Jessy won a copy of Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison



Kelly and Jennii both won copies of Taken By Storm by Angela Morrison

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I'm already registered for LDS Storymakers in April. I'm excited about attending. There's still time to join me - you can get more information and sign up here. If you are attending, you might want to check this out. I'd love to meet all you Utah bloggers and writers - shoot me an email if you want to get together.

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I've received a couple of blog awards in the last month or so that I haven't acknowledged yet. Sorry about that. Thanks to Jody and Rae over at With A Good Book for the Blog Monster Award and for the other person who gave me one (I'm so, so sorry, but I can't remember who it was). I appreciate the awards and kind words.

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The talented Jeri Huish has been busy desiging buttons for me, so I can debut some new features. I've already talked about Baby Steps to Understanding. The other buttons will identify:

Clicking on the buttons will take you to databases on my supplemental book blog, More Bloggin' 'bout Books, where you can see all my reviews in the categories listed above. I'm still in the process of creating them, so be patient with my works-in-progress.

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Sarah offered me my choice of pieces. This pendant caught my eye because of its simple beauty and because I wear lots of brown. It's a white gold rhodium drop pendant featuring a multi-faceted brown topaz briolette in silvertone. Pretty, no? Although the company is based in Australia, jewelry is shipped from its warehouse in Brea, California. I literally had my pendant within three days of ordering. It's a lovely piece - eye-catching, but not overwhelming. It goes with everything and I absolutely love it.

Be sure to check out all the loveliness at LuShae Jewelry. The company offers pendants, rings and earrings. Also, find out how you can win jewelry, here.

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Speaking of my neck, I check into the hospital on Tuesday for my thyroid procedure. Hopefully, it will go smoothly and I'll be back before you even realize I'm gone. I will be checking my email, but may not be able to get back to you right away. Thanks for your patience.

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Have a great week. Happy reading!

When My Ridiculous, Romantic Obsessions by Becca Wilhite opens, Sarah is beginning her freshman year at college. Nothing is going quite as expected - her parents are a little too eager to have her gone, her best friend found another place to live, and her new roommates are ... interesting. Then, there's her new study buddy: Ben's so drop dead gorgeous that Sarah nicknames him Adonis on the spot. The weird thing is, she's getting some serious romance novel vibes off this fine specimen of manhood. Clearly, he's only after one thing - her class notes. Because, seriously, she's so not the kind of girl that gets this kind of guy. He's obviously hiding some fatal flaw, some cruel secret that will decimate her already pummelled heart - it's better to play it safe, keep her distance, remain just good friends.

Sarah knows a girl like her is never going to have a straight-out-of-a-Jane-Austen-novel type romance; heck, she'll be lucky to have any kind of romance at all. So, why has her life suddenly gone all Pride and Prejudice? Is it possible that her real life could be just as good, if not better, than all the silly romantic nonsense in her head? Can Ben truly be as great as he seems? Or is he just waiting in the wings to dash her every hope - again? Looks like it's time for a little Sense & Sensibility, but will reality have its way with her once more? Or will her unlikely fairy tale finally lead to the Happily Ever After she's always dreamed of?

After reading so much bleak post-apocalyptic fiction and dealing with several family health crises (including my own), I really needed something happy to read. Wilhite's second novel (read my review of her first, here) fit the bill perfectly. My Ridiculous, Romantic Obsessions is bright, fun and hopeful. The story's predictable, the heroine's clueless, and the guy's drool-worthy - it's the perfect combination for a quick, light, easy romance. It's not excessively original, charming or moving, and honestly, I wanted to smack Sarah upside the head on more than one occasion, but I recommend it for some simple, clean, upbeat entertainment. Just in time for Valentine's, it's a tale that will make dreamers fling aside their Jane Austen's and pine for the kind of imperfectly perfect romance that occurs in only one place - real life.

(Readalikes: Reminds me a little bit of Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison [my review])

Grade: B

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG because of minor lusting :)

To the FTC, with love: I received this book from the generous folks at Shadow Mountain. Thanks! Book image is from their website.

Mieka Baker doesn't know what a "normal" family looks like, but she's pretty sure hers doesn't qualify. Ever since her mom took off, she's been living with her artist dad in a Chicago apartment decorated in what he likes to call "Salvation Armani." Her maternal grandmother, who owns a secondhand shop nearby, is Mieka's only close relative. As if a fractured, abnormal family isn't enough to deal with, she's also watching her best friend defect to the popular side. Life gets even crueller when she has to stay with her cousin's perfect family for a few weeks. Hanging out with her beautiful cousin Greta only makes Mieka realize what a big, clumsy oaf she is. Between Greta's uber-niceness; her family's big, spotless Texan mansion; and Mieka's chain-smoking, poison-tongued fraternal grandma, Mieka will learn the true definition of "normal." Hint: No family really qualifies.

Wow! A one-paragraph book summary may be a new record for me. Chasing Normal by Lisa Papademetriou is easy to describe because it's really a quick, simple book about learning to accept yourself for who you are. The story's been done a million times, but Papademetriou at least gives us some fresh characters. Don't expect a perfect happily-ever-after ending, but it's a very honest, hopeful story.

(Readalikes: I could name one hundred similar kids-learning-to-love-themselves stories.)

Grade: C

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for one scene involving a submerged maxi pad

To the FTC, with love: I received this book from the generous folks at Disney/Hyperion. Thanks!

Thousands of Europeans migrated to the U.S. with the express purpose of joining their church family in Zion. Because many of them were destitute, too poor to purchase and outfit wagons, the church gave them handcarts. Resembling large wheelbarrows, the handcarts could carry as much as 500 lbs. of supplies. About 5 people were assigned to each handcart - it was their responsibility to push or pull it across the prairie. Only the very young, the elderly or the infirm were allowed to ride. Everyone else walked the (approx.) 1300 miles to Utah.

Although only about 10% of the pioneers crossed the plains using handcarts, their extreme suffering and unwavering faith of those who did have turned them into legends. Those who traveled in the Willie and Martin companies, in particular, are celebrated today as paragons of pioneer fortitude. Through a series of unfortunate events, the groups started out late in the season of 1856, beginning their treks on August 17 and August 27, respectively. Icy temperatures, snowstorms, torrential rain and too little stocked food, combined with the usual perils of trail life to make it a desperate, difficult, heartbrekingly perilous journey. In the 3 months it took the companies to reach Utah, around 213 of their approx. 1076 pioneers died.

Who was to blame for the tragedy? Brigham Young? Other church leaders? Captains Willie and Martin? God? In the aftermath of the tragedy, many came under fire. Yet, the most famous story to come out of this blame game is this one: During a church meeting in Utah, years after the handcart pioneers crossed the plains, a Sunday School teacher was discussing the event. Criticism of both the church and Brigham Young was flying fast and furious. An old man, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, rose to his feet and demanded that the criticism stop. His name was Francis Webster, and he said, in part:

It's this kind of faith and testimony that make the handcart pioneers such an exemplary and powerful part of our pioneer heritage.

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Still with me?

Okay, now that you know a little of the history, we can talk about David Farland's new book, In the Company of Angels. Farland, a devout member of the LDS Church, has written numerous sci-fi/fantasy books. He decided to tell the story of the Willie Handcart Company because it moved him so much.

As stated above, the company of around 400 Saints, under the direction of English immigrant James G. Willie, crossed the plains from August to November 1856. Farland tells the story from the perspectives of three people, all of whom were real pioneers: Eliza Gadd, Baline Mortensen and Captain Willie. In addition to relating the struggles of the company as a whole, the accounts relate the personal and spiritual experiences of each.

"Some of the slaves cried worse than a baby what's sick. Most of 'em, however, did their crying on the inside, 'cause if you looked real close you could see the sorrow in their eyes. A few, however, looked like they was dead, but their hearts hadn't got the message yet."

On March 2 and 3, 1859, in Savannah, Georgia, over 400 human beings were bought and sold like cattle. The highest price paid for an individual was $1, 750, the lowest: $250. It was the biggest slave auction in American history. All of the slaves belonged to Pierce Butler, a plantation owner recently divorced from English actress and abolitionist, Fanny Kemble. He sold his "property" to pay off the debts of around $700,000 he had incurred from dabbling in the stock market and losing at cards. Torrential rain crashed down throughout the proceedings, stopping only when the auction ended. Thus, the auction became known as "The Weeping Time."

Day of Tears by Julius Lester fictionalizes the horrifying event. Through the eyes of Butler's slaves, the auctioneer, other slave owners, and Butler himself, we get not only the details of the auction, but also the strong emotions that must have been felt by all involved. Much of the story is told from the perspective of Emma, a 12-year-old house servant on Butler's plantation. She's spent her whole life there, working alongside her parents, and tending to Butler's young daughters. Although the master has promised not to sell her, he's in desperate financial straits, too desperate to keep a vow made to a lowly slave girl. Thrust into a frightening new situation, far away from the only home she's never known, Emma must learn how to survive. Through her firsthand accounts, we learn of her sorrows and triumphs. Although she never actually existed, her voice is strong and true. Her account is riveting, heart-wrenching, unforgettable. And then there's the rain. The sound of it pounding in the background, mournful and eerie, makes her story even more haunting.

While the majority of contemporary Americans - black, white and otherwise - agree that slavery was an impossibly cruel and inhumane practice, Lester makes a point of showing how widely attitudes differed during the 1850s. From a coach driver who prefers the "safety" of slavery to the uncertainty of freedom, to a young hand who refuses to kowtow to his white owner, to an auctioneer who believes his "inventory" to be devoid of feelings, to a store owner who risks life and limb to help slaves escape bondage - he reveals how slavery both murdered and inspired the human spirit. By remembering the Day of Tears, Lester makes us taste the brutality of which we're all capable, a not-so-subtle reminder that humanity and kindness bring their own rewards.

Lester's "novel in dialogue" is a spare, probing thing. It's disturbing and inspirational, sorrowful and triumphant, a tale that bears witness to the vilest evil and purest compassion known to mankind. Day of Tears will haunt you into hearing - and remembering - the hundreds of voices that never got a chance to speak. This is their story. Hear them.

(Readalikes: Hmm ... I can't think of anything else quite like this book.)

Grade: B+

If this were a movie, it would be rated: While the inhumanity with which slaves were treated can be "rated" nothing less than R, the book is not overly graphic. I would rate it PG for mature themes.

To the FTC, with love: I received Day of Tears from Disney/Hyperion. It comes off their backlist of books published under the Jump at the Sun imprint. The purpose of the program is to help all children celebrate the beauty, history and diversity of Black culture. Many thanks, Disney/Hyperion.