The Moonstone ~ Wilkie Collins

(4)  narrated by Peter Jeffrey  

One of my literary goals is to read certain classics, and two titles by Wilkie Collins featured in there.  After completing this book, Collins can now be ticked off my list.  

Like  The Woman in White, The Moonstone is, most definitely, a narrative drive novel, and though this book is good too I enjoyed The Woman in White more.

  

I thought Collins’ satire in the guise of the piously, hypocritical Miss Clack and her manic religious-tract giving was very humorous:

Here was a golden opportunity! I seized it on the spot. In other words, I instantly opened my bag, and took out the top publication. It proved to be an early edition—only the twenty-fifth—of the famous anonymous work (believed to be by precious Miss Bellows), entitled The Serpent at Home. The design of the book—with which the worldly reader may not be acquainted—is to show how the Evil One lies in wait for us in all the most apparently innocent actions of our daily lives. The chapters best adapted to female perusal are “Satan in the Hair Brush;” “Satan behind the Looking Glass;” “Satan under the Tea Table;” “Satan out of the Window”—and many others.

“Give your attention, dear aunt, to this precious book—and you will give me all I ask.” With those words, I handed it to her open, at a marked passage—one continuous burst of burning eloquence! Subject: Satan among the Sofa Cushions.

LOL. What an awful woman, such perfect reading to gift to dying aunt ;)

Betteredge, the butler, much to my delight, constantly refers to Robinson Crusoe ,

"I am not superstitious; I have read a heap of books in my time; I am a scholar in my own way. Though turned seventy, I possess an active memory, and legs to correspond. You are not to take it, if you please, as the saying of an ignorant man, when I express my opinion that such a book as Robinson Crusoe never was written, and never will be written again. I have tried that book for years—generally in combination with a pipe of tobacco—and I have found it my friend in need in all the necessities of this mortal life. When my spirits are bad—Robinson Crusoe. When I want advice—Robinson Crusoe. In past times when my wife plagued me; in present times when I have had a drop too much—Robinson Crusoe. I have worn out six stout Robinson Crusoes with hard work in my service. On my lady’s last birthday she gave me a seventh. I took a drop too much on the strength of it; and Robinson Crusoe put me right again. Price four shillings and sixpence, bound in blue, with a picture into the bargain."

“The man who doesn’t believe in Robinson Crusoe, after that [a quote from Crusoe], is a man with a screw loose in his understanding, or a man lost in the mist of his own self-conceit! Argument is thrown away upon him; and pity is better reserved for some person with a livelier faith.”

During the writing of this book, Collin’s seems to be using Ezra Jennings as the voice to document his own pain driven addiction to opium – opium taking pops up everywhere –

Back again, this morning, to the old routine! Back again, tonight, to the dreadful alternative between the opium and the pain! 

I liked Ezra and thought his personal ‘ending’ was rather sad.

Adding here for others that get overcome with the urge to toss this book and read something faster paced or shorter:  About a third of the way through the book I was wondering if I wanted to keep investing in this "taking forever" serial styled story  - I’d figured out who the thief was, but not how the young couple got back together again – time to read a quick summary and see where the story was going.  I’m glad I did, as it gave me the impetus to keep listening to Peter Jeffrey's excellent narration of this work.  

The Last Year of the War ~ Susan Meissner

(3+) Library ebook

I really appreciated the honest look at ageing in this book -  the struggle with the onset of Alzheimer's, called Agnes the thief - and that Meissner chose to end the book realistically
with Meissner creating a way to have the characters reconnect before one of them dies;  for me, that added to the story, not detracted from it.
Mariko's story became lost and blurred as the story progressed, maybe the author intended that to reflect the loss and disconnect Elise was feeling and going through (?).   I wasn't really that interested in Mariko by the end of the book.

The story has more romancy-schmancy than I like in a fiction book - why kissing, and a honeymoon night seems to require an explanatory and descriptive dialogue beats me - perhaps the best way to pigeonhole this would be "clean romance with a sensual undertone".  The romance was a bit too pat;  and, the marriages, especially the way the author line up the second marriage, just felt a bit off.  For me, those things detracted from the story. 

Extra:  Meissner doesn't shy from having an attempted rape in this story and has dealt with it as non-gratuitously as I think she could have, almost euphemistically.

Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic ~ Max Lucado

(4+) Library ebook

I started out with the audiobook narrated by Ben Holland which nosedived to a 2-*  after chapter one, so I skipped ahead to chapter four, then switched from audio to ebook at chapter six,  and ended up rating this book at 4+*

The first chapter had some really interesting, sobering, facts in it that I want to check out.  I then skipped through some of Max’s personal stories and over the ‘plan of salvation’ portion in part one of the audio and was then away again in chapter four (part 2 on audio).  Ben Holland and I absolutely had to part ways at chapter six or this book was going to hit the abandoned read stack.  His narration of this book is not a good fit for me, the content was easier to absorb and appreciate by reading it to myself.

Earthly Remains ~ Donna Leon

(4) narrated by David Rintoul

Earthly Remains was my first foray into Guido Brunett’s life; and, as I have no other books in the series to compare it with I enjoyed the environmental  focus and a take away thought of “Bees are the canary in the mine”.  The mystery surrounds an oil company’s illegal dumping of toxic waste.  For those that like a case-completely-solved  who-dunnit with all the loose ends tied up, this is not one of those: still, I found it to be a satisfying end to an interesting story.

I really appreciate it that the Brunetti family is a loving and functional one and will be trying another of Leon's books at some stage.

Extra:  One slant the author tossed into the book was having Brunetti ‘knowing’ that prayer is useless;  “Dear Jesus, keep my children from harm.”  He knew it was the worst form of superstition, he knew there was no sense to it and no chance that it could help” <snip> he knew that prayer was useless.   And then Leon added a few good digs at the Catholic Church so I went hunting to get a sense of why she would do that: and found this interview with Anna Mundow, which I think answers my wondering pretty succinctly.      (Refer to Donna Leon’s answer to question three:  

Q: The series is a sly commentary on environmental issues, politics, the Catholic Church. Is that very deliberate? ) 

A.D. 33: A.D. Series, Bk2 ~ Ted Dekker

narrated by Ellen Archer  11hrs 30m  (3)

Synopsis: 

   They call her the Queen of the Outcasts. Maviah, a woman whose fate was sealed on her birth by this world - unwanted, illegitimate, female, a slave - subject to the whims of all. But then she met a man named Yeshua who opened her eyes. She found strength in his words, peace from the brutal world around her. Because of what he taught her, she has gathered her own travelling kingdom of outcasts deep in the desert, wielding an authority few have seen. But when her growing power threatens the rulers around her, they set out to crush all she loves, leaving her reeling as a slave once more. She must find Yeshua to save her people, but when she does, she will be horrified to discover that he faces his own death.

   Enter a story full of intrigue, heart-wrenching defeat, uncompromising love, and staggering victory - one that reexamines everything you thought you knew about the heart of Jesus' stunning message and the power that follows for those who follow his easily forgotten way.

My review contains spoilers....

The story was interesting enough to keep me listening, Ellen Archer is a great narrator, and I was keen to see how contact with Yeshua played out in the lives of the central characters from book one.   

** spoiler 1:  My hunch about Judah not being the best match for Maviah paid off - life circumstances became a 'rip off' for him :-(  and his character didn't grow in strength but into bitterness and revenge. 

** spoiler 2:  Dekker leads us straight to the beginning, at the end of the book, of the era of Christian martyrs.  I thought the author was setting us up, and, was resigned to the thought that he was going to have Talya, Saba, or Maviah give their life in that arena.  

I think what let the story part down for me were the preaching chapters towards the end of the book (I enjoy a good sermon - just not inside my historical fiction read where the author has tried to disguise their lengthy sermonising into the guise of supposed storytelling dialogue between the characters).  Added to that, Dekkers portrayal of how he thought Christ acted after his resurrection was a bit of stretch for me.  One example is where the author had him winking at people -  like in scriptures where he that "winketh with his eye/s" is a seriously bad action. 

PS: I wonder if Dekker's editor noticed the overuse of the word thundering?

The Church Planting Wife: Help and Hope for Her Heart ~ Christine Hoover

(4.5)  Kindle edition

I've had this book on kindle, waiting to be read, since October 2013 and though I did start it  I just couldn't seem to settle and connect with the content.  This month was the perfect time for me to read it:  God knew I was in the right space to be encouraged by the encouragement and find positive self-analysis in the more challenging portions.  

I found this to be a very good, thought-provoking, read and went haring off down scripture studying trails of my own.  I know an author can't cover every scenario in a book, but I was really keen to see if Christine addressed the specific issue of dealing with manipulators and narcissistic personalities during her church planting time.  Sadly for me, she didn't.

This is not just a book for church planting wives, women in or around those in a ministry/ Christian serving role, or who is a Christian home educating mum,  could also find this a beneficial read.

Here are a few of the encouraging excerpts I jotted down from Christine's book:
   Is there any area of life not characterized by constant demand and limited supply?
In the end, however, we can only give so much. According to our human limits, as we give out to others, our supplies must be replenished. If they are not replenished, we become like a lion tamer fending off weariness, discouragement, dryness, or emptiness. Or perhaps anger, bitterness, or feelings of being unloved or alone.
Who will care for us? The Lord will, for He never grows weary of demands, never needs a break, never sleeps, never takes time off. 

   We often associate peace with changed circumstances or a lack of busyness, but as Jesus modelled, God’s peace comes through dependence in the midst of busyness. Approaching God through prayer, Bible reading, and worship, in which we bring our needy selves to receive from Him, are acts of need. Peace comes through this dependence, through ceding control into more capable hands. 

Cranford ~ Elizabeth Gaskell

narrated by Nadia May  (4.5)  Classic. 

Lovely book.  It took me some dogged attempts to stay with this book initially.  I’m glad I did as it evolved into a story I really came to enjoy.  Miss Matty is a gentle-spirited darling and Gaskell gifted her with a character that was easy to love – the happy ending in this read surrounds others love for her and not because of any direct event that happens to her or others.  
If you like clean, gentle reads and haven’t read this charming, gentle, domestic tale yet, which showcases life in a small village for some “ageing” women and their associates,  I recommend you do.

Two Owls at Eaton ~ Jonathan Franklin (narrated by the author)

(4.5)  N/F Memoir  pub 1960

A charming memoir about  Jonathan’s life with two rescued owls, Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee.  I love real life stories about owls and this one strikes all the right notes;  it’s an informative read about two engaging birds and their often humorous interactions with humans.  My family would have loved this as a read aloud during the children’s younger years especially since Owls in the Family ~ Farley Mowat became such an enjoyed read.

http://www.jonathanfranklin.name/two_owls_at_eton.htm

Irena’s Children ~ Tilar J. Mazzeo

narrated by Amanda Carlin   

(5)  pub 2016  N/F      Mazzeo does not try to paint Irena as a spotless saint but shows her as a woman with very real faults and foibles raising to the challenge and choosing to act with courage and focus, despite the great risk to herself,  to save lives in Warsaw during WWII.  With her husband taken by the Nazi war machine Irena  "lives in adultery" with her, also married, Jewish lover, Adam.  The fact that she is not married to Adam saves her from being sent to the ghetto and he is a deciding factor that initially draws her there.  

So many seemingly ordinary Jewish and Polish people acted with absolute bravery to effect rescues of Jews and Poles during this dark portion of history.  
I’ve seen the movie, The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, but appreciated this audio so much more once I got past the first few chapters and became used to the narrator – she’s actually very good.  

This no holds barred biography is rich with good storytelling detail and is one I’d totally recommend to my IRL associates who also ‘like’ reading WWII non-fiction.

Drumberley Series, The Dering Family ~ D. E. Stevenson

 Narrated by Lesley Mackie.
Vittoria Cottage(4+)

(Rural England)  pub 1949

The way this story finishes, so abruptly, definitely makes it the first book in a series; looking forward to starting Bk2 Music in the Hills and hoping the ending in this first book is fleshed out a little more in the second book.  Vittoria Cottage is a charming, gentle story about domestic life around the WWII era.   I’m interested to see what Stevenson allows to happen to Leda, and if it will help her to stop being so self-centred.

Music in the Hills(4.5)

pub 1950 (Scotland)   

Gentle comfort read.  Stevenson is definitely meandering her way through domestic life at ‘Mureth’ and the relationships of people intersecting with James -  Jock and Mamie are just delightful, the sort of relatives that make life a loving joy -  I was keen to find out which lass Stevenson was going to match him up with;  Rhoda, the golden-haired girl who turned down James first marriage proposal, or, the beautiful avaricious, manipulative, Holly. I am glad I was listening to the audio version of the book so I couldn’t flip any pages to peak ahead and find out  ;)

I shaved off ½  a star as the ending was so abrupt and rather unsatisfying and we didn’t get to revisit with Caroline and her new husband from book 1, Vittoria Cottage.  The question of Leda from book 1, she’s still wallowing in self-pity and looks set to stay that way.

Winter and Rough Weather (5) 
pub 1951 (Scotland)       

Absolutely delightful gentle read.  I liked it so much I purchased a printed copy for our home library.    The avaricious Holly is up to her usual tricks and ends up with a fiancé that matches her in character.  I think the background story of the Surgeon and his ‘wife’ – which ended in divorce after 10 years apart - is rather sad, especially for the children involved.   So lovely to amble along with Rhoda and her inter-connecting relationships.