Persuasion by Jane Austen

I read this for book club.  I have mixed feelings about this book.  On the one hand, I loved being so inside Anne's mind throughout the book. I definitely love her character.  But I would have liked to have known other characters more.  They all seem flat to me, especially Captain Wentworth. However, I expect that may have been purposely done by Austen.  Keeping us so tied to Anne's point of view made it easier to see the satirical commentary Jane was creating about courtship and rank in that era. Over all, a very enjoyable book that I highly recommend to others.

Love Comes Softly

Love Comes Softly (Love Comes Softly Series, Book 1) by Janette Oke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this in a single afternoon and evening - while still taking care of kids and chores. So obviously a very easy read. But I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Could I predict a lot of the story and know how it was going to basically end? Of course. Romances tend to be like that. The enjoyment of a romance novel comes from the different paths taken from point A to point B.

Love Comes Softly is a very gentle book that takes you from a very painful point in the main characters lives, through the process of healing from the heartbreak of tragedy and finally to the point where they have the ability to love again. I particularly enjoyed Oke's telling of such a basic story because of her use of faith in God throughout the book without making it felt forced. The story is not preachy, it feels completely natural and in place when the characters pray and read scriptures.

I also enjoyed the clean, wholesomeness of the book. Too many romances are just trashy smut. This book has none of that, but leaves no doubt of the feelings the characters develop one for another. I'd have no problem letting my 9-year-old read this if she so desired.

Photographs & Phantoms

Photographs & Phantoms (Gaslight Chronicles) by Cindy Spencer Pape
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Seriously, what is it with books and movies these days being overrun by sex!? The book industry needs a rating system, because I'm getting awfully tired of starting a book, getting into and then getting surprised by a bedroom scene! This book would be rated R, possible NC-17, so definitely not for this lady to read. The scene is about half way through the book. I'd enjoyed the dialogue up until that point, but had to put it down because it wasn't a small section that could be easily skipped. Too bad, I'd've liked to finish the story and find out what caused the shadows. I suspect it's Peterson, but I'll never know. Oh well - onto better things! This is why I normally stay in the YA section! Good grief.

Never Ever After

Never Ever After: Three Short Stories by Ruth Nestvold
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I don't really know what to say about this small collection of short stories. Truthfully, I probably never would have read them if I hadn't gotten them for free on my Kindle. Were they astounding short stories that filled my mind with wonder at what happened later, like Asimov and McCaffrey short stories have done for me before. No, not really. But they were well told stories that didn't leave me griping at the open endedness of them. They formed clear pictures in my mind and were a very quick read (took me less than an hour). And I enjoyed the use of Irish folklore (something I've always found beautiful). But they didn't inspire me with a desire to know more. Also, there is the lack of morality of the characters. Really, is it so hard to write a story where people aren't sleeping around outside of marriage or betraying their lawfully wed spouses?