The Christmas Box

"The Christmas Box" is a self-publisher's dream come true. It was originally self-published in '93 but was subsequently sought after by several major publishing houses once its popularity skyrocketed via word-of-mouth and was published again in '95. The book, according to its back-cover copy, was written as a gift to the author's family. It seems to be a somewhat fictionalized version of a true story.

At less than 150 pocket-book-sized pages, it took me about an hour and 15 minutes to read. Though the story takes place mostly near Christmastime, it is appropriate reading for any season, because the real message is in the joy of children and family. The reader's heartstrings are grasped, gripped and twisted until the last tear falls and the final address of the new angel monument is given. I hope to visit it myself someday. 

I highly recommend this book to someone who has an hour or so to kill out by a pool or cuddled up on a chaise with a cup of hot chocolate. Don't forget the extra marshmallows and the Kleenex.

If you haven't yet used BookMooch, I highly recommend it, especially if you aren't much on collecting and keeping books. Visit the site here. You might even be able to mooch your own copy of "The Christmas Box."

Next book: "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

The Wedding

"The Wedding," published in 2003, was Nicholas Sparks’s much-anticipated follow-up to “The Notebook.” I hesitate to call it a sequel, though I suppose by definition it is. The story follows the story from Noah Calhoun’s (the hero of “The Notebook”) son-in-law's point of view. Because of the book’s title, I originally believed the book would recount Noah and Allie’s wedding, but it doesn’t. Instead, it takes the reader to a wedding that was meant to happen but never really did.

I found this book to be light years better than “The Notebook.” There was a lot more dialogue, which was lacking in the first book, without too much exposition. The flashbacks are welcome, but aren’t cheesy, and the believability and connection to the main character is deeper. It is obvious that Sparks grew tremendously as a writer in the seven years between the releases of these two novels.

This book made me cry, even though I knew what twist was coming (it’s my curse – I generally see “twists” coming). The problem with books like this one is that women read them, when their husbands should. Not that all relationship problems are men’s fault, but there are some sage ideas in this book. I wonder what joy it must be to be married to Mr. Sparks….

This book is a good, romantic, lazy read. I recommend it.

Next book: "The Christmas Box"

Girl With a Pearl Earring

My family is quickly growing, so for Christmas each year, we now draw names and make an effort to have each family member have a few really good gifts instead of several cheap ones from everyone. This year, my mom had me and all I asked for were hardcover classic books. I didn’t care how old they were, or if they had notes and highlighting throughout – all I cared is that they were hardcover (because I destroy soft covers) and they were classics. Among the “wish list” I made was “Girl With a Pearl Earring.” I assumed, based on the movie (which I have yet to see) and the content, that it was a classic. Well, I got it for Christmas, and it turns out the book was published in 1999, but it’s set in seventeenth century Delft. I was very pleased when I finished this book. Nothing particularly shocking, twisted or romantic happens; it’s really a tale of classes and of duty.


The book is based on the painting of the same name by Johannes Vermeer, who is a primary character in the book. The circumstances regarding the actual painting are convoluted, but author Tracy Chevalier uses her imagination and deep understanding of the history surrounding the time to concoct a story that is easy to believe.


As an editor, the single most bothersome thing I found about this book is the inclusion of the letter “s” at the end of such words as “towards” and “backwards.” Because I don’t know much about the time period or writings during it, I cannot make an educated opinion about its necessity. However, because my eye is trained to remove such extraneous letters, I found myself getting tripped up over this minor preference often. Other less invasive issues obstructed my steady reading of the book as well. The names in the book are not common to Americans, nor I suppose, should they be. However, I do believe the author could have chosen names that Americans could at least make an attempt to pronounce correctly. Several had names of the 10 known names of his children, but “Maertge” was among a few that the author apparently made up. I don’t have the first clue about how to pronounce that. I often resorted to calling her “Mary” in my head.


Aside from my editorial rants, I very much enjoyed this book. It is different from the majority of books I read and it taught me several things I didn’t know about life before it was as it is now. Chevalier creates a main character who is so different from myself, and likely much different from most readers, but nonetheless I am compelled to project myself onto her as I read. I feel as though her thoughts are my own and her trials affect me. When she had a long day, I had a long day. When she was triumphant, I was, and when she was grief-stricken, so was I. I highly recommend this book to lovers and haters of classics. It’s modern enough to do without the confusing and flowery language as such authors as Emily Bronte without losing its historical value.

A Little Off Topic Today

I'm debt freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Thank you, Dave Ramsey, for your consistent inspiration. I know my blog is generally about books -- have no fear, it really is. Now that my husband and I are debt free, I can invest more money and effort into all things book-related -- reading them, buying them, and working to publish them when we move to Los Angeles next year!

If you want to be on your way to financial peace, visit Dave's site or listen to him on your local radio station.

Dave Ramsey's official Web site

Finally Completed! HP & TOTP

Well, I just finished reading "Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix" this week. To begin:

Wow.

This book is the longest of the books, but the shortest of the movies, which I have yet to see. (I'm scared to see how much and what all was cut out!) As in all the "Harry Potter" books, J.K. Rowling delivers tremendously when it comes to imagery, subplots and character development. However, I felt that this novel was seriously lacking in its overall plot. The book hosts a huge secret and the extinction of a primary character, but nothing particularly twisted or surprising happens.

Near the end of the story it almost seems as if Rowling gets tired of showing the reader things, and Dumbledore and Harry have a long expository conversation in which Harry learns secrets of his past through an oh-so-uncreative way: a conversation. I wish that I could have seen him learn these things instead of just hearing Dumbledore rattle facts off.

It was during this book that I became confused about some of the fundamental principles of Harry's world. For one, I was led to believe through reading the first four books that only purebloods can be sorted into Slytherin. I also believed Harry to be a pureblood because both of his parents were magical. This led me to be confused by Voldemort's relating to Harry because they were both half-breeds. However, there is apparently a clause I missed somewhere that explains that wizards are still "mudbloods" if a grandparent was non-magical, which is true in Harry's case. Other long-time "Harry Potter" fans can explain it better than I can.

Harry Potter lineage

To be completely honest, it feels like Rowling got genealogy/sorting hat facts mixed up somewhere down the line and tried to fix it through a few comments Sirius makes in the fifth book.

Another mild point of contention I have with this book is Harry's violent mood change. Though he is a pubescent 15-year-old now, the shift seems too dramatic. Harry has always had it rough and he hasn't always been necessarily peachy, but I've never thought him to be mean until this book. He has some downright evil thoughts at times.

With the end of the series looming in my near future, I do find myself getting sad. Reading the "Harry Potter" series has been sheer fun, and I'm not looking forward to that fun ending.

**Up next on the book posts: "Girl With a Pearl Earring" by Tracy Chevalier

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

As previously said, I am reading the fifth installment in the "Harry Potter" series right now. I haven't seen the movie yet or listened to the audio books, so no one PLEASE post anything that will give anything away. My hairdresser actually let slip that an important character leaves us in this book, and, well, I was devastated. There's just something about not discovering it for myself....

Anyway, this book is far darker than the last four. Harry is now 15 years old, and his moods are shifting as quickly as his hormones. (Many props to J.K. Rowling for taking that bit of realism in to account, btw.) The language begins to shift with the aging characters, as well. Ron, his brothers, and Harry have taken to calling one another "mate," possibly the British (or Australian?) equivalent of "bro" or "dog." Harry finally encounters his first bit of romance and his thinking patterns emulate that of a boy coming of age.

Perhaps my favorite part of this book thus far is the deep-set struggle between good and evil, even within the ranks of those on the "good" side and those on the "bad" side. Professor Umbridge (bad) of the Ministry of Magic (good) lands the coveted Defense Against the Dark Arts position, but immediately abuses her position by acting as spy (bad) for the Ministry. She particularly gives Harry and his peers in Gryffindor a hard time, while favoring Slytherin students. (And everyone knows Slytherins are eeeviiil.)

What most impresses me about these books is Rowling's ability to produce vivid images for the reader absent of flowery language, which so many writers overuse. Her attention to detail is uncanny and she subtly satirizes those things which we "Muggles" so easily accept. Take for instance, the use of "Muggle medicine" in book five. "Healers" (the magical community's equivalent to doctors) attempt to use stitches instead of magic to heal a patient. Molly Weasley thinks this is absolutely preposterous, and though Rowling doesn't dwell for long on the absurdity of trying to sew someone up like a garment, the reader is led to note that, well, it is odd, isn't it?

I'm on page 553 of 870, and though I have a bookshelf full of other books I want to get to, I'm savoring the magic that is "Harry Potter" while I can. I only hope another series as gripping comes along soon.