, and then he had slipped away. From somewhere, Richard heard a baby begin to cry. The marquis slipped out of an exit-only door and walked toward them. He was chewing on a piece of candy."

Official description:When Richard Mayhew stops one day to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London pavement, his life is forever altered, for he finds himself propelled into an alternative reality that exists in a subterranean labyrinth of sewer canals and abandoned subway stations. He has fallen through the cracks of reality and has landed somewhere different, somewhere that is Neverwhere.

My opinion:  It took a little while, but I ended up loving this book!  It's hard to explain why, but I loved the writing, the setting, and the characters.  It was full of adventure, but wasn't confusing or lacking in other departments.  There was a feeling of camaraderie between the characters that really drew me in.  It's a unique quest plot.  There's humor, but also danger, sadness, loyalty, betrayal, and violence.

It's hard to pick a favorite character.  Door is one of the main characters and she is a little harder to get to know.  But she's strong and has so many loyal friends who want to help her.  Richard is great, he behaves just as you'd expect and I love the parts he plays in Door's quest.  And the marquis is a fascinating character.  He's my favorite type of character....not all good, but not all bad.  Hard to figure out.

I recommend this book to fans of Gaiman, fans of dark fantasy or urban fantasy, and readers who are interested in reading a unique take on a quest plot.

Why I gave this book 5/5 stars: Great descriptions, likable characters, humorous, unique twist on traditional plot

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11/22/63


By: Stephen King

Published: 2011

# of pages:  849

Official description:On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed forever.
If you had the chance to change the course of history, would you?Would the consequences be worth it?
Jake Epping is a thirty-five-year-old high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching adults in the GED program. He receives an essay from one of the students—a gruesome, harrowing first person story about the night 50 years ago when Harry Dunning’s father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a hammer. Harry escaped with a smashed leg, as evidenced by his crooked walk.
Not much later, Jake’s friend Al, who runs the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to 1958. He enlists Jake on an insane—and insanely possible—mission to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination. So begins Jake’s new life as George Amberson and his new world of Elvis and JFK, of big American cars and sock hops, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake’s life—a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time.

My opinion:  I have to rave for a second -- I love this book!!  Why did I love it?  I love the LOVE STORY.  I was surprised to find that in this book.  I expected it to be more like the other novels by King I've read, which are less personal.  What struck me most about the romance was how real it was.  It was beautiful and pure without being mushy.  I was trying to describe it to my husband.  I said, "If I told you specific things about the romance, it would sound hokey.  But that's the reason I liked it so much, it wasn't hokey."

And I love the setting in the late 50s/early 60s.  It was neat to read about life back then from the point of view of someone traveling there from 2011.  My favorite parts was when Jake described the food and drink.  It's neat to think about the fact that the food did taste better back then because most of it wasn't processed and filled with chemicals.  I was also amused at the descriptions of how predominant smoking was back then.  I can tell King is not a fan of smoking, which is great!  I think smokers reading the story will feel a little bad and hopefully rethink the habit for health reasons and to spare other people having to suffer the grossness.

There was a small part of the novel that referenced King's book, It.  I have never read It, but kinda sorta knew the basic plot and so recognized when the reference became a little more obvious (he talks about some characters from It).  I could tell the characters were significant when they were mentioned in 11/22/63.  I don't know if any of his other novels were referenced since I have only read Cell and Under the Dome before.

There was only one thing I didn't quite like, but it was minor compared to the novel as a whole.  I recommend this to lovers of sci-fi/time travel, fans of King, fans of historical fiction, and anyone who enjoys well written, detailed books. There is some bad language, but it's not overwhelming or used casually.

Why I gave this book 5/5 stars:  Well-written, detailed, touching love story, likeable characters.

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The Snow Child


By: Eowyn Ivey

Challenge: Once Upon a Time

Published:  2012

# of pages:  386

Quote:  "Cradling a swaddled infant in their arms, mothers would distractedly touch their lips to their babies' foreheads.  Passing their toddlers in a hall, mothers would tousle their hair or even sweep them up in their arms and kiss them hard along their chins and necks until the children squealed with glee.  Where else in life, Mabel wondered, could a woman love so openly and with such abandon?"  -pg. 328

Official description: Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart--he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone--but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees. This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them.

My opinion:  I loved this book!  I can't explain all the reasons why without spoilers, but I can say that the writing is beautiful.  The characters are well developed and relatable.  I loved the transitions in the book...how we are right there with Jack and Mabel as their lives change.  I also felt like the novel was full of mystery.  I kept imagining what would happen next and coming up with theories, but was always surprised.

I think this book encompasses several genres.  It's a retelling of a fairy tale, but also magical realism and historical fiction.

I'd love to see this book made into a movie someday.  I wanted to be there.  The descriptions drew me in, they are just beautiful.

It was hard to read at times.  The subject of infertility and stillbirth is hard for any mother to read about, I'm sure.  I know it will be even harder for those who have been through those situations.  But it's such a beautiful love story at the same time.


Why I gave this book 5/5 stars: Well written, unique story, beautiful descriptions.

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Rule #1: Have fun.

Rule #2: HAVE FUN.

Rule #3: Don’t keep the fun to yourself, share it with us, please!

Rule #4: Do not be put off by the word “challenge”.

Read at least 5 books that fit somewhere within the Once Upon a Time categories. They might all be fantasy, or folklore, or fairy tales, or mythology…or your five books might be a combination from the four genres.


1. Enchantment  by: Orson Scott Card - Folklore/Mythology/Fantasy
2. Cinder  by: Marissa Meyer (Lunar Chronicles, Book 1) - Fairy tale
3. Torn  by: Amanda Hocking (Trylle Trilogy, Book 2) - Fantasy
4. Neverwhere  by: Neil Gaiman - Fantasy
5. The Snow Child  by: Eowyn Ivey - Fairy tale


COMPLETED! MAY 24, 2012

Cinder


By: Marissa Meyer

Challenge:  Once Upon a Time

Series: Lunar Chronicles

Published: 2012

# of pages: 387

Official description:Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. 

My opinion:  Loved it!  It's such a unique setting and an awesome re-telling of the story of Cinderella.  I liked the character of Cinder and found her easy to relate to although she is young and a little immature.  I also like how Prince Kai is drawn to her although she never looks "beautiful" in the world's eyes.  Sure, one of the "plot twists" was predictable, but it wasn't annoying and didn't ruin the book for me.  I loved finding some of the objects in the fairy tale version in the novel.  I thought it was very well written!


Why I gave this book 5/5 stars:  Unique setting and way of telling a classic fairy tale, interesting plot and characters, a book I was really drawn into (thought about it during the day and imagined myself in the story).


Other reviews:
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Royal Reviews
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