M.C. Frank's Blog, page 478

Winter Reads

Four books perfect for a crystal, frosted winter's night.
Entwined by Heather Dixon : a retelling of the twelve dancing princesses fairytale with a passionate quest for love, a challenging look into family dynamics, an intricate battle against darkness and a delicate sprinkling of magic.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern : a magical tale about the fight between good and evil, light and darkness, life and death. A masterpiece dancing with snowflakes and sunshine.
The Gathering Dark (or Shadow and Bone) by Leigh Bardugo: the beginning notes of an epic steampunk fantasy based on a russian myth, luminated by the discovery of an inner strength and the battle of a lifetime.
A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick : an adult historical thriller with a hidden, bittersweet message about the meaning of life. Everyone has an agenda in this book, but the results of their interactions in a frozen coutnry end up being beyond anyone's imagination. Money may be the root of all evil, but it turns out all evil can hold a tiny bit of goodness in the end.
All of these books are rated 5/5 (and more...) 

The Paradise (BBC miniseries)

The Ladies' Paradise (or, to be precise, Au Bonheur Des Dames) is the novel by Emile Zola, which, sadly, I have not read but which happily, has been recently made into another sumptuous period drama miniseries by BBC.
The plot, of the book at least, is this, according to amazon.com:
The Ladies Paradise (Au Bonheur des Dames) recounts the rise of the modern department store in late nineteenth-century Paris. The store is a symbol of capitalism, of the modern city, and of the bourgeois family: it is emblematic of changes in consumer culture and the changes in sexual attitudes and class relations taking place at the end of the century. 

Put like this, of course, it sounds rather dry and classic-reading-required-in-class-y. In fact, it is the story of a mega-store and a peek in the lives of the ower and the shopgirls.I have a passion for reading books in the original language they were written in, so I plan to buy the French version of this book, when I find it, and devour it.

What I found in this story (the BBC version of it, at least) to make me fall in love, was something more than the crisp English accents, the colourful gowns and the period detail of a ladies' store.It was the detail to character, the humanity of the people who were portrayed.It was the weaknesses and the goodness, found, as I prefer it, in the place one expects the least.Watching it for the second time, I found out even more about the personalities of the main and secondary characters, about what made them smile and what made them cry.I am used to discovering such things only in books, and never in movies.It was a delightful surprise.
As for Denise, well, she is my new role-model.I do not think it is passive to be calm and smiling in the face of evil. I think it requires great character strength, and although I am looking forward to discovering her all over in the book, the Denise of The Paradise on BBC, was a breath of fresh air.She does not fight those who would undermine her with cutting words or careful schemes. She  is trying hardest above all to remain true to herself, and I liked that this was rewarded in every episode. Although I would have admired her just as much even had she not been.
Moray on the other hand is a man that makes me stop and think.He is deeply charismatic, but that brave facade of his hides a great deal of damage. I am not sure that any woman would be safe with him. He thinks too much of himself for that.That being said however, it amazed me how he grows and comes to terms with his past and softens in the course of eight episodes. There is a depth to his character that every woman, I think, appreciates in a man.
Katherine is a bit of a caricature, for me, but the one I truly loved, was Miss Audrey. There are so many surprises to her, and her character is so formidable and at the same time endearing, that I honestly have no words. She is a perfect combination of harshness and tenderness. Deep down, she is a mother. That's what I think of her. Pauline I adored, of course, and I dare anyone who has watched this to feel otherwise. Clara has her moments where she is truly sympathetic, but for the most part she is a very realistic portrait of a shopgirl at the time. Sam is a great sweetheart, who could help but love him? And Jonas, well, Jonas, is a bit of a questionmark. Surely there is something good in him, but I think mainly he is confused. Confused and hurt. Maybe a little mad too. 


Naturally, as you can guess from the above, I have spent almost all of my time for three days now watching and rewatching the eight episodes of the first season.Taking a break from that, I did some work on Photoshop.You are free to use the wallpaper below as you like, but please credit when you can.



And, it's not a spoiler, but that's Mornay and Denise in the little pictures on the right bottom. Oh yes ;)



Note: I first heard about this book and the tv show on YouTube, by one of my favourite book vloggers, this is her video where she mentions this book. Her youtube name is astridthebookworm. Thank you, Astrid!

A Prayer for the New Year

The Memory Jar by Tricia Goyer

Every year, 30--40 young Amish men descend on the cozy little town of West Kootenai, Montana, arriving in the spring to live there for six months and receive 'resident' status for the hunting season in the fall. They arrive as bachelors, but go home with brides! Sarah Shelter has lived in West Kootenai for the last ten years and wonders if she will ever fall in love. Since the tragic death of her best friend, she carries her memories in a jar along with the small items connected to them. For just as long, she's also been carrying around her emotions instead of allowing them to penetrate deep into her heart. Now she's met a kind and gentle man who may be able to break down the wall. But can Sarah risk her heart to finally achieve her dreams?

This may look like a regular amish romance, but trust me, it's not.There is a depth to it, which is even more elegant, seen through the simple life of amish people.
This is a story about loss.About fear and about shutting your feelings inside, and being scared of letting anyone get close.Our heroine, Sarah, may be a little simple at times, but at last she does get it right. And personally I believe that, amish or not, simple or not, it took guts to behave as she did at the second half of the book.
The first half of the book, so to speak, is a gentle romance. Of the kind that refreshes you as you read it, and calms you, and warms your heart. Jathan is so big and strong and sensitive, and he is so protective of her, I just loved him. But then, in the second half of the book, the issues are kicked up a notch.Sarah has to leave her comfort zone, and she has to strike out and make desicions for herself.She has to be braver than ever before and she has to face the greatest fear of them all.Trusting others.And trusting God with her life.
I loved this book, and the lessons it contains. I will only deduct one point because I didn't like the way Jathan behaved at the end, I thought he was weak and a coward and it was out of character for him. In fact, I thought it was a bit foolish how Sarah immediately took him back, somewhat immature.But other than that I completely recommend this book to those who have no problem reading about the amish way of life.
Rating: 3/5
I received this book from Zondervan in exchange for an honest review.

The Grace Effect by Larry Alex Taunton

This is the true story of the adoption of a Ukranian orphan little girl by an American (the author) and his famiy who are of christian beliefs. The book chronicles the Amerian family's trips to Ukrainia until the paperwork is finally done and they can take their new daughter back home with them.It explores the shortcomings of the country, Unkrainia, concerning the courts, the orphanage, even the hotels. Now all of this may be realistic, or real enough in some cases, but the thing is, the book does not simply describe reality in this country. It compares the country to America. Or, more accurately, to the author's experience of America. It attempts to explain why, dut to the fact that Americans are largely of christian beliefs, their country is much better than a European country ridden by atheistic beliefs.
While I don't for a minute question the charity and importance of what the Tauntons did by adopting this wonderful little girl, I very strongly disagree with the message of this book. It is whiny about the conditions in Ukrainia, and I am sorry, but this is in no way true christian spirit. And on top of that a great amount of arrogance comes out on the part of the author, concerning his country, his family, even himself.
The grace effect, my dear Mr Taunton, is not the fact that America is a more compassionate country than Ukrainia. The grace effect is not that you, as an American, chose to show mercy to an orphan.Every country is evil although not in the same way, because human beings are evil.America destroys people as effectively as Ukrainia, let me tell you that, or England or China or Greece. It is people that lack grace, not countries.And its source, the source of grace, is a person, not a place, not a civilization.It is Jesus Christ who chose to give His life for us, whether we American or European or anything else.
I do understand what he wants to say in this book, I do realize the advantages of growing up in a country inbred with christian values as opposed to gorwing up in atheism. But that alone cannot save you. That alone cannot change the world. That alone is not the grace effect.God is.
I found none of the above message in this book.If the author had let his actions speak for themselves, this might have been a decent book.The story is very touching actually, especially when it comes to the author's three sons. But the grace effect of Christianity, as stated at the beginning of this book, correctly, I may add, should not have been displayed in the "americanity" of the author but rather in his own christianity.

Rating: 2/5
I received this book from Booksneeze.

The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury

Molly Allen lives alone in Portland, but she left her heart back in Tennessee with a man she walked away from five years ago. They had a rare sort of love she hasn’t found since.Ryan Kelly lives in Nashville after a broken engagement and several years on the road touring with a country music duo. He can still hear Molly’s voice encouraging him to follow his dreams; Molly, whose memory stays with him. At least he can visit The Bridge—the oldest bookstore in historic downtown Franklin—and remember the hours he and Molly once spent there.For thirty years, Charlie and Donna Barton have run The Bridge, providing the people of middle Tennessee with coffee, conversation, and shelves of good books—even through dismal book sales and the rise of digital books. Then in May, the hundred-year flood swept through Franklin and destroyed nearly every book in the store.Now the bank is pulling the lease on The Bridge. Despondent and without answers, Charlie considers the unthinkable. Then tragedy strikes, and suddenly, everything changes. In the face of desperate brokenness and lost opportunities, could the miracle of a second chance actually unfold?The Bridge is a love story set against the struggle of the American bookstore, a love story you will never forget.


There isn't much to say about this cute Christmassy little book.If you love books and bookstores and Christmas, then you will love this book.
There is a deeper aspect to the romance mentioned at the Publisher's Description above. It is not only about a long-lost love. It is also about finding yourself and becoming the person you always wanted to become.
There is a second story, the story of the owners of the bookstore, who are going through a crisis in their business which quickly turns into a crisis in their very lives. I won't way exactly what their moral dilemma is, beacuse it would be a major spoiler for the book, but it touched me deeply. Maybe this specific subject doesn't touch everyone so close to home, but for me it was just what I needed.
These two stories come together with a greatly heart-warming plot, and a strong message about the true God of Christmas.
Now because this story is beautiful, the writing is excellent, and our world is in need of being reminded exactly what we are celebrating on Christmas, this book would be the best bookish Christmas present I could receive this year.I think it just might be the best bookish present you are craving too.
Rating: 5/5
I read this book via NetGalley