Paula Vince's Blog: The Vince Review, page 54

Several Story Book Dogs

Now that I've written a list about story book cats, followed by another one about even bigger cats, I've felt for some time that I really should write one about dogs too. They aren't called 'man's best friend' for nothing. Because there are so many literary dogs who seem to be jumping up in my mind and wagging their tails for a mention, I've condensed some of them into four specific categories, and finished off with my hall of fame. Here goes.   

Dumb Dogs
These are just jumpy, slobbering, reactive lumps with nothing between their ears. There's Odie, who lived in the same household as the smart cat Garfield. And Hagrid's wolfhound Fang, who's similar to his master, huge and exuberant, but not the sharpest tool in the shed. And years ago, Beverly Cleary wrote a kids' series about a boy named Henry Huggins and his dog Ribsy, who was surely one of the silliest dogs to be found, whether or not she intended him to come across as such. He got his young master in all sorts of scrapes, validating why Henry's parents didn't want a dog in the first place, in my opinion.

Hero Dogs
Lassie springs to mind here. It's not hard to form a mental picture of the intrepid collie dog who saves the day on numerous occasions. And remember the brave and resourceful Pongo and Perdita, the loving parents from 101 Dalmatians who save their litter of pups from the despicable Cruella DeVille, who intends to skin them for fur coats. The title characters of Lady and the Tramp become romantic heroes of their own story. But one of the most heroic I can think of is a farmer's dog named King, from I am David, by Anne Holm. He sacrifices his life by distracting prison guards so that the young concentration camp escapee can scramble over the border into Denmark. I read the book for English in High School, and feel a lump in my throat after all these years just thinking about it. And there's Old Yeller, who earns the love of a farm boy named Travis by faithfully protecting his family, although he dies from the bite of a rabid wolf in the line of duty.


Companion Dogs
These are most famous for going along for the ride. Some are just considered additional members of groups, such as Toto from The Wizard of Oz and Timmy, from Enid Blyton's Famous Five adventures. And there's the delightful Dug, from the movie 'Up' who accompanies Carl, Russell and Kevin on their quest. Others are the loyal sidekicks of famous humans, such as Jon Snow and his white dog Ghost, from Game of Thrones, Tin Tin and his dog Snowy, or Peabody and Sherman. And I suppose the Wiggles' friend Wags the Dog fits into this category too, as he travels with the entourage doing his tricks on stage.

Australasian Dogs
I'll get patriotic here. Australia and New Zealand boast some pretty cool story dogs. There's the faithful and loving Red Dog, who spends years trying to trace his dead master all across the country, and finally passes away in front of his grave. And I love Dog, the border collie hero from the Footrot Flats comic strips by Murray Ball. He embodies the prototype of the Australian male, wanting to come across as tough and independent, but hiding a soft and sensitive interior, just as he conceals his real name. I don't think it's ever actually revealed, although the character Aunt Dolly thinks it so 'refined and aristocratic.'  Dogs in our part of the world are called just what they are.

But some dogs deserve accolades all of their own. I'll give them a specific mention.

Tricki-Wu - Most Pampered
This fluffy little Peke belonged to the wealthy widow Mrs Pumphrey, from the All Creatures Great and Small series written by Yorkshire vet James Herriot. This dog lived a far more lavish lifestyle than many of the humans James came into contact with, yet Mrs Pumphrey didn't realise she was killing him with kindness. Tricki fared much better on the one occasion when he was allowed to mingle with other dogs, behind his mistress' back.

Snoopy - Most Ambitious
Generations of people love Charlie Brown's beagle. He's found sympathy with many aspiring writers because of his literary aspirations. When I think of Snoopy, as often as not he's sitting on the top of his kennel with his type-writer, making cynical observations about the meaning of life, and wondering why publishers aren't fighting each other to get hold of his treasures.

Scooby Doo - Most Brave
OK, we know he's a trembling coward, but he's most brave in a 'feel the fear and do it anyway' sort of way. He doesn't risk his life through mystery after mystery just for the promise of a Scooby snack. He's committed to his friends too, which is what I really believe keeps him going. I can hear him with my mind's ear, calling, 'Shaggy, heeeelp!'

Dog Monday - Most Loyal (although Old Yeller and Red Dog could dispute his title)
This plain little 'bitza' dog belonged to Anne of Green Gables' son Jem. He features in the final novel about the Blythe family, Rilla of Ingleside. When his beloved master goes off to fight in the war, Dog Monday takes it into his scruffy head to wait there at the train station for his return. That's exactly what he does, for four long years. I'd challenge anyone not to choke up when they read the scene of Jem's return. Awww, tissue box, please.

Addison McHenry - Most Weird
What a character! He's in the Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series, outstanding because he's a peculiar dog who can talk, and has a super nose for sniffing out lost peculiar kids. He's a pipe smoking British boxer who wears spectacles. 'Until they start manufacturing canine contact lenses, I'm stuck with these.' In spite of his gruff, straightforward manner, and refined British ways, he occasionally exhibits traits of a normal dog, such as lickings and tail-wagging. Not to mention he pulls off some pretty heroic stunts. That's why you've got to love him.


My conclusion
What's the thing that put me off delving deeply into dog stories for so long? Some stir my emotions way too much. My eyelids have been prickling even writing this blog post, let alone re-reading and watching all the stories. You just know that if someone advertises a story about an intelligent or heroic dog, there's a good chance he'll a goner!

The good news is that we don't see many fierce and obnoxious characters in dog stories. But the bad news is that our loyal, faithful friends are so often sacrificed for the sake of a good tear-jerker.

I feel as if I've mentioned so many dogs we've all loved over the years, but there's bound to be more. Please mention any I may have overlooked. And if you want to say a few warm words about your favourites from this list (or about dogs in general), please go ahead and do so. I'd love to know if these characters have stirred up other people's emotions as much as mine.  

Which Classic should be Required School Reading?

This year I'll participate in Classic Remarks from time to time, a weekly meme hosted by the ladies at Pages Unbound. 
I like it when others come up with good questions I can sink my teeth into, and this is the first of the year.

A couple of weeks ago I'd never even heard of this story, but it was one of the books being launched at an event I attended just before Christmas. The version I bought is the re-telling of an old fantasy classic, Phantastes, by George MacDonald. I wasn't necessarily going to buy this book, but the things said about it during the presentation sparked my curiosity. It's about the quest of a young man named Anodos to track down the Faerie Queen, since he's transported to her realm after opening an antique desk bequeathed to him on his 21st birthday. I thought, 'Why not give it a try?'  Now having read it, here's why I think it fits the bill for this topic.

1) The original publication had a huge influence on many beloved 20th century authors, including C.S. Lewis, Lewis Carroll, Madeleine L'Engle, W.H. Auden, J.R.R. Tolkien, G.K. Chesterton and Ursula LeGuin. Wow, that's a pretty impressive list to be singing the praises of one book. Over the years, they each mentioned how they drew from elements of Phantastes for their own famous works of literature. Lewis in particular, turns out to have been a real MacDonald fanboy. Trying to figure out why their opinions about the quality of this story are so unanimous makes a good study, especially for students who are familiar with their writing.

2) Published in 1858, Phantastes is now viewed by many as the first genuine fantasy novel, in the way we now define the genre. It's an interesting read from the perspective of knowing that it was the pioneer in a field many of us enjoy. Worthy of study for that reason alone.

3) Getting stuck into the book got me thinking about different layers within a story. You could simply take the narrative on face value as a whole lot of weird things that happen to the hero, Anodos, as he makes his way through the strange new world of Faerie. Or you could regard him as the guy who represents each one of us. The physical features of the land and episodes that take place represent what's going on deep within his psyche as he lives his life. Vivid events, such as acquiring a dark shadow, or being imprisoned in the high tower of his pride symbolise similar experiences we all go through. Or you could delve still deeper, and search for traditional spiritual themes, including the Christian drama of sacrifice and redemption which was so close to Reverend MacDonald's heart. With such different ways of looking at one story, you'd never run out of possible essay or discussion topics.

4) We probably won't plumb the depths in a first reading (if ever). I couldn't help feeling there was lots going on over my head, despite the straightforward presentation of events. For example, the characteristics displayed by the different types of trees might have more significance to somebody who knows more about horticulture than I do. (It definitely contains lot of tree characters.) Comparing notes would make it possible to learn from others, and everyone's interpretation may be original and different from others.

5) Since a translation/retelling like this one has been made available, we might as well make the most of it. I like how Dr Mark Worthing writes in the foreword that almost all his students who begin the original on his recommendation end up admitting defeat. If a wordy, arcane, ponderous old classic has been made more accessible, it makes sense to give it a try. Comparing a fresh translation to an old original is always an interesting exercise for students.

Overall, I wouldn't have minded having this book on my curriculum back when I was a student, or at least this version. Anodos seems to fail many tests, get easily distracted from his main goal, and barge into places without checking if it's wise, but hey, he represents us, and don't we all do that at times? It's an interesting read which I'm glad I decided to purchase. The words of a noble knight within the story stick in my head. 

'It is something to be wondered at, despite all the beauty of Faerie, that there is also much in it that is amiss. Great splendors but corresponding horrors. Heights but also depths. Beautiful women but also evil enchantresses. Seems to me all a person can do is make things better whenever possible, in one hundred little ways, and to show courage and strength in whatever situation is encountered. In this way good will be accomplished, and we will all fare better for it in the end.' 

'Activate' by Adele Jones

Josh Hammond is not who he says he is ...

To stay alive, he must guard his identity, existing isolated from his former life and those he loves. The one enemy he can't outrun is his failing health, and time is short. Desperate for a solution, Josh leaves the protection of his safe house unapproved. Instead of a cure, he's left powerless against a cunning adversary. Determined to reclaim his life, he grasps an opportunity for escape, but things go drastically wrong. Can he find a way to expose the lies of a criminal mastermind, or will he be silenced? Forever.

MY THOUGHTS: 
This is the third and final novel in a trilogy. (I might leak a few plot spoilers from the earlier books, assuming that if you're reading this review, you've probably read them too. I'll try to keep them minimal.) To recap, Blaine Colton is the young man who was given a new lease of life when a miraculous new cure for his mitochondrial disease worked well on him. He's now in witness protection under the alias Josh Hammond, as nasty characters from a crime syndicate who think he knows too much want him dead. He's discovered that his trusted pills, Ramer's Cure, have been a two-edged sword, keeping him alive but doing irreparable damage to his DNA. And now Professor Ramer himself has been arrested, suspected of being part of the crime syndicate.

It's good to see familiar faces from the first two books. Blaine has no choice but to put his life in the hands of Dr Eddie Jonick, who's been regarded with suspicion after his involvement with the crooked Dr Melissa Hartfield. You might remember Eddie as the 'complete package' guy, with intelligence, athleticism and good looks. I'm pleased that from the start of this novel, he proves to be a good friend to Blaine. And the romantic tension between him and Dr Kate Archer is fun to read.

Blaine's biological mother Jennifer, who betrayed Blaine in the last novel also reappears. This story continues to stir up any maternal feelings she might have deeply buried. Will she continue going along with bad plans for the sake of her financial security and personal safety? Most importantly, the story gets us wondering how far you can push a mother. And of course, there's Blaine's sweet, long-suffering girlfriend Sophie, who has been through so much in a short time for such a young woman.

The bad guy (I won't mention his name, in case it lessens the impact) is a particularly dangerous villain because he's so intelligent. Wow, how many last ditch efforts to sabotage everything can he possibly cook up? It's so often practically beneath the good guys' noses, and particularly nasty and spiteful. I wanted to read quickly to find out how long it would take the heroes to latch on to all his shenanigans.

Finally, you've got to love Blaine himself. For a good chunk of the book, he's in a more helpless position than we've seen him in the prequels, but it makes him come across stronger and more admirable than ever before. This boy takes the chance to be pro-active whenever he can, and I'm sure it's this attitude that gives him his fighting edge, increasing his odds for survival and surprising everyone. He has the challenge of trying to impart vital information when it seems there's no way he possibly can. And he grapples with the even deeper question of the value of a person who can seemingly do nothing but merely exist.

Now that all three stories in this series are available, I'd recommend new readers to read them straight through, back to back, if possible. What a ride that would be. Enough to make your head spin, as Blaine's so often does.

Thanks to Rhiza Press and NetGalley for my review copy.

Check out my reviews of the first two books in this series, Integrate and Replicate. And for an interview I once had with the hero Blaine Colton himself, click here.

The Best of the Blog - 2016

Thanks you if you enjoy this blog enough to keep sticking around and coming back for more. I don't intend to stop any time soon.

It's the best thing I've done just for the fun of it since childhood. There have been several different motivations for other things I've done in the past. Societal obligations, peer pressure, an attempt to make a name for myself, a desire to earn a bit of money, and being 'meaningful' (whatever we take that to mean). This book blog is the one thing that doesn't tick any of those boxes. The fact that it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things is what does make it meaningful for me, in a paradoxical sort of way. There are so many thousands of other blogs that removing this one would make no great difference in anyone's life. It's just a drop in the ocean of blogdom. But as I age another year each December, I come to appreciate simple things which are over in a flash. Things like acknowledging fleeting moments of beauty, having fun, and making passing observations. Perhaps their apparent pointlessness is the point.

It's the first blog I've ever really looked forward to working on. I used to have a homeschooling blog and later an author's blog, and I'd sometimes struggle for things to write about. Maybe I approached them more like work. That's not the case with this one at all. New ideas for blog posts pop into my head all the time. Topics for discussions, lists, and things to mention about specific books are tumbling around in my head at all times. I realise now that this blog is my favourite because it comes closest to my childhood ideal of having a great time. All I used to want to do when I was little was read and talk about books. And that's exactly what I get to do here! This blog has proven to me that reviving our childhood passions is a good idea, because they hold the key to our deepest selves.


Now I'll just give a sample of the sort of thing you can expect if you do want to stick around. I've taken four of my most popular posts from each of my blog pages for this past year. I didn't ask for votes or anything like that. These have had the most views, shares and comments.

Following the White Rabbit
You could also call this my discussion page. Here I talk about all things bookish, from star rankings to plot spoilers. Here are the fave four for 2016.

The Sneaky Plot Spoiler. Handy to be aware at the outset, before you begin your review.
Melancholia - the Happy side of Sadness In case you've never thought about it this way.
The Vince family and the Search for the Elusive Harry Potter Book It was a very strange day.
Why don't we leave comments on blogs? This post received the most comments by far.

My List of Lists
This is one of my favourite features of this blog. I bring diverse books together, showing common ground in ways you wouldn't necessarily expect. Lots of bloggers create lists, and I can see why. It's a lot of fun. The favourites of 2016 are these.

Several Noteworthy Literary Trees These are such characters.
Stories featuring Trains and Railways A great theme for stories.
Bad Boys with Depth Or bad boys with heart. The interesting villains we love to love.
Literature's most Awkward Marriage Proposals That says it all.

Classics and Best Sellers
I've challenged myself to read or re-read more of these. They include both old and new selections. Here are the four reviews which got most interaction this year.

Jane Eyre
Rebecca
Little Women
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Digging Deeper in Books

This is the new page I've just started, so the most popular posts are yet to come. I decided I really want a place where I can ramble on about books beyond the scope of a review. I want to be able to analyse plot, character, theme, setting and mood, and invite others to join in, without taking pains to withhold plot spoilers. Look out for more in 2017.

* My book shelf is no longer as messy as you see above. I've tidied it up, which means there's room for more books.

'Empire's Children' by Patricia Weerakoon

As the daughter of the Tea-maker, Shiro’s life is bound by the expectations of others. But Shiro has no interest in convention. Her holidays are spent with best friend Lakshmi, a coolie labourer, and she dreams of becoming a doctor, unhampered by her gender, her race or her social standing. Privilege is something Anthony and William Ashley Cooper take for granted. On the Sri Lankan tea fields in particular, the English are masters. When Anthony takes over management of the plantation, he discovers the truth about his family’s dealings with the locals. He desperately wants to make a difference – to be a different kind of man – but William’s reckless lust and their father’s never-ending greed stand in his way. Tragedy, grief and separation threaten Shiro and shackle Lakshmi in the bondage of class distinction. Can Anthony’s love of justice set right the wrongs of the past?


MY THOUGHTS:
This is an epic family saga set in Sri Lanka in the 1960s. The Ashley-Cooper family from Britain founded Oriental Produce, the tea company which earned them a fortune. Over the years, many of their male members treated the native staff with contempt, which extended to raping the women. But although this behaviour is second nature to them, the passing years prove that you can't treat fellow humans appallingly without repercussions. As the younger son Anthony says, 'Once the cupboard was open, the skeletons were jostling each other to leap out.'

There's a lot to love about this book. The setting is described with great passion. The word pictures are like photos with added details that appeal to all five senses. The tropical, misty hills with their intense palette of colours and fragrant aromas really come to life. So do the people who live and work there.

Shiro is the type of heroine who makes us want to shout, 'You go, girl!' Even on page 1 as an eight-year-old, she's imagining herself as a ballerina or star. She's the one character who never swallows the stories she's fed. She thinks for herself and judges others on their own merits. She's never passive, but takes decisive action. And she's described by other characters as intense, charming, witty and brilliant. She proves them right by defying expectations, not just when it comes to her choice of vocation but in how she treats her enemies.

Then there's Lakshmi, the coolie girl, who was pushed around so much by circumstances caused by people in positions of power who should have behaved differently. Her mother's heart, and what she's willing to put herself through for her baby son, is hard to forget. Especially since her own parents were such poor examples of love. And it's clear that none of her most menial tasks were ever easy. The tea pickers had to work fast, but pick the best quality leaves at the same time.

My main gripe was occasional sudden time jumps. We get used to things being a particular way, and then suddenly weeks, months or years have passed, and the characters' situations and attitudes may be completely different. The reader has to make mind leaps to catch up. It feels like we're getting selected slices from their lives, and makes the flow a bit jerky. There were more of these toward the beginning than the end, which was good. I can think of several examples, but one of the main ones concerned Anthony's maturity from teenager to man, so I'll focus on that one.

We first see him as an entitled sixteen year old on his way to visit the tea empire he'll inherit some day. He's blonde haired, fair skinned, and told to get used to being treated like a god. His father James has brought him up with the racist mind-set, and Anthony looks down his nose at everyone, taking fawning behaviour from locals as his right for being 'better' than them. Even a captive elephant is forced to salute him. His manner is bored and condescending. Yet he shows vague signs of awkwardness with all the fuss, knowing in his deepest heart that being white doesn't deify a person.

At this stage, he seems ripe for some awesome character development, and I was rubbing my hands together, waiting for it. To put him in a context we may all recognise, if you're a Harry Potter fan, imagine Draco Malfoy as a Muggle in Sri Lanka. That's a perfect picture of Anthony Ashley-Cooper at this stage. But then we have one of those sudden time jumps. Next time we see him, he's grown-up, finished Uni and turned good and humane without us. I was a bit sad when it happened off stage :(

Sometimes the language and sentiments expressed even by 'good' characters get a bit rough. People toss terms like 'mongrel', 'bastard' and 'idiot' around at each other in normal conversation, making me think, 'Whoa, isn't this sort of personal attack usually reserved for the baddies?' But I'm sure it must be very accurate for their time and place, so might turn out to be a strength of this story. It's good when readers are given an authentic picture of what we're reading about, rather than a watered down version to suit people's sensibilities. (I have to say, even though the native Sri Lankan heroines had such a lot pitted against them, the person I felt sorriest for at the end was a supposedly privileged white woman, Janet. That poor lady! See if you agree.)

Overall I was pleased by the way the story eventually came together, and when I get out my Sri Lankan tea leaves, which some friends brought us back from a mission trip, I'll remember these characters and all they went through. That's the ultimate sign of a good story.
Thanks to NetGalley and Rhiza Press for my review copy.

4 stars

Stories that feature beautiful portraits

I'm thinking specifically about portraits of story heroines. It's a lovely motif to re-occur in books, especially since it rarely happens to any of us readers. Who among us has actually posed for a professional portrait? The closest I've come is one of those 10 minute sketches from a caricaturist at the Royal Adelaide Show.

What makes beautiful portraits so appealing that they keep popping up in books and history? Maybe the time taken by the artist gives the message that you're worth it. And the discomfort of sitting in one spot for so long may become the subject's own personal sacrifice, adding to the value of the finished work. I've known people who fidget and complain even when they're being asked to pose for a quick photo, let alone a formal portrait.

Perhaps the biggest factor is that the artist puts his own interpretation on a lady's appearance. Even the best photographers have to work with the raw material before them (unless they use photo shop afterwards), but when you end up with a ravishing work of art from a real painter, I imagine you can't help being overcome to think that's the way he sees you. He's taken special care to bring out the features that appeal to him, which you may not have even realised are attractive. By the end, even if you don't think the likeness looks exactly like you, you're willing to go along with the flattery if you believe that's how he sees you.

Here are some of my most interesting picks from both fiction and true life.

I'll start with some novels.

1) The Hired Girl
14-year-old Joan Skraggs was housemaid to the Rosenberg family. Their younger son, David, was so taken with her noble aspect that he wheedled her into sitting for him on her days off, so he could paint her in the guise of Joan of Arc. As a result, she fell heavily for him, which the young art student didn't expect. It made for some amusing reading. My review is here.


2) The Miss Billy Trilogy
We've surely all heard of Pollyanna, but here's a more obscure series by the same author, Eleanor H. Porter. The young artist, Bertram Henshaw, is well known for his 'Head of a Girl' portraiture. He manages to paint a poignant likeness of his wife, Billy, cradling their infant son. It becomes a prizewinner, even though he's hurt his dominant arm badly and must train himself to paint left-handed. It's one of the most touching threads in this story, since he'd been a bit of a drifter in his youth, and had trouble sticking to anything.

3) The Butterfly and the Violin.
Art gallery owner Sera James has been intent on tracking down the portrait of a beautiful young Auschwitz prisoner that impacted her in her youth. William Hanover, a wealthy heir, is intent on finding it too, since his grandfather has willed his estate to the painting's unknown owner. Their search eventually enables them to tap into the life of Adele von Bron, the subject of the painting, and discover the circumstances of its execution. My review is here.

4) The Painter's Daughter
Captain Stephen Overtree is captivated by the portrait of a fetching young woman painted by his artist brother Wesley. When he discovers that Wesley has bounded off to Rome, leaving the girl in a serious predicament, he must introduce himself to her and try to sort out his brother's mess. My review is here.

5) Da Vinci's Tiger
This is a fictionalised account of the circumstances which led to Leonardo da Vinci's commission to paint the portrait of young noble woman, Ginevra de' Benci. It's set in the decadent Renaissance Italy, when woman tended to have both husbands and lovers as a matter of course. (The portrait is above, at the top of the page.)

Now here's a few we all know from popular culture.

6) Ariana Dumbledore
Professor Albus Dumbledore and his brother Aberforth lost their troubled little sister Ariana when they were all only young. Aberforth, her favourite brother, keeps her likeness on his wall, and it's surely more to the crusty old publican than just another mobile, magical photo. His affection for his sister's memory is touching and intriguing.

7) Titanic
Many of us flocked to see this blockbuster in late 1997, because it's what all our friends were doing. The romance between Jack and Rose was on everyone's lips, not only because it was clearly doomed. (They were on the Titanic, after all.) The cheerful, working class boy Jack also happened to be a gifted artist, and his portrait of the girl he fell for was one of the treasures excavated from the bottom of the sea. If you want to see the film again, you surely won't have to wait long. Titanic seems to have taken over from The Sound of Music as most televised movie, from my recent observations.

And a couple of examples straight from history.

8) Anne of Cleves
This true life example is as strange as any story. Henry VIII saw a painted miniature of a gorgeous young foreign princess and demanded her for his next wife. When she arrived, the monarch decided that the artist, Hans Holbein, had flattered her too much, and the marriage was never consummated. I consider Anne of Cleves the hero for girls considered plain. What a narrow escape she had.

9) The Bronte Sisters
The girls had their portrait painted by their enthusiastic brother Branwell. This gem became so well known not because of his talent, but their eventual fame. In fact, I know many people think Branwell's skill probably left quite a bit to be desired, unless the girls really walked around looking like his depictions. A later portrait of his sister Emily has a similar look about it. Charlotte eventually had her portrait done by a different artist, George Richmond. Perhaps she thought it was nice to have someone other than Branwell have a go. The poor chap had a rough time trying to make it as an artist, and you can sort of see why.

And this last one is just to turn everything I've already said on its head. 

10) Good Wives
What a fun inverse of all the above. There's always an exception that proves the rule, so to speak. Louisa May Alcott didn't set out deliberately to debunk my spiel about gender and motivation, but she might as well have. The artist is a girl, the subject is a guy, and her reasons are not what you'd expect. Amy sketches a portrait of Laurie, but not with the intention to flatter him. She wants to give him a visual representation of how lazy and aimless he appears. I love it!

I've come up with ten, but feel as if I've only scratched the surface here. Can you think of any examples to add to my list? Or have you ever been lucky enough to sit for a portrait of your own? Here's to the concept of immortalising one's image, at a certain time of our life, forevermore.

(I'm not trying to diminish a great photo by focusing on portraits. For some great books featuring photographers, see  here.)

'Library of Souls' by Ransom Riggs

A boy with extraordinary powers. An army of deadly monsters. An epic battle for the future of peculiardom.

The adventure that began with Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and continued in Hollow City comes to a thrilling conclusion with Library of Souls. As the story opens, sixteen-year-old Jacob discovers a powerful new ability, and soon he’s diving through history to rescue his peculiar companions from a heavily guarded fortress. Accompanying Jacob on his journey are Emma Bloom, a girl with fire at her fingertips, and Addison MacHenry, a dog with a nose for sniffing out lost children.

They’ll travel from modern-day London to the labyrinthine alleys of Devil’s Acre, the most wretched slum in all of Victorian England. It’s a place where the fate of peculiar children everywhere will be decided once and for all. Like its predecessors, Library of Souls blends thrilling fantasy with never-before-published vintage photography to create a one-of-a-kind reading experience.

MY THOUGHTS:
This was a hugely satisfying end to my favourite trilogy of the year.

In their quest to find and rescue their friends, Jacob and Emma end up in Devil's Acre, a notorious peculiar loop full of undesirables. There are crooks, desperadoes, down-and-out peculiars willing to prostitute their special abilities, and hopeless addicts looking for their next fix of ambrosia. This substance enhances their already peculiar powers, but not only is it short lived, but weakens you with each dose so eventually you need it just to function.

Their main goal is to storm the tower fortress which they know is the wights' headquarters. Jacob has to tap into his burgeoning peculiar skills to even stand a chance, although his old ways of thinking keep trying to drag him down. While Emma calls her brain a 'hope making engine', Jacob considers his a 'worst case scenario generator.'

Their quest is fueled by rumours about the existence of a certain library, which was formerly dismissed as legend. And of course, they have to stop Miss Peregrine's unscrupulous brother Caul in his attempt to take over the world as they know it.

At first I was disappointed that most of the peculiar children weren't in the story for a sizable chunk. Tracking them all down certainly added vital motivation for Jacob and Emma, but at the expense of missing Millard's droll wisdom, Horace and Enoch's cynical banter and Bronwyn's kind heart. But the unpredictable twists and turns of the plot won me over, and it turned out to be another five star read. (And of course, we trust that they'll discover them eventually.)

I really enjoy Ransom Riggs' style of humour. It's dark and quirky, but with hope and goodness always present. He never gives readers a chance to say, 'This is getting too weird now,' since the story was already so strange to start with. Even the far-fetched moments become a real strength in the hands of a good writer. For example, if somebody says, 'The setting comes across like stage props,' I'd reply, 'Well, that was clearly his intention.' Riggs delves into cornier depths than other authors may dare to tread, but it works fantastic for him.

Caul is a wonderful villain. He ticks all the boxes of what makes a baddie tick. Unbridled ambition, an unquenchable thirst for veneration, and a craving to be remembered forevermore. He's suitably menacing, but with moments of black humour I appreciate. He has a taste for high ceremony. He'll interrupt the tension to thrust himself into the spotlight with speeches he hopes will be immortalised. Of course we all hope he'll get what's coming to him, yet at the same time, I can't help saying, 'What a legend,' from a literary point of view.

Riggs' way with words is excellent and to the point, including how the essence of each character can be summed up in a quote from them. I'll finish with a few of those.

Emma: Doubt is the pinprick in the lifeboat.

Miss Peregrine: Everything you need is inside you already.

Jacob: Right now, I'm practically quaking, my stomach a leaking faucet dripping acid all over my insides.

Caul: Why am I wasting my breath? You Philistines will never appreciate the gravity of my achievement. Like donkeys contemplating the Sistine Chapel.

It ends on a high note, but I want more peculiar children!

5 stars

My review of #1, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, is here.
My review of #2, Hollow City, is here.

'For the Record' by Regina Jennings

Jennings Offers Another Delightful Blend of History and Romance. 

Betsy Huckabee might be a small-town girl, but she has big-city dreams. Writing for her uncle's newspaper will never lead to independence, and the bigger newspapers don't seem interested in the Hart County news. Trying a new approach, Betsy pens a romanticized serial for the ladies' pages, and the new deputy provides the perfect inspiration for her submissions. She'd be horrified if he read her breathless descriptions of him, but these articles are for a newspaper far away. No one in Pine Gap will ever know. 
Deputy Joel Puckett didn't want to leave Texas, but this job in tiny Pine Gap is his only shot at keeping his badge. With masked marauders riding every night, his skills and patience are tested, but even more challenging is the sassy journalist lady chasing him.

Genre: Historical Romance, Comedy Romance.


MY THOUGHTS:
It's the third in a series, and the main female character, Betsy Huckabee, has been stealing scenes in other people's stories since she was a small girl. She was such a lovable little bombshell in A Most Inconvenient Marriage, I thought Regina Jennings set herself a hard task to make the grown up Betsy as appealing as her younger version. She is still original and independent, but while it came across so gutsy and cute for a little girl, it's a different manner for a woman in her twenties. I think Jennings managed okay, but maybe only just. The continuation of her wild child attributes keeps Betsy in character, but it's not quite the same. 'I come and go at will, where I will, and when I will.'

Betsy is a self-taught writer, with the ambition to write for a big enough paper to make her independent. She decides to offer a serial for ladies about a dashing, heroic deputy sheriff, and decides to use newcomer Joel for her inspiration, not that she ever intends to tell him. She thinks he's as 'handsome as Adam on the first day of creation' but works hard to convince everyone that she thinks him 'plain as rye bread'. That's just part of the ruse. When she tags after him for story fodder, she has to contend with his grouchy attitude and tendency to keep saying unquotable things.

Joel's own part of the story offers some interesting insights. He's a patriotic Texan who expects his job to be straightforward in Pine Gap, Missouri. But the townspeople, with all their complicated and ancient family connections, teach him to understand that there are unique layers of black and white in their pasts, and nothing is ever clear cut. At the outset, he's surprised when they don't give him the respect due to a lawman, but treat him more like a pesky extra who must be skirted around, so their lives can continue as they always have.

Joel eventually realises that trying to uphold the law in the traditional way has limitations, when there are subtleties and undercurrents which have been in place for generations. I thought it was quite amusing when Betsy, much as she admires him, decides it's probably wiser to go with the traditional, self-selected chieftains rather than the new deputy, since they'll probably be more effective. I've got to say, these hillbilly types of cultures are quite interesting to read about.

There's a mystery to solve, as serious crimes are being committed and everyone disagrees about who the baddie is most likely to be. (I found it not that hard to figure out.) There's also quite a bit of awkward romantic comedy, especially since Joel has vowed to steer clear of women, because one in particular hurt his career and reputation. He grows to believe Betsy is way different, but how will he react when he discovers his easily recognisable magazine counterpart? All in all, it's the lighthearted continuation with a few deeper themes you'd expect for this series. I think the first novel in this series is still the best.

Thanks to Bethany House and Net Galley for my review copy.

3 stars

Why Fantasy Novels remind me of Social Media

I've been totally confused by my own feelings about fantasy novels. I want to figure out why they waver all over the place, because other people seem far more clear cut in their opinions. I've met several readers who claim, 'I never read fantasy.' Yet I've come across just as many who turn up their noses at any other genre, because fantasy realms are their own special sweet spot. I can't even claim to fall in the middle. I'm definitely not halfhearted about them. If I was asked to list my favourite books and stories, they would surely be fantasies. But some of the most boring, torturous things I've ever gritted my teeth and attempted to plow through have been fantasies too.

That's why I hesitate to accept requests to review them on this blog. If they fall into the latter category, I know I might be brought to the point of tears, but there's simply no way of telling until I begin reading. (One thing that seems to hold true for many fantasy authors, both good and bad, is that they like writing super long stories) I've thought of the element that might make the difference between the best and worst. This might come across as a sweeping generalisation, because there are several sub-genres in the all-encompassing term 'fantasy', but it tends to be a general rule of thumb for me.

The type I love.
Some fantasies begin in the real world and draw the hero into the alternate reality, plunging him into a staggering realm he'd never expected. Those tend to be my favourites, because we readers are taking all the brand new experiences on board at the same time as the main characters. We're living through their eyes. We remain on top of the plot to the extent that they do. And often the fantasy world is just another intriguing side to earth of which most people are unaware. This makes it that bit more magical and fun.

Think of Harry Potter, living in the poky closet beneath the stairs, when magical invitations to Hogwarts start arriving.
Or the Pevensie children, trying to come to terms with their new abode when Lucy finds her way to a strange place through the back of a wardrobe.
Or Jacob Portman, interrupted from his boring existence by the death and cryptic message from his grandfather.

The type I don't love so much.
Without denouncing every single one of these, I've found they often tend to begin and remain in their own parallel universe. This alternate reality may have nothing in common with ours, so earth may as well not exist. Think of the hobbits in Lord of the Rings, or the characters in the galaxy far, far away of Star Wars, to name a few popular ones (not that I hate these in particular). There are many, many, many examples. I find it harder to immerse myself in these, especially at the start, because I simply don't have a clue what's going on.

For prime examples of what I'm talking about, there's this one, and this one. The girl in the picture at the top of the page seems to be wondering, 'Where are you taking me?' That's the same question I've asked many fantasy authors.

It's as if we readers have been snatched from our own normal, daily lives and thrust into some strange realm where we are absolute novices. The characters who live there are simply going about their business, and the first five chapters or so might as well be written in Gobbledygook. They're using 'in-house' type of lingo from their own realms. They refer to bitter enemies which are simply weird names to us, and they're using technology or skills which we don't understand. As I said in one of the reviews, it's jolly frustrating when we have no idea what's happening, yet find ourselves forced into the head spaces of characters who do.

I'm the type of person who doesn't like the feeling of floundering, and I also like my reading times to be fun and relaxing. Being out of my depth for an extended length of time leaves me cold, so reading twenty of thirty pages of a novel and deciding, 'Well, that was as clear as mud,' isn't my favourite way to spend half an hour. I'm sure other readers must approach them more as quests to master or mysteries to fathom, because this type of fantasy has lots of fans. It's just not the way my cogs spin.

Here's the honest truth about my brain.
Normal, daily life plunges me out of my depth often enough, without willingly going through the same confusion in my reading times. My brain sometimes seems to need a bit more chugging time than those of others before I grasp things. I've read that this is one sign of an introvert's brain. Our pathways to understanding are loopier, so information has a longer and more complicated transit time. They also say that once we do grasp it, the introvert's insights may become even greater than those of the extrovert over time. It's just the processing that becomes a hassle.

So here's why fantasy novels are like social media.
It's the closest match I can think of, for the sort of love hate relationship I have with fantasies. Sometimes I adore using social media, and other times it has frustrated me no end. I'm pretty sure it comes back to the same thing, challenging my overtaxed brain to grasp it all.

New platforms tend to take me longer than others seem to spend. Friends and family flash around their hash tags, discuss programming details as if they're a cinch, and seem to intuitively understand all the etiquette and behaviour I'm always nervous about violating. They latch onto several forms of social media at once, linking them together and using them like pros. I'm not designed this way. Mastering the basic features of platforms such as Blogger, Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter, takes a lot of deliberate concentration and is still an ongoing journey. I'm sure it's put me at a disadvantage many times.

Such experiences rush my memory straight back to my past, when I was the youngest in my family. I used to listen to my family's conversations, not liking to admit that they were over my head, because it had only earned me laughs in the past. I'd try to grasp all the unfamiliar words and tricky concepts, promising myself, I'll get them eventually. But now I seem to find myself often in a middle-aged version of the same thing. I've come to recognise a certain expression of amused disbelief on my kids' faces, before they rush off to tell the others, 'Guess what Mum said?'

I think all this is my main reason for eschewing puzzling fantasies and choosing books I can grasp from the start, Since cluelessness has long been a theme of my life, I prefer to keep it out of my favourite hobby, reading. Sometimes I've persevered until I've broken through, and found other-world fantasies great. (Some recent ones I've rated high on this blog include A Cast of Stones by Patrick W Carr, even though it did begin confusingly, and Heart of the Mountain, by my friend Jeanette O'Hagan, which shows how simple and succinct world building can be.) But on the whole, it's often all I can manage to keep abreast of the world I'm already in. In fact, my children would probably tell you that frequently, I don't even manage that :)

So here's my message for fantasy authors. If you want to begin in the real world or some semblance of it and woo me in with a carrot, I'm willing to be that donkey.
BUT if you want to rudely drop me in like a foreign spy with a parachute (and I assume foreign spies actually have more low-down about the world they're entering than I do about these fantasies), then sometimes I might prefer to pass.

I'll be musing plenty more about fantasies over the weeks ahead. A few nights ago I attended the launch of Stone Table Books, a new publishing house based in Adelaide, which sounds very exciting. The first two titles on their list are now on my reading pile. The Narnia Middle Earth one is an overview of fantasies in the Christian tradition, and Phantastes is a re-telling of George MacDonald's earliest example by Dr Mark Worthing. They say the original is too obscure and difficult for most modern readers to wrap their heads around. If they say that, I'm the last person who'd choose to put it to the test :)
To this I've added a re-reading of one of my favourite little booklets, In Defence of Fantasy, by Andrew Lansdown.
Looks like a nice little pile to help see me over the summer, end of year break into the new year.  

'Liturgy of the Ordinary' by Tish Harrison Warren

Many of us go through the day feeling like we don't have time for God. But God can become present to us in surprising ways through our everyday routines. Framed around one ordinary day, this book explores daily life through the lens of liturgy, small practices and habits that form us. Each chapter looks at something making the bed, brushing her teeth, losing her keys that the author does in the day. Drawing from the diversity of her life as a campus minister, Anglican priest, friend, wife, and mother, Tish Harrison Warren opens up a practical theology of the everyday. Each activity is related to a spiritual practice as well as an aspect of our Sunday worship. Come and discover the holiness of your every day.

Genre: Christian devotional, self help, personal development

MY THOUGHTS:
This book was just what I needed.

I love its emphasis on rhythms, routines, cycles, rituals, or whatever else we like to call those things we repeat over and over again. Our lives are full of daily, monthly, seasonal and annual repetition. Tish Harrison Warren sets out to explain how there's holiness and dignity in what we easily dismiss as mundane and tedious.

It's structured in the form of a random, typical day from her calendar, beginning with waking up and ending with going to sleep again. She presents fresh ways of thinking of all these moments, and I'll mention just a couple.

In the chapter on bed making, she describes how she used to begin each day checking emails and social media. (That looks very familiar, before my feet hit the floor.) Then she realised that she'd set herself up to expect stimulation and entertainment from the get-go. If you're like me, we're gently encouraged to welcome a bit of quiet sameness, and not to bolt away from mild boredom the moment we get a whiff of it.

There's a chapter on cleaning teeth and all those other mindless rituals which remind us that we're temples of the Holy Spirit. She delivers some good, straight talk here. Using our bodies for false worship is akin to using consecrated bread and wine in a Wiccan goddess ceremony. And denigrating our bodies by our mirrors is like running down a geographical sacred site. Yeah, sometimes we need of dose of this.

The 'Eating Leftovers' chapter leads to an interesting reflection that apart from occasional delicious feasts that wow our socks off, most of our home cooked meals are pretty basic, unremarkable fare, just like the grace of God appears to be. We've been conditioned in our modern era to want the spiritual intensity of meals cooked by celebrity chefs. People who attend church services and conferences are often longing for new truths, emotional experiences, signs and miracles. But life is just made up of good, nourishing food. If we are tempted to equate our scriptures with boring, dry old bread, well she advises us to just keep getting stuck into them anyway, because we'll develop a palate for the truth.

A chapter entitled 'Checking Emails' is about the attitude in which we approach our work. It's easy to be a Martha in our technology driven world, when work is always at hand. Or we can go to the opposite extreme and totally idolise the notion of complete escapism. Warren recommends something in the middle. We do our daily work from a relaxed, peaceful attitude of already being blessed, rather than a mad scramble to prove ourselves worthy. This will help combine the activity of Martha with the reflectiveness of Mary.

The other chapters are equally thought provoking. Losing the car keys, the pleasure of a cup of tea, getting stuck in traffic jams. It all brought home to me how much repetition we have to cope with, so we might as well make peace with it and consider all these routines to be sacred privileges, instead of grumbling about them and considering them to be annoyances. It's a book I'll be wanting to dip into more often just to remind myself.

Thanks to Net Galley and Authentic Media for my review copy.

5 stars