Cool Beans by Erynn Mangum

Publisher: NavPress (April 1, 2010)
Pages: 304
Stars: 5/5

Everything seems to be going perfectly for Maya Davis: She has a great job at a coffee shop, gets along with her parents, and is happily single. That is until her best friend unknowingly starts dating Maya’s high school sweetheart, her annoyingly perfect brother moves back to town, and her co-worker starts showing interest in her. What is God trying to teach her about life, love, and commiserating over coffee? [Back cover]

I. Love. This. Book.

This is the fourth book I’ve read by Erynn Mangum. I read her other chick-lit trilogy, The Lauren Holbrook series, a couple years back, and I’m STILL in love with it. Cool Beans had the same effect on me that the Lauren Holbrook series did- it got me laughing. I was cackling at something on every other page. If it wasn’t Maya (though it was Maya, most of the time), it was Jack and his annoying parrot. Or Calvin and his quirks. I swear, I even laughed at Mrs. Mitchell. It’s apparent that Erynn has this incredible talent to make anything and everything hilarious. Which is exactly what us girls need sometimes- a different, more hilarious perspective on life. Maya didn’t have it easy. She had difficulties and bouts of depression, I’m sure (I mean, she’s female- let’s be realistic here). But she didn’t curl up in her bed and cry about it. She laughed it off, kept up her cheerful spirit, drank 11 cups of coffee at work, and when she got home at the end of the day, she curled up on the couch with a bowl of ice cream! *As a side note, don’t ever try and consume the amount of sugar or caffeine that Maya consumed…I’m pretty sure it’s life threatening.*

I loved Maya’s quirks (like how she was so addicted to coffee, she would seriously not be able to function properly without it) and her detestation of health food (I can totally relate). We can all learn something from her child-like approach to walking with God. (And I just have to say, even though it was apparent to me that Jack + Maya = heart by page 22, it didn’t bother me that it was obvious how it would turn out. J Some early-on spoilers are just plain ok, especially when we see it coming but the girl doesn’t. If that makes any sense…)

Anyways, to wrap up, Cool Beans was a wonderful read. It’s very light, fun, and puts you in a happy mood. You’ll find yourself giggling- at the dinner table, at school, during church- over something you read, and it’s pretty hard to stop. It’s one of those books that you want to read out of a little each day, just to make your day a little brighter. J I love all of Erynn Mangum’s books, and will read anything she writes! And get this: I don’t even like coffee. This book MADE me want to like coffee. I highly suggest Cool Beans (and its two follow-up, which will be ordered and shipped to me in the near future) to any and all young women who just need a laugh.

Quick Content Review:
Language: None
Sexual: None
Violence: None 

The Help

Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam

Pages: 451

My rating: 5/5 stars

Aibileen is a black maid in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, who's always taken orders quietly, but lately she's unable to hold her bitterness back. Her friend Minny has never held her tongue but now must somehow keep secrets about her employer that leave her speechless. White socialite Skeeter just graduated college. She's full of ambition, but without a husband, she's considered a failure. Together, these seemingly different women join together to write a tell-all book about work as a black maid in the South that could forever alter their destinies and the life of a small town... [Amazon Product Description]

            Wasn’t that the point of the book? For women to realize, “We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I’d thought.

            Author Kathryn Stockett defined the above words as the one line that she “truly prized.” They’re the ultimate summary of The Help. I could end this review right now, if I liked. But I won’t. Because I loved this book and I want to harp on it.

            When you read a truly great book, you know it. It gives you a thrill, an excitement that couldn’t be the result of anything else. The suspense kills you, the characters’ antics make you want to scream, and all you ever think about when you’re not reading it is ways to escape the mundane tasks that are keeping you away from the book. But when you’re done, you have an undeniable impulse to jump up and down and tell every single person you encounter how amazing that book is. It’s downright uncanny. It’s the power of well-written words.

            But The Help didn’t give me that excitement. Don’t get me wrong- it was indeed a truly great book- but it was one of those novels that has a…um, calmer effect on you. It touched me, challenged me, and made me think. It’s one of those books that isn’t thrilling, isn’t suspenseful, isn’t anywhere close to sci-fi (a genre I’m very fond of at the moment). But it is one thing: it’s unforgettable.

             I loved Mrs. Stockett’s writing style. Period. And I’m still stunned that this is her first novel. It’s not only a NY Times bestseller, it’s now a movie that will most definitely win a heaping ton of awards. I loved the amazing characters Mrs. Stockett created. I can’t really say which one was my absolute favorite, only because all three of the MCs (Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter) are all so interesting in their own unique way. Aibileen was old and wise, and I loved her sweet, motherly relationship with Mae Mobley. Minny was fiery, fierce, and feisty. (WHOA! Brownie points for Shelby for some awesome alliteration there! Seriously, I didn’t even plan that.) And I felt like I was one and the same with Skeeter. All three of the MCs made me laugh and cry. Miss Celia was the most hilarious of all the characters, but after everything was uncovered, her story really wasn’t very funny anymore. Hilly just made me angry, but for the sake of those who haven’t read the book yet, I won’t spoil it and tell you why. Let’s just leave it at this: Good job, Mrs. Stockett, on creating a character that was the devil incarnate.

            One of the most interesting things about The Help is that there isn’t any other book like it. I read historical fiction rather extensively, and I’ve never heard of someone writing about the black help in Mississippi in the 1960s. It’s a topic I would love to research more now that I’ve read The Help, and I wish I could read more fiction on it, but I doubt I will be able to find any.  If you know of any, please let me know about it in the comments!

            One more thing I forgot to mention: the ending. WHOA. Wasn’t expecting it to end like that. At all. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that. I sat there snuggled in my bed for a while after I read the last page, wondering why Mrs. Stockett allowed defeat. Wondering why all of it ended so abruptly, so unresolved. But then I realized that it wasn’t defeat. The heroines weren’t lost- things just didn’t turn out like a fairy tale. It wasn’t a COMPLETE happy ending. Reputations were ruined, lives were put at stakes, jobs were ended, tears were shed. But through it all, freedom was born. Freedom to start over. Freedom to do what one wanted to do. Freedom to live.          

            In conclusion, if you haven’t gotten my gist yet, this book is amazing. Unforgettable. Yes, that’s the word for it. Unforgettable. I’m sure it’s story will stick with me much longer than any thrilling sci-fi or fantasy novel will. And that, dear friends, is why YOU must give it a try. J

Quick Content Review:

Violence:

None (Not enough to even worry over- a black maid’s grandson gets attacked and beaten for using a white restroom; he become blind. Minny’s husband, Leroy, beats her for no reason. No description on either of these two instances.)

Sexual: None (Stuart asks Skeeter to go to the coast with him, implying they would stay in the same room, and though Skeeter considers it, she refuses.)

Language: Heavy (There was much unnecessary language in this book. I do realize that it’s not YA, but it was still unnecessary. I tried to keep count of it all, but I lost track after a while. In addition to the list below, God’s name was used 5+ times in various forms.)

G*dd*mn- 10+

H*ll- 2, maybe more?

D*mn- 20+

Sh*t- 5+

Daily Dose #6....Rockin Around the Christmas Tree

I love books. You probably know that already. But it's not just a love for books. It's deeper than that. It's a love for beauty. I love books because I love the way words delicately flow across a page. They take you to another world and keep you there for however long you want. They make you think. They let you dream. They can change your life.

Pictures can do that, too. Whoever said "A picture is worth a thousand words" was a wise person- because it's true! Pictures can tell stories just like books can. They take you places. They let you dream. You can fall in love with them just like you can with books. And that's why I do this meme. To show you some things I find pretty or beautiful or just plain awesome. 

You'll never know what will catch my fancy, but I promise not to post any pictures that are rude or inappropriate, or include quotes that have dirty or filthy language. By the way, I get all my photos from an awesome site called We Heart It (http://weheartit.com/). Go check it out!  

[I found out about this meme from Holly over at Good Golly Miss Holly (http://goodgollymisshollybooks.blogspot.com/). Gabrielle Carolina from the Mod Podge Bookshelf (http://themodpodgebookshelf.blogspot.com/) participates in this meme too. Go check out their book reviews or daily doses!]   

Now, thank you for reading my lengthy epistle. And if you didn’t, I’m going to sic my rabid squirrels on you. Just kidding. Maybe.

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

May the joy of the birth of Christ fill your life each and every day!

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Publisher: Firebird, February 8^th, 2011

Pages: 464

My rating: 5 stars

Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells and corridors, but metal forests, dilapidated cities, and wilderness. It has been sealed for centuries, and only one man has ever escaped. Finn has always been a prisoner here. Although he has no memory of his childhood, he is sure he came from Outside. His link to the Outside, his chance to break free, is Claudia, the warden's daughter, herself determined to escape an arranged marriage. They are up against impossible odds, but one thing looms above all: Incarceron itself is alive… [book description from Amazon]

             First off, there are two things you must know about me:

1) I try not one to judge a book by its cover…it’s a tough thing to conquer, and one must have the utmost self-control when in places like Barnes and Nobles or the library. I’m a work in progress. J

2) I’m not one to start out a review talking about the cover of a book. But this review is going to be an exception to that rule.

I believe that the cover of Incarceron couldn’t be more perfect for the book. It depicts the key, which is the central symbol of the novel. The background, which is an assortment of clogs and other clock-y stuff as well as some dead leaves, represents the mechanical-ness of the Prison, and the dead leaves denote the hopelessness of escape and death that emanates with life in the Prison.  It’s not a pretty cover, but it’s a fascinating and thought-provoking one, and one of the best I’ve seen in a while.

Ok. Enough about the outside- now let’s delve into the inside (“delve” is my new favorite word, by the way, so beware- I might use it excessively in this review. Forgive me in advance).

Incarceron is a dark story, indeed. When I first started it, it seemed almost like a steam-punk novel. I didn’t think it quite was steam-punk, though. It had all the aspects of a steampunk aside from the use of steam. J A very essential aspect for a steampunk, indeed. But what it is is one of those books that sucks you in, and you can feel everything. I felt the heaviness, the taste of the metal in the air inside the Prison. I felt the red eyes watching me, all the time, everywhere. I could feel the darkness envelope me, literally and figuratively, as it did Finn. It’s one of the best written stories I’ve read in a long time. Ms. Fisher did a magnificent job weaving this intricate saga- that’s one of the ways that it’s mind-blowing. I can’t imagine ever dreaming up such a brilliant tale.

One thing I didn’t really like, though, was the switching back and forth from Finn’s account to Claudia’s account. I never like that kind of switching back and forth in books- it confuses me and it’s frustrating. But I understand that it was really the best way to write the book, since Claudia and Finn were in different worlds (I hope that’s not giving away anything- it’s kind of obvious from the beginning though…). Also, the book was kind of lengthy. 464 pages is a pretty long novel. It wasn’t that I got bored with it. It was just that…well, it seemed stretched out. It was beginning to get tiring. But it’s not reason enough to not read the book. I still have a high regard for Incarceron and its creator, the marvelous Catherine Fisher.  

In conclusion, Incarceron was a refresher. I haven’t read a fantasy that great in a long time (though I don’t read a whole lot of fantasy in the first place…but I digress. Again.) I hear that there’s a movie coming out in 2013, and to be honest I’m itching to see it! And me, being ignorant, didn’t know that the sequel to Incarceron, Sapphique, was already out. So now it’s on hold for me at the library, and I’m dying to find out what crazy, impossible, mind-blowing thing happens next for Finn and Claudia.

And I guess you’ll have to wait and read my next review to see if I like Sapphique. J

Quick Content Review:

Profanity: Minor- Mild (Four uses of the b-word)

Violence: Mild- Heavy (More on the mild side, but the heavy rating is just for the one scene with Jormanric (sp?) before Finn and his companions leave for their journey. It was a bit descriptive…and bit of a stomach churner. But aside from that, there were only a couple other very mild scenes…a death of a woman by falling down a ravine and someone else is stabbed. No description.)

Sexual: None- Minor (only a brief comment from Casper about him being ok with Claudia having lovers after their wedding, which is clearly something she wouldn’t do. Some people insinuate that Jared and Claudia have a sexual relationship, but that is entirely not true and the idea disgusts both of them.)

           

Unplanned by Abby Johnson

            This book was thrust upon me by a friend of my mom’s (yeah, strange…). And I want to thank this friend of my mom’s right now. Because I would probably have never read this book if it hadn’t been for her. Why?

1) I had never heard of it…ever.

2) I don’t usually read biographies. Ever. I’m a fiction girl at heart.

3) Well…I don’t have a third reason. But maybe if I had heard of it and liked biographies, I still might not have read it, because abortion isn’t something I love to go reading about. It’s sick and perverted.

But man oh man. This book was GREAT. AMAZING. FANTASTIC. I flew through it (well, I had no choice…I had to fly through it. It was due the next day and it was checked out on my mom’s friend’s card. Yeah, bummer. But I called her and she most graciously allowed me to keep it for a couple more days if I paid the fine (something I don’t suggest you do often, kids). But I digress.

Abby Johnson never knew where her journey with Planned Parenthood would lead her, but she certainly wasn’t expecting it to turn into an eight year career. But that’s what it did. One day she was just a naïve Texas college girl, and the next thing she knew she was director of one of the fastest growing abortion clinics in the country. And she loved it. Until one day.

That one day changed Abby’s life and countless others. It was the day that she actually participated in an abortion herself. She saw the baby in the womb, and she saw it die. And she’ll never forget it. That was the day she switched sides. She crossed the fence.

I’m so psyched about this book that I want to tell you every little detail of it! But that wouldn’t be much of a book review, would it? It would be a…a book spoiler. J I loved the way Abby wrote this book. She didn’t condemn. She didn’t favor one side to another. She had her views, then they changed. But she didn’t shun pro-lifers or pro-choicers. One thing she did do was give us a peek at both sides and what it’s really like on the other side of the fence (by the “fence” I mean the iron barrier that encircles every clinic). She showed us that clinic workers want to help women just like pro-lifers do. They are filled with compassion and love just like we are for these desperate women. They aren’t blood thirsty murders- most clinic works don’t even like the idea of abortion- they abhor it, just like we do. She showed us that most every woman that walks into the door of a clinic is scared, confused, and anxious. They’re in need of a lot of love.

I also loved how Abby used the fence as a symbol of the tension between the two “warring sides.” She made us think of it as a battle ground, as a wall that marked the end of one side and the beginning of the other. It separated the two groups, the abortionists (I don’t like calling them that, but I have to for lack of a better word…bear with me) and the pro-lifers. It was meant to keep people out, but instead of serving its purpose, it kept people in (such as the clinic workers who loved serving women in this way but didn’t like the idea of having a hand in abortions).  

One other thing that touched my heart was the dedication and sincere love that the Coalition for Life volunteers showed by praying at the fence. It must be such a scene to see something so genuine. Sincere love for people you don’t even know is very rare these days, but these people literally radiate love from their smiles, their kind words, and their fervent prayers for these despairing women.   

In conclusion, I loved Abby’s book and grew to love her and all the Coalition for Life people that she featured in her story. This is not a light read in the least, but it is a story of hidden guilt, buried sorrows, redemption, forgiveness, love and compassion. It will make you look at abortionist, pro-choicers, pro-lifers, and abortion in general in a whole different light. It will make you want to reach out to those on the other side of the fence. It will touch your heart. I guarantee it.  J

Note: The first chapter of this book features a real abortion. It goes into detail of the abortion and how it was done. It’s not something that’s pleasant to read, and it bothered me emotionally. I don’t suggest just anyone to read this- only the most mature teens and adults. I don’t want this to make you shy away from the book, though. Sometimes it’s a good thing to be bothered by things like this, but this is just a warning for the squeamish.