Paula Vince's Blog: The Vince Review, page 70

'The Slow Down Diet' by Marc David

 
2015 Reading Challenge, Week 38 - A book you should have read at school but didn't.
Let me explain my rationale behind this weeks choice, especially since the first edition was only published ten years ago, long after I left school.

At first I thought nothing would fit this category. I used to read all the books we were set at school, even if I hated them. We had to complete work based around them, so I could see no point in not reading them. Once, I even plowed through 'Sons and Lovers' over the school holidays, only to return to hear the teacher say, 'We decided not to do D.H. Lawrence after all.'

As I was such a conscientious student, I choose to interpret this a different way. I've changed the reading from 'A book you were supposed to have read at school' to 'A book you should have read at school.' I'm choosing a book which, in my opinion, should be on school curriculum, but isn't (as far as I know). The sensible health advice within these pages should be presented to people from a young age to make up their own minds about, and I'm sure students would enjoy it too.

*      *      *  

Our modern culture revolves around fitting as much as possible into the least amount of time. As a result, most people propel themselves through life at a dizzying pace that is contrary to a healthy lifestyle. We eat fast, on the run, and often under stress, not only removing most of the pleasure we might derive from our food and creating digestive upset but also wreaking havoc on our metabolism. Many of us come to the end of a day feeling undernourished, uninspired, and overweight.

In this 10th anniversary edition, Marc David presents a new way to understand our relationship to food, focusing on quality and the pleasure of eating to transform and improve metabolism. Citing cutting-edge research on body biochemistry as well as success stories from his own nutritional counseling practice, he shows that we are creatures of body, mind, and spirit and that when we attend to these levels simultaneously we can shed excess pounds, increase energy, and enhance digestion to feel rejuvenated and inspired.


MY THOUGHTS: 
This is one of the most unusual books about managing our eating habits I've come across. The author doesn't separate body and soul but shows how they are two sides of the same coin. And he does it in a beautifully written and lyrical way. Far from being another dry health book, this often reads like a poem. Many diet books try to convince us to make the effort of  rationing carbs and proteins, etc. I'm tired of having to wrap my mind around something like a mini science/nutrition course to get healthier!Thankfully, Marc David doesn't do that. He separates his dietary advice into eight interesting aspects, one for each week of his two month course, which I'll do my best to summarise below.

1) Relaxation.
This is the importance of eating slowly, with your full attention, while you're relaxed and happy.

2) Quality.
Instead of stressing about which of the myriad diets we should try, simply elevating the quality of our food may be the way to go. David explains how the food we ingest actually speaks to the cells of our bodies. I like his advice that instead of going flat out fanatical about it, we should aim for an 80% quality food target each day. It's counter-productive when the stress of searching for the best quality food neutralises its good effects.

3) Awareness.
We should focus on the pleasure we take from the flavours and aromas of our food and drinks, rather than wolfing it down on auto-pilot. He convincingly argues something I've often heard dieters say as a joke. Would you believe our thoughts actually can be fattening? It seems that using self-denial while fantasising about forbidden foods may not be all its cracked up to be. We might as well eat the treats with mindful gratitude.

4) Rhythm
In this section, he looks at the human body temperature at different phases of the sun, when it comes to timing our meals. In particular, he explains why eating smallish portions during the day, followed by a large main meal at night when we're hungry, can create problems.

5) Pleasure.
Science has shown that when the pleasure factor is taken away, the nutritional value of a meal plummets. So this is a good chapter for those of us who deny our taste buds by eating spartan, non-tasty food.

6) Thoughts.
Each eater metabolises an identical meal quite differently from others at the table, according to our unique thoughts. It's handy to know that digestion is limited by toxic thoughts of any kind. We should stop labeling different foods 'good' or 'bad' for a start. David talks about our 'inner pharmacies' secreting chemicals to our bodies based on positive and negative thoughts. Even junk food eaten with a happy mind set may give us more benefit than superfoods with a negative mind set.

7) Story.
The stories we tell ourselves are like powerful drugs that ignite our metabolism and create our biochemistry, so we should tell ourselves good ones. He makes some fascinating quotes, such as, 'Our DNA is the biochemical equivalent of a story.'

8) The Sacred.
In this chapter, he sets out to show that what people sometimes call miraculous phenomenon may actually be latent biological traits which are activated when we're touched by the divine. The eight sacred metabolisers he mentions sound similar to the fruits of the spirit mentioned in the Bible. As we create our body chemistry instantly, we might as well be sure it's what we want. Just as God said, 'Let there be light,' we often don't stop to consider that we may be saying, 'Let there be anger,' or 'Let there be fear,' or 'Let there be discord.' According to Marc David, even partial negativity may undernourish the soul and rob the body of nutrition.

He winds up with an eloquent plea for us to allow the language of the soul and sacred things back into science and medicine. Although I haven't put this book to the test yet as a weight loss program, it rings true and convinces me not to focus on superficial aspects such as calories and personal appearance anyway. I'm sure I'll use it as a reference often. I hope you'll take my brief sentences or paragraphs above as an invitation to read something far more profound and original. And if I do lose a bit of weight by embracing all this, I'll be recommending it all the more.

Thanks to the publisher, Inner Traditions, for providing me with a review copy.

5 stars.

'The Lost Heiress' by Roseanna M White

 

Brook Eden has never known where she truly belongs. Though raised in the palace of Monaco, she’s British by birth and was brought to the Grimaldis under suspicious circumstances as a babe. When Brook’s friend Justin uncovers the fact that Brook is likely a missing heiress from Yorkshire, Brook leaves the sun of the Mediterranean to travel to the moors of the North Sea to the estate of her supposed family.
The mystery of her mother’s death haunts her, and though her father is quick to accept her, the rest of the family and the servants of Whitby Park are not. Only when Brook’s life is threatened do they draw close—but their loyalty may come too late to save Brook from the same threat that led to tragedy for her mother.
As heir to a dukedom, Justin is no stranger to balancing responsibilities. When the matters of his estate force him far from Brook, the distance between them reveals that what began as friendship has grown into something much more. But how can their very different loyalties and responsibilities ever come together?
And then, for a second time, the heiress of Whitby Park is stolen away because of the very rare treasure in her possession—and this time only the servants of Whitby can save her.

MY THOUGHTS:
This is a charming story set in the early 1900s. The heroine discovers two things; her lost identity and her changing feelings toward the young man she's regarded more as a brother since they were both children. It has a cast of well-rounded supporting characters from both their families, including a villain who's a bit like Gaston from Beauty and the Beast.

Brook is an easy heroine to like. Novels with that setting and period are already full of English heroines, so her foreign characteristics make an interesting change. Having been brought up in Monaco, she comes across as very continental. (I was trying to pronounce 'Justin' the way Brook did, but although the French accent was described in detail, I just couldn't get it.) We get the benefits of her comparisons between coastal France and the Yorkshire moors, where she ends up with her long lost family. She's really sweet, but also shrewd enough to read people well and make things happen without throwing her weight around.

I like the 'Upstairs Downstairs' aspect of the story, and the fact that some servants and staff are main characters too, especially Deirdre, Brook's Irish maid. Both girls become involved in some old danger which was responsible for the death of Brook's mother, but of which she knew nothing.

My curiosity about the early twentieth century was piqued. How does Justin get his Rolls Royce across the channel? He was driving it in Monaco and then shows up with it in Yorkshire. What were ferry systems like back then? And why did so many otherwise kindhearted people participate freely in barbaric events such as the fox hunt, a tradition which is thankfully outlawed now.

I'm sure the cast of supporting characters will become main characters of several sequels.

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

4 stars

Poppies and Story Heroes

Andrew's uncle grows poppies, and we acquired this beautiful bunch last weekend from a local concert for a gold coin donation. I was thinking how they would brighten up the house with a splash of early spring, but the scent soon got to me in the car, and had me sniffing. I put them on a vase near my computer desk, but as I worked on some writing, it proved to be too much. What some people might call their perfume reminds me more of the potent breath of an old wino. It made my head ache and my sinuses itch. I had to move them out to our front room, where nobody was sitting. It reminds me of an occasion long ago, when Andrew bought me a bunch of flowers, and I ended up having to fling them out the back door just to get relief from the hay fever symptoms they caused.

Now, whenever I enter the front room, the odor from that one bunch of poppies overwhelms me. It brings to mind the poppy field from 'The Wizard of Oz' by L. Frank Baum. When I was little, I thought that was just a fictional scenario, but now I can quite understand why they made any creature who ventured through them collapse from breathing in the concentrated odor. Remember how Dorothy, Toto and the Cowardly Lion crumpled down in the poppies in a stupor from their opiate influence? I would have been right there with them in a meadow of that magnitude.

That might have been the end for those three, except that their travel companions, the Scarecrow and Tin Man were immune to the poppies' effect, not being mammals. They managed to pull their more vulnerable friends away from the evil influence of the powerful flowers until they revived.

I mentioned this to Andrew, who said, 'I like that quality in a story, when different characters all have their chance to be heroes. Everyone gets an opportunity to use their strengths at a time when nobody else can.'

I agree that this aspect is an excellent feature of a story. I thought of 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' and the way the three young first years, Harry, Ron and Hermione (later nicknamed the Golden Trio) saved the day when they managed to get through the maze of impossibly difficult tests set up by different teachers. Of course, they would never have been able to manage separately, but together, they were unbeatable.

Do you remember how Hermione saved the boys who were getting entangled by the Devil's Snare vines, and later, she was the only one who could solve Snape's tricky logic puzzle to dodge the poisonous potions? And Harry, of course, was the one with the speed and sharp eye to zoom around on the broomstick to catch the correct flying key. Even then his quidditch skills were phenomenal. Ron's big moment came when they had to figure out how to get through the life sized chess game. The way he played it out was awesome, especially when he knew he'd have to sacrifice himself  with a colossal belt on the head from an opposing chess piece, because that would be the only way. It was team work at its very best, and a great introduction to the rest of the series.

Maybe it's similar in real life too. None of us can do everything, but we can all do something well enough to hone it until it is our strength. Then it may benefit others, while their input benefits us. Some may grow potent poppies and other agricultural products. Others may have the strength and skill to protect their loved ones physically, if necessary, while others have the voices of angels to wow us with song (definitely not me). Whenever we need something broken fixed, we probably all know the people from our friends and family who are best to ask. If something delicious needed to be cooked, I might call on my daughter, Emma, before tackling it on my own. She's acquired quite a bit of knowledge about different cooking techniques. For directions to places and possible chaffeuring, it would definitely be Andrew. If I wanted some computer help, I might ask my tech-savvy son, Logan. And for tricky cleaning advice, I'd ask my mother-in-law. These are all some of my everyday heroes.

As for me, I like to think I might be the person to turn to if you'd like a thoughtful book recommendation. I've been passionate enough about a good story to keep me both reading and writing them for years.

How about you? Who are your everyday heroes, and which trait would you consider your own strength?

'I Always Cry at Weddings' by Sara Goff

 

2015 Reading Challenge, Week 37 - A Popular Author's First Book. 
Even though this is her debut novel, I've chosen this category because Sara Goff has been a popular author with me and many for a long time. I enjoy her warm-hearted blog posts and hard work with the Beyond the Borders crowd of the American Fiction Writers. It's great to get to read this novel.

****** 

Ava Larson is going to bring all the other brides to tears.

Engaged to a wealthy NYC socialite's son, Ava is ready to set the city abuzz with her glamorous wedding. At least until she realizes her relationship isn't what it should be. Then, in a move as daring as a red satin dress, she does the unthinkable - she calls it all off and makes a promise to God that from now on, she'll save sex for marriage.

She's convinced the future is hers for the taking, especially when an undercover cop promises a new romance...and an unexpected friendship with the homeless guy under her stoop brightens her days.

But when her carefully balanced life teeters out of control, weddings aren't the only thing to make her cry. Ava has to figure out what life she really wants to live... and what is the world love really means.

MY THOUGHTS:

Ava is trying to please herself by pleasing others in New York City, but everything seems to fall apart. Her mother is dying, her job as buyer for a handbag company leaves her cold, and with just a few weeks until her marriage, it dawns on her that she and her cynical fiance, Josh, are a bad fit for a life together. Their attitudes about showing love are poles apart. But making the right move in the nick of time leaves her saddled with a $70 000 debt for a massive wedding which never was. There is also tons of disapproval to face, and she may soon be evicted from her apartment. Could things get any worse?

Many people are giving her conflicting advice, all of which sounds wise, making it confusing to figure out what to take on board.
Her father says, 'The very nature of routine is that it works.'
Bucksley, her boss, says, 'Your career deserves more attention than you've been giving it. It defines you and determines your lifestyle.'
Phoebe, Josh's mother, says, 'I'll never forgive you for the hurt you've caused. How can you treat people this way?'
Her own mother says, 'Go and find somebody more like yourself.'
Chris, the young homeless guy who lives outside her apartment building, takes his dog, Chickpea's philosophy on board. 'Any day with food in your bowl is a good one.'
No wonder Ava herself delivers a desperate line of her own. 'Pros and cons are shape shifters!' What is she to do?

One of the novel's themes is the concept of 'The One.' Is it reasonable to hope for a soul mate, or can you make a fair enough match with anyone? Ava discovers that whether or not her true love really is out there, there are plenty of duds who don't fit the bill and need to be thrown back in the sea. (It's satisfying to see her figure this out and tell them so.) I found the ending highly romantic, and I'm sure many readers will cheer, as I did, and wonder why the truth took so long to dawn on her. What a fascinating Mr Right.

Sometimes Ava comes across as an innocent lamb in a fold of wolves and scavengers, but she never passes through regrettable incidents without gleaning plenty of wisdom. That's one of the best takeaways from this book, that mistakes are valuable, because without them behind us to draw from, we may never be in the position to recognise a perfect fit when it stares us in the face, whether it comes to marriage partners, work or lifestyle.

I'd recommend this to any lady who feels that things may never look up, or thinks too much time may have passed to pursue her dream, or would just enjoy a good story set in what I imagine to be the rom-com central of the world, New York City, even though I've never been there. That might cover pretty well any lady.

Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy.

5 stars.

Transformation stories - friends or foes?

For years, I'd devour self help books, trying to discover whatever I lacked, so I could fix it. I was the sort of person who believed I never measured up to whatever high standards made a person acceptable. It shook me up when I came across a list experts had compiled of the best self help books ever written. I'd read many of them already, and sincerely tried to take their advice on board, yet there I was still searching for more. At that point, I decided that my sense of self esteem had to come from within. I had to decide that I was already worthy, rather than wait for all these authors to convince me to jump through hoops before I would believe it.

Since then, I've come across many people who avoid self help book altogether. 'If you don't think there's something drastically wrong with you before reading these books, you surely will by the time you finish,' is their philosophy. 'It's the mission of self help books to make people believe they're deeply flawed and need fixing. If you don't want to buy into their premise that you must always be working on self-improvement projects, just stop reading all that stuff and be kind to yourself. Stick to fiction stories instead.'

If their point is valid, then I have to wonder whether sticking to fiction stories is the solution. For they may help convince readers that we're flawed in a far more emotive and subtle way than self help books ever can.

In his book, 'Waking the Dead', John Eldredge makes the following observation.

'The phoenix rises from the ashes. Cinderella rises from the cinders to become a queen. The ugly duckling becomes a beautiful swan. Pinnochio becomes a real boy. The frog becomes a prince. Wretched old Scrooge becomes "as good a friend, as good a master and as good a man as the good old city knew."'

Wow, stories of transformation really are prolific! If we live and breathe this sort of literature, if we were brought up on it, has it really been good for us? Doesn't it convince us, in a very palatable and surreptitious way, that we need to become something completely different in order to be acceptable? That we're not good enough as we are? Are transformation stories the feel-good treats we consider them to be, or unhealthy food-for-thought which damages our self concepts and make us discontent with where we are? I hate to think that we put ourselves on a treadmill of frustration whenever we open up any book, whether personal development or engrossing fiction. Isn't that enough to make you wonder whether non-readers are onto something?

Eldredge thinks transformation stories have always comprised part of the fabric of literature because they mirror the essential Christian gospel message. The sin-steeped, darkness of the human heart is such that we need to be completely transformed. That's what being 'born again' is all about, and humanity has always known it deep inside.

I agree with him, but after lots of reflection, would take it a step further. Rather than advocating complete change to become someone totally different, transformation stories aim to ignite the innate value that lies in our hearts all along. Although our human natures may indeed be too dark to change without celestial help, God doesn't desert us. He knows the value of what He created. He probes to stir up goodness which has been lying there latent, so deep we've missed it. And he uses stories, particularly transformation stories, to help do it.

The term 'character development' is often applied to a good novel. When you think about it, it's simply part of the transformation process. When the circumstances of the plot bring out the best in characters, it's like excavating what was already there. It isn't making something brand new from dross, like alchemy. It's highlighting what was within the heroes already. If stories can do this with characters, then readers' hearts are often pulled along for the ride.

There are Bible precedents. Gideon was greeted by God's angel as a great and mighty warrior, while the young man himself was busy threshing his grain in a wine press, to hide from the terrifying Midianites. Peter was given the appellation 'the Rock' even before he lost all his courage on the night of Jesus' crucifixion and denied that he knew him three times. God sees attributes in us which we don't even recognise ourselves yet.

This is biblical history, but our fiction stories follow suit. Snow White was a princess at heart, which was evident in the gracious way she behaved in her humble forest home with the dwarfs. The Scarecrow and Tin Man really did have a brain and heart respectively, for they were using them all along the Yellow Brick Road. And when Harry Potter first met Hagrid, the lovable half-giant told him, 'You are a wizard, Harry.' Not, 'You will be.' Only then did Harry understand some of the weird phenomena which had happened occasionally in his life.

I'd never stop reading wonderful stories, and transformation tales are some of the best around, but maybe that's only if we read them with the ideal mindset. If we aim not to think, 'What do I need to change?' but rather, 'What attributes of mine should I celebrate and highlight?' then they really are like friends, and not foes.

'The Casual Vacancy' by J.K. Rowling

2015 Reading Challenge, Week 36 - A Book that Scares you.

I didn't know what to choose for this category, as I didn't want to delve into horror or tragedy. It's not worth getting myself totally miserable just for the sake of this challenge. When I saw this book's spine on my library shelves, I knew it would fit the bill. Since it was first published, I've heard people call it deplorable, horrible and dark with no redeeming feature. That's what scared me off reading it in 2012. I even included it on my list of books I was hesitant to read. Having finished it now, I'm glad I read it, although I can see both sides of loving and hating it. 

A BIG NOVEL ABOUT A SMALL TOWN ...

When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils ... Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

MY THOUGHTS:

Middle-aged Barry Fairbrother, school teacher, town councillor and pillar of his small community, dies suddenly from a burst aneurysm. Everyone presents a sorrowful face, although secret, heartfelt reactions range from devastation to relief and pleasure. He has left a gaping hole in council to fill (the casual vacancy) and some townsfolk are anxious to put their own names forward. The story is all about the chain of events which is set off when they do. 

There are not really any main characters to single out, but rather several. We are introduced to them thick and fast in the first fifty pages or so, and I started writing a list to keep track of them. Before too long, I didn't need the list anymore, as each of these Pagford identities had become very familiar to me.

One thing I found hard to get used to is the omniscient, third person narration, which hops from head to head, and place to place within the one scene (if you can really call it a 'scene' since it hops from place to place). I don't come across much modern writing done like that anymore. 

Swearing and coarse language is applied with a shovel. It raises the question is all this necessary? JKR has always evoked character and emotion very well in the HP books without resorting to foul language. A prime example is Uncle Vernon Dursley's fury expressed toward Harry on numerous occasions. I'm sure she could have done the same with the small town folk of Pagford, even though others may argue that it would compromise the integrity of the novel. The character Sukhvindah Jawanda reflects that her fellow school student, Krystal Weedon uses the f-bomb interchangeably with 'very' and seemed to see no difference between them. Should a novel which aims to present the stark reality of characters such as the Weedons hold back in any way without selling the characters short? Perhaps any reader who dares face up to the harsh, in-your-face themes of the book needs to accept the language as part of the whole.

As for the themes themselves, anyone wanting to write an essay would have plenty to choose from. Some reviewers have commented that it needn't be such a thick book, considering that it's just about sad, sordid people living their normal lives. But beneath the surface, there's domestic violence, rape, cyber-bullying, infidelity, OCD, slashing/cutting, complications from adoption, drug addiction, gluttony, and overall, the secret nastiness and hypocrisy in many human hearts. Teenage characters are shown up as secretive, deep and cynical people who have grown old enough to see through good-looking masks and pretensions which adults put up, so watch out anyone with teenagers in your life! However, even though the teens are judgmental, they're certainly not portrayed as any nicer than the adults.

The novel dwells on the darkness in human hearts. The people who appear the most squeaky clean may be concealing the most unsavoury thoughts and motivations. I was sad at first that out of so many characters, nobody stood out as good and admirable. Everyone was small, petty, cruel and mean in their own way, which I thought a waste, since JKR can clearly invent magnificent heroes. But then I started liking a couple of them. Maybe that's what books like this are all about. In order to like others, including ourselves, we could train ourselves out of expecting perfection.

So overall, no, it didn't have the same magic as Harry Potter. (I couldn't resist throwing that one in.) It wasn't my favourite book of the year. It leaves a bit of a nasty aftertaste. I doubt I'll ever want to think about it or return to it again. However, I was hooked enough to read it fairly quickly, and I definitely don't think it deserves a ranking of one star. I can't help wondering if several of those were from disappointed readers who expected a story that would wow them the same way as Harry and his friends. If the author had been anyone different, they might have ranked it higher too. I wonder if she was sorry not to have chosen a pseudonym for this. It might have gone over better all round from the pen of Robert Galbraith.

3.5 stars     

'A Noble Masquerade' by Kristi Ann Hunter

Lady Miranda Hawthorne acts every inch the lady, but inside she longs to be bold and carefree. Entering her fourth Season and approaching spinsterhood in the eyes of society, she pours her innermost feelings out not in a diary but in letters to her brother's old school friend, a duke--with no intention of ever sending these private thoughts to a man she's heard stories about but never met. Meanwhile, she also finds herself intrigued by Marlow, her brother's new valet, and although she may wish to break free of the strictures that bind her, falling in love with a servant is more of a rebellion than she planned.

When Marlow accidentally discovers and mails one of the letters to her unwitting confidant, Miranda is beyond mortified. And even more shocked when the duke returns her note with one of his own that initiates a courtship-by-mail. Insecurity about her lack of suitors shifts into confusion at her growing feelings for two men--one she's never met but whose words deeply resonate with her heart, and one she has come to depend on but whose behavior is more and more suspicious. When it becomes apparent state secrets are at risk and Marlow is right in the thick of the conflict, one thing is certain: Miranda's heart is far from all that's at risk for the Hawthornes and those they love.

MY THOUGHTS: 

Sometimes, all I feel like is a light-hearted, amusing romance with a bit of action and some heartfelt moments. That is exactly what I got. For some reason, the Regency Era is the ideal time period to fit the bill. Maybe it's because it was such an age of extremes. While war raged with France right across the channel, an elegant facade was always kept in place on the home front.

I can relate to the heroine, Lady Miranda Hawthorne, as my well-meaning mother used to tutor me on socially acceptable behaviour until I didn't know if I was coming or going. In Lady Miranda's case, it was all to do with 'being a lady.' At least we no longer live in a time period when the expression, 'Be yourself,' was light years away. Miranda provides many moments of comedy, as she's free-spirited and spontaneous but has to rein it in. Even though she's memorised all the right moves, we always know her true self isn't far beneath the surface.

There is lots she has to keep secret, including the fact that she's been writing to her brother's school friend, the Duke of Marshington, since she was eight years old. They are more like journal entries, as she never actually posts them to the boy, even though she's heard rumours that he might be a kindred spirit. The idea of him is enough to help her pour out her heart. When her brother's handsome new valet catches her eye, Miranda mentions those feelings in her letters too. That's about the time when one of her letters accidentally makes it way to the Duke of Marshington for real!

We might imagine that women of her era and station (who couldn't even prepare a cup of tea) lived wonderful lives, but working hard at being ladies of leisure was a 24 hour job I would have found hard to take on. A lady can't even show the world such an unnatural weakness as sneezing if she is to be taken seriously. You can't help wishing a happy ending for her, and I found the hero very swoon-worthy and a perfect match for her. He's had a sad childhood, but is still resourceful and heroic. His sense of humour probably helped a lot.

I hope the future novels in this series focus on members of her family, and especially her two entertaining brothers. I'm sure their stories would be great.

Thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for my review copy.

4.5 stars.

'Hazel Green' by Odo Hirsch

 
2015 Reading Challenge, Week 35 - A trilogy.

I've fallen back on a well loved family trilogy of ours, which I've read aloud to the kids many times. It's always a pleasure to dig into again. There are actually four, but I've reviewed the first three for this challenge. I think it's one of the best kids' series I've come across, introducing both moral and mathematic concepts in a fun way which is integral to the storylines.  

Book 1 - Hazel Green

This is one of my favourite trilogies for kids by far. While they are kept entertained by the unpredictable goings-on, there's a great dose of healthy, adult-style humour to keep parents turning pages too.

There are two plot threads converging together in this first book.

For the first time in several years, children want to march in a special, huge parade celebrating the birth of a local legend. They are anxious to build the biggest, most impressive float to convince Mr Winkel, the antagonistic organiser, that they deserve their spot. It's a massive, built-to-scale replica of the Moodey Building, where they all live and the famous celebrity was born.

During their hard work, somebody walks past, glances at the plans and predicts that the tower will surely topple during the parade. It's Yakov Plonsk, the strange, new foreign boy who keeps himself aloof from the other kids, as they tease him and call him the Yak. Only Hazel Green has a niggling feeling that they shouldn't dismiss the Yak's predictions, as she knows he has a brilliant mathematical mind. But if she demands to know what he means, will she even understand his explanation, let alone have a chance of convincing the other kids that they need to avert a potential catastrophe?

Hazel has also been accused by her favourite baker, Mr Volio, of betraying him by leaking information about a new, delicious cake, to the rival bakery. It seems only the Yak will be able to help her prove her innocence and catch the real traitor. But she has to tread carefully with him and give him a good reason to believe that she genuinely wants to be his friend. He has had plenty of reasons to be sceptical in the past. The range of wonderful cakes and pastries Mr Volio makes always made us hungry enough to want to stock up on danishes and eclairs while reading the story.

This really set us up to want to get hold of the other books to find our what the impulsive Hazel and reflective Yakov have to solve next. 

Book 2 - Something's Fishy, Hazel Green


In many ways, this is my family's favourite of the four Hazel Green novels. The tightly-woven plot is a perfect vehicle for the mixture of hilarity and sensitivity.

Hazel enjoys watching Mr Petrusca, the cheerful fishmonger, fatten up two enormous lobsters for a prized customer, Mr Trimbel. When a thief nicks off with the lobsters and leaves a note in code on their tank, poor Mr Petrusca is more devastated than anybody would expect. It sends him into a tailspin of such deep despair, his indignant friend Hazel is determined to track down the robber.

The first matter is cracking the code, and the only person who could possibly help is her bashful but freakishly clever friend Yakov, aka the Yak. Finding out how the strange and funny aspects of the storyline slot together is great fun. Not one scene in this book turns out to be wasted. The reason why Mr Petrusca initially chooses to do nothing about the letter is understandable and thought-provoking. The method Hazel and the Yak use to catch the thief had us in fits of laughter. That person's identity turns out to be as huge a surprise to readers as it was to the two children.

Once again, Hazel's determination to not accept the status quo but stand up for what she knows is right brings closure and relief. You just have to admire this girl's stubborn persistence.

Book 3 - Have Courage, Hazel Green

The theme of racial discrimination is handled with great sensitivity by author Odo Hirsch, although not necessarily as sensitively by Hazel herself! When she hears respected citizen Mr Davis shouting, 'I hate your type of people' at bashful, gentle caretaker, Mr Ezozian, she's deeply disturbed. Although she doesn't understand why Davis would feel so hostile towards an inoffensive man, she's determined to make the bully feel ashamed of himself. Her ways of going about it are as original and heavy-handed as you might expect from Hazel at this stage, and she drags in her friend, the reticent but equally passionate Yak, to help prove her point.

Characterisation, always excellent in these novels, is ramped up another notch in this book, really showing up the strengths and weaknesses of the main characters. I feel we get glimpses of the type of adults both Hazel and Yakov will become, and their conversations, always sparkling, are even more special. Total opposites on the surface, they share the similarity of being brilliant in their separate ways.

The delicious descriptions of food in Hazel Green novels are as tantalising as usual, this time through delicatessan owners, Mr and Mrs Frengel, who are planning to throw a huge goodwill feast for all residents of the Moodey Building. That's where part of the trouble lies.

5 stars 

When English speakers can't understand each other

When University finished last year, my then 19-year-old son wanted me to drop him off at a mate's place to relax. Some of his friends rent a house in town together, a perfect place for young bachelors, and my son's been known to stay with them for a fortnight at a time. The guys make no plans, but tend to take each day as it comes.

I asked him, "How long are you staying for this time. It'd be nice if you could give us a clue when you'll be back."

"One day," he said, with his head behind the fridge door.

I took that as a definite response, meaning just one day. I thought he'd only stay overnight and be back by tomorrow. I was surprised, but quite pleased. "Good. Thanks."

Half an hour later, we were parked in front of his mate's driveway, and I said, "I'll see you tomorrow then."

He blinked at me and started protesting. "No you won't. I told you, I haven't planned when I'll be back."

Then it dawned on me that he didn't mean those words, one day, the way I'd chosen to take them. He meant them in a vague, cheeky, "When you see me," sort of way.

How easily people can misunderstand each other, even when plain English is spoken clearly and not misheard. I've often thought such communication gaps are a bit of a joke, but this incident reminded me how easily they can happen. I've enjoyed similar misunderstandings when they happen in stories.

I remember reading 'Ramona the Pest' to my children, about a little girl who was proudly starting school. Her teacher, Miss Binney, was assigning seats and said, 'Ramona, you can sit here for the present.' The young heroine was certain the teacher was promising her a gift-wrapped type of present if she remained seated, and it led to lots of mix-ups at recess time when her friends wanted her to come and play. 'No, if I stay here, Miss Binney's going to give me a present, and I can't wait to see what it is. She's taking a long time though.'

Another favourite character of mine was good old Amelia Bedelia, the weird maid who always took things literally. Her employer once asked her to draw the curtains at noon, for example, and came home to find hot afternoon sunlight pouring in on her expensive fabric upholstery. It turned out Amelia had executed a perfect sketch of the open curtains and coloured it in. Several times, Amelia Bedelia only managed to keep her job because she was such a good cook.

Some historical misunderstandings have had far more serious repercussions. Jesus' disciples assumed that He was planning to inaugurate a different type of kingdom to the one He really meant. As we know, Judas decided to take matters in his own hands, when he got tired of waiting for the type of political coup he was expecting.
In 'Becoming a Prayer Warrior', author Elizabeth Alves tells a true anecdote of a young mother who complained that her baby's diaper/nappy rash wouldn't respond to treatment. Alves advised her to 'apply the word of God.' This young lady ripped pages out of her Bible to place in her baby's nappy whenever she changed it. The best part of the story is that it cured the rash. 
I wonder if misunderstandings happen more often than we may realise. As English is a crazy old language in many ways, I'm sure they do. Not only do some words have more than one meaning, but they are often fluid and not fixed, as we might expect. I'm often interested watching my kids and nephews communicate with my parents. One of the boys may make a statement such as, 'That's really sick!' and their grandparents believe that they are expressing criticism instead of admiration.
 Here are some of my recent reading examples which I've enjoyed a lot. 

1) Like a Flower in Bloom, by Siri Mitchell.The heroine, Charlotte Withersby, was relieved that no gentlemen wanted to marry her. However, she'd accidentally accepted several proposals at the same time, just because she didn't get the terminology they used when they popped the question. A hilarious read.

2) The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber




 The hero, Peter, is a missionary to aliens on another planet. The extra-terrestrials have learned some rudimentary English, but there is quite a mix-up when he wakes up one morning and tells the tribal chief that he is anxious to 'pass water.' 

3) The Greenfield Legacy by Meredith Resce, Amanda Deed, Rose Dee and Paula Vince


I'm most fond of this one because I had a wonderful time having a go at composing these mix-ups myself. We four authors each wrote from the point of view of one of the four main characters. My character was young Brooke, one of the granddaughters of the matriarch, Mattie. Brooke was forever puzzling over the intended meanings of whatever people said to her, especially Aidan, the young man she was in love with. 'Did he mean it this way or that? Was that supposed to be an insult or a compliment? Am I supposed to respond or let that one pass?' Her mind was always ticking over and the confusion it caused her never ended.

(If you think our collaboration sounds interesting, you might also like to click here.)
I'd have to say that writing Brooke's part in the Greenfield Legacy is probably what helped me realise what a lot of scope there is for misunderstanding each other in English. As it's such a vast and rich language with a long, piecemeal history and speakers from many totally different backgrounds, I suppose it's no wonder. I have more funny examples in this article about waving cat syndrome, featuring times when I was the one who got confused.

Have my examples of this phenomenon sparked off any memories of your own? I'd be interested to hear them. That in itself may be another example. One man may ask, 'Have you heard the news?' and his friend will reply, 'Yes,' meaning that he's read it on Facebook or Reddit, and then the first man will wonder who told him. Where does it end?

'Simply Tuesday' by Emily P Freeman

Our obsession with bigger and faster is spinning us out of control. We move through the week breathless and bustling, just trying to keep up while longing to slow down. But real life happens in the small moments, the kind we find on Tuesday, the most ordinary day of the week. Tuesday carries moments we want to hold onto--as well as ones we'd rather leave behind. It hold secrets we can't see in a hurry--secrets not just for our schedules but for our souls. It offers us a simple bench on which to sit, observe, and share our stories.
For those being pulled under by the strong current of expectation, comparison, and hurry, relief is found more in our small moments than in our fast movements. In "Simply Tuesday," Emily P. Freeman helps readers
- stop dreading small beginnings and embrace today's work
- find contentment in the now--even when the now is frustrating or discouraging
- replace competition with compassion
- learn to breathe in a breathless world
Jesus lived small moments well, slow moments fully, and all moments free. He lives with us still, on all our ordinary days, creating and redeeming the world both in us and through us, one small moment at a time. It's time to take back Tuesday, to release our obsession with building a life, and believe in the life Christ is building in us--every day.

MY THOUGHTS:

I've enjoyed other books by this author. She has a way of thinking which is outside the box, turning worldly assumptions on their heads and showing that we often make problems where there shouldn't be any. I appreciate the sort of counsel which helps us celebrate where we are, instead of forever urging us to fix or change something. This book is all about embracing our smallness instead of deploring it by hungering for a bigger impact or reach.

We are conditioned to associate the term 'smallness' with being ignored, humiliated or unrecognised. Instead, Emily Freeman invites us to regard smallness as a blessing. Have you ever heard anyone refer to, 'the gift of obscurity'? I have, and never really got their point until reading this book. But who needs the deadlines, expectations and performance burn-out which so often goes with what we think we crave?

Will the fruit of the kingdom of God even look like success in the eyes of the world? Maybe not everyone is supposed to see much visible growth from our efforts in our lifetime. 'If you build it, they will come,' sounds like it might have been a sentiment from the Bible, but it isn't (ask the prophet Jeremiah). Freeman reminds us that the quote is, in fact, far more modern, from the movie, 'Field of Dreams.'

I was offered a new ways to think about the concept of praying for answers. So often, I've longed for clarity and definite guidance as a result of prayer, and felt disappointment when I've remained as foggy and undecided as before. It gives me a 'so much for that' type of feeling, and doesn't tempt me to pray more. This book suggests that maybe we're not even supposed to figure everything out. What if knowing that God has the birds-eye view of our lives is all we need? Maybe our obsession with building our lives into something we can figure out is just tiring. Being content with the fog is definitely a new challenge for someone like me, who loves a measure of control to gauge how things are going.

We are urged by the prophet Zechariah not to despise the day of small beginnings, and most of us assume an implication that a 'big ending' is on its way. That's not actually promised. Our endings may be small too, and we should be happy with that? Maybe being a 'blip' instead of a 'bang' is all part of the plan for an individual. But then the book challenges us further not to jump to the conclusion that what is considered small by the world is also considered small by heaven's measurement.

I felt refreshed, as I'd hoped. The overall takeaway is that a citizen of an invisible kingdom can refuse to take our behaviour cues from the visible world around us, that says to 'build, grow, measure up and rush to keep up.' It's sad that we feel we need permission to settle down to keep the pace with our small callings, but that is what this book offers.

As a bonus, I'm pleased to live in a part of the world where I can see the Milky Way clearly above me at night. So many big city dwellers in Emily Freeman's part of the world apparently can't.

5 stars