LeAnn’s Comments (group member since Apr 26, 2010)

LeAnn’s comments from the Q&A with LeAnn Neal Reilly group.

Alisha wrote: "The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas was such a life changing book for me, because it shows how one choice/deed can drastically affect ours or other people's lives permanently. It was an in..."

I'm reading The Count of Monte Cristo right now. I'm a little worried about what comes next in the story because I know it's a tale of revenge and that the Count has already doled out rewards to his old friends.

saferia wrote: "My Jim: A Novel by Nancy Rawles. This well written book forced me to look at relationships and look at the ties that bind us to one another. It also made me think on the things that w..."

It's been a long time since I read Huck Finn, which My Jim is apparently inspired by (and I love it when authors respond to classics by imagining other stories for significant characters in the classics). My daughter just read Huck Finn for a writing class. I'll have to tell her about My Jim.

Valerie wrote: "Grimm's "King Thrushbeard." I wish someone would do a retelling of it! Although the princess is a spoiled brat, he loves her and puts her through all that to humble her. I picture it that they k..."

I haven't read "King Thrushbeard" or if I did, it was way back in elementary school and it didn't get reinforced in other places. However, it does remind me of a story that I read about in a children's book on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. In this story, however, it is a queen who dresses like a hag and sends a knight on a quest. Because I only read a description of the story rather than the actual story, I don't remember how it worked out, but the knight was rather arrogant and rude and the queen wanted to humble him before letting him see that she loved him.

Valerie wrote: "Hi I'm Valerie. Happily married and mother of 4. Right now I've a 8 month old baby and I love to read while I'm nursing her. So I go through a LOT of books. Usually I go for YA fairytales and t..."

Congratulations (belated) on your addition. I have three children and can remember enjoying that chance to read while nursing. Actually, I spent a lot of time thinking about my novel while nursing -- and planning my garden. Being forced to sit still for long minutes is a very good thing for anyone wanting to develop their imagination!

Valerie wrote: "Stacy wrote: "I wish I had the book so I could answer this question!"

Dito!"

Good luck in the giveaways!

Valerie wrote: "Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl. I wouldn't say it's my favorite book- but, oh man- it was good, and heart breaking, and really made me think and ponder upon a lot. It backed up what ..."

Valerie,

Part of what motivated me to write The Mermaid's Pendant was my own search for meaning. I think that's what writers often are doing (although I won't say that they all do).

I hope that everyone in this group is respectful, empathetic, and understanding enough to tolerate the mention of works of faith by members. By the same token, I hope that those who mention them do keep it to a mention. I think you did it just right, Valerie, so thank you for feeling comfortable enough to do so and being respectful as well.

Valerie wrote: "My problem is not so much the happily ever after part, but that in a lot of stories, the characters seem to fall in love rather quickly. Seems more like infatuation than real, deep, meaningful lov..."

Valerie, I felt that way as a teenager. When my first boyfriend declared after our first date that he loved me, well, I didn't believe him.

Anyway, I think that you're a perfect reader for The Mermaid's Pendant -- and much of what you've written matches what motivated me to write the book and explains why it isn't a YA book. The characters aren't teens for one thing. For another, it's a big book. I told the fairy tale in the first half and then the rest of the story in the second. There's a lot of character development between the two halves.

I've noticed that a lot of YA readers have marked it as "to-read" and I wonder how they'll take the story when it doesn't work out the way that they've come to expect it to.

GC:

I read fairy tales as a young child -- I just found them on my own in the school library -- and moved to fantasy fiction in high school. I wish that someone had introduced me to LOTR because I would have loved it. I had to wait to learn about it when the movies came out. But in college, I returned to fairy tales a little for a fantasy literature class. Also, there was a TV show on based on Beauty and Beast. Does anyone else remember it? And then, they came back when I became a mom. I think now I enjoy the retellings the most.

Welcome, Hannah!

I know what you mean about figuring out what I wanted to do when I grew up. I always wanted to write a book, but that seemed so impractical that I kept looking for other more pragmatic careers. But I have a terrible time pursuing work that doesn't mean anything to me, so I came back to writing books.

I suspect that you're a very mature reader (I know that I was and so are my kids). I just wanted to give you a heads up so that you weren't shocked.

Hannah wrote: "After resisting it for years (snobbishly assuming it would be too girly for my tastes) I finally read Pride and Prejudice and immediately understood what all of the fuss is about. Aust..."

I didn't resist Austen -- I guess I resisted anything that sounded like English Lit. I'm not sure what inspired me to try her, but I too love her.

To Say Nothing of the Dog sounds very intriguing. I love books that defy genre descriptions.

Becca wrote: "LeAnn, I strongly recommend all of her work -- The Sparrow is technically science fiction, which tends to turn away people who aren't into science fiction, but I think it's very readable to people ..."

I'm pretty broad-minded about fiction and I've been reading a great deal more non-fiction (mostly history) lately. Thread of Grace sounds very intriguing.

Shannon wrote: "Ok really not life altering but the book I reread again and again. Danny Gran by Danielle Steel. I have always worked in a nursing home my entire working career. You look at these old people and j..."

Shannon, I think books can work on us quietly rather than in a shattering way. If you keep returning to it, there is something important in the story that draws you.

Becca, I'm unfamiliar with Mary Doria Russell and The Sparrow. Thanks for sharing the book with us. It sounds like one that should stick with the reader long after finishing it.

Kristy,

I've got "The Glass Castle" on my to-read shelf, but I suspect I'll need to be in a "happy place" to read it.

I've always been fascinated with figuring out why some people are resilient and heal from damaging life situations while others succumb to despair, bitterness, and negative behavior. I've been working on my next novel featuring a character who experiences something horrible, as horrible as one can imagine, but the novel follows her as she journeys through the healing process. It's very dark and rather scary to imagine her being so honest and brutal, and I don't know if I have the courage to write it even though I want to balance the dark with light. Maybe The Glass Castle would be a good source for me ....

Steve wrote: "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig has had a profound impact on the way I look at life and the people around me. I read it in high school while growing up in a town with..."

Steve, I missed out on reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance in my high school English class -- we had choices of reading a few "big books" and I picked something else. But it always sounded very intriguing to me. The title is very evocative.

Dawn wrote: "The book/author I chose was The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown as it was my first experience reading a book that was the subject of so much debate and controversy. [book:The Da ..."

Dawn,

I certainly enjoyed The Da Vinci Code, but I wouldn't put myself in the "passionately" loved group. I admire Brown's clever storytelling that weaves in so many interesting elements, and yes, I think that anyone who can get people to talk about something passionately is doing something right.

Sally wrote: "My other favorite is Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. This wasn't life altering or anything like that. It was just very interesting to read. A Geisha is an artisan. They don't sell their bodie..."

Sally,

I haven't read To Kill a Mockingbird, but I did very much enjoy Memoirs of a Geisha around the time the movie came out. I too love reading about other cultures -- it's one of my favorite aspects of reading and much cheaper than traveling!

Welcome, Sally!

Dana,

I've never read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn -- but then, I didn't get any reading suggestions from my parents. What a great thing to share with you given how much you got from reading it.