HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!!

It was on July 4th, 1776, that the United States of America

was born.

This is the land that upholds the freedom

and dignity of the individual,

endowed with certain inalienable rights,

guaranteed by our constitution.

And so I say....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, USA!!!!!!

Here are some July 4th quotes:

In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all!
 By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall.
 John Dickinson

Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.

Abraham Lincoln

Here's a book recommendation for this very special day:

Rise to Rebellion:

A Novel of the American Revolution

(American Revolutionary War #1)

Hardcover, 512 pages

Published by Ballantine Books

July 3rd, 2001

From the Goodreads Synopsis

Jeff Shaara dazzled readers with his bestselling novels Gods and Generals, The Last Full Measure, and Gone for Soldiers. Now the acclaimed author who illuminated the Civil War and the Mexican-American War brilliantly brings to life the American Revolution, creating a superb saga of the men

who helped to forge the destiny of a nation.

On My Wishlist #5

This is a fun weekly event hosted by

Carolyn at  Book Chick City,

 and runs every Saturday.

Each participating blogger features books 

s/he hasn't actually bought yet, but desperately wants to read,

because the stories sound so very fascinating!

These books can be either newly-published,

to be released in the near future,

or they might have been in print for several years.

In my particular case, any books I place

on my wish list are strictly the print versions,

since I do not read ebooks. 

Here are my choices for this week!

The Begotten: A Novel of the Gifted

(The Gifted #1)

Lisa T. Bergren

Hardcover, 384 pages

Published by Berkley Hardcover

August 1, 2006

Genres:

Christian Fiction, Fantasy,

Historical Fiction, Religious Thriller

From the Goodreads Synopsis

The year is 1339, the height of the Inquisition. A secret half a millennium old is on the brink of being exposed. Centuries before, the Church compiled the letters written by St. Paul with other texts to form the foundation of the Christian canon. But what the world doesn't know is that Paul wrote another letter-a letter speaking of men and women who, though begotten of men, possess mysterious spiritual gifts. Now, the time has come for the Gifted to gather.

The Betrayed: A Novel of the Gifted

(The Gifted #2)

Lisa T. Bergren

Hardcover, 416 pages

Published by Berkley Hardcover

September 4, 2007

Genres:

Christian Fiction, Fantasy,

Historical Fiction, Religious Thriller

From the Goodreads Synopsis

Now the breathtaking quest of the spiritually empowered Gifted ones-prophesized in a long-lost illuminated letter from the apostle Paul-continues as the healer, the priest, and the knight gather together to fight a battle in a profound new war. For the enemies of the Gifted are gathering, led by an evil lord who will do anything to destroy their unwavering faith.

The Blessed: A Novel of the Gifted

(The Gifted #3)

Lisa T. Bergren

Hardcover, 384 pages

Published by Berkley Hardcover

September 2, 2008

Genres:
Christian Fiction, Fantasy,

Historical Fiction, Religious Thriller

From the Goodreads Synopsis

In The Blessed, Sir Gianni de Capezzano and Daria d'Angelo face an uncertain future and are trailed by the enemy on a treacherous journey out of hell's reach and into their blessed destiny.

I'm really excited about these books,

and hope to add them

to my already humongous collection!

So what books have all of you added

to your wish list this week?



On My Wishlist #4

This is a fun weekly event hosted by

Carolyn at  Book Chick City,

 and runs every Saturday.

Each participating blogger features books 

s/he hasn't actually bought yet, but desperately wants to read,

because the stories sound so very fascinating!

These books can be either newly-published,

to be released in the near future,

or they might have been in print for several years.

In my particular case, any books I place

on my wish list are strictly the print versions,

since I do not read ebooks. 

Here are my choices for this week!

The Hunt of the Unicorn

C.C. Humphreys

Hardcover, 341 pages

Published by Knopf Books

March 8, 2011

(first published February 28, 2011)

Genre: YA Fantasy

(By the way, I love the gorgeous cover!!)

From the Goodreads Synopsis

Elayne thinks the old family story that one of her ancestors stepped through a tapestry into a world of mythical beasts makes a great fireside tale. But she lives in the real world. In New York City. And she's outgrown that kind of fantasy.

Until she finds herself in front of a unicorn tapestry at the Cloisters museum and sees her initials woven into the fabric. And hears a unicorn calling to her. And slips and falls—into that other world.

The Map of Time

Felix J. Palma

(translated by Nick Caistor)

Hardcover, 624 pages

Published by Atria

Expected Release Date: June 28, 2011

(first published, in Spanish, Oct 15, 2008)

Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction

(This cover reminds me of the one

for Clockwork Angel, by Cassandra Clare.

I love the style of both!

Maybe they're by the same artist.)

From the Fantastic Fiction Website Synopsis

Set in Victorian London with characters real and imagined, The Map of Time is a page-turner that boasts a triple play of intertwined plots in which a skeptical H. G. Wells is called upon to investigate purported incidents of time travel and to save lives and literary classics, including Dracula and The Time Machine, from being wiped from existence. What happens if we change history? Félix J. Palma explores this question in The Map of Time, weaving a historical fantasy as imaginative as it is exciting...

El Mapa del Tiempo

Felix J. Palma

Trade Paperback, 628 pages

Published by Algaida Editores

November 2, 2010

Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction

Special Note

Since this book was originally published in Spanish,

I intend to get that edition as well!

For some reason, Amazon gives a different

publication date for the Spanish edition.

(Yes, I am that much of a book addict...)

The Vampire Stalker

Allison van Diepen

Hardcover, 272 pages

Published by Point

June 1, 2011

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

From the Goodreads Synopsis

What if the characters in a vampire novel left their world--and came into yours?

Amy is in love with someone who doesn't exist: Alexander Banks, the dashing hero in a popular series of vampire novels. Then one night, Amy meets a boy who bears an eerie resemblance to Alexander. In fact, he is Alexander, who has escaped from the pages of the book and is in hot pursuit of a wicked vampire named Vigo.

Starcrossed

Josephine Angelini

Hardcover, 496 pages

Pubhlished by HarperTeen

May 31, 2011

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

(I think this cover is sooo beautiful!)

From the Goodreads Synopsis

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. 

Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. . .  and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

Toward the Gleam

T.M. Doran

Hardcover, 481 pages

Published by Ignatius Pres

March 1, 2011

Genre: Fantasy

(I love this cover as well!)

Special Note

This book is being recommended to Tolkien fans!

That puts the seal of approval on it, as far as I'm concerned,

since I absolutely love the works of that author!!

There's also a giveaway of this book

on Goodreads!

From the Goodreads Synopsis

Between the two world wars, on a hike in the English countryside, Professor John Hill takes refuge from a violent storm in a cave. There he nearly loses his life, but he also makes an astonishing discovery — an ancient manuscript housed in a cunningly crafted metal box. Though a philologist by profession, Hill cannot identify the language used in the manuscript and the time period in which it is was made, but he knows enough to make an educated guess — that the book and its case are the fruits of a long-lost, but advanced civilization.

So what books are on your wishlist this week?

On My Wishlist #3

This is a fun weekly event hosted by

Carolyn at  Book Chick City,

 and runs every Saturday.

Each participating blogger features books 

s/he hasn't actually bought yet, but desperately wants to read,

because the stories sound so very fascinating!

These books can be either newly-published,

to be released in the near future,

or they might have been in print for several years.

In my particular case, any books I place

on my wish list are strictly the print versions,

since I do not read ebooks. 

Here are my choices for this week!

Entwined

Heather Dixon

Hardcover, 480 pages

Published by Greenwillow Books

March 29, 2011

Genre: YA Fantasy

From the Goodreads Synopsis

Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing . . . it's taken away.

 

All of it.

The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries.

Sea Change

Aimee Friedman

Hardcover, 292 pages

Published by Point

June 1, 2009

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

From the Goodreads Synopsis

Sixteen-year-old Miranda Merchant is great at science. . .and not so great with boys. After major drama with her boyfriend and (now ex) best friend, she's happy to spend the summer on small, mysterious Selkie Island, helping her mother sort out her late grandmother's estate.

She also meets Leo, who challenges everything she thought she knew about boys, friendship. . .and reality.

Daughter of Xanadu

Dori Jones Yang

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published by Delacorte Books

January 11, 2011

(first published Dec. 22, 2010)

From the Goodreads Synopsis

Athletic and strong willed, Princess Emmajin's determined to do what no woman has done before: become a warrior in the army of her grandfather, the Great Khan Khubilai. In the Mongol world the only way to achieve respect is to show bravery and win glory on the battlefield. The last thing she wants is the distraction of the foreigner Marco Polo, who challenges her beliefs in the gardens of Xanadu.

Besides the absolutely beautiful covers,
the plots of these books
promise very fascinating reads!!
I simply can't wait to make them mine!!

So what books are on your own wishlist this week?

Waiting on Wednesday #2: Cascade, by Lisa T. Bergren

This is a weekly book meme, hosted by

Jill at Breaking the Spine,

which features future releases that we book bloggers

are eagerly anticipating!

Well, here's my second W.O.W.!!

I'm very excited about the book I have chosen

for this one!

It's the second volume in the River of Time trilogy,

by Lisa T. Bergren.

I recently won the first book, Waterfall,

which I discovered through
a combination giveaway/author interview

hosted by Katy

at Legacy of a Writer.

This series of books is a heady combination

of romance, adventure, and time travel!

The first novel, which I devoured, 
introduces the protagonist, Gabriela Betarrini,

who, together with her sister Lia,

is accidentally thrown back

to the Italy of the 14th century.

You can check out my review of Waterfall HERE.

And now, this is the second book in the series:

Cascade

Lisa T. Bergren

Trade Paperback, 416 pages

Published by David C. Cook

Reading Genre: Young Adult, Christian

Release date: June 1st, 2011

Synopsis

In this second installment, Gabi persuades

 her sister and mother to return to the 14th century,

where Gabi's love, Marcello, waits for her

at Castle Forelli.

The enemies of Marcello's family want to kill

both sisters, for, thanks to their

heroic actions, the tide has turned

against the city of Florence,

in its long struggle with the city of Siena.

Gabi must also come to a heartbreaking decision:

will she leave her family 'behind',

in the 21st century,

in order to stay with the love of her life,

in Italy's past?

Having already been swept away by the first novel in this series,
I can hardly wait for the release of this one,
which is already just one week away!!

And all these books have such beautiful covers, too!!


For more information about Cascade,
as well as to purchase a copy, just click
HERE!

Book Review: Never Lie Down

Never Lie Down
Author: J. Carol  Goodman
Trade Paperback,  144 pages
Publisher: iUniverse, 2010
Reading Genre:  Literary fiction, historical fiction


Reviewer's Note:  I received this book through Sara Croft, a friend of the author.  She posted a request for reviews on Book Blogs, and I replied.  I have, of course, given the novel an honest review.  This book truly deserves the praise I've given it!



It's nothing short of exciting when one discovers pure literary gold.  I'm not exaggerating, either.  This novel shines!  Since it is self-published, however, it might take a while for it to be read, and given the glowing reviews it deserves. That's unfortunate.  More readers/reviewers should give indie works a chance.  One never knows when a vein of gold will be struck, after all!

Since the novel is so short, I was able to read it practically in one sitting, last night.  I must admit I was somewhat disappointed by its length; I much prefer to read longer works, in which there are plenty of descriptive passages, with complex plots and lots of room for character development.  Nevertheless, I entered the portals of Goodman's world, and was immediately rewarded with a great story! 

Theodora Davis, the twelve-year-old younger daughter of one of the town's two pastors, is the narrator.  She is a very engaging character, with a rather comical combination of innocence and wisdom.  As she vividly portrays the events, which she is retelling as an adult, years later, one cannot help but be touched by her honesty, as well as her bright wit.

The year is 1936, in the middle of the Depression; the setting, a small town in New Jersey.  In spite of the northern setting, the novel does have a very "Southern" feel to it.

Theodora and her friend, Glorybe (this is short for "Gloria Beatrice", her real name) are worried about Glorybe's father, who has suddenly become too sick to work, and is eventually fired.  They start thinking up ways to help raise money for the family, which also consists of Glorybe's mother and brother. 

This is not the only conflict in the novel, however.  It's rivaled by another, deeper one -- the scourge of racial prejudice.  At that time, African-Americans were known as "colored people", and were expected to remain in their "place".  Theodora's family members do not abide by such ridiculous, arbitrary rules.  In fact, in one part of the novel, her mother, Elisabeth, interrupts a town council meeting to demand that one of the streets in the "colored" section of town be re-paved.  One of the residents, a young boy named Dunbar Jones, had lost his life when his bicycle hit one of the street's many ruts, and he fell, hitting his head.  Predictably, Elisabeth and her friends, who include some of the African-American town dwellers, are rebuffed.  In a fit of anger, Elisabeth slaps one of the council members.

Theodora's coming of age is bittersweet for several reasons.  She has a crush on Glorybe's father, whom everyone calls "The Indian" because of his claim to come from a prairie tribe.  She is struggling to come to terms with the strange stirrings of puberty, as well as with the way idealism is frequently crushed by this world's all-too-real cruelty.  Then, the ever-present racial tensions in the town culminate in the arrest of Jeremiah Johnson, an African-American friend of the Davis family, who is wrongly suspected in the murder of his former employer, Strickland, found dead on the banks of the Rahway River.

While this does sound reminiscent of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Goodman puts an entirely original spin on this theme.  Crucial to the story are Pastor Davis's strong moral convictions, which, ironically, he must betray if he wants to save his friend.  It is not an easy decision for him to make.

Jeremiah Johnson is another very compelling character.  In a beautiful passage of the novel, he describes Heaven to the raptly-listening Theodora.  His words are simple yet poetic at the same time, his faith just as simple and unshakable.  When his wife and children beg him to run away, he refuses.  Like Socrates, he stands on his beliefs, stating that God knows he is really innocent.  In contrast to Harper Lee's victim, who is not fleshed out and quietly disappears from the story, leaving all the glory to Atticus Finch, Goodman's Jeremiah emerges as a powerful partner, with Pastor Davis, in the role of the town's moral compass. 

I loved the tension and contrast created by Theodora's parents.  Her father, the pastor, insists that violence is not the way to bring about social change, that it's God who must transform human hearts.  Her mother disagrees, taking a more active part in bringing about this change.  She is an early activist in what would become the civil rights movement, decades later.  

This novel is richly-detailed, even though it's written in sparse, sharply poetic prose.  At the risk of sounding redundant, I must point out once again that I feel it's much too short.  The story seems to demand more expansion, a larger canvas to spread out upon.  I would love it if Goodman decided to write a much longer version!  I suppose that her expertise at short-story writing has had an influence in the production of this, her first novel, which I would really call a novella.  

Another small problem I found with the story was the passage in which Theodora and Glorybe take Theodora's kayak out into the rain-swollen river.  I don't think a kayak would have survived such a trip wholly intact, nor would its occupants have emerged unharmed.

All quibbles aside, I truly believe that this novel is a gem not to be missed!  The characters and events touched my heart, impressing themselves indelibly on my mind.  I know I will be re-reading this one, and more than once, too!  

MY RATING: 

The Novel: History, Genres, and Personal Passion

To me, the phrase 'getting lost in a good book' refers specifically to entering the world of a fascinating novel.  After all, it's only in novels that a reader can experience an entire world, whether it's one existing only in the imagination of the author, or inspired by our 'everyday' world. 

The novel has a very definite history -- a fairly recent one, as a matter of fact.  In ancient times, there were other fictional styles, such as the epic poem.  The novel as it is known and enjoyed in our present time has been evolving for several centuries. 

The first book to use the term 'novel' was Palace of  Pleasure well furnished with pleasant Histories and excellent Novelles, a volume of tales published in 1566 by William Painter, an English author who was also a clerk of the ordnance in the Tower of London.

The term 'novel' competed for a long time with the term 'romance'.  It eventually became the accepted word for longer prose fiction -- at least, in English and Spanish.  The Spanish word is 'novela', which is interesting, considering that the word 'novella' is used in English to denote a work that is too long to be a short story, but not long enough to be considered a full-length novel, which traditionally has come to contain at least 50,000 words.

Longer fictional narratives had appeared before the 18th century.  Examples include Giovanni Boccaccio's The Decameron (1351 - 1353), Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur (c. 1469), considered to be the first English novel, and  Don Quixote (1605, 1615), also classified as a novel, by the Spanish Miguel de Cervantes.  For many scholars, however, it was the 18th century that gave birth to the modern novel.  The English printer Samuel Richardson published Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded, circa 1740 to 1742. 

The growth of the middle class was the greatest factor contributing to the rise of the novel.  More people were not only able to read, but to purchase books, as well.   In England, this led to the flowering of great literature, with such classics as Henry Fielding's Tom Jones ((1749) and Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (1811), and Pride and Prejudice (1813).   The 19th century was particularly rich in English masterpieces, with the publishing of Jane Eyre (1847), by Charlotte Bronte, Wuthering Heights (1847), by Emily Bronte, David Copperfield (1849 - 1850) and Great Expectations (1860 - 1861), by Charles Dickens, Vanity Fair (1848) by William Makepeace Thackeray,  Middlemarch (1871 - 1872) by George Eliot, and Tess of the D'Urbervilles (1891) by Thomas Hardy.

Many great writers from various countries of the world, like James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Doris Lessing, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Joseph Conrad, Leo Tolstoy, Hermann Hesse, Thomas Mann, Fyodor Dostoyevski, Victor Hugo, and Marcel Proust have a firm place in the history of the novel.  These are writers of what is often termed literary fiction.  I have a passion for such fiction.  It not only totally enthralls me, but also carries me away into worlds that, while close to what we term 'reality', are not entirely real, because characters become immortalized in the reader's mind, and the plot's symbolic elements derive from the world of the archetypes.

The novel has evolved into many genres.  Besides that of literary fiction, I also greatly enjoy reading fantasy, science fiction, romance -- I especially like paranormal and historical romance -- Christian fiction, and young adult novels.  Some of these genres overlap.  As far as paranormal romance goes, I do prefer to read the young adult versions, since they are much cleaner.  (Obviously, I've never been a fan of D.H. Lawrence, who first started the fad for using profanity and graphic sex in novels.) 

Aside from The Twilight Saga, which I absolutely adore, I also love a particular book, not very widely known, which I read years ago, and have never forgotten.  Titled Tryst, it tells the story of a young girl, Sabrina, who falls in love with a ghost.  The book was written by American novelist Elswyth Thane,  and published in 1939. 

The fantasy and science fiction genres have contributed works as great as any in the literary fiction category.  Writers such as Robert Heinlein, whose Stranger in a Strange Land (1961) has long been a favorite of mine, and J.R.R. Tolkien, whose The Lord of the Rings trilogy (1954 - 1955) I consider one of my most precious treasures, have proven that novels in other genres can, and do, attain the literary stature of the more highly-regarded literary fiction, in spite of what many literary critics may say. 

Other important works in the science fiction and fantasy genres include Fahrenheit 451 (1951), by Ray Bradbury, Ender's Game (1985), by Orson Scott Card, and The Chronicles of Narnia (1949 - 1954), by C.S. Lewis.

In very recent years, the incredibly widespread popularity of The Twilight Saga, by Stephenie Meyer, and the Harry Potter books, by J.K. Rowling, has, quite literally (pun intended) put the young adult genre on the map.  While these books are disdained by most critics of 'high literature', it's undeniably true that they have touched the hearts and minds -- not to mention the souls -- of millions of readers.  They have also ignited an increased love of reading among teens and young adults.

In Christian fiction, which I am admittedly least familiar with -- a situation I fully intend to remedy -- I can point to two great classics, written by the American minister/novelist Lloyd C. Douglas.  The first is Magnificent Obsession, published in 1929; the second, The Robe, published in 1942.  It's a historical novel about the crucifixion of Jesus.  Suffice it to say that the movie version, starring Richard Burton, does not do it justice at all, since it distorts the character of the protagonist, Marcellus, so that it's a mere caricature of the original in the book.

Although I do sometimes read short-story anthologies, it is novels, with their greater length, that I most enjoy.  As I stated above, a novel can completely absorb the reader in a fictional world, and characters have more room to develop.  The experience of being so totally immersed in a novel that one suddenly looks up, dazed, realizing that there's a world out there, beyond the pages of the book, and that hours have somehow passed in the blink of an eye, is a delightfully disconcerting one!  It's also a stimulating, yet, in a way, relaxing experience for the human brain. 

I am surrounded by books at home.  In fact, no one can currently sit on our living room couch, because it's loaded with stacks and stacks of books!  There are also five floor-to-ceiling shelves in the living room, plus three in our bedroom, plus my night table.... (My husband's night table is taken up with one of his several laptops.)  I don't know how many of the books I own are novels, but I would venture to say that a large proportion of them are.  So I am, and happily so, totally surrounded by other worlds, other realities, which I can enter by simply opening the gates of one of these novels, and beginning the journey with the turn of a page...

I wonder if the delight of the novel is known in other parts of our vast universe.  Do other intelligent species enjoy the wonders of this beautiful art form?  If such a species indeed exists (are you out there, Mr. Spock?), I believe they must, sooner or later, develop something that closely resembles the novel.  Any being endowed with human-like intelligence cannot fail to invent and develop fiction, and especially, the longer form of narrative.  It is, after all, fiction that makes 'the real world' more tolerable, more meaningful, and, ultimately, more humane.