Tuesday, May 31, 2011

These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner - Review

I have not loved a book so much in a L-O-N-G time. This novel captured everything that I love about reading...a fantastic story that kept me on the edge of my seat, a time period that I love to read about, a main character that is spunky, classy, humble, and captures your heart, and a setting that makes you feel like you are right there, in Arizona Territory, during the late 1800s. It also captured my heart strings as a mother, and I hugged my babies a little tighter today after finishing it.

If you like historical fiction, you will absolutely adore this book - it is a must read. This novel is loosely based on the family journals of the author, and the entire story is based from Sarah Agnes Prine's point of view in the Arizona Territory from 1881-1901.

Book Summary:

Inspired by the author's original family memoirs, this absorbing story introduces us to the questing, indomitable Sarah Prine, one of the most memorable women ever to survive and prevail in the Arizona Territory of the late 1800s. As a child, a fiery young woman, and finally a caring mother, Sarah forges a life as full and fascinating as our deepest needs, our most secret hopes, and our grandest dreams. She rides Indian-style and shoots with deadly aim, greedily devours a treasure trove of leatherbound books, dreams of scarlet velvet and pearls, falls uneasily in love, and faces down fire, flood, Comanche raids, and other mortal perils with the unique courage that forged the character of the American West. This action-packed novel is also the story of a powerful, enduring love between Sarah and the dashing cavalry officer Captain Jack Elliot. Neither the vast distances traveled nor the harsh and killing terrains could quench the passion between them, and the loss and loneliness both suffer only strengthen their need for each other. While their love grows, the heartbreak and wonder of the frontier experience unfold in scene after scene: a wagon-train Sunday spent roasting quail on spits as Indians close in to attack; Sarah's silent encounter with an Indian brave, in which he shows her his way of respect; a dreadful discovery by a stream that changes Sarah forever; the hazards of a visit to Phoenix, a town as hot as the devil's frying pan; Sarah's joy in building a real home, sketching out rooms and wraparound porches. Sarah's story leads us into a vanished world that comes vividly to life again, while her struggles with work and home, love and responsibility resonate with those every woman faces today.

My Thoughts:


Well, if you couldn't tell by the opening, I cannot gush enough about this book. Beyond an amazing way with words, Nancy Turner's writing style is so enthralling - and her use of dialect really made this story a home-run.

I am amazed at what our ancestors who traveled out west went through, and how their perseverance and courage led our country towards the life we enjoy today. I have always wanted to experience crossing the country by wagon, and enduring the struggles, challenges, and successes that life had to offer, but after reading this I think I am complete just experiencing it through Turner's words.

Sarah is a one-of-a-kind character...she is so strong, and so passionate about what is important (family, kids, love, and home) that her morals can't help but translate through to the reader - and frankly, society today could use a little more "Sarah" in their lives.

I was also struck at how much children of this time period had to go through, and how their experiences would make kids today crumble on the spot. What have we as a society and culture lost that we are so shut-down by the smallest failure or challenge anymore? With all the problems we cower away from, I wonder how the spirit of our pioneers was lost in us?

Back to the book, and away from solving all the world's problems, I strongly recommend this novel - and the best part is that it is part of a trilogy so there are two more amazing "Sarah" adventures coming my way!
Favorite Passages:

"Mama got her feather's ruffles and said the good book don't teach signs and suspicions and made me read the Old Testament out loud to her most of the afternoon on the road."

"Girl, there's never any turning back in life. But don't you worry, he says, The Lord is watching over us. Then I felt real hollow and low and mean. If He is watching us, I wish He'd lend a hand now and then."

"I will have to learn to be a righteous example of piety and purity, virtuous to a fault, kind and sharing, if I am to be the Happy Bride in the book. Bible study is the first importance in being a wife."

"After a couple of hours the children begin playing. They just cannot be sad too long, it is not in them, as children mourn in little bits here and there like patchwork in their lives."

"There was a kind of strength in it, in being together, that was stronger than being alone."

"And one for the heart, where the wounds are deepest."

"I think Ma'am, that he'll be just fine in a couple of weeks. In the war, we'd have just patched him up and given him a toddy and send him back to the front tomorrow." "Well, I thought, and you lost the war too, but I didn't say it to him"

"Taking up marriage is a good excuse for taking up cursing, I think."

"Where a man's treasure is, there is his heart also."

"Crying over that man is a waste of water. And I still have to go to the outhouse again."

"Education doesn't keep a person from being a fool, and the lack of it doesn't keep a person from being intelligent."

"I told her I was a wife and mother and she said, Does that make you stupid?"

"Mama told me to make a special point to remember the best times of my life. There are so many hard things to live through, and latching on to the good things will give you the strength to endure."

"I never set my cap for you. You just followed me around like a bird dog 'til I couldn't do anything but marry you."

"Taking a school test is a new way to be afraid, and takes the knees right out from under you. If I'm riding a horse and get thrown, it's just a matter of getting back on. And if I'm fighting for my life, there's only living and dying to choose from. But taking that test, that's like showing other people the inside of your thoughts, and just waiting for them to say wrong, wrong, wrong, and you can have a thought that seems right but since you never went to school, maybe it isn't."

Monday, May 30, 2011

It's Monday - What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from! This weekly meme is hosted by Book Journey.

I just finished reading Die for Me by Amy Plum. This was a different kind of read for me, and my very first paranormal romance. You can see my review here.

LinkI am now reading and absolutely loving These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner. This is the first book in the Sarah Agnes Prine trilogy and is a true historical fiction favorite. Here is the summary from Goodreads:

Inspired by the author's original family memoirs, this absorbing story introduces us to the questing, indomitable Sarah Prine, one of the most memorable women ever to survive and prevail in the Arizona Territory of the late 1800s. As a child, a fiery young woman, and finally a caring mother, Sarah forges a life as full and fascinating as our deepest needs, our most secret hopes, and our grandest dreams. She rides Indian-style and shoots with deadly aim, greedily devours a treasure trove of leatherbound books, dreams of scarlet velvet and pearls, falls uneasily in love, and faces down fire, flood, Comanche raids, and other mortal perils with the unique courage that forged the character of the American West. This action-packed novel is also the story of a powerful, enduring love between Sarah and the dashing cavalry officer Captain Jack Elliot. Neither the vast distances traveled nor the harsh and killing terrains could quench the passion between them, and the loss and loneliness both suffer only strengthen their need for each other. While their love grows, the heartbreak and wonder of the frontier experience unfold in scene after scene: a wagon-train Sunday spent roasting quail on spits as Indians close in to attack; Sarah's silent encounter with an Indian brave, in which he shows her his way of respect; a dreadful discovery by a stream that changes Sarah forever; the hazards of a visit to Phoenix, a town as hot as the devil's frying pan; Sarah's joy in building a real home, sketching out rooms and wraparound porches. Sarah's story leads us into a vanished world that comes vividly to life again, while her struggles with work and home, love and responsibility resonate with those every woman faces today.

When I am finished this book I am definitely moving on to the second - Sarah's Quilt and third - The Star Garden as well - and then I am going to tackle Heart of a Samurai which is my June book club "The Litwits" pick.

This Week's Bounty

This week was an amazing week for books...I am so very lucky to have my hands on some great titles!

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (I really love the fact that the girl on the cover looks REAL!)

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony: A Friendship That Changed the World - am really looking forward to this one because I teach US History I and this goes hand-in-hand with our content.
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare - haven't read anything by her (which I know makes me weird) and am looking forward to her books over the summer!

Picked up some review copies (thanks Simon & Schuster!) - kids picture book Hogg, Hogg, and Hogg and No Room For Dessert - reviews coming soon!

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson - I ordered this one because it is the Platinum Edition, and I wanted a nice copy of it.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman - figured since I already have Where She Went, I better read this one first!
My favorite bounty of the week - for Mother's Day, my husband bought me a copy of Melissa Marr's new book Graveminder and it came with this AWESOME flask with a quote from the book on it - "three sips to mind the dead." SUPER AMAZING GIFT!

Not something I intended on for this week, but we picked this up for $5 at Kohl's when we were checking out...since I pack four lunches everyday for my family, we figured we could get some good ideas out of it!


Stolen by Lucy Christopher - if you haven't already seen this book, add it to your TBR pile. The summary on Goodreads will hook you, and it counts toward a new challenge I am doing for award winning books. Can't wait to start this one!


I also scored a hardback copy of The Hunger Games but have already lent it out so no picture...plus I am assuming everyone who is reading this blog already knows what it looks like :)

Sunday, May 29, 2011

New Author Find...Nancy E. Turner

I have discovered a new author (to me) and am currently reading the first book in her trilogy - if you are a lover of historical fiction, you need to check these books out!

Book #1: These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine 1881-1901 - Arizona Territories

Book Summary:

Inspired by the author's original family memoirs, this absorbing story introduces us to the questing, indomitable Sarah Prine, one of the most memorable women ever to survive and prevail in the Arizona Territory of the late 1800s. As a child, a fiery young woman, and finally a caring mother, Sarah forges a life as full and fascinating as our deepest needs, our most secret hopes, and our grandest dreams. She rides Indian-style and shoots with deadly aim, greedily devours a treasure trove of leatherbound books, dreams of scarlet velvet and pearls, falls uneasily in love, and faces down fire, flood, Comanche raids, and other mortal perils with the unique courage that forged the character of the American West. This action-packed novel is also the story of a powerful, enduring love between Sarah and the dashing cavalry officer Captain Jack Elliot. Neither the vast distances traveled nor the harsh and killing terrains could quench the passion between them, and the loss and loneliness both suffer only strengthen their need for each other. While their love grows, the heartbreak and wonder of the frontier experience unfold in scene after scene: a wagon-train Sunday spent roasting quail on spits as Indians close in to attack; Sarah's silent encounter with an Indian brave, in which he shows her his way of respect; a dreadful discovery by a stream that changes Sarah forever; the hazards of a visit to Phoenix, a town as hot as the devil's frying pan; Sarah's joy in building a real home, sketching out rooms and wraparound porches. Sarah's story leads us into a vanished world that comes vividly to life again, while her struggles with work and home, love and responsibility resonate with those every woman faces today.

Book #2: Sarah's Quilt

Book Summary:

"In 1906, the badlands of Southern Arizona Territory is a desolate place where a three-year drought has changed the landscape for all time. When Sarah's well goes dry and months pass with barely a trace of rain, Sarah feels herself losing her hold upon the land. Desperate, Sarah's mother hires a water witch, a peculiar desert wanderer named Lazrus who claims to know where to find water. As he schemes and stalls, he develops an attraction to Sarah that turns into a frightening infatuation." "And just when it seems that life couldn't get worse, Sarah learns that her brother and his family have been trapped in the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. She and her father-in-law cannot even imagine the devastation that awaits them as they embark on a rescue mission to the stricken city." Sarah is a pioneer of the truest spirit, courageous but gentle as she fights to save her family's home. But she never stops longing for the passion she once knew. Though her wealthy neighbor has asked her to wed, Sarah doesn't entirely trust him.

Book #3: The Star Garden: A Novel of Sarah Agnes Prine

Book Summary:

From the bestselling author of These Is My Words comes this exhilarating follow-up to the beloved Sarah's Quilt. In the latest diary entries of pioneer woman Sarah Agnes Prine, Nancy E. Turner continues Sarah's extraordinary story as she struggles to make a home in the Arizona Territory.

It is winter 1906, and nearing bankruptcy after surviving drought, storms, and the rustling of her cattle, Sarah remains a stalwart pillar to her extended family. Then a stagecoach accident puts in her path three strangers who will change her life.

In sickness and in health, neighbor Udell Hanna remains a trusted friend, pressing for Sarah to marry. When he reveals a plan to grant Sarah her dearest wish, she is overwhelmed with passion and excitement. She soon discovers, however, that there is more to a formal education than she bargained for.

Behind the scenes, Sarah's old friend Maldonado has struck a deal with the very men who will become linchpins of the Mexican Revolution. Maldonado plots to coerce Sarah into partnership, but when she refuses, he devises a murderous plan to gain her land for building a railroad straight to Mexico. When Sarah's son Charlie unexpectedly returns from town with a new bride, the plot turns into an all-out range war between the two families.

Finally putting an end to Udell's constant kindnesses, Sarah describes herself as "an iron-boned woman." She wants more than to be merely a comfortable fill-in for his dead wife. It is only through a chance encounter that she discovers his true feelings, and only then can she believe that a selfless love has at last reached out to her. . . .

Saturday, May 28, 2011

TGIF, Follow Friday, and Blog Hop - WHEW!

Happy Happy Friday! I am participating in three different blog "hops" this week - so welcome :) TGIF is hosted by GReads! Her question this week is:

In 2011, which new/old authors have you discovered and loved?


I have read so many great books by authors that are new to me - Terry Lynn Johnson, and Laurie Halse Anderson top the list of great authors that I have read for the first time. I have rediscovered Scott O'Dell and re-read some that I loved. Can't get enough of his novels!

Next there is the Book Blogger Hop hosted by crazy-for-books.com, another great book blog to check out...her question this week is:


Which book-to-movie adaptation have you liked the most? Which have you liked the least?

I have a real thing for Nicholas Sparks books that are made into movies - I find that the movies are almost always as good as the books were. For the one I liked the least, it would have to be Where the Red Fern Grows. I absolutely loved the book, and even though the movie wasn't bad, it still didn't measure up to the movie.

Friday's are also Follow Friday over at parajunkee.com and while I am not that into paranormal young adult lit, her blog is awesome :) This week's question is:

How many books do you read per week and in what format are they?

Embarrassing as it may be, I am just not a fast reader sometimes. I can usually read two books a week - either ebooks or regular old paper books. I am not much of an audiobook person and I am never in my car for long enough to get very far through one.

Have a great weekend, and HAPPY READING!



Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Die For Me by Amy Plum - Review

I sit here, starting to review Die For Me (Revenants #1) by Amy Plum, and I am stumped. First, let me back up and give a little background on why and how I came to even reading this book. For those that follow this blog, many of you have figured out by now that I am a huge fan of historical fiction - and a few other genres. Paranormal romance is just NOT my thing...and I realize this makes me a little "weird" in the blogger world. I have run as far away from the Twilight books as I can get. But traveling around the blogosphere, I KEPT coming upon this striking cover and the description on Goodreads didn't seem so bad, so I threw caution to the wind and clicked purchase.

Book Summary:

My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.

Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love?

My Thoughts:

Now, I am not saying I hated the book, but I am saying that I definitely had a few issues with it. I must admit, right up front, that I was DYING to finish reading it just to see what happened! I couldn't put it down, which really is a sign that maybe I should give this paranormal romance thing a chance more often. I liked the overall storyline, and really enjoyed the premise behind the novel.

On the other hand, I definitely had some issues with the novel. The biggest one for me was the writing style - I just didn't jive with it. Maybe it is because I just finished The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown, and her writing style was captivating and my expectations were in turn, too high. Maybe it is that I am just not that used to reading YA paranormal romance, maybe it is just the author...I have no idea, but I felt like the writing was very juvenile. Some parts choppy, and some of it just seemed to come out of nowhere. I always put little tabs throughout books along the way to remind myself of things, or note parts I want to remember, and I actually found myself writing a post-it that said, "WTH?" See?


She makes a HUGE deal out of the fact that Vincent and his kindred are "revenants," and not "normal" dead people such as monsters, ghosts, or zombies, but then she makes multiple references to all of the other types of dead, and some of the descriptions that Kate (the main character) uses include those words...just hard to follow what the author wanted you to believe they were.

I have read tons of GREAT reviews about this book and realize I am in the minority with my thoughts, but this book has done one great thing - sparked an interest in paranormal romance for me. In the future though...right now, I desperately need a shot of historical fiction!

My Rating:

Favorite Passages:

"Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality." - Emily Dickinson (opening quote in the book)

"I realized how vast the gulf was between my real life and the fictional one I created for everyone else."

"But first I had to let go of what I was grasping in white-knuckled fear: the past."

Up Next?

These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading...it is a chance for bloggers and readers to share "teasers" from what they are currently reading in hopes to connect others with novels.

The rules are simple:

1-Grab whatever you are currently reading
2-Open to a random page
3-Choose two sentences/passages/teasers and post them
4-Remember not to give any "spoilers!"
5-Give the author/book information so that others can check it out

I am currently reading Die For Me by Amy Plum. This book is very different from other novels I have been reading lately and my review will be coming VERY soon :)

Here are my teasers:

Charlotte interrupted him. "We're not dead. We call it 'being dormant.' Our body is just kind of hibernating, but our mind is still active. And once our body wakes, we go back to a few more weeks of absolute, but sleepless, normalcy."

I could never tell him about my problems. Even if I had just broken up with a regular human boyfriend, Papy couldn't really understand. He and Maime lived in a perfectly functioning dreamworld. They were still madly in love and spent their time doing things they both enjoyed. They had a normal life. A stable life. They had everything I wanted.

Happy Reading!

Friday, May 20, 2011

Loving Will Shakespeare by Carolyn Meyer - Review

I have a total love/hate relationship with this book. I LOVE the fact that it is historical fiction, set during the late 1500s and early 1600s...I HATE that William Shakespeare turned out to not value his marriage, his wife, or the love between them - he more valued (obviously) his relationship with theaters, acting groups, and his acting career. At least that is what is suspected by people although there is no evidence really to support much of his life.

Book Summary:

Poor Anne Hathaway is still living with her callous stepmother, and her prospects for marriage and a home of her own are becoming grim. However, she can’t seem to get charismatic Will Shakespeare out of her mind—even though he is much too young for her. But then one day Will impulsively kisses his childhood friend Anne, changing the course of their lives forever.

Here is the story of the childhoods of and tumultuous romance between the boy who became the world’s most famous playwright and the spirited farmer’s daughter who became his wife. Carolyn Meyer has delivered a riveting historical tale about love, family, the pursuit of one’s dreams—and the price one pays for each.

My Thoughts:

I really did like a lot about this book - it's historical aspect, the time period, the language, and of course the connection to any important person in history. The story of Anne Hathaway is an interesting one, made more interesting because so much is unknown. As Shakespeare's wife, she is shrouded in mystery and that is intriguing.



The problem for me is in that Carolyn Meyer took what little information that is known about Anne Hathaway and turned that into this novel, which does not have a happy ending for her. I am in no way suggesting that a novel has to have a happy ending to be considered "great" but I felt so darn sorry for Anne by the end of the novel that it was hard for me to like the story. She loses her mother at a young age, lives with a stepmother that hates her, is betrothed to marry twice and it falls through, is facing the certain label of "spinster" when she falls for and agrees to marry William Shakespeare. This could have been a wonderful thing for her, but he does not support the marriage or his commitment to her, and that makes me not like him! And I so desperately wanted to like him...

Besides not liking how the storyline played out, this novel was really good! It kept me sitting on the edge of my seat the entire time and it was a quick read. Carolyn Meyer is well-known for writing excellent historical novels, and she definitely delivered with this one. I highly recommend this novel IF you're a fan of historical fiction.

Favorite Passages/Quotes:

"Better to write the spoken words than to be the one who speaks them. Best of all, though, to do both." (William Shakespeare)

"Men have strong constitutions," I replied. "Else Father and Tolly would have long since expired." From your efforts, not mine, I thought, but didn't say. (Anne Hathaway)

"My poems are mere scratchings. Your red cockerel, his foot dipped in an inkpot and racing across paper in pursuit of his favorite hen, could write a better poem than I can even imagine. Though I do believe I'm improving." (William Shakespeare)

Happy Reading!

Happy Happy Friday! I am participating in three different blog "hops" this week - so welcome :) TGIF is hosted by GReads! Her question this week is:

Back to the beginning...what was the first book you ever reviewed on your blog?

The very first book I reviewed for this blog was Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. I loved that book, and am eagerly awaiting the final book of the trilogy - Ashes.

Next there is the Book Blogger Hop hosted by crazy-for-books.com, another great book blog to check out...her question this week is:


If you were given the chance to spend ONE day in a fictional world (from a book), which book would it be from and where would it be?

If I could be in a ficional world for one day it would be in Manifest, Kansas during the late 1930s to early 1940s. This quiet town was touched by the effects of WWII and it absolutely made the novel.

Friday's are also Follow Friday over at parajunkee.com and while I am not that into paranormal young adult lit, her blog is awesome :) This week's question is:

Name 5 quirky habits that you have...everyone has them!

-I read magazines backwards, never from the front

-I say "itch" instead of "scratch" (I know, this is ultra-weird)

-I refuse to update my cell-phone that is 5 years old (25 in technology years)

-I am superstitious, believe in karma, and always sleep with the same yellow sofa pillow

-One of my students told me that I "chew" my coffee - it's true, for some reason it appears that I am chewing it after I take a sip

Have a great weekend, and HAPPY READING!


Wednesday, May 18, 2011

WWW Wednesdays

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?



I am currently reading Loving Will Shakespeare by Carolyn Meyer.

Book Summary:

Poor Anne Hathaway is still living with her callous stepmother, and her prospects for marriage and a home of her own are becoming grim. However, she can’t seem to get charismatic Will Shakespeare out of her mind—even though he is much too young for her. But then one day Will impulsively kisses his childhood friend Anne, changing the course of their lives forever.



Here is the story of the childhoods of and tumultuous romance between the boy who became the world’s most famous playwright and the spirited farmer’s daughter who became his wife. Carolyn Meyer has delivered a riveting historical tale about love, family, the pursuit of one’s dreams—and the price one pays for each.


I just finished reading The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown. AWESOME BOOK!


Book Summary:


The three Andreas sisters grew up in the cloistered household dominated by their Shakespearean professor father, a prominent, eccentric academic whose reverence for the Bard left its imprint on his daughters' names: Rosalind (As You Like It), Bianca (The Taming of the Shrew), and Cordelia (King Lear). The siblings eventually left home and escaped their ponderous monikers with nicknames, but their mother's medical maladies brings them back. Before long, their unwelcome reunion reveals that they all have problems: Rose is force-feeding a troubled relationship; Bean is entangled in a big city case of embezzlement; and unmarried Cordy is pregnant. Eleanor Brown's first fiction has justly won praise as "thought-provoking... poignant... sparkling and devourable."

I think I'll read Die for Me by Amy Plum next.


Book Summary:


My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.

Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love?