July Book List

[moredetails.livejournal.com]

Usually I post my book list on the first of the month, but since I have no plans to finish anymore books today, I give you my July reviews:

Central Park - Debra White Smith
This author has a set of books that are modern-day versions of Jane Austen's classics. Central Park is a modern version of Mansfield Park (which I've never read/seen before, but now I'd like to). There were some corny and unrealistic situations in this book. Also, one of my pet peeves is when characters don't speak in a way that is normal (21-year-olds with cell phones using words like "mustn't" in all seriousness, etc.), and that was pretty common in this book. It might be just that I'm so unfamiliar with NYC high society, so maybe they all act and talk the way this book indicates? Either way, I still enjoyed the story about a girl who is taken from her poor and abusive home to live with her very rich aunt and uncle, and becomes very close friends with a foster boy they took in. 10 years later, she's in love with him and he brings home a beautiful girl he wants to marry. This is Christian fiction, so there are a lot of references to modesty, character, etc. There were definitely some stereotypes of Christians and nonChristians thrown around, but like I said, I still enjoyed it despite everything that makes my eyes roll.

Tears of a Giraffe - Alexander McCall Smith
Second book in the No. 1 Ladies Detective series. I liked this one more than the first. I think it's nice once the introductions are out of the way. I also felt like this book had fewer unrelated stories and more that contributed directly to progress and the conclusion. I think my favorite part of these books, though, is learning more about African tradition and lifestyle. It's very interesting! And there are some really cute/funny lines that I find charming, like how the secretary looks to her shoe buttons for answers (you have to read it to understand).

The Atonement Child - Francine Rivers
(WARNING: Possibly spoilerish if you're like me and don't like to know much of anything going into the book.) I feel mixed about this book. It's about a Christian girl at a conservative Christian college who gets raped and then ends up pregnant as a result. People all around her are pressuring her to have an abortion. It was good from the start and kept me interested, but I have a few complaints. First, it gets quite preachy in some parts, and I say this as a definite pro-lifer. I just feel that if Rivers wants to speak to those who are pro-choice or on the fence, maybe she would need to tone it down a bit in order to keep them reading. The message is clear even in just a few pages of the book, so you can imagine after 384 pages how incredibly hammered-in it is. There was one section that I felt was especially packed with preach and I even skipped a couple of pages because I couldn't take anymore of the "commercial." It sounded like a church skit with people tossing out situation after situation to show how abortion is not just wrong but has terrible effects on everyone. Second, I could be wrong but it seemed kind of like a misrepresentation of Christian beliefs on abortion when rape is involved. It seemed most of the Christians were fine with abortion in that circumstance. I've never felt that was fine and have wondered why people even mention that as an exception. I've not polled people, so maybe it's true that most Christians are fine with it? Also, the concept of adoption took a long time to even surface, when it should've been mentioned right away. Finally, this book also had the trouble with some unrealistic speech like in Central Park, and some of the comments made by the main characters dad were very unrealistic. Despite all of my criticism, I felt like the book ministered to me to an extent. Some of the words Dynah (main character) said to God reminded me of things I have said. The book has an overall sense of hope about it, which is nice, and I think it sent an accurate message about how people act out their pain and shame. And like I said, it was very readable and not boring, so you might be interested. :) Even after all my complaints. Okay this was long.

Whispers- Robin Jones Gunn (reread)
I left my primary book at work one day, so I thought I'd go back to the Glenbrooke Series and read them again. They always make me feel glad to live in Oregon and a little more excited about my life. Whispers is book 2 but it was the first one I read in this series back in 2004, so I remembered the least amount about it. It's about Teri, a Spanish teacher from Oregon, who goes to visit her sister in Hawaii and ends up with more than one guy to consider for a relationship. It's light reading and has some silliness to it, but sometimes that's what a girl needs (actually, that's often what I need!). The Glenbrooke Series is like delicious macaroni and cheese.

Echoes - Robin Jones Gunn (reread)
Book 3 of the Glenbrooke Series. Lauren meets a guy online and they have a somewhat You've-Got-Mail-esque email relationship. This book has corniness and unreality, but I still like it a lot. :) Also, spiritually it encourages me. I finished it last night (7/22) and was feeling very refreshed and hopeful afterwards.

Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
I already talked about my thoughts in a post, but they are very spoilerish. See my journal for that. Here I'll just say that I read this after several of my friends enjoyed and recommended it, and I will now join them in recommending it. It really held my interest from the beginning and had me very thoughtful about some things. Of course I can find things to criticize (my gift, you know), but I still recommend it. It's about a girl who moves to live with her dad in Washington and meets a mysterious and unique family, which includes an intriguing and very attractive guy. :D That's my attempt at vagueness even though most of you probably know what it's about.

Books for July: 6
Books for 2008: 20

Comments

[moredetails.livejournal.com]

How many of the Detective Agency books have you read now? I realized after you wrote this comment that I left out "agency" in the series reference. :P

Yeah, I didn't feel convicted by Atonement Child so much as judgmental of the people in it. Haha. The dad's all, "What if the guy who raped you is black?" And they lived in San Francisco! I thought that was a totally unrealistic fear for a SF guy to have.

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

Three - the first two, and then one of the middle ones (it was the first one I read, then I realized it was part of a series). I've been reading other books but want to get back to it soon.

Sheesh!! Talk about lack of perspective. :P

[moredetails.livejournal.com]

Yeah.. I reread my comment and see I worded it weird. I meant unrealistic in the culture of different parts of the US, but you probably got that. I mean, MAYBE someone in the south would say that, but in this day and age, most people aren't fearing a mixed-race kid. Especially Christians on the west coast! Lame.