The True Darcy Spirit by Elizabeth Aston

Reading Level: Adult

This is the 3rd Aston book I have read, and once again she takes on the antecedents of the Darcy family, made famous by the Jane Austen novel, "Pride and Prejudice." In this book, cousin Cassandra Darcy, daughter of Anne de Bourgh, finds herself in hot water with her family after she is involved in several scandals involving men. In the first case, it is her cousin Belle who is at fault, but Cassandra is fully culpable in the second case, where she runs away with but does not marry a fortune hunter. Everything turns out well in the end, however, for another cousin, the dashing lawyer Horatio Darcy, falls in love with her and saves her from a life of having to work for a living as an artist by marrying her. her troublesome cousin Belle also finds true love in the arms of another artist, who of course is a European prince in disguise.

This is the weakest of Aston's novels about the Darcy clan, as the action often seems contrived and predictable. However, her writing style is a pleasure to read, and lovers of Jane Austen will also enjoy hearing the name Darcy bandied about.

Submitted by Gertrude

“The Very Little Princess” by Marion Dane Bauer

Ages 9-12, Grades 2-4, 122 pages

“The Very Little Princess” by Marion Dane Bauer, c2010, is about a girl named Zoe who is dropped off by her mother to live with her grandmother because either her mother needs time alone or can’t handle taking care of her. When Zoe’s mother drops her off at her grandmother’s, it is evident that her mother is not close to her grandmother. The communication between her mother and grandmother is tense. Zoe overhears them arguing and suspects it is about her. Only until recently, when she was told she would be going to live with her grandmother, Zoe had never heard of this grandmother or known she had any relatives. It has always been just her and her mom, living in various apartments in Minneapolis. As she is being driven to her grandmother’s, a house in the Minnesota countryside with a green lawn and lilac bushes, she suspects that her current life will possibly come to an end. She doesn’t know for sure though. You don’t know when, if ever, Zoe will go back to live with her mother. While at her grandmother’s, she plays with a dollhouse and a doll named Regina. One day, the doll, a not so very nice princess, comes to life, ordering Zoe around and claiming her as her mother. This takes up most of the story. I didn’t care for this story at all. I didn’t like the tone of voice it was written in. I definitely didn’t like the doll. This doesn’t mean that everyone is going to dislike the story. It is about a topic that perhaps some children have experienced or are experiencing with a parent and may be something they can identify with. It got excellent reviews on Amazon. I have enjoyed other stories by Marion Dane Bauer, such as “The Blue Ghost”.

Submitted by Karin

“Frindle” by Andrew Clements

Interest Level: Grades 4-6

Actual Grade Level: 4.8

Lexile Level: 830L

“Frindle” by Andrew Clements, c1996, is about a boy named Nick Allen, who enjoys making his school “more cool”. In his third grade classroom, Nick creates a tropical party, complete with sand, and in fourth grade, he initiates a bird peeping noise (to emulate his teacher’s beak-shaped nose), that other students join in with. The sound and the fact that she can’t pinpoint a certain student, annoys his teacher to no end.

Now Nick has reached fifth grade. It is time for preparation for middle school and he has a very serious teacher named Mrs. Granger. She is a dictionary fanatic. Nick, however, is the opposite! He likes words, but not dictionaries. Already, at the very beginning of the year, he feels like it is going to be a very long one! You’ll have to read this book to see what happens with Nick during this year in Mrs. Granger's classroom. A clue is that, again, it has to do with something Nick creates. Also, another clue is that Mrs. Granger does not like made-up words, whereas Nick does. At only 105 pages long, the story, a classic, is short, but a lot of fun. I had wanted to read “Frindle” for some time and I’m glad I did!

Submitted by Karin

Virgin River Series by Robin Carr

Reading Level: Adult
(5 out of 5)

My Diana Palmer marathon has come to a halt. One of my co-workers told me I had to read the Virgin River series by Robin Carr. She actually found the first book in the library and physically handed it to me. I figured I should read it. I'm glad I did because I'm in love. First with Jack, now with Preacher, and I'm sure when I start the third book I'll be in love with Mike. The men in these books are fantastic. They are everything you would want in a man, handsome, protective, caring, worship the ground you walk on, and they can even cook. What more could you ask for? Did I mention that so far there are fifteen books in the series. Fifteen men to fall in love with. Yeah!!!

The first book in the series is called Virgin River. Virgin River is a remote mountain town with a population of 600. Recently widowed Melinda Monroe is a midwife/nurse practitioner in LA looking for a change. When she sees a job opening in Virgin River she jumps at the chance to start over. Her hopes are crushed upon arrival. The cabin she is to live in is a dump, the roads are treacherous, and the doctor she will be working with doesn't want her. She decides she was crazy to come and decides to leave the next day. But a tiny abandoned baby changes her departure plans and she decides to stay for a few days to see if the mother shows up. Then there is Jack. Jack is a former marine. He owns the bar across the street from Doc's and his co-worker known as Preacher makes the best food around. Slowly Jack chips away at Mel's resistance to staying in Virgin River and she soon realizes she has found a home.

The second book in the series is called Shelter Mountain. One stormy night as John "Preacher" Middleton is about to close the bar a young woman and her three year old son seek refuge from the rain. Upon seeing Paige Lassiter, covered in bruises and running for her life, Preacher wants nothing more than to protect her and hurt whoever caused her pain. Paige is running from an abusive husband when she happens upon Virgin River and meets the giant of a man, John. At first glance he appears scary with his large frame, bald head, and tattoos but it doesn't take long for Paige to figure out he is a gentle giant. He gives her the courage to stand up to her husband and get her freedom back. And they fall in love along the way.

I'm really excited to read the rest. The best part is they are all published and ready for me to read.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

Reading Level: Adult

I haven't read this book but I hope to in the future, once I'm done with all of Diana Palmer's books. From the cover it sounds like a really good book. On Rose Edelstein's ninth birthday she discovers that she has a magical gift. Upon the first bite of her mother's homemade lemon-chocolate cake she discovers that she can taste her mother's emotions in the slice. Her mother's emotions aren't happy ones. Her emotions taste of despair and desperation. From then on food becomes a peril and a threat to Rose. Every food she encounters has an emotional story, not all good. This gift forces Rose to confront the hidden truths about her family. As she grows up she realizes there are some secrets that even her taste buds cannot discern.

As a lover of food I would not want to have that gift. The best tasting food can be made by people who are not happy and eating something laced with despair or rage would ruin my food experience. Although that might help me on my diet :).

This looks good so check it out. If you read it before me let me know what you think of it.

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Reading Level: Adult Non-fiction

This is a book by Malcolm Gladwell that cannot be put down. Unlike, "The Tipping Point," which gets bogged down in minutia, this book is an easy read. Unfortunately, the information in it is life-changing, as Gladwell joyfully debunks the myths we have about talent and success. In it, step by step, he shows how nurture not nature creates sports stars and musical geniuses. It makes it difficult to read any other biography after this, as, if we accept Gladwell's examples as fact, than the only think that made Mozart a better musician than Salieri was the amount of time he practiced. Reading the book makes it difficult to say that a child is "talented" or "has an aptitude for" anything, but causes the reader to look more deeply into the factors that contributed to someones skill.

He uses examples from various realms, from the Canadian soccer leagues, to the boy billionaires of the computer age, and explains why certain people are pre-determined to succeed. While it is disheartening to read, it is also uplifting when combined with the new book about "Tiger Mothers," for both reinforce the message that it is only hard work and the magical "10,000 hours" that make for success in a particular field.

Submitted by Gertrude

Time flies when you're doing a reading marathon!

Wow, I didn't even realize it has been almost a month since my last post. I have been on a Diana Palmer kick lately and have been breezing through her books pretty quickly. I didn't want all my posts to be about the same author. I really do enjoy Diana Palmer but her books have similar themes. The main male character hates women while the main female character not so secretly loves him but is skittish around men. The man is overbearing while the female is shy but has some spunk. Eventually they wear each other down and fall in love. Sometimes I think the male character is a little harsh. If a man seemed to have that much contempt for me and always hurt my feelings I would tell him to take a hike but that could just be me. I like when the characters have animosity but only when it's not harsh. For the most part it's a playful animosity because the man really does love the woman but he's not ready to admit it to himself or to her. But there has been an occasional character that I would have left and found someone else. I do enjoy her books. They have romance, action, and humor which I love.

So while I'm on my Palmer kick I do have some book reviews to post from patrons and I'll be posting about books that I think would be good to read.

Don't forget that if you send a review my way you can get a free book out of our book sale room. Free is good!