Jolyn's Summer Reading Thing Book List

Jolyn is reading:

1. Dancing In The Light by Anita Stansfield


2. Ravenwood by Susan Evans McCloud


3. As Long As I Have You by Dean Hughes
   
   
4. Heart Full of Lies by Ann Rule (not LDS)
   
   
5. Altared Plans by Rebecca Talley
   

Summer Reading Thing 2008 Wrap Up Post

Melanie G.

I read a lot of books this summer. Some of them I actually remembered to review, and some of them I forgot about after returning home and starting to write again.

My choice for best book is Elantris, by Brandon Sanderson. Why? This book was just plain wow! I was drawn into a completely different world with completely different traditions from ours, but everything was explained so well that I never felt lost or confused. The people were exactly that -- people. They were human and I could relate to all of them in one way or another. All of the main characters were very strong and pro-active. We saw many of them uprooted and plunked down in unfamiliar settings, where they managed to make a good go of things, suffering sometimes, but learning and improving along the way. The book was so incredibly rich and satisfying. I would say that I didn't want it to end, but the ending was such a wonderful one that I'm glad I experienced it along with the characters. I'm now a huge fan of Brandon Sanderson and will go out of my way to get my hands on everything else he's written.

I can't even remember the name of my least favourite book. It was one of a series of "Last Days" books, self-published as far as I could tell, and I found myself skimming huge portions of it just to get to the end and see how things were resolved. In a way, it was like watching an accident; I wanted to look away, but morbid curiosity got the better of me. (That, and a complete lack of anything else to do while waiting.) On the one hand, it brought up some interesting ideas about how things could happen in the last days, but on the other hand, with huge info dumps and sketchy characterizations among other problems, I didn't think it was well-written.

What new authors did I try? Lots of them, actually! The ones I'll be looking for again include Dean Hughes and Michelle Paige Holmes. They just had that extra, deeper "something" that makes their writing really stand out.

I have been undecided as to whether or not to mention this, but I'm going to go ahead. I noticed one thing very clearly this summer when I had the chance to indulge as much as I wanted in both LDS and mass market writing. I found out that after I've read two LDS books, I felt the incredible urge to find something else to read, something that wasn't so ... um ... shallow. I found myself running to the library to find something -- anything -- by a non-LDS author. I usually went straight to the fantasy section to satisfy my cravings for something really thick and meaty, but there were also some mysteries that filled the bill. I felt like I'd been eating too much candy; it was sweet, but not very filling, and all too soon, it made my teeth ache and my appetite turn towards something more satisfying. Is it just a difference between LDS and "Gentile" writing? I don't think so -- I'm sure there are plenty of mass market books that don't get really deep. It must be the genre. Romance in particular lends itself to quick and easy, entertaining reads, and so do many mysteries, especially modern-day cozies. What I noticed, I suppose, was that my completely non-representative selection of LDS literature seemed unnaturally skewed to the shallow side of the spectrum. And perhaps my completely non-representative selection of non-LDS lit was skewed to the deeper side of the spectrum. I just found myself wishing that I'd been able to find more LDS books that were more ... um ... sumptuous.

And by the way, I'm not talking about "fun" reads versus "Message" books with a capital "M." I mean more details, but without going overboard on explanations and info dumps, more world-building, richer characters, more inter-personal relationships both good and bad, and whatever else it is that makes a book deeply satisfying and yet still compelling.

I suppose if I make all this public, it'll come back to haunt me one day. People will point out that I complained about shallow books, then went on and wrote one myself. So I've learned that I've got to be careful in my own writing -- I just hope my little talent is up to the challenge!

Melanie Goldmund

Melanie G Summer Book Trek Wrap-Up

1. How many fiction books by LDS authors did you read?

I wrote reviews for 14 books. I actually read a few more than that, but I didn't review them, either because I forgot, or I didn't like them.

2. Did you read more than you would have read if you hadn't participated in this book trek?

Yes ... but I only allowed myself to participate in the book trek because I knew I would be coming to SLC this year and would therefore be in a position to get my hands on books.

3. Did the reviews posted by other participants influence which titles you read? How?

I don't remember being influenced, that is, reading any reviews and saying to myself, I've got to get that book. I'd already made my (small) reading list before the first reviews came out. I think if anything, I was inspired by the features on the LDS Fiction Blog.

4. Did the Whitney awards influence which titles you read? How?

No. I don't even think I've looked at the list of Whitney winners since they were published back in March. (Edit.) I've just now looked, however, and have discovered several of the books on my list, so maybe there was a bit of subconscious influence going on.

5. Did the many, many virtual blog tours that happened this summer influence which titles you read? How?

I don't think that any of the books I read were featured on blog tours.

6. Did you finish all the books you had planned to read? If not, why?

No. I had planned to read Freefall, by Traci Hunter Abramson, but I discovered too late that I had simply forgotten to buy it while I was in SLC. Embarrassing, but true, I was distracted by the piles of reduced-price books at the back of Seagull or Deseret Book.

7. Did you discover any new authors whom you now love?

And Dean Hughes. Definitely Dean Hughes.

8. Did you nominate any of the books you read for Whitney awards?

Not yet.

9. Would you be interested in another LDS themed reading challenge either this winter, or next summer?

Theoretically, yes, but since I won't be travelling to the U.S. again for another two years, at least 95% percent of the books I'd be reading for that would be books I already own. Though maybe I'll get lucky and have some authors offer to disregard the cost of postage and send me something new. :-)

But this was fun and I really enjoyed it!

Melanie Goldmund

Jee's Bones by W. Dave Free (Melanie G)

Jee's Bones, by W. Dave Free.

Reviewed by Melanie Goldmund

Published 2008 by Leatherwood Press.

This is a middle-grade reader that I actually bought for my son, but which I ended up reading myself and haven't regretted at all. It's a wonderful fast-paced story with lots of believable action, a touch of fantasy, and some humour. Kids and adults alike will love this story.


Book Promo:
Jeremy, nicknamed Jee, lives on a desert ranch where his family keeps a fledgling shrimp farm. A sharp and savvy kid with a passion for prehistory, Jeremy bursts with excitement when he finds a dinosaur skull in the ranch backcountry. But he and his family soon realize the discovery is more than they bargained for. After being washed with water from a nearby spring the skull transforms into a live ornithomimus, a great ostrich-like dinosaur with yellow eyes, a sharp beak, and an enormous appetite. Fearing that public involvement will harm the creature, which Jeremy names Fuji, the Free family keeps it hidden in a cave on their property. But before long, a meddling professor catches wind of the discovery and demands access to the ranch land. And when this Professor Stutts and his band of armed thugs arrive to take the ranch by force, Jeremy must use all his wits and skills to keep his family and Fuji alive.

Hazardous Duty by Betsy Brannon Green (Melanie G)

Hazardous Duty, by Betsy Brannon Green.

Reviewed by Melanie Goldmund

Published 2007 by Covenant.

The part I liked most about this book was the fact that it didn't feature them all living happily ever after, which I thought was very believable after all that we readers found out about Christopher Dane and what he'd gone through. I was fascinated by the way that the kidnapping of Savannah's daughter was tied in to what had happened years before to the man she'd wanted to marry, and the man she ended up marrying. I had no clue who was responsible for the kidnapping until it was finally revealed, and I enjoyed every page of this very clever thriller. Highly recommended to everybody.


Book Promo:
Savannah McLaughlin is running a little late. Those extra few minutes could mean she may never see her daughter again. The only clue Savannah and the police have to six-year-old Caroline's disappearance is a note with a cryptic verse of scripture. With no signs of progress, Savannah is desperate enough to call the one man she knows can help—the one man who absolutely despises her.

If anyone can find Caroline, it's Major Christopher Dane. The Army often calls on him to discreetly extract people from dangerous situations. But can Savannah trust him and the band of misfits Dane surrounds himself with? Or will the betrayal that took place in their dark past exclude any chance of a bright future?

Tangled Roots and Cankered Roots by G.G. Vandafriff (Melanie G)

Tangled Roots and Cankered Roots, both by G. G. Vandagriff.

Reviewed by Melanie Goldmund

Published by Deseret Book.


I was fascinated by the way that the author used genealogy to both build up and then later solve the mysteries. I thought that the character of Alex was very believably flawed, which made me like her more. I liked how the author showed that Alex found out things about her family life that helped her heal, but that the healing process didn't happen perfectly, or overnight. I'd recommend these books to anybody who enjoys a fast-paced, suspenseful mystery with female amateur detectives.

Cankered Roots Book Promo:
Deseret Book (July 1994); 227 pages

Genealogy sleuths Alexandra Campbell and Brighamina Poulson make their first appearance as Alex reunites with her parents for the first time in eighteen years. The result is murder! In order to solve the crime, she and Briggie have to uncover the secrets in Alex's own family tree, discovering in the process why she was sent away to Paris at age eighteen. Her searches yield facts that explain the strange isolation of her adolescence. A recent convert to the LDS Church, she is still grieving over the death of her husband but is powerfully attracted to Daniel Grinnell, a psychotherapist who knows just a little too much about her for comfort.




Tangled Roots Book Promo:
Deseret Book (May 16, 2007); 288 pages

Professional genealogist Alexandra Campbell and her sidekick, Briggie, may regret their new assignment for RootSearch, Inc. Asked to research not only a family tree but its psychological overtones, they uncover an old murder that someone is anxious to keep secret. Why? The murderer couldn't possibly be alive. So what is everyone afraid of? Searching for answers, the genealogy sleuths discover more than one surprising detour in the family line of steel magnate William Williams. When another murder occurs, they realize the motive must lie somewhere in the increasingly complicated family tree. Can it tell them the name of the killer? Though struggling with serious matters of the heart, Alex must focus on her work or risk becoming the next victim.

Flashback by J. Michael Hunter (Melanie G)

Flashback by J. Michael Hunter

Reviewed by Melanie Goldmund

Published August 2007 by Deseret Book; 336 pages.


I almost stopped reading this in the middle because I was convinced that I knew who the killer was, and why. This book reminded me eerily of Sleeping Death, by Agatha Christie, but thank goodness, didn't go as far as to copy the exact villain and his reasons. So the ending was a surprise to me, which was good. Because I thought I knew whodunnit, however, I didn't feel much suspense throughout the book, and I thought the romantic angle was under-developed. My mother, on the other hand, thought it was very gripping, so I guess it all depends. I'd recommend this for fans of thrillers and mysteries.


Book Promo:
Laura McClain has screamed herself awake again. Her old nightmare is back. And now the timid kindergarten teacher is convinced that someone is following her — watching her every move. It could just be coincidence that she and the chillingly memorable man seem to show up at all the same places. Perhaps her paranoia is just a result of her deep fear of change. After all, so much has changed in her life recently.

To make matters worse, Laura is now supposed to travel halfway across the country to take possession of a family estate she has inherited. As unnerved as she is with her “stalker” in St. Louis, the plantation in Virginia seems even more frightening to Laura. And what is a Mormon girl going to do with miles of tobacco crop?

But then again, maybe the family estate holds the secret to why Laura’s parents would never talk about their past. In hopes of finding clues to this mystery, Laura packs her bags and catches a bus to Bufordville, a tiny town with more than its fair share of rumors, suspicions, and deadly secrets. Then panic sets in as Laura finds her returning nightmare is, in fact, a twenty-year-old reality — a reality that could very well repeat itself.