Too Busy

Ah, yes,...we all know what it's like to be too busy to enjoy the things we like, don't we? Life seems to come at us going 100 miles an hour and, sometimes, all we can do is go with the flow and know it will let up...eventually. This is what my life feels like for about nine months out of the year, even though I love what I do. But summer? Ah, summer is another story...

Since school let out (in case you don't know, I'm a teacher), I've been very busy in the most fun sort of ways, but it's actually prevented me from reading as much as I would like. I've been traveling and visiting with friends and, when I'm home, we've been working on renovating two rooms at our house. While I enjoy doing all these things, it's left me less summertime reading than usual. (Yes, even the traveling...because I'm busy enjoying the sights and sounds and the people that surround me.)  

I say all this to say, I have just finished Daphne du Maurier's My Cousin Rachel. I can't tell you the last time it took me over two weeks to read a novel - especially one I really enjoy! Normally, I would be upset about not finding enough time to read, but the fact that I've been having too much fun to read,...well, I can't complain about that, now, can I? I've also been spending time writing, which is something I need to do. Too busy to read? Well, yes, but...wait until I tell you what I discovered about My Cousin Rachel by having to read it in bits and pieces. (See? I'm always learning something...)

What I discovered, from taking so long to read this Daphne du Maurier novel, is the same thing I already knew from her other stories I read quickly: She is an excellent writer. I know, you're thinking, "Duh. It's Daphne du Maurier. This is your discovery?" But, you see, there's a difference in enjoying a book in a few sittings, when you're absorbed in the story and briefly hold the thread of it in your mind, and holding on to a story for long periods of time while living the rest of your life, especially when you read as many books as I do. 

When I was able to pick up My Cousin Rachel here and there, I never had to reread and remind myself where I was in the story. The story and the characters stuck with me. There is a great deal of depth to this author's writing, and there are many layers to what she says in one passage. It is why the story stayed with me, no matter how long I needed to put it down between readings.

Forgive me for how I am about to say this as bluntly as I think it in my mind: It is wonderfully refreshing to read a realistic fiction story with substance. It's a mystery without a damn detective. It hints at things that are deeply sinister without ever saying exactly what they are, leaving it to your own imagination. It's romance and passion without detailed sex scenes. It's witty banter between intelligent characters without some whiny female who needs to be rescued. 

In other words, when Daphne du Maurier wrote, she trusted that her readers would not be idiots. She doesn't spell out everything, but she writes it in a way to make you think and know. I have many passages marked just for how well she turns a phrase, and she has a way of describing a scene succinctly without going on and on for pages and you know that the descriptions have meaning, as well. The reader is given just enough, but never too much. 

I love this book. And I don't say that as often as you'd think. There are too many books I read that are just too superficial and shallow to even comment on. And, sadly, many of them are YA, which is probably why more and more middle school children don't like to read very much. Children may not always know what they like, until you help them find it, but they certainly know what bores them. (Okay, I'll drop that train of thought for now...because I could go on and on and...)

I'll sum it up this way, if you're a thinking reader (and, yes, there are readers out there who don't think about what they read), you can't go wrong with Daphne du Maurier. I can't imagine the woman wrote anything I wouldn't love. I intend on finding out, as I will continue to sprinkle in her novels throughout my reading journey. By doing so, I know I'll always have substance in my reading diet. And we all need that.

Happy reading!

Second Post Today?!

What can I say? It's either a drought or a downpour when it comes to me. There's been so much dryness lately, I need a flood of writing for awhile. Perhaps, I want to write more because I know spring break is one week away, and I feel I'm finally beginning to breathe again. Or maybe, just maybe, I've finally decided my priorities need to be adjusted a bit. (Okay, more than "a bit.")

No matter the reason, here is my second post of the day:

I read the classic Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier, and I absolutely loved it! I know, I know,...I should have read it before now. Everyone should have read it by now. I don't know how I missed it all these years - and I mean completely missed it. I had no idea it had been made into a movie by Alfred Hitchcock (which, now, I can't wait to see because I hear it's really good). I didn't know Maurier also wrote a novelette, The Birds, which also became one of Hitchcock's movie - one I've loved since childhood.

I know there is more to learn about this wonderful authoress, but I hesitate to research her any further for now. I enjoy her style of writing and look forward to reading more of her work. I've already bought Frenchman's Creek and My Cousin Rachel. I'd like to read those before I delve into who she was as a person. I hate to admit this, but learning about a writer sometimes taints my view on their writing. I'd rather love the work first, learn about the author second.

As for the novel Rebecca, I loved everything about it. I love the way the story unfolds, the reader not knowing anything more than the narrator knows. I found myself questioning whether the narrator was reliable or not. I didn't know if things were really as they appeared to her on the surface or was she just being overly dramatic. And, trust me, there is plenty of drama in this novel. Drama, suspense, thrills, chills, and love - they're all there in perfect portions.

Reviews have told me that Frenchman's Creek is closest in style to Rebecca, which is why it's the one I'm beginning tonight. I hope I've found another writer whose literary works are the kind I can soak my brain in and enjoy the mental rollercoaster rides. If they are anything like Rebecca, I'll be riding with my hands in the air and screaming for more. :)

Still Loving It!

The excitement continues to build in Caroline B. Cooney's series about Janie! Not only have my book club girls been reading like crazy, I now have several other students (and teachers) who have borrowed copies of the The Face on the Milk Carton because of the Janie Fever that has seized so many of us!

During our SSR (silent, sustained reading) time, you can watch the hungry faces of my student readers as they devour each chapter in the Janie saga! Of course, they aren't the only ones! I am also lapping up the chapters and finding that I like the flavor of each book in the series, which continues to unfold the mystery of Janie's life and her family.

I finished The Voice on the Radio the other day and, so far, it is my favorite. There's a great deal of build up to suspense in this one. The story line in this one is like a train wreck you know is going to happen, you just don't know when and where it's going to happen. And when it does, you wonder who is going to be pulled from the wreckage and survive the emotional crash of Janie's life.

While I realize this is a middle school book, it really is a good ride. The books aren't very long, but they are interesting. I like how each book is a different part of Janie's life, but they all tie back to what happened with the milk carton. Her life has spun out of control in a direction she doesn't understand. She struggles to gain her footing and continue with her life, but life keeps kicking her in the shins. While she struggles, she doesn't even realize what incredible strength she has inside of her.

I have also noticed that as the books go on, Janie gains wisdom and insights into life she didn't have before. She's learning and growing as a character. As an adult, it makes you reflect on those choices you made when you were young, and you remember how sometimes we all have to learn things the hard way. For young adults, I think it's a good example of how to be strong and resilient, no matter what life throws at you. As Janie learns, I'm finding more and more good quotes to tab about life and love and trust.

I have started reading the fourth book, What Janie Found, and - once again - Cooney is giving us another phase in Janie's life. More secrets are revealed. Janie has some tough decisions to make. Will she make the right ones? Like most of us, I'm sure she'll make some mistakes along the way, but I like this girl. I believe in her strength. Every time she gets knocked down, I'm cheering her on to get back up, brush herself off, and encouraging her to make her life what she wants it to be.

Now that I've caught you all up, I'm going to go visit Janie for awhile and see how she's doing. :)

Happy Reading!

Another Good Summer Read!

Can you believe it? I scored another good summer read from a first time author - and it was another random pick! I just LOVE that! I just finished (and by "just" I mean "just put it down") The Mourning Hours by Paula Treick DeBoard, and I really liked it! 

Why did I pick it? Well, I liked the cover because I am sentimentally attached to fireflies in mason jars (part of my childhood), I was intrigued by the play on words for the title, and the preview on the back of the book interested me. There were no reviews or recommendations on, or in, the book - so, I almost took it as a challenge. I also liked her dedication page. I suppose I felt a common bond with an author who writes, "For my Tea Time friends, because I always said I would." My book club friends can relate to that, as they try to encourage me in my writing endeavors. ;)

Now, to sum it up and not give anything away...

I read this novel in a few days (of course, I'm a teacher on summer break). I usually like to sprinkle a few shorter reads in between big novels or series. I knew this would be one of my shorter reads. While it wasn't a difficult read, it was an interesting one! The first couple of chapters didn't flow for me at first, but once I got into the main story, the storyteller did a good job of pulling me in to the family's life.

The narrator of the story is an adult woman who is having to return to her childhood home because something has happened. As the reader, we don't yet know what that event is. The trip "back home" takes the narrator back in time to when she was nine and tragedy struck her family. She tells the story of what happened and how it changed her life, and the life of her family, forever. The back of the book states, "The Mourning Hours is a gripping portrayal of a family straining against extraordinary pressure, and a powerful tale of loyalty, betrayal and forgiveness."

One more thing I just have to mention. It was only after I purchased the book that I noticed the publisher was Harlequin MIRA. Harlequin? Really? I only associate them with romance novels. So, researcher that I am, I looked it up. Some of the information I found seemed to indicate that this part of Harlequin publishing focuses on "relationship novels," but I did find some references to "romance" on other books published under the "MIRA" label. That being said, let me assure you The Mourning Hours is not a romance novel. 

I hope you'll give Ms. DeBoard's novel a try! I also hope you give other new authors a try from time to time. I love to go to bookstores that have a special section dedicated to new writers. Classics are great, national bestsellers are usually a good bet, but...sometimes, be sure you're giving the unknown a try. I'll tell you what I tell my students, "A careful, good preview of any book should usually result in a good read." :)

If you'd like a little more info: http://www.paulatreickdeboard.com/mourning_hours.html

City of Too Many Details?

I get it. I finally get it! I now understand what it is to skim through long, detailed descriptions that are unnecessary to move a good story along. This hasn't always been a clear lesson to me. In fact, when my book club discusses books, I am the one who falls on the side of enjoying all the detailed writing. Defender of the Details, that's me! I'm a Henry James fan, for goodness sakes! How could I possibly want to skim text and not read every word? Is that even possible for me?

Well, it is now.

If you'll remember, I was reading Daniel Hecht's City of Masks during my spring break. It's a really good mystery and spooky enough to make me jump at noises in my house. I am not normally a fan of the paranormal genre, but I really liked this ghost story, and - really - it's so much more than that. It's about the terrible secrets families keep and the lies they tell each other...and themselves. I enjoyed the suspense and the thrills, liked the characters in the book and loved the setting.

What I didn't like? All the details that described every little piece of every little thing. The suspense would be building, I was ready to find out what happened next and, suddenly, I would be lost in a forest of words describing the character's scenic drive through a neighborhood in New Orleans. I felt...frustrated...and, about the time I hit my third forest, I began to skim past the descriptions. 

Are you shocked? I was.

While I read the book on my Kindle Fire, I noted that the paperback version has 464 pages. Trust me, I could have saved some trees and made it a shorter book without losing anything valuable from the story. It wasn't that the descriptions were bad, they were spot-on, just...unnecessary.

But wait.

That's not exactly fair,...and it isn't the whole truth. 

What the author was describing in all those forests?  Details about the city of New Orleans. He was trying to capture the essence of what it's like, and he did an excellent job. If I had never been to New Orleans, I may have needed those descriptions to understand the many worlds that collide there to help build a movie in my head. Because I have been to New Orleans, I understood exactly what he was saying and didn't need him to interpret a place I already knew. Perhaps another reader, who has never been there, would have appreciated those detailed descriptions.

I did notice, at the end of the book, the author thanked all the good people of New Orleans who helped him out and welcomed him to their city. He was specific in some of his gratitude. It would seem he was treated quite well by the city during his stay there, so I began to wonder if he was also trying to write a travelogue...or, perhaps, he was just so enamored by the city that seduces so many, he just couldn't say enough about it. 

Details aside, I enjoyed the story enough to purchase the next book in the series. I won't read it right away, I have others waiting impatiently that were in line first, but I know I want to read it. I also want to test myself. I checked the setting out for the second book, and I've never been there - so, I'll see if I feel the same way about the descriptions. My own little experiment, so to speak. 

You know I don't like to commit to a series, but this series is the kind I can live with because there's really no commitment. The next book isn't a continuation of the first story. All the same main characters are there, but each book is different.  It's the kind where the main character goes on another adventure, another ghost hunt...

You know, like Scooby Doo. ;)

I should note that my friend, Jane, said the book seemed to be set up like a television series - the intro, the adventure, the truth revealed, the wrap-up, even the light-hearted banter at the end. I hadn't thought of it that way until she said it, but she's right. Makes me wonder...

Could Hecht have written the series with television in mind?
 Jinkies! Now, that would make me run screaming into the night!