A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (reviewed by Laura Craner)

If you are like me (which you must be since you read this blog! *wink*), then you have probably heard of A Thousand Splendid Suns and wondered if it was a book you would like. After all, it's critically acclaimed and most readers are so passionate about it they have a hard time keeping their enthusiasm in check. But, it's about Afghanistan and, well, has some pretty intense thematic issues. How's a reader to know? I finally read it and decided to review it here so you all can make a more informed decision.

Let's get my bias out of the way first: I LOVED this book. Even though I had spent the day with all three my kids fighting the crowds at the zoo free day I stayed up all night reading it. I cried at the end because I had no words to describe how much it moved me. It's that good. The style is spare and elegant and straightforward--Hosseini puts on no airs; every word is artfully chosen and necessary--making it easy to read. The characters are complicated and human, which means they are full of hopes and dreams as well as frustrations and foibles.

The story follows two women, Mariam and Laila, and their husband, Rasheed (yes, Islam allows polygamy, although I don't think that is the technical name for them), as they struggle through the last thirty years of Afghanistan's history. It follows them through the Soviet period, the Taliban, 9/11 and the subsequent invasion, and ends with the current rebuilding period. Mariam and Laila run into a lot of trouble--multiple miscarriages, bombings, deaths of loved ones, and terrible abuse--but the two women have such strength of character that the book never descends into the depressing muck that is so common in modern literary fiction. Oh, and there is sex. But none of it is nasty or gratuitous or pornographic. What is included is necessary to the story. As a reader you will undoubtedly disagree with some of the choices the women make, most likely the one that lands Mariam in jail. There are parts where you will feel sad and parts where you will feel angry, but the overall feel of the book is not sad and angry. It is hopeful and compassionate and beautiful.

This book may not be for everyone because of its challenging nature, but I think most people will be glad they read it. I certainly was.

Lemon Tart by Josi S. Kilpack

Review by Heather Moore

Lemon Tart

by Josi S. Kilpack

Deseret Book, January 2009

A recipe for murder!

5 families living on Peregrine Circle
1 flowered curtain tieback
1 missing child
1 body in the field

Mix with a long list of suspects and top with two very different detectives. Increase heat until only the truth remains.

This cozy mystery is just that--Cozy! Main character and amateur sleuth/busy-body neighbor Sadi Hoffmiller is a delight. At 50-something, Sadie is a single widowed mother who is in a steady relationship once again. She is the rock of her neighborhood and every neighbor has trusted her with keys to their homes. When a tragic murder takes place, Sadie is the first to discover the circumstances. Trouble is, she knows more about each neighbor than the police could possibly discover on their own. Sadie is funny, quirky, and just the person to get her neighborhood back to normal. With a little romance and a lot of yummy baking, you'll have fun trying to guess "who-done-it" until the last couple of chapters. After reading this I baked some peanut butter bars--nothing as fancy as lemon tart or cinnamon-ginger cookies--but now I have a few new recipes to try . . .

Josi Kilpack's Website Here

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

It's official. Jessica Day George is one of my favorite authors. From this point forward, I will be sure to own all of her books as soon as they are released. I loved Dragon Slippers and the sequels and Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow.

Besides loving her books, I've heard her speak and believe me, she's hilarious. Here's an interview I did with her a while back.

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

Review by Emily Beeson

Princess of the Midnight Ball is a retelling of the twelve dancing princesses. To be honest, I'm not familiar with the original tale, so I can't tell you how much this version deviates. However, I can certainly tell you that this version is very enjoyable.

Tall, handsome Galen is returning from war. His parents and sister have all been killed, so he is headed for his aunt and uncle's house in Westfalin.

When he arrives, he finds a welcoming home and a job as an under-gardener at the palace. While working in the gardens, he befriends the eldest princess, Princess Rose. He discovers that Rose has a secret. She is a prisoner and is required to dance every night from midnight until dawn, along with her eleven younger sisters.

A string of princes come to rescue the princesses from their unseen captor. When none of them are successful, Galen takes the matter into his own hands...but he doesn't know anything about magic...and the captor is certainly not a regular mortal.

Princess of the Midnight Ball is full of romance, humor, mystery, adventure, and fantasy. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

It is perfectly clean (as long as an innocent kiss is clean to you :). I recommend it to fairy-tale-lovers of all ages.

My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison

My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison

Review by Emily Beeson of Deliciously Clean Reads

Be careful what you wish for. You might get it! My Fair Godmother, which just came out last week, is another fun romantic comedy by Janette Rallison.

When Savannah's boyfriend dumps her for her older sister, she idly wishes for a true prince. Chrissy, her fairy godmother, shows up. Only Chrissy is not a real fairy godmother. She's only a fair fairy student. In her attempts to grant three wishes for Savannah, Savannah is sent to the Middle Ages smack into the stories of Cinderella and Snow White.

When Savannah finally gets out of the Middle Age mess, she discovers that Tristan, a boy from school, has been sent back to prove himself a worthy prince for her. Together, Tristan and Savannah have to conquer mystical creatures and find a way back into the present day.

If you are a fan of fairy tales (which I definitely am), you'll enjoy My Fair Godmother. I recommend it for tweens and teens. It's a quick, unique read.

Enjoy!

The View From Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg

Reviewed by Laura Craner

How does a rag-tag team of nobody sixth graders win the state Academic Bowl? Not even their teacher and coach, Mrs. Olinski, knows. But the team itself, Julian and Nadia and Ethan and Noah, know. Was it fate? Was it luck? No. The answer, in fact, lies in afternoon tea and the renovation of the oldest house in town.

Full of rich, quirky characters The View From Saturday, a Newberry Medal Book, is a fun book that explores the strangeness of friendship and the other relationships that bind people together--sometimes whether they like it or not!

Rulesby Cynthia Lord

Reviewed by Laura Craner

When someone in your family is different--different from you, different from your friends, just different--even the the most mundane things get tricky. In order to ward off the disasters that come with having a "different" (read: autistic) brother and live a normal life twelve-year-old Catherine decides to teach him the rules. Things like, "If the bathroom door is closed, knock" and "a boy can take off his shirt to swim, but not his shorts" and "No toys in the fish tank" become the frame around which she builds a tenuous relationship with her brother and the world around them. But when Catherine is faced with the loss of her best friend and the frustrations of making new friends, she finds out that life isn't as simple as her rules make it out to be.

Rules, which is a Newberry Honor book and winner of the Schneider family book award, is a funny and poignant book that is perfect for middle-grade readers and their parents to enjoy.

For more on Cynthia Lord and Rules check out her website: www.cynthialord.com

Fool me Twice by Stephanie Black

Disclaimer: I just noticed after posting this that Fool Me Twice has already been reviewed on this site two times. Oh well. Here's MY review. The reminder will be worth it, especially if you haven't picked up this book already!

Fool Me Twice

By Stephanie Black
Covenant Communications, March 2008

Review by Heather Moore

Just as the title Fool Me Twice alludes, readers can expect twists and turns in the suspense novel that will keep them guessing. Identical twins, Kristen and Megan, haven’t been close for years. Now in their twenties, they hardly ever speak to each other. But Megan wishes it were otherwise.

When Kristen suddenly comes back into Megan’s life with a daring plan of how they can both get rich—legitimately—Megan eagerly agrees. She’ll do practically anything to be in her twin sister’s good graces again. Plus it will be her ticket out of a stagnant town and get her away from her ex-boyfriend. The only thing Megan has to do is spend a couple of months taking care of an elderly aunt who is terminally ill. To pull it off, Megan and Kristen switch places, and Megan assumes her twin’s identity. Simple, right?

But soon the guilt and confusion set in. Things are not as Kristen described them, and Megan discovers she really likes her new “friends.” Megan also realizes the last thing she wants to do it hurt the people who she's grown close to, let alone deceive her own aunt.

When Megan’s friend is violently kidnapped, Megan learns that beneath the carefully laid-out plan to gain a fortune, there is a web of deceit and lies. Much more than she ever bargained for.

I’ve read a lot of suspense, and most of the time I have the ending figured out at least half-way through. But Stephanie Black kept me guessing until nearly the end. There were several parts that were down right creepy, and I don’t think I’ll ever think of the name “Evelyn” the same again.

I enjoyed the way the author created the characters and effortless way she wove the tale of suspense, keeping me interested on every page. The writing was wonderful and the story tight and well-plotted. I look forward to reading what this author produces next.