Alive - Scott Sigler

Alive

Title: Alive

Author: Scott Sigler

Publication Date: 7/14/15

Pages: 368

Genre: Science Fiction / Young Adult / Fiction

How I Found It: NetGalley

Date Completed: 6/12/15

Summary: A group of teenagers awake in a mysterious confined space. They begin to explore, search for other survivors, and seek to discover the truth about themselves and their surroundings.

What I Thought: You know I am always game for a dystopian style young adult novel. Alive fit into that niche quite well, although it ended up being more of a sci-fi adventure than a dystopian one. 

The first half of the book really kept me riveted. As the ragtag group of teenagers explored their presumed prison, I enjoyed the Lord of the Flies style power struggles and the Maze Runner feeling of desperation. Sigler keeps the group's origins shrouded in mystery and, just like Dashner's band of survivors, the characters themselves also have no understanding of their surroundings. You put the pieces together alongside them.

Searching for Dragons - Patricia C. Wrede

Searching for Dragons

Title: Searching for Dragons

Author: Patricia C. Wrede

Publication Date: 1991

Pages: 242

Genre: Fantasy / Young Adult / Fiction

How I Found It: I've loved this series since childhood

Date Completed: 6/8/15

Summary: Unconventional Princess Cimorene teams up with King Mendanbar of the Enchanted Forest in hopes of rescuing Cimorene's dragon boss, King Kazul, from malicious wizards.

What I Thought: I find this series so fun. It's untraditional, yet uses a lot of traditional fantasy story elements: princesses, magic, dramatic rescues, fantastical creatures, etc. 

I do not think this sequel is as naturally charming or engrosing as its predecessor, however, it's still a very enjoyable read. Cimorene still is determined to buck any traditional roles. She maintains her position as a fiery, independent woman. Any romantic connection she may make simply proves a bonus to her already complete personality and life. Love that.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barbery

The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Title: The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Author: Muriel Barbery

Publication Date: 6/5/05

Pages: 325

Genre: Literary Fiction / Fiction

How I Found It: The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe

Date Completed: 6/13/15

Summary: A secretly intellectual concierge, Renée, and a pragmatically suicidal child genius, Paloma, live in the same Paris apartment building. Their paths slowly begin to overlap as they each step outside of their comfort zone to forge new friendships and experience the world around them in new ways.

What I Thought: I feel pressure to laud the brilliance of Barbery's famous novel. That pressure, I recognize, stems mostly from myself and my desire to agree with academic and philosophic acclaim. Yet, sometimes, I must blaze my own trail with my own opinions, based exclusively on my experience, rather than the self-imposed expectations of academia and high-brow literature.

Was that paragraph too much for you? Yeah, me too.  As was this book.

The Secret Rooms - Catherine Bailey

The Secret Rooms

Title: The Secret Rooms: A True Gothic Mystery

Author: Catherine Bailey

Publication Date: 11/1/12

Pages: 450

Genre: Historical / Nonfiction

How I Found It: Sophisticated Dorkiness

Date Completed: 5/25/15

Summary: A real-life historical mystery takes off in a manor house in Britain. There, long sealed rooms full of meticulously catalogued family correspondence and records hold some dark secrets for one of England's noble lines.

What I Thought: This book ended up being both more and less interesting than I expected. More, in that the idea of mysterious hidden histories of British noble families felt delightfully Downton Abbey to me. Less, in that Bailey dragged on a bit in divulging those secrets.

In doing research for a different project, Bailey discovered holes in family records at Belvoir Castle, the family home of the Duke of Rutland. There seemed to be three distinctly defined gaps, each during the life of the ninth Duke, John. John had died in the archival rooms after spending his last days alone there, frantically trying to complete his life's work of cataloging the files. After his death, his son Charles, the tenth Duke, ordered the rooms closed for the next six decades. By the time of Bailey's research, she was one of the first to explore the files in generations. 

Searching for Sunday - Rachel Held Evans

Searching for Sunday

Title: Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church

Author: Rachel Held Evans

Publication Date: 4/14/15

Pages: 258

Genre: Memoir / Nonfiction

How I Found It: I've been a fan of Rachel Held Evans for a while now.

Date Completed: 5/18/15

Summary: Evans shares her relationship with the Church from her fundamentalist beginnings to her years of doubts. Her honest voice doesn't profess to have all the answers; rather, she invites the reader to join her on the journey and, together, fall in love with the Church in a fresh way.

What I Thought: I loved this book. From the first pages, I felt Rachel (I totally feel like we should be on a first name basis even though I don't know her. I'm telling you...we would be friends. I know it.) had honed in on my own experiences, doubts, and longings regarding the Church. Kevin just read the back of the book and said, "Wow. Did she write this for us?" It really felt that way at times.

At the risk of getting too personal and at the expense of preserving some anonymity for and harmony among people and places I still love, I feel compelled to share a bit of my own journey. Without that, I do not think I can properly express the impact this book had on me. The short version is this: like Rachel, I was raised in conservative evangelicalism. While I have nothing but respect and admiration for the faith of most I interacted with there, there were plenty who preached legalism over love. I then studied at a small, Christian college which, while still conservative in many ways, taught me to think critically, to seek wisdom and Biblical truth rather than accept anything stated from a pulpit, and to make my faith truly my own once and for all. Administrative changes over the past years, however, have brought drama and internal battles to the school. As I worked and watched in the years following graduation, I began to struggle with many of the same things Rachel faced in and after her own Christian college experience. I had some doubts and my relationship with the Church deteriorated to the point where I hated going on Sunday mornings...or any time. American Christianity felt hypocritical and isolating to me. There certainly did not seem to be much genuine love going around - at least not if you failed to fit their mold. In moving to North Carolina, Kevin and I were given a fresh start in so many ways. After a lot of discussion about what we valued in a church (community, genuineness, biblical truth, outreach, love before judgement, among other things), we found an inter-denominational church that I absolutely love. For the first time in years - perhaps ever - I look forward to going to church. Not every week or every time, but far more than I ever have before. I am working on healing my relationship with the Church and God has placed a beautiful and imperfect faith community in my life to help me do just that. 

The Wings of the Dove - Henry James

The Wings of the Dove

Title: The Wings of the Dove

Author: Henry James

Publication Date: 1901

Pages: 741

Genre: Classic / Historical / Fiction

How I Found It: 100 Best Novels challenge

Date Completed: 5/13/15

Summary: Kate and Merton want to marry, but have no money. Milly has lots of money, is in love with Merton, and suffers from some mysterious, likely-to-prove-fatal illness. The scheming and twisted relationships which ensue are nearly worthy of Greek theatre or, at the very least, the opera stage. 

What I Thought: I had it somewhere in my mind that I was going to be a big Henry James fan. I am pretty sure Rory Gilmore referenced him at one point and gave me some impressions I would enjoy James's work.

I did not dislike the book, but it certainly did not win me over in the big way I was hoping for, which is unfortunate, considering James has two more works on the Modern Library list. It was just bland to me. There's really no other way to describe it. Here is hoping one of the others will captivate me as Wharton's The Age of Innocence and Stegner's Angle of Repose did.

June 2015 Chapter

Welcome to the Read.Write.Repeat. monthly wrap-up.  Every month, I give a quick overview of what books I read, the progress made on the 100 Best Novels goal, a few book-related links, and general blog news.  

June News 

It's hot.

Southern summers are a whole new thing for me and...wow. I've never worn my hair up so many consecutive days in a row. I don't hate it, though. In fact, quite the opposite. Kevin and I are getting more consistent pool time than we ever have before (thanks to awesome friends!) and we really do not mind the heat. It's a million times better than snow.

The big news of the month is that we are buying a house! Well, hopefully. We still have to do the inspection and all of that, but, after six months of actively looking, we found we really like and we love the potential it has. Plenty of space for us now and for us to grow into. We are feeling incredibly blessed and also slightly terrified. First time home-buying is quite the range of emotions. Presuming everything continues to go smoothly, we'll be closing the first week of August. Our life right now is all about budget talks, paint colors, decorating ideas, and preparing to beautify the backyard. We love it.

Personally, I have been trying to bury my head in the textbook for the course I am teaching at the local community college this fall. I need to push through and get my syllabus finished, but I am struggling. Summer is for fun beach reads, not Critical Thinking textbooks. Still, I am very excited about the class and am getting some good ideas. My biggest deterrent has definitely been all the books I have been reading pool side...and, you know, the house.