Review: The Year We Were Famous

The Year We Were Famous by Carole Estby Dagg

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



In 1896, the Estbys' homestead in Spokane, WA, is in threat of foreclosure. On a whim, Helga Estby makes a bet with a publisher in New York City that she and her daughter Clara will walk across the country in seven months' time so that they can save their farm.

Set against the backdrop of the burgeoning American West and the suffragist movement, this YA novel is seen through Clara Estby's eyes. She recounts their difficulties in traversing the country. The details of clothing, useful items, and the settings they cross are wonderful to read. There is humor and tenderness, and I really enjoyed seeing Helga and Clara's relationship pan out over the course of the book.

I would definitely recommend this story for a younger audience--probably closer to 6th grade than high school, as far as "YA" goes.



View all my reviews

Eucharisteo

Picture a dazzling spring day in the Pacific Northwest. In a small classroom at a Christian college, five senior English majors sit in a semi-circle, attentively listening to their professor as she elaborates on medieval theology. The course? Chaucer and his contemporaries.

This was my last English class in undergrad, and I remember it well. Not only were Chaucer's Canterbury Tales entertaining, but the history surrounding his tales is remarkable.

Review: From Congress To The Brothel: A Journey Of Hope, Healing, And Restoration

From Congress To The Brothel: A Journey Of Hope, Healing, And Restoration by Linda Smith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



A few weeks ago, Linda Smith came to our church and spoke about her journey from working in the US Congress to founding Shared Hope International--an organization that works to end human trafficking both stateside and overseas and that also works to help rescue trafficking victims and rehabilitate them. (Such sterile words for such vital work!) After service, I had the privilege of taking her out to lunch to talk about her work, and I walked away with a copy of this book.

This is a fast read--only 100 pages--but it tells compelling and tragic stories intermixed with brutal facts about the state of human trafficking around the globe. I read the book through a veil of tears, and this wasn't even my first exposure to the reality of trafficking. (In 2008, I worked with Bombay Teen Challenge [a partner with Shared Hope] and heard these kinds of stories firsthand from survivors.) It is hard to hear what brutalities people commit against others, but it is so important to be aware. These sorts of tragedies happen all around the world--not just in Mumbai, Amsterdam, or Las Vegas.

If you don't know much about human trafficking, I highly recommend this book. It won't take much of your time, but it will change the way you see the world and will give you ways to help stop modern day slavery.



View all my reviews

Review: One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Content wise, this is a wonderful book--life changing even. However, I know that the style that Ann Voskamp uses won't resonate with all readers--could even turn some people off by it--so that's why I dropped a star.

Voskamp writes in a poetic style, and her prose reads with the same cadence a poem would. When I first started reading this book, I was drawn in to the writing, enchanted by her unique view of the world around her as well as by her story. Reading about the beauty of the captured images was like taking a breath of fresh air after being too long underwater. Lovely!

Towards the end of the book, I found myself skimming to get to the "meat" of the chapters. Call it ADD or call it reading too fast to absorb, but I had a hard time with several of the end chapters. And then, when I was done, I wanted more--not because her story is lacking but because I was still processing. My advice? Read only a chapter a day and give yourself time to enjoy the story and to process the content. I think I would have enjoyed it much more if I had not rushed through it.

The main theme of this book is thanksgiving--or eucharisteo--and Voskamp touches on how gratitude is central to finding joy in the midst of sorrow and how the behavior/attitude of thanksgiving draws us into deeper relationship with God. Voskamp also writes about the "hard eucharisteo," of seeing God's grace in all things--even in the midst of tragedy. It's a difficult concept to consider, but I think it's timely for today's church.

Overall, I highly recommend it! Just make sure to give yourself time to read through and process it. I know I have a lot to think about now that I've finished reading it.



View all my reviews

Committed to Writing? (Don't Do What I Do...)

The jaunty jingle of my cell phone alarm pleasantly drew me from my sleep, and I awoke, refreshed, my heart full of gratitude. Our two cats lifted sleepy heads, blinked slowly, and fell right back to sleep. With ease, I slipped from my bed and changed from night clothes into running gear before hopping onto the treadmill.

A mere forty-five minutes later, I had exercised, showered, read my Bible and accompanying devotional, and was changing into my work clothes. Then, bottle of water and a handful of carrot sticks in hand, I quietly tiptoed into the office and began writing in the quiet hush of pre-dawn. Keys clicking away beneath my deft fingers, I write three brilliant short stories sure to wow my potential agent and--

I am Edmund.

We all know the story. There were four children named Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy who were sent to live in the country in a large manor. The youngest, Lucy, stumbles upon a magic wardrobe that opens into a strange land blanketed with snow that is called Narnia. She returns, tells her siblings, and none of them believe her.

Photo from Tampa Bay Times' archives.
 Image property of Disney, 2005.

Later, Edmund manages to follow her through the wardrobe and discovers the place for himself. Only, instead of meeting the hospitable faun Mr. Tumnus, Edmund encounters the White Witch. She gives him enchanted Turkish delight and a hot drink and uses false promises to lure him into a plot of betrayal: to bring his siblings to her the next time he comes to Narnia.

Review: The Scene Book: A Primer for the Fiction Writer

The Scene Book: A Primer for the Fiction Writer by Sandra Scofield

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Scofield's approach to fiction writing is very accessible. She includes multiple examples from various texts to illustrate the different principles she discusses in this book, which I enjoyed because there were so many different styles of writing included.

I read the book for a class I'm currently enrolled in called "Fiction Fundamentals." I think the title of my class is actually a good way to describe this book--it is full of the fundamentals of fiction. Scofield covers all the basics of fiction writing in this book, so if you're new to fiction writing or aren't really sure how to tighten up your prose, this is a great starting point.

I would recommend this book to newer writers or to prolific writers who have yet to really focus on their craft. I did learn through the book, but it left me wanting more. Again, a good book for the basics, which I needed help with, but probably not for a more advanced writer? I will most likely continue to refer to it in the future.



View all my reviews