Personal Reading
Regency Buck
by Georgette Heyer
While reading reviews of A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting, I saw a reviewer mention Georgette Heyer and her "regency romances" (think Jane Austen). I was intrigued, found her many novels as e-books at my local library, and checked this one out. It's a combination of Pride and Prejudice and a detective novel. The more I've read about this time period in England (late 1700s to early 1800s when King George III was mentally ill and his son was the "Prince Regent", taking care of royal matters), the more I understand these kinds of novels. I found this one to be fascinating, hilarious at times (the dialog and interplay between the characters), and a plot-twisting page-turner. Unlike when I read the Jane Austen books, I went into this one having absolutely no idea how it was going to turn out (i.e who was going to marry whom). The plot twist at the end was completely unexpected, but quite satisfying. This is another one of those books that I immediately wanted to go back and read again to catch the details I missed the first time around, now that I know the ending. There are a lot of "damns" and uses of "God" and "Lord" in non-praying contexts.
Sisterchicks on the Loose
by Robin Jones Gunn
Penny and Sharon, two 40-something friends, embark on a trip to Finland on a quest to find and connect with Penny's aunt whom she's never met. Sharon, the more reserved of the two, tells the story in first person. She experiences a spiritual renewal while on the trip. Hilarious and inspiring. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was great.
An Assembly Such as This
Duty and Desire
These Three Remain
by Pamela Aidan
This set of three books is Pride and Prejudice told from Mr. Darcy's point of view. It stays very much in Jane Austen's style, stays true to Austen's characters, and quotes the dialog word for word from P&P. The author really delved into Mr. Darcy's mind as he struggled with his attraction to Elizabeth Bennet and his response to her rejection of his marriage proposal. The second book took on a gothic novel twist, which was a popular genre of the day. Overall, I thought the story was really well done, with Mr. Darcy's character well developed. I liked how the author showed Darcy's character changing from the prideful man who first asked Elizabeth to marry him to the humbler man who helped rescue her family from scandal. There are some interesting scenes that left me wondering what Darcy's spiritual condition might have been. He attends church more regularly than some others of his family and social circle, but he is concerned about his sister's getting too "enthusiastic" about religion/Christianity. The two sermons presented in the books advocate doctrine that is definitely not Biblical (just do the best you can to be good and everybody will get to heaven with little difficulty). There is quite a bit of using God's name in vain and a lot of drinking, but only of instance of doing it to excess -- and that was highly regretted and repented of. The books also describe a woman trying to entice Darcy to compromise his morality. Not excessively graphic, but some might be cautious about it.
Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen
I re-read this story while reading the books about Fitzwilliam Darcy described above. Loved it all over again! Listening to the audiobook really helps with getting the tone and inflection in the dialog.
Mr. Darcy's Diary
by Amanda Grange
Another Pride and Prejudice spin-off, telling Mr. Darcy's side of the story through his diary entries. I enjoyed this one, though I think I liked Pamela Aidan's longer novels better. This one is fairly clean, but a glance at some of the author's other books that continue the story of Darcy and Elizabeth indicate they get more graphic/sensual. I won't be pursuing those.
Geography Read-aloud
Books set in Florida:
Bigmama's
by Donald Crews
The author recalls the fun he and his family had every year going to visit his grandparents, "Bigmama" and "Bigpapa".
Deep in the Swamp
by Donna Bateman
Written in the rhythm and style of the song "Over in the Meadow." After the main story, there is an illustrated glossary describing the flora and fauna mentioned in the story. Very enjoyable and informative.
Books set in Alabama:
A Picture Book of Jesse Owens
by David Adler
A typically informative picture book biography of Jesse Owens who wowed the world in track and field in the 1936 Olympics.
Back of the Bus
by Aaron Reynolds
A young boy tells his perspective of witnessing the Rosa Parks incident on a Montgomery, Alabama bus.
Alabama Spitfire: The Story of Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird
by Bethany Hegedus
A wonderful picture book biography of the author of To Kill a Mockingbird. If you've read TKAM, you will see how Harper Lee drew from her own life experiences when she wrote the book. BTW, I think TKAM is a powerful story, though not easy to read because of the content matter and the unnecessary profanity. But this picture book is clean, though it does kind of assume a knowledge of the book, which I wouldn't expect its target audience to have.
A Weed is a Flower
by Aliki
A well-done picture book biography of George Washington Carver and his work at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.
A Boy Called Slow
by Joseph Bruchac
The story of Sitting Bull as a boy : he was called "slow" as a child because he was slow to do anything. Later, he became not "slow" but thoughtful, considering his actions carefully before proceeding. This is what made him a good leader of his people.
Bad River Boys
by Virginia Sneve
As the subtitle says, this picture book describes an incident when some of the Lakota Sioux met with Lewis and Clark and narrowly averted a disaster because of misunderstandings on both sides.
Sunflower House
by Eve Bunting
A boy plants sunflower seeds in a circle. The seeds grow up into towering sunflowers that make a perfect place for the boy and his friends to play and even camp.
Books set in South Dakota:
Hanging Off Jefferson's Nose: Growing Up on Mount Rushmore
by Tina Coury
A beautiful picture book about the son of the artist who designed Mount Rushmore. The son ended up finishing the sculpture after his father died.
Take a Hike, Teddy Roosevelt!
by Frank Murphy
A picture book biography of Teddy Roosevelt, from sickly youngster in the city to a vibrant, nature-loving president.
Dakota Dugout
by Ann Turner
A brief description of a year in the life of a couple trying to settle in Dakota territory, starting out in a sod-covered dugout house.
A Different Pond
by Bao Phi
A young Vietnamese boy growing up in America goes fishing with his father, like his father did in Vietnam -- not for fun, but for survival. Based on the author's own childhood.
Marven of the Great North Woods
by Kathyrn Lasky
This book is a true story about how two unlikely people become friends. Marven a ten-year-old boy from Duluth, Minnesota in 1918, is sent to live at a logging camp far away from home in the Great North Woods to escape the influenza that is sweeping the country. Marven is scared to go because he does not know what to expect and is also afraid that the influenza might take the life of some of his family members. At the logging camp Marven meets a French speaking lumberjack named Jean Louis. The two have nothing in common but become friends anyway. When Marven comes back home, he is relieved to find out that the influenza is over, and that all of his family members are alive.
Mudball
by Matt Tavares
The true story of Andy Oyler, who played for the Minnesota Millers, and the shortest home run in history. A fun story, nicely illustrated.
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