Unbroken: a Moving Story

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, author of Seabiscuit, is the true story of the life of Louis Zamperini, a famous athlete and World War II hero that I had never heard of prior to my reading.  Laura Hillenbrand made sure that Zamperini was a name that I would never forget.

The story began with little Louie, the town terror of Torrance, California, in the early '20s.  He wreaked havoc upon the town with ingenious pranks, theft, and some violence.  In an attempt to turn Louie's energy into a positive activity, Pete, Louie's brother, convinced their school principal to allow Louie to join a school sport.

Pete began training a reluctant Louie to run track.  Once he began to find success in running, Louie threw everything he had into it.  He began setting school records, and eventually, national high school records.  He soon became the town hero.

In 1936, Louie went to the Berlin Olympics, and though he did not win, he became a sensation.

War came, and Louie joined the military; he became a bomber.  On a mission in the Pacific, Louie's plane went down, and he and two other men found themselves stranded on two life rafts.  For forty six days, the men evaded sharks, Japanese gunners, and starvation.

They were picked up by Japanese sailors, and treated kindly for a few days, but were soon taken to a POW camp where they received the worst of treatment.

The story that follows deals with Louie's years in POW camps and his eventual return to civilian life, his seeming return to normalcy.

Unbroken is a brilliant work, and the most fascinating biography I have ever read.  It was gripping from the beginning.  It does, however, at times, deal with intense, graphic, and mature subject matter, especially in the events that occurred in the POW camps, but Hillenbrand writes in such a way that the reader understands these events without being traumatized or violated.

It is a moving story throughout, but especially poignant within the last three or so chapters.  Though not for the faint of heart, Unbroken is truly the "story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption" that it claims to be on the front cover.

I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for free for this review.

Note:  This book deals with mature themes and material.  It is a book for adult readers.

Eye of the Sword: a Disappointment

Young Trevin, a newly appointed "Comain" in the kingdom of Camrithia, has been given two quests.  His duty assigned to him by the king is to seek out the other comains (knights) who have gone astray, in order that they may return to protect the kingdom.  The duty given by the princess, however, is to recover the two missing "kyparis" harps, so that the Wisdom Tree will be restored, and the angels that inhabit the kingdom may return to their heavenly abode.

Along his way, Trevin makes friends with the prince of a neighboring kingdom, becomes the enemy of another prince who thirsts for the throne of Camrithia, and finds himself a fugitive of the very kingdom he strives to serve.  Trevin also struggles with feelings of inadequacy and guilt as he changes from a thief and a spy to a man of justice and honor.

As a big fan of fantasy tales, I highly anticipated the arrival of this book, The Eye of the Sword by Karyn Henley .  But when I finally began to read, I was sorely let down.  There was nothing inherently wrong with the writing, apart from a few words the author seemed to like but did not appear terribly comfortable using ("daft," "dolt," "dun").  I just did not entirely like the style author Henley chose to  use.  (After reading Les Miserables, though, not much really impresses in the style area.)

If there was any allegorical meaning, which tends to accompany Christian fantasy novels, I did not pick up on it.  Nor did I feel any emotional attachment to any of the characters.

I suppose it was an okay book.  It was a quick read, was clean, and had some unusual characters (angels); a decent read for preteens and teenagers.  I would not read it again though.   

I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

(Note:  This book is the second in a series called Angelaeon Circle.  Maybe reading the first one will make reading this one a more enjoyable time.)

The Canary List by Sigmund Brouwer

Twelve year old Jaimie Piper is a troubled foster child with an amazing ability:  she can sense when evil is near.  When she finds herself in a tight spot, there is only one person she thinks she can turn to:  her school teacher, Mr. G.

Crockett Grey is a teacher of troubled children, but is a troubled man himself, struck with the loss of a child and recent divorce.  One night, he hears a knock on his window and finds one of his students, Jaimie, on his doorstep, asking for his help.

Soon Crockett, Jaimie, and Jaimie's psychiatrist, Dr. Mackenzie, are thrown into a dark conspiracy involving demons and members of the Catholic church, including the Pope.

The Canary List was an unusual read for me.  Though I am a big fan of fiction involving spiritual warfare, this one seemed more sinister, and lacked the redeeming message of Jesus Christ.  While it was faintly reminiscent of Frank Peretti's This Present Darkness, The Canary List was far less suspenseful and gut-wrenching, and therefore less satisfying.  I literally had to force myself to read further than the first sixty pages, hoping that it was just a little bit slow starting off, but I was utterly disappointed in the lack of a climax and the abrupt ending.

The Canary List had the potential to be an excellent novel, especially if it were drawn out to its full length.  Please, do not misunderstand me:  it was still a decent book, if you like "speculative" Christian fiction, but it has not earned my recommendation.

Caution:  This book contains mature content.  There is frequent discussion of exorcisms, a child abuse lawsuit, and other mature topics.  Nothing is discussed in graphic detail, though.  It is only a book for adults and very, very mature teenagers.

I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

The Dragons of Chiril: A Fun Fantasy Read

In The Dragons of Chiril, a renowned sculptor named Verrin Schope has gone missing. When he does not return home, his daughter, Tipper takes charge of the household.  He has been gone for years, so to make ends meet, Tipper begins to sell her fathers statues to rich collectors.

Tipper soon learns that the reason for her fathers disappearance is that he stepped through a "gateway" (a portal to another place, in this case, another continent) that was falling apart.  To fix this gateway, and free Tipper's father, one must unite three of Verrin's statues that were cut from a special stone.  The problem is that those three sculptures have been sold by Tipper and could possibly be in the hands of evil.

Tipper, her friend Beccaroon, a wizard, a librarian, a young artist, a couple of dragons, and a prince make their way through the kingdom to try to find the statues and return Verrin Schope to the land of Chiril in one piece.  Along their way, they run into many adventures and Tipper learns to trust in Wulder (the God figure of this Christian fantasy novel).

The Dragons of Chiril by Donita K. Paul, author of the bestselling Dragonkeeper Chronicles, is a fun, fast paced story with a cast of wonderfully crafted characters.  Throughout my reading, the dialogue of Paul's quirky characters elicited many a snort, chuckle, and guffaw from me, especially the unusual manner and speech of Wizard Fenworth.  Many of the characters, including Fenworth, were so loveable, I wished I could meet them in real life.

This book teaches a valuable lesson about trusting in God's will and knowing that even the most difficult circumstances can work out to bring good. Since it is largely allegorical, it is a great read for older kids and teens, and even adults would enjoy it and the meaning behind it.  I personally enjoyed every minute of The Dragons of Chiril and am eagerly awaiting being able to read the sequel, Dragons of the Valley. 

 I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group for an honest review.

(The Dragons of Chiril was released previously under the title The Vanishing Sculptor.)   

One is Never too Old to Read a Children's Book

Years ago, there was a certain book that was very popular with my fellow classmates in grade school. All of my friends were reading it, but, for whatever reason, I refused to read it at that time(probably just so I would be different). I recently saw it in the children's section at the public library, and, thinking back to the olden days, picked it up and read it. Once I began reading, I wondered why I had not read it sooner.

It was The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo, an award winning Children's author.

It is the story of an unlikely hero, Despereaux Tilling, the smallest mouse that anyone in his family has ever seen. He is somewhat of an oddity: His ears are too big, he reads books instead of eating the paper inside of them, he walks on his hind legs and gazes at the light in the windows instead of scurrying from side to side, and he falls in love with the princess of the castle where he lives.

Down in the dungeons of the castle, however, lives a rat named Roscuro. Roscuro has an affinity for the light also, but as a rat, his job is to torture the prisoners that enter into his domain. In his desire to see the light again, he ventures into the light's realm, but returns to the dungeons with his heart broken by the princess.

In an elaborate scheme, Roscuro enlists the help of a serving girl, and begins to exact his revenge by kidnapping the princess, named Pea, and holding her in the dungeon. But Despereax learns of the plot, and is determined to be the "knight in shining armor" who rescues the princess.

The Tale of Despereaux is an excellent story for people of all ages (perfect for family read-alouds). It is elegantly written with an air of antiquity. DiCamillo skillfully transports the reader into the shining castle of Princess Pea and into the dark dungeon of Roscuro. It is a story of the triumph of those who love good. As an older teen, I believe I got more out of the reading than I ever would have as a young child.  To a child, it is a simple tale of a battle between good and evil, but to an older reader, it is a call to be different, to not conform to a society that teaches its youth to be afraid of greatness.

Never be afraid to read a children's book.  The worst thing that could happen is that you might finish the book in less than an hour, but the best thing is that you might learn something you missed fifteen or twenty years ago.

The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck

Charlotte Beck is a spoiled American princess making her debut into Victorian London society, but rather than be married off, she wants to attend Wellesley College and work for her father's company.

Alex Hambly is a dashing viscount with a love for astronomy who wants to open an observatory, but is set back by his family's diminishing finances.

Their paths cross when Charlotte falls from a balcony and is caught by Alex, standing below.  Immediately, the two cannot stand to be in one another's presence, but they are destined to continue along a shared road.  Charlotte's father offers his daughter and Alex what they both want, but in return, they must agree to marry one another.  They reluctantly agree, but are secretly determined to find a way to annul their marriage.

Though The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck is undeniably predictable, (I had figured out the end by reading the back of the book) what it lacks in originality is more than compensated by its charm and style.  Well thought out and wonderfully written, Kathleen Y'Barbo's tale is an excellent read for all lovers of the Victorian romance genre.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

A New Purpose

I have had this blog for almost an entire year, and I only published one post.  Throughout this year, I have occasionally thought about the blog, but, thinking my life a bore, I never got around to posting what has been going on. That being said, I still think my life is uneventful (which may be a good thing), so I have decided that the purpose of my blog should have to do with something I love.

The thought struck me recently that I should write book reviews!  I love books of all sorts, and reading is my favorite past-time.  I also like to write, and often I think that I do not write enough anymore, so writing about the books that I read would be a perfect way to share my feelings about literature and to put my writing skills to good use.

In the next week, I hope to post my first book review.  I cannot wait!