Recent Reads {The Prince}

The Prince by Francine Rivers - I think this is my favorite in this series so far! I still have two of them to read, so I'll have to reassess once I've done that.  Have you ever had a picture in your head of how something happened in the Bible, and you know that it's unrealistic and couldn't have been that way but never really stop to try and readjust that mental image?  I have to admit, my picture of the rule of King Saul fits that pattern.  I read how Saul was chosen to be king of Israel and about his reluctance at the beginning, about all the events surrounding his reign and how David eventually came to the throne, and the mental picture I've had since I was quite young is pretty unrealistic.  I somehow imagined that after Saul was anointed king he moved into the palace and started wearing the crown to family dinners or something crazy like that. And I have never stopped to consider Saul's family, particularly his children, during that time, and wonder how old Jonathan was when his father became king or the family's reaction to any of the events.  Francine Rivers presents a far more realistic imagining of the life of Jonathan, adding personality and motives and emotions to a young man who has become the model of loyal friendship.   In reading this book, I thought about Saul's kingship - his successes and his failures - in terms of how it looked to his son and heir; and I appreciated the dilemma that Jonathan must often have found himself in - loving and honoring his father, yet protecting and being loyal to his friend.  It seems like Jonathan doesn't get much credit for his courage, righteousness, and faithfulness, but from what we know from the Biblical account, he must have been an outstanding man of noble character.  He might have made a very good king too, if his father had made better choices.  But Saul's sin and stubbornness cost much more than just the throne for Saul himself, his family and especially his son Jonathan paid a price as well.

Recent Reads {The Matters at Mansfield}

The Matters at Mansfield, Or, The Crawford Affair by Carrie Bebris - This is the fourth in the Mr & Mrs Darcy Mystery series by Bebris, and although definitely an enjoyable read, in my opinion it is the weakest outing of the four.  Lady Catherine's daughter Anne, having long been bullied and coddled by her domineering mother, finally appears to grow something of a backbone and elopes rather than follow through with the marriage arranged by Lady Catherine.  It isn't hard to imagine Lady Catherine's reaction, especially when it appears that Elizabeth has been an accomplice to Anne's plans.  Not surprisingly, Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam accept Lady Catherine's demands that they ride in pursuit of Anne and her new husband, and the whole family assembles in Mansfield to try and sort out the matrimonial mess Anne finds herself in.  Some of the other aspects of the story were a little harder for me to believe.  I thought that Lady Catherine did not stay true to her original character as drawn by Austen throughout.  She continues to be bossy, inconsiderate,  and haughty, but I was taken somewhat aback at the few places in this book where her rudeness to Elizabeth and to Meg (a woman who claimed to be already married to Anne's new husband) too blatant to be entirely believable.  I would expect that she would be more inclined to act is though these women were completely beneath her dignity to even notice rather than to engage in name-calling.  Also difficult to believe that Mr Darcy would stand about and say nothing when Lady Catherine actually calls Elizabeth a "stupid, common baggage" - come, Mr Darcy! Even Lady Catherine in a high dudgeon during an emotional outburst shouldn't be allowed to abuse your wife in that way without so much as a comment from you!  All that being said, the solving of the mystery and resolution of the whole affair makes for an intriguing storyline, and Bebris delivers plenty of background on gentleman's dueling and other detail within the dialogue.  And a favorite feature was Meg's innocent assumption that Lady Catherine is losing some of her mental faculties due to advanced age.  Meg's comments and Lady Catherine's speechless shock at receiving them did cause me to laugh aloud.

Recent Reads {The Cat of Bubastes}

The Cat of Bubastes: A Tale of Ancient Egypt by G.A. Henty - Confession: this is the first G.A. Henty book I have ever read.  It was on the reading list for Spencer's WorldLit and since the younger kids were studying ancient Egypt, I thought it would make a good read-aloud.  We started our schooldays by reading from this classic over the past few weeks.  At first Landon and Kennady were very reluctant, but I think their attitudes improved as we got further along in the story.  Kennady made several inquiries as to when the Cat would finally appear in the story, and indeed the title character doesn't make an appearance till about halfway through and (spoiler alert!) is dead within a chapter of her first appearance.  However, the circumstances surrounding the cat's death are pivotal in the outcome of the story so perhaps the title Henty chose isn't so odd after all.  Overall, we enjoyed the book and while no one has asked about other Henty books, I suspect there wouldn't be too much objection should another of his titles appear on our reading list.

Recent Reads {North by Northanger}

North by Northanger (Or, The Shades of Pemberley) by Carrie Bebris - The third Mr & Mrs Darcy Mystery takes place after the excitement of their London season as they hope to spend a quiet and peaceful time at Pemberley awaiting the birth of their child.  What was supposed to be a pleasant trip to Northanger Abbey to renew a family acquaintance turns out to be an extremely odd adventure resulting in the Darcys being accused of theft.  A solution to some of their troubles brings about a fresh set of trials, however, as Lady Catherine de Bourgh stays with them at Pemberley for an extended time.  Elizabeth nears a breaking point with Lady Catherine several times, and I personally found myself cheering her on, and rather hoping she would tell the domineering and insensitive aunt to 'stuff it'.  8-)  This story doesn't have quite the supernatural overtones of the previous two installments, but unravelling the intrigue, keeping reputations intact, and managing difficult personalities while pregnant combine to test even Elizabeth's endurance and wit.

Recent Reads {Suspense and Sensibility}

Suspense and Sensibility by Carrie Bebris  - this second installment of Bebris’ Mr & Mrs Darcy Mysteries is as delightful as the first, continuing to develop the characters of Darcy and Elizabeth and introducing a fresh mystery for them to solve. They have agreed to sponsor Elizabeth’s sister Kitty for a London season but the charming and well-to-do young man that proposes to Kitty undergoes an inexplicable character change. As the Darcys try to find out what has happened and mitigate the damage to Kitty’s reputation by the horrid behavior of her fiance, they must deal with another supernatural mystery. Another quick and entertaining read that combines a fantasy-world mystery with Regency romance.

 

Recent Reads {The Warrior}

The Warrior by Francine Rivers - This second in the Sons of Encouragement series focuses on the life of Caleb, who was right-hand man to Joshua.  As did the first book, this fictionalized account really got me thinking about what it would have been like to escape from Egypt and then live in the Hebrew camps in the desert.  Caleb is remembered for his warrior spirit, and his determination to follow God unswervingly, and this story adds very plausible personality, background, and motive to the little we know from the Biblical account.

Recent Reads {Kilimanjaro}

Kilimanjaro - A Photographic Journey to the Roof of Africa by Michel Moushabeck, photography by Hiltrud Schulz - A book I ordered from the library expecting to use it for school turned out to be far more interesting to me than to the kids.  I did flip through so they could see some of the pictures, but they weren't very impressed.  I, on the other hand, was intrigued not only by the lovely scenery, but also the photos included of the people and headed to the introduction to find out a little more about them.  And wound up reading the whole book.  Now THIS is how I like to go mountain-climbing - reading about it and enjoying the spectacular views through the lens of someone else's camera.  I would love to go there myself, would love to be able to stand on the Uhuru Peak and see it all for myself, but I'll be honest - I'm not likely to take up mountain-climbing at this point.  Not even Kilimanjaro, which the author points out is the tallest mountain in the world that can be climbed without technical equipment.   Moushabeck, a publisher, tells how he impulsively asked to accompany a climbing-guide author on her climb of Kilimanjaro; and details the preparations for the trip as well as the eight days the group spent in climbing to the summit.  His descriptions of the people, sights, and sounds are almost poetic; and his own sometimes humourous observations make it a very personal story as well.  His wife, Hildi, is the photographer, and the images she captured are beautiful.  I don't think most people have a mental picture of Kilimanjaro that includes vast glaciers and ice fields - it's in equatorial Africa, after all! - but they are there, and Schulz's photos are stunning.