Need to Read #19: Lord of the Rings

 

 

 

Title: Lord of the Rings (sort of three books, sort of one. The three are Fellowship of the Ring, Two Towers, and Return of the King)

Author: J. R. R. Tolkien

Book blurb: Through the urgings of the enigmatic wizard Gandalf, young hobbit Frodo Baggins embarks on an urgent, incredibly treacherous journey to destroy the One Ring. This ring -- created and then lost by the Dark Lord, Sauron, centuries earlier -- is a weapon of evil, one that Sauron desperately wants returned to him. With the power of the ring once again his own, the Dark Lord will unleash his wrath upon all of Middle-earth. The only way to prevent this horrible fate from becoming reality is to return the Ring to Mordor, the only place it can be destroyed. Unfortunately for our heroes, Mordor is also Sauron's lair. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is essential reading not only for fans of fantasy but for lovers of classic literature as well.

Quick endorsement: These books are epic, and if you read them all in one, they’re gonna seem huge. But in reality, they aren’t a hard read! It’s true that Hobbit is even easier, but these are usually pretty fast-moving and very interesting. Classics that you need to read!

Link to review: I chose instead to link each individual title in the title section above.

Cover Focus: Claudia

Claudia by Diana Wallis Taylor

  

Book blurb from Revell’s website : “Claudia's life did not start easily. The illegitimate daughter of Julia, reviled and exiled daughter of Caesar Augustus, Claudia spends her childhood in a guarded villa with her mother and grandmother. When Tiberius, who hates Julia, takes the throne, Claudia is wrenched away from her mother to be brought up in the palace in Rome. The young woman is adrift-until she meets Lucius Pontius Pilate and becomes his wife. When Pilate is appointed Prefect of the troublesome territory of Judea, Claudia does what she has always done: she makes the best of it. But unrest is brewing on the outskirts of the Roman Empire, and Claudia will soon find herself and her beloved husband embroiled in controversy and rebellion. Might she find peace and rest in the teaching of the mysterious Jewish Rabbi everyone seems to be talking about?

Readers will be whisked through marbled palaces, dusty marketplaces, and idyllic Italian villas as they follow the unlikely path of a woman who warrants only a passing mention in one of the Gospel accounts. Diana Wallis Taylor combines her impeccable research with her flair for drama and romance to craft a tale worthy of legend.”

Why I like this cover: I love light blue satiny filmy dresses with dark hair, and that is exactly what this cover has. Claudia’s expression is wistful, and she looks as if she’s watching something somewhat intently. The gold leaves in her hair are beautiful too. I love the columns that surround her, and the way her hand rests lightly on one. It’s a great cover! I must admit that previously, I haven’t loved Diana Taylor’s books…but I do judge books by their covers, and I’m definitely excited to give this one a try!
 

Need to Read #18: No Safe Harbor

Title: No Safe Harbor

Author: Elizabeth Ludwig

Book blurb: Lured by a handful of scribbled words across a faded letter, Cara Hamilton sets off from 1896 Ireland on a quest to find the brother she'd thought dead. Her search lands her in America, amidst a houseful of strangers and one man who claims to be a friend--Rourke Walsh.

Despite her brother's warning, Cara decides to trust Rourke and reveals the truth about her purpose in America. But he is not who he claims to be, and as rumors begin to circulate about an underground group of dangerous revolutionaries, Cara's desperation grows. Her questions lead her ever closer to her brother, but they also bring her closer to destruction as Rourke's true intentions come to light.

Quick endorsement: This is a delightful book full of suspense and excitement. It was even better than the cover promises!

Link to review: http://austenitis.blogspot.com/2012/11/litfuse-blog-tour-no-safe-harbor.html

Interview & Giveaway with Melanie Dickerson!

I was privileged to read The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson (click on the title for my review -- it comes out January 22). Anyway, it was SO good! Definitely a book I'm keeping! So I asked Melanie if we could do an interview and giveaway...and she said yes. The result? You see it before you! Enjoy this interview, it's a lot of fun.

Melanie, welcome to Austenitis! I am so excited to be talking with you today about your newest book, The Fairest Beauty. Before we get into that, would you like to tell us a bit about yourself?

 

Thank you so much, Charity!!! I am so excited to be on Austenitis! I am the biggest Jane Austen fan. She is my favorite author, and my daughters and I can’t get enough movie adaptations of her novels! We watch them all the time, and I own quite a few.

About myself? Besides being a Jane Austen fanatic, I live in north Alabama. I’ve been a special education teacher and a missionary in Ukraine, and now I lead an ordinary life as a stay at home mom who happens to make up and write stories. I have two amazing daughters and one amazing husband. And it has rained so much in the last few weeks here in north Alabama, I’m thinking about taking up ship building.

Yay, another Austen fan! Those movie adaptions are the best. :) Good  luck with your ship building! Please tell us a little bit about the plot of The Fairest Beauty.

It is a Snow White retelling, set in Medieval Europe, and it is about a girl who longs to escape her life as a scullery maid to the cruel Duchess Ermengard. When a young man, Gabe, appears, telling her she’s the daughter of the long-dead Duke Baldewin and that she’s betrothed to his brother, she isn’t at all sure she should trust him. NOT trusting people has kept her alive and sane and she’s not too sure she should change her policy now. But she ends up having little choice in the matter when the duchess tries to have her killed. She and Gabe flee for their lives, heading toward the safe haven of the Cottage of the Seven, a mysterious place where they’ve been told they’ll find refuge.

Yes, readers, it's just as good as it sounds! Melanie, what was your favorite part of The Fairest Beauty to write?

My favorite part? Well, I like writing the exciting turning points and action scenes. I also like writing any kind of pivotal turning points in the characters’ mindsets, when they come to terms with a problem or realize they’ve been wrong, those kinds of things. I try to leave out all the boring parts. :)

You succeeded in that! Not a slow minute in the book. What gave you the idea, or inspired you to write The Fairest Beauty?

I got the idea from the Snow White fairy tale, particularly the Disney version of the tale. I thought it would be fun to take the story of Snow White and make her realistic, and give her a hero who desperately wants to save her. But she’s very tough, and she intends to save herself.

Is there any special story about the beautiful cover?

This cover is gorgeous, isn’t it? Zondervan hired the same freelance guy to do this cover, Mike Heath, who had done my previous covers. He also creates my trailers, which can be found on my website, www.MelanieDickerson.com. I really had nothing to do with the cover. My editor asked me what I thought would look good on the cover, and I said I thought it would be cool to have a bright red apple in the background somewhere, to show that it’s a Snow White story---since the evil “queen” tries to kill Snow White with a poison apple, and I did include that element in my story.

I really enjoyed the way you portrayed the seven who are commonly known in the classic fairy tale as the Seven Dwarfs. How did you come up with the ideas for their different (and entertaining) personalities? 

I really have a lot of affection for my Seven men. :) I drew on my background as a special education teacher, and I used the original Seven Dwarfs’ unique characteristics. The leader is indeed a dwarf, or it’s more polite to say, “little person.” But none of the other men are small, they just all have different things that might make other Medieval people afraid of them because they don’t understand them.

For instance, my “Sleepy” character has narcolepsy and falls asleep easily; my “Happy” character is severely mentally impaired and is loveably emotional; my “Grumpy” character has had a brain injury that has affected his personality, and so on.

I love that you did that! I know you’re already preparing another book for publication this fall. Can you tell us a little about it?

My next book is already finished, it just has to be edited, and they are almost finished with the cover, which is very beautiful, BTW! It is called The Captive Maiden and is about Valten, Gabe’s older brother. At the end of The Fairest Beauty, Valten isn’t very happy, so I wanted to make sure he got to have his own heroic story. He saves the “Cinderella” character, whose name is Gisela, not only from her mean stepmother, but also from his own rival, who keeps trying to defeat Valten in jousting tournaments but keeps losing.

Can't wait to read it, and see the cover! :) What is your favorite time period to read about? How about to write about?

I love reading about Medieval times and Regency England, and those are the two time periods I love to write about as well.

If you could be any literary character, who would you be? Why?

Hm, I guess I would be Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice, because she gets Mr. Darcy, and Darcy is my favorite hero. :)

Good answer! :) Is there a random fact about you that most people don’t know?

My favorite flower is the tulip.

What is one thing you dread doing?

I dread dieting, so I rarely do it. I also dread exercising, but I force myself.

Haha, I think you aren't the only one to hate either of those things... ;) What’s a book you recently enjoyed reading?

Lately I’ve mostly been reading about the Regency (I will have a book set in Regency England coming
out before long … stay tuned!) but the last novel I read and really enjoyed was Moonlight Masquerade, a Regency romance by Ruth Axtell. I got to read an advance copy. It comes out March 1st, and I highly recommend it!

I'll keep an eye out for it! Which of your book covers is your favorite?

That is a hard question. I think The Fairest Beauty, because of the color and intrigue.

The colors on this cover are lovely. Thanks so much for coming today, Melanie! The Fairest Beauty is a great book, and I’m already anticipating reading your other books. Where can readers find you on the web?

I love to hear from readers, and you can write to me on my website, http://melaniedickerson.com where you can also watch my book trailers, or through my facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/MelanieDickersonBooks. So please come by and “Like” my author page and say hi! I’m on facebook a lot (probably more than I should be!)

Thanks again, Melanie! Readers, we're back to just me.

So, any of you think you might want to read The Fairest Beauty? If not...well, it's your loss. But hey, if so...here's an opportunity to enter to win it! And let me tell you -- this is a book well worth winning and reading. :) Enter via the Rafflecopter below! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Fairest Beauty

Author: Melanie Dickerson

Genre: Fairy tale, fantasy

Series: There will be a sequel, but I don’t believe there’s a specific name for this series.

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 335

Time period: 1300s

Passage from book: No, I'm not posting a passage...but guess what? Melanie will be stopping by in an hour for an interview and giveaway! So check back soon!

My overall opinion: This book was a lovely surprise! I was quite sure from reviews of Melanie’s other books, and also from the back cover, that I would enjoy this book…I just didn’t know how much! This is a delightful retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. But it isn’t really a fantasy book…everything that happens really could have happened! There isn’t any “magic” like you usually see in these retellings. However, it is easy to see how in later retellings (I’m pretty sure this is the TRUE story) magic was worked in. The characters depended on God, making them clearly Christian. However, this didn’t detract from the delightfulness of the story in the least! The dwarves were changed, but recognizable…and that’s all I’m going to say about that here. Go buy a copy. :) Oh, also, if you’ve read The Healer’s Apprentice, I’m pretty sure you’re going to find a character or two to recognize! I haven’t, but I caught the reference through pure luck. Definitely want to read more by Melanie! Highly recommend this wonderful story! You can buy it through the link below.

**The author and her publicity team sent me a free copy of this book for review purposes. I was not obligated to post a positive review. I am in no other way recompensed for this review. All opinions are truly mine. This book comes out on January 22! Available for pre-order now.**

Parallel Journeys

Author: Eleanor Ayer

Genre: Life

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5

Type: Non-fiction

Number of pages: 244

Time period: 1940s, World War II

My overall opinion: This book is the parallel stories of a Hitler Youth Nazi (who became an officer by age 16) and a Jewish young woman who went through Auschwitz – and survived. It will be an eye-opening book for anyone who doesn’t have much knowledge of the Hitler Youth or of the concentration camps. It’s mesmerizing and unforgettable.

Need to Read #17: Vision of Lucy

Title: Vision of Lucy

Author: Margaret Brownley

Book blurb: Trouble follows Lucy wherever she goes. So does a vision of second chances . . . and love.
Lucy Fairbanks dreams of working as a photographer at the Rocky Creek newspaper. Her deepest hope is that her father will see her as an artist, the way he thought of her deceased mother, whose paintings still hang on their walls. But disaster follows Lucy on every photo assignment: a mess of petticoats and ribbons, an accidental shooting, even a fire.
When Lucy meets David Wolf--a rugged, reclusive man who lives on the outskirts of town--she thinks she can catch the attention of the town with his photograph. She doesn't count on her feelings stirring whenever she's near him. Two things happen next that forever change the course of Lucy's life. But will these events draw her closer to God or push her further away? And how will David accept this new vision of Lucy?

Quick endorsement: This book had me from the very first time I saw the cover. A photographer in a beautiful blue dress? I had to read it. And once I had, I knew it was a favorite book. Delightful and fun!

Link to review: http://austenitis.blogspot.com/2011/08/vision-of-lucy.html

 

Sent

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Genre: Fantasy, science fiction

Series: The Missing

Number in series: 2^nd

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 313

Time period: 1400s (1483, to be exact)

My overall opinion: Wow. There are endless possibilities for this series. See, it’s all these children who died or disappeared…but time travelers from the future went back and rescued them. Now, those time travelers have figured out that that was a bad idea and are returning the kids to the centuries and exact times from which they were plucked to “fix time.” But of course, it’s not as “simple” as it sounds. There are over 30 kids in all, so see what I meant about endless possibilities? Anyway, this particular book is about some kids who are returned to 1483. It turns out that the two who were supposed to go back (two went by accident) are Edward V and his brother Richard as kids – in history, they just disappeared. Naturally, it makes for a riveting historical fiction almost type of book. Definitely recommending this series so far!

Need to Read #16: Scarlet Pimpernel

Title: Scarlet Pimpernel

Author: Baroness Orczy

Book blurb: Armed with only his wits and his cunning, one man recklessly defies the French revolutionaries and rescues scores of innocent men, women, and children from the deadly guillotine. His friends and foes know him only as the Scarlet Pimpernel. But the ruthless French agent Chauvelin is sworn to discover his identity and to hunt him down.

Quick endorsement: SP lovers unite! This story has all the best elements – high adventure, romance, suspense, intrigue, true love, mystery, and more! If you are an Austen fan, give this book a try. It’s not real similar, but utterly delightful. Definitely recommended!

Link to review: http://austenitis.blogspot.com/2010/12/scarlet-pimpernel.html

Women of the Bible: a Visual Guide to Their Lives, Loves, and Legacy

Author: Carol Smith, Ellyn Sanna, Rachael Phillips

Series: Illustrated Bible Handbook series

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5

Type: Non-fiction

Number of pages: 283

Time period: Bible times

My overall opinion: This book is a great resource for any person looking to learn more about the women mentioned in the Bible! The pages are sleek and glossy, each one packed with tons of information and color photos. You’ll learn about everything the women of that time did, from divorce to death to housekeeping to roles in the church to marriage, among many other things. Towards the end, there’s a paragraph about each of the women mentioned in the Bible, named or not. There’s also a list of all the named women, complete with references. There is a lot of information in this highly valuable resource.

#BoutofBooks Wrap-Up

Well, it has come to an end. And I think I completed my challenge, but I haven't actually counted up my books yet. I should mention that I extended the limit a day for myself, so it was one day more than a week. I excused this by reminding myself that I was down with the flu for one day, and away unexpectedly away from home for the entirety of another day.

The books I completed since my last post (which contains four) are:

• After the War by Carol Matas
• ROAR: A Christian Family Guide to Narnia by David and Heather Kopp
• Rough Guide to Lord of the Rings by Angie Errigo
• The Runner by A. Wayne Gill
• Mirror Mirror: The Movie Novel by Lexi Ryals
• Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

That being exactly six more books...I made my goal of 10 books! So happy now. :) I read some good books, I read some not-so-great books...but I read them all. And I didn't even have to count half books (that would be books by Weiland and Stengl and Brownley). Hooray!

Need to Read #15: Jewel of Persia

Title: Jewel of Persia

Author: Roseanna M. White

Book blurb: How can she love the king of kings without forsaking her Lord of lords? Kasia grew up in a poor Jewish home with more siblings than luxuries. But when a chance encounter forces her to the palace of Xerxes, she becomes a concubine to the richest man in the world. She alone, of all Xerxes' wives, loves the man beneath the crown. She alone, of all his wives, holds the heart of the king of kings. Traveling with Xerxes through Europe as he mounts a war against Greece, Kasia knows enemies surround her, but they’re not the Spartans or Athenians. The threat lies with those close to the king who hate her people. She determines to put her trust in Jehovah even if it costs her her marriage. Years of prayers are answered when Kasia's childhood friend arrives at the palace after the war, but even as she determines to see Esther crowned in place of the bloodthirsty former queen, she knows the true battle is far from over. How far will her enemies go to see her undone? Combining the biblical account of Esther with Herodotus's Histories, Jewel of Persia is the story of a love that nearly destroys an empire . . . and the friendship that saves a nation

Quick endorsement: Jill Eileen Smith isn’t the only Biblical fiction author that I love. Roseanna did a wonderful job retelling the story of Esther in a new and different way that’s also accurate to the time period (as far as I could tell) and the Bible. I don’t think that this story is very probably the way it actually happened, but it’s a good book and one I enjoyed immensely.

Link to review: http://austenitis.blogspot.com/2011/06/jewel-of-persia.html

 

Need to Read #14: To Die For

Title: To Die For

Author: Sandra Byrd

Book blurb: Meg Wyatt has been Anne Boleyn's closest friend since they grew up together on neighboring manors in Kent. So when twenty-five-year-old Anne's star begins to ascend, of course she takes Meg along for the ride.

Life in the court of Henry VIII is thrilling... at first. Meg is made mistress of Anne's wardrobe, and she enjoys the spoils of this privileged orbit and uses her influence for good. She is young and beautiful and in favor; everyone at court assumes that being close to her is being close to Anne.

But favor is fickle and envy is often laced with venom. As Anne falls, so does Meg, and it becomes nearly impossible for her to discern ally from enemy. Suddenly life's unwelcome surprises rub against the court's sheen to reveal the tarnished brass of false affections and the bona fide gold of those that are true. Both Anne and Meg may lose everything. When your best friend is married to fearsome Henry VIII, you may soon find yourself not only friendless but headless as well.

A rich alchemy of fact and fiction, To Die For chronicles the glittering court life, the sweeping romance, and the heartbreaking fall from grace of a forsaken queen and Meg, her closest companion, who was forgotten by the ages but who is destined to live in our hearts forever.

Quick endorsement: I found the history of the Tudor period simply fascinating, and when I saw this book, the first in the Ladies in Waiting series, I knew I had to give it a try. I wasn’t mistaken. Sandra is adept at writing clean and accurate historical fiction! If Anne Boleyn and Kateryn Parr interest you, try this book and its sequel (Secret Keeper).

Link to review: http://austenitis.blogspot.com/2012/02/to-die-for.html

 

Need to Read #13: Emma

Title: Emma

Author: Jane Austen

Book blurb: Beautiful, clever, rich - and single - Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protegee Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected. With its imperfect but charming heroine and its witty and subtle exploration of relationships, Emma is often seen as Jane Austen's most flawless work.

Quick endorsement: This book is almost tied with P&P as my favorite Austen. This is probably Austen’s most humorous book, and it is laugh out loud funny on multiple occasions. Emma is a great heroine, and who wouldn’t love Mr. Knightly? This is yet another must-read for each of you.  

Link to review: http://austenitis.blogspot.com/2010/12/emma.html

 

Need to Read #12: McKenzie

 

Title: McKenzie

Author: Penny Zeller

Book blurb: "Desperate times call for desperate measures" is the reasoning that prompts McKenzie Worthington, a young lady of Boston's high society, to respond to an ad for a mail-order bride for a man in the Montana Territory. McKenzie is desperate, after all, to save her beloved younger sister, Kaydie, from her evil, abusive husband, who robs banks for a living. And so, it is with reckless determination that McKenzie runs away from the comforts of home and hearth to head West and meet her new husband-whom she'll divorce, of course, after she rescues her sister. "Desperate times call for desperate measures" is the reasoning that also prompts Zachary Sawyer, a rugged rancher after God's own heart, to post an ad for a mail-order bride in various newspapers across the country. Managing a ranch and caring for his adoptive son, Davey, has become more than one man can handle alone, and Zach prays for God to send him a wife with whom to build a life and share his dreams.

When McKenzie arrives at Zach's ranch, she immediately puts her plan in motion, searching for her sister and doing all she can to keep her new husband from forming an attachment. But his persistent kindness and significant self-sacrifices begin to change her heart-and ruin her plans. God has a way of working things out to the good of those who love Him, though, as McKenzie and Kaydie will soon see.

Quick endorsement: I read this sweet series all of out of order…first book 2 (Kaydie), then 3 (Hailee), and then, finally 1 (McKenzie). Hailee was my favorite, but McKenzie is such a wonderful book that I couldn’t help but feature it! A mail-order bride…and a strong Christian man who placed the ad for her! Add ulterior motives and you’ve got a complete story. A wonderful book that I can’t recommend too highly!

Link to review: http://austenitis.blogspot.com/2011/11/mckenzie.html

#BoutofBooks Update!

You should all remember that I signed up to do Bout of Books this year...and since it's Thursday and I haven't updated y'all yet, it's about time! My goal was 10 books. So far I've completed just a few:

In order those are:

• Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis
• Snowbound by David Lavender
• Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson (great book!)
• Narnia: Beyond the Wardrobe by E. J. Kirk

Books I'm currently reading (and hoping to finish) include:

• Dreamlander by K. M. Weiland
• After the War by unknown...I can't recall
• ROAR: A Christian Family Guide to Narnia by Heather and David Kopp
• Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl
• Rough Guide to Lord of the Rings by another unknown who I can't remember

So, will I reach my goal? I'm not sure yet! After all, we have tonight...tomorrow (which is usually one of my best reading days in the week, but I'll be gone and unable to read all day)...and Sunday (my other best day...planning to go at it full force). Here we go!

Need to Read #11: Sarai

Title: Sarai

Author: Jill Eileen Smith

Book blurb: Sarai, the last child of her aged father, is beautiful, spoiled, and used to getting her own way. Even as a young girl, she is aware of the way men look at her, including her half brother Abram. When Abram finally requests Sarai's hand, she asks one thing--that he promise never to take another wife as long as she lives. Even her father thinks the demand is restrictive and agrees to the union only if Sarai makes a promise in return--to give Abram a son and heir. Certain she can easily do that, Sarai agrees.
But as the years stretch on and Sarai's womb remains empty, she becomes desperate to fulfill her end of the bargain--lest Abram decide that he will not fulfill his. To what lengths will Sarai go in her quest to bear a son? And how long will Abram's patience last?

Quick endorsement: Not every Biblical fiction is Biblically accurate, but everything I’ve read by Jill has been, and I really appreciate that. Her books are Biblically and historically sound as far as I can tell, and also clean. If you’re looking for a good Biblical/historical fiction author, this one is very good! I whole-heartedly recommend her books, and “Sarai” is no exception.

Link to review: http://austenitis.blogspot.com/2012/03/revell-blog-tour-sarai.html

Need to Read #10: Silver Chair

Title: Silver Chair

Author: C. S. Lewis

Book blurb: NARNIA...where owls are wise, where some of the giants like to snack on humans, where a prince is put under an evil spell...and where the adventure begins.
Eustace and Jill escape from the bullies at school through a strange door in the wall, which, for once, is unlocked. It leads to the open moor...or does it? Once again Aslan has a task for the children, and Narnia needs them. Through dangers untold and caverns deep and dark, they pursue the quest that brings them face and face with the evil Watch. She must be defeated if Prince Rillian is to be saved.

Quick endorsement: While VDT was my favorite Narnia book for many years, this one gradually edged into first place. The whole underground thing is fascinating, and the whole book displays Lewis’ amazing writing style.

Link to review: http://austenitis.blogspot.com/2013/01/silver-chair.html