Maybe I'm not a good listener

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Audio recording

Published September 2008 by Random House Audio
ISBN13: 9780739370643
Listened April 2011


I had seen this title for several weeks now on Twitter and various blogs. A week ago, I was in the office and everyone was gone. It was so silent and I couldn't stand it. I decided to look at what was available at my digital download library in audio books. I asked for suggestions and the ones that were made were not available. Then I remembered this title and though I did not know what the story was about decided to download it.


These are the 5 audio book I've listened to: Harry Potter, Twilight, a Miss Marple/Agatha Christie mystery, and Consequences on "tape". I enjoyed the first three, but I couldn't follow Consequences. I thought it was because Consequences jumped back and forth between the present and the past. But after listening to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (TGDT), maybe it is me. Often when I'm listening to a book I am also doing something else so my attention is divided. 

TGDT was a bit hard to follow for me listening because the cast of characters is kind of large and sometimes the people were referred to by there first name and sometimes by their last names. I have trouble remembering names of people I know and now I had to learn a bunch of names for fictional characters. 

It started off as an ok story for me. It had a bit of government/corporate conspiracy. When the girl was introduced, she seemed like such a minor character that I wasn't sure how she tied into the story. When I first became a little lost in the story I thought I was trying too hard to put the pieces together. I tried to not over think it. Then about half way through the story, suddenly I was thrown a curve ball. My eyes about popped out of my head. I could feel them bulging from their sockets. Now I knew I had to finish it because I had no idea how sexual assault played in to the financial corruption that started the story.


Maybe this wasn't my kind of story or maybe I need to improve my listening skills, but I don't think I will be continuing this series (which is a bit hard for me to contemplate - who'll see what I mean in an upcoming review).

An Author's Kickstarter Project

My author friend Michele Richard is trying to raise support to exhibit her debut novel Mocked by Destiny at Boston Book Festival. I thought I would mention her Kickstarter project in case any of my readers wanted to support this creative project.

Choosing Gratitude

Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Hardcover, 224 pages
Published October 2009 by Moody Publishers
Read April 2011

Have you ever had a book to kick you in the pants? Choosing Gratitude did for me. I have dealt with mild depression in my past (in high school and college), but seemed to move past it as I grew up and began to understand myself more (and through lots of prayer). Then about 10 years ago, I had a bit more severe case of depression and again with God's strength I was able to overcome it, for the most part. However, about 2 years ago issues that I thought I had dealt with came back with a vengeance and would not let go. I could not fight the negative thoughts on my own and was so lost that I couldn't even turn to God. I knew I was going down a slippery slope and turned to a friend for help. I realized then that I had lost my focus on God and my faith had all but dried up. It was during that time that I knew I needed to fully surrender to God and I spent much time learning about and putting to practice submission to God. I also started a weekly time of thanksgiving - focusing on the positives of that week no matter how small it were. A family I support as missionaries saw my weekly Thankful Thursday posts on Facebook and sent me a copy of this book.

I tried to read it when it first arrived in the mail, but it just couldn't capture my attention. I believe now I just wasn't ready to hear the message. My church has been having an emphasis on revival with a special team of musicians and teachers from Life Action Ministries the last 2 weeks. Though I didn't attend the week day services I still felt the quiet voice of God, by Sunday He has talking much louder. The service was on bitterness, but ingratitude was touched on. I had to recognize who I was resenting and why (shockingly enough it was not who I thought it would be). By the end of the service I knew I had to read Choosing Gratitude. I was no longer bitter about the situation that happened 10 years ago (though I was bitter), but my problem was ingratitude. I think it is a bit ironic that I started reading this book a week before the most important celebration of the Christian faith - Easter.

A friend and I at work have had several conversations recently about how inconsiderate, ungrateful, and entitled Americans have become (we can't speak for other nationalities, but I wonder if it is more a human condition rather than a citizenship problem). As I began to read DeMoss' book my eyes were open to just how ungrateful I have become in my life. God promised a rose garden, but He didn't say it would be thornless. But, oh, how resentful I had become of the thorns (there seemed to be more thorns on my roses than other people's roses). However, the opening pages of  the book could have been written by me as she voiced every complaint I have had. How often have I said "why me?" "this isn't fair", etc. Then she hit me with "without gratitude - and your faith will eventually forget the whole point of its faithfulness, hardening into a practice of religion that's hollow and ineffective." Oh, how hardened my faith had become.

DeMoss shares story after story of people expressing gratitude in the midst of dire tragedies - complete paralysis, death of a child, loss of all material possessions. Then there are the stories of sacrifice - a young man risked his life to save others from drowning, as a result becomes too ill to continue his studies and fulfill is career dreams. He rescued 17 of the 30 survivors from the shipwreck, yet not one thanked him. I imagine they were thankful, and how often has someone sacrificed for me but I never took the time to say thank you.

While the entire book was opening my eyes to the condition of my heart, it was this statement that was the turning point for me... "If we go on without gratitude - choosing to be bitter, constantly bemoaning our fate - we force ourselves to live in already unhappy conditions with the added drag of our gloomy disposition." This is where I am and I don't want to be there any more.

Choosing Gratitude is not your typical self-help book. DeMoss takes this journey with her readers (she even admits at the end that weeks before releasing the book she realized she was not practicing what she preached) and inspires as much as gives practical steps to take towards choosing gratitude for your life. If you are not a Christ follower, I am not sure you will find much in the book helpful to you as it hinges on recognizing that Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice and who wouldn't be thankful to the One willingly dying in your place.

Now, I must go write a thank you note to the family who sent me the book.

Reviews coming soon...

Reading has been a bit slow this week. I really had hoped to have a new review for you today, but it's not going to happen. I've had computer problems and stress at job 1 this week and it is a week before PUB DAY at job 2, which is always busy, so a new review will be a few days. I did update my blog look, though. Do you like it?

Here is what is on my weekend reading list:

Blog Swap with Indie Reader Houston

Have you ever wondered where a book blogger gets her recommendations from? The answer is... other book bloggers. I wanted to share some of the blogs I visit for ideas and discussion. Cassandra of Indie Reader Houston has been kind enough to swap blogs with me today (you can find my review of Showdown on her blog)

On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of participating in the discussion following a read-along of Started Early, Took My Dog Kate Atkinson. I was a late arrival to the discussion, but I really enjoyed having the opportunity to interact with other readers. Here's what I contributed to the discussion (plus a few points I've thought of since then).

• While STARTED EARLY is definitely a mystery, it is also a fine example of literary fiction. In fact, critics and booksellers have both classified the Jackson Brodie books as mystery and literary fiction. What are some of the elements of this novel that make it "literary fiction?"

This is the first Kate Atkinson book that I have read. I don’t read a lot of mysteries, but I was attracted to this one when I saw that the Jackson Brodie books are often classified as literary fiction. I can definitely see how that description applies. The narrative is rich, detailed, and the characters are dynamic. I will admit that I didn’t get into it right away, but once I had gotten to the scene where Tracy makes her special purchase (the adorable 3 year-old Courtney), I was hooked. I did drift a bit when the story switched to Jackson Brodie. I wasn’t sure how the two stories would come together. Once I started to figure it out, I was completely back on board. Many mysteries end up being formulaic and stale, and that's why I've stopped reading them as often as I once did. Atkinson has convinced me to give mysteries a second chance.

• It was very interesting how the story went back and forth between present day and the 1970s. This format worked extremely well to not only present clues into Hope's mysterious childhood, but it also demonstrated a great deal about the basic nature of human's needs and desires. What were some of the themes about people's behavior that struck a chord with you?

What I enjoyed most about this novel is the attention to detail in constructing the plot. Nothing goes unnoticed or gets left behind (except Courtney’s backstory – I think there’s going to be more there, but perhaps  Courtney needs to be a bit older first). Balancing all of those story lines and bringing them together the way that she does is quite impressive, and it makes me want to keep reading the series (and to read the ones that I have missed). I think is at those moments when the story lines intersect that Atkinson says the most about human behavior. Both Tracy and Jackson see someone abusing another living being and react suddenly and decisively. While some people might consider these reactions extreme, they both knew that they could do some good if they acted immediately. They did what so many others wish they had the nerve to do, and that makes them stand apart in the best possible of ways.

• One of the themes that was apparent throughout this novel (and other Jackson Brodie books) is lost or abandoned children. What was the role of "lost girls" in this story? And if you're read any other Jackson Brodie books, how did this theme relate to other lost girls in Jackson's life?

• Another discussion topic that really stood out to me (and definitely caused me to think) was the difficulty associated with becoming a mother. In STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG, the reader sees a number of women who have issues when they discover themselves facing pending motherhood as well as the loss of a child . Discuss some of the characters' different actions in this story as they relate to motherhood.

One of the questions mentioned the “lost girls” who appear throughout the novel, as well as the women who have trouble conceiving. “Lost girls” would seem to refer to girls who have been stripped of their identities. They do not get the chance to pursue the opportunities that would have been available to them. They do not get to be the women that they were meant to be. In this sense, the women who have trouble conceiving are also lost. They miss out on being identified as mothers, and they miss out on the opportunity to bring a new life into the world, and to nourish that life. They do not get to be the women that desperately wanted to be. Tracy is one of those lost girls. She buys Courtney because she is trying to find herself.

• What do readers find Jackson Brodie so appealing? If a movie was being made of STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG, who do you see playing Jackson?

Liam Neeson could be Jackson? Maybe? What are some of your thoughts? Share them here or at the Reagan Arthur Books Challenge Blog.

-Cassandra Neace, 4/13/2011

http://indiereaderhouston.com

I hope you enjoyed reading someone else's perspective on books. I hope you will visit her blog as she includes a wide variety of book related topics. Would you like to see posts from other bloggers I know? Let me know by leaving a comment.

You know what they say about assuming

Spirit Intervention by Margaret West
paperback, 118 pages
Published January 2011 by Eternal Press
ISBN13: 9781615722839
Read April 2011

I was contacted by the author to review her book. I said yes because I wanted to try out a paranormal romance. I wasn't sure what the difference between a paranormal romance and a supernatural romance. I sometimes wonder if the publishing world doesn't come up with new genres just to stand out from the crowd. I also wonder how important clearly defined genres will be in the future as we have fewer and fewer physical bookstores (an online bookstore doesn't need a genre per say, but good keywords). But that is a question best suited for a blog that discussed such things (maybe I will mention it to @Indiepride at The Sunday Book Review). 


So I start reading Spirit Intervention. It is short, only about 100 pages for the story. There was not a lot of detail or time given to character development or setting. It took me abut 20 or 30 pages to realize that it wasn't an American book. I don't mind that it isn't, but I would have liked to have it in my head. And not from having the author telling me that when the book is sent, but from the details in the book. As more and more British wording was used, I was confused as to were the story took place and finally London was mentioned. Having a number of British friends and working with a international company, the British English did not bother me too much. For the most part I knew what was meant, but I don't know how well it will translate for the general public on this side of the pond. 


I like character driven stories. I want to connect with the characters, however, West did not provide enough background on the characters before delving into the plot. By the end I was only mildly interested in what happened to Sally and Emilio. 


From the beginning the felt like the movies that I watched in the early nineties. I can't remember the names of any of them (Billy Crystal probably starred in a few of them) because they all kind of blurred into one. They all had themes of star crossed lovers and afterlife. They were usually funny. Again because of the lack of detail to setting I had trouble keeping myself in the present and not wondering back to the 1990s with this story. The book did lend itself more to a movie script than a novel. Maybe West could try to shop her story to some movie producers.


The miscommunication and assumptions that all the characters make about what the others think or feel were almost comical. I say almost because there wasn't anything new or unique about the banter between characters. So while I knew that West was meaning for it to be funny, to be it was liking hearing the same joke for the 10th time. I did chuckle a few times towards the end. 


Though I did not find this book to be astounding, I think people that didn't grow up watching the 90s movies where basically the same storyline played out with different actors could find this a witty read. I don't think paranormal romance is my cup of tea - I'll stick more to realistic fiction from now on unless someone out there can recommend a MUST read paranormal romance to me. 


As a side note from my commentary on sex in books last week- though you can tell that Sally and Emilio have hot sex I didn't have to share the bed with them.


Next week I am participating in a blog swap with Indie Reader Houston. She will be posting here and I will be posting on her blog. We are shooting for Thursday.