My Friend Amy

The Growing Relationship Between Books and Television

mypalamy@gmail.com — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:12:08 PST

At the beginning of the year, Laura Miller wrote at Salon that "The novel and television are commingling as never before. And it’s about time."

She went on to discuss the latest acquisitions being made and the way in which several literary novels are being adapted to television. It's exciting in many ways, as TV has the potential "to spread out and explore the byways and textures of a novel’s imagined world." TV makes a better fit for book adaptations than film, she argues, and in many ways I agree. I think the trend towards books like The Corrections and Faulkner's works is fascinating and feels like new ground in a lot of ways. I love books and TV best, as you know, they sometimes war in my heart for which I love more and the complementary nature of this growing world appeals to me in many ways.

But...I don't actually like many of the shows that have been adapted from books I love. The first example that springs to mind is Rizzoli and Isles. In some ways, I actually resent the show for not being everything I hoped it would be. I don't mean to be a stickler about screen adaptations never living up to the books, but there are certain elements I certainly hope to find present in a show that is based on characters I love. I guess, at minimum, I hope to find the heart of the characters and the defining characteristics of their relationships to be adhered to. Certainly I recognize that TV is entirely different from novels--new storylines will open up and things will change the characters in fundamental ways, but I want to think that a show will start out in a place that feels true to the heart of the books. And that was absolutely not the case with Rizzoli and Isles. I love the characters in the books to death, they are both incredibly intelligent, hard working women who have a layered and complex working relationship. The show decided to go for a silly, over the top, BFF vibe. It's not that the show isn't fun, I'm sure it's fun for a lot of people. It's just that I look at the source material and then I look at the show, and think...this was the best you could do?

Even book-to-TV factory Alloy adaptations let me down. The Lying Game completely abandoned the premise of the books and as a result the title makes no sense, since the actual Lying Games never feature into the story!

But even more interesting to me is the forthcoming The Corrections since Franzen himself is writing on it. The book is ten years old! And now he's being given a chance to go back to the book and revisit the characters and stories. It's almost like being given a second chance on the story itself. It will be interesting to see how it does and what he chooses to do with the opportunity. Miller also raises some interesting questions about how Franzen's adaptation of The Corrections will have a status any other person's adaptation wouldn't.

Despite the exciting opportunities being presented by adapting books to television series, there is still much to consider as a reader. Could we eventually lose something with this new phenomenon? I have to admit that A-J Aronstein's recent essay at The Millions on this subject is one of my favorite things I've read on the internet in ages and explores this question with depth.

What can I say? The brain is sometimes lazy. It conjures approximations of Mr. Darcy, or Daisy Buchanan, or Chip Lambert based on people we know. We try to understand a novel in the vernacular of our own experience. Our relationships condition our mental, emotional, and psychological connection with characters. And when we say that literary fiction is “character-driven,” we mean this: our private interactions with texts depend as much on the associations and imagination of the author as on the associations and imaginations of the reader. Our desire to know them — and to know them on our own terms — drives us to read.

When books are adapted to the screen, we begin to lose bits of what made those stories our own and the ways they were grounded in our own experience. A whole new ingredient has been added into the mix, or an intermediary if you will. We aren't directly engaging with the text, we are engaging with someone else's interpretation of it. But because of the ties they hold to the novel, names, locations, plot details, they have the potential to interfere with our own memories of the experience of the book or the world we found inside the pages.

It's an exciting world to be sure, and I still think there are a lot of books that would make great television series. But I also think wholly original content on TV can be just as fulfilling and work to the advantages of the medium.

How do you feel about the growing trend in adapting works of literary fiction for television?

Books on TV: Gossip Girl and The Beautiful and Damned (AKA Really Long Thoughts on Serena's Arc)

mypalamy@gmail.com — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:42:17 PST

"Beautiful things grow to a certain height and then they fail and fade off," Serena van der Woodsen quotes to a movie director in Gossip Girl's fourth season finale. "I relate to it more than I should admit," she adds. The quote is from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Beautiful and Damned and Serena meets the director, David O. Russell, after a chance encounter with his assistant who was reading the book on the beach. When a book is given such prominence in a show, it's worthwhile to consider what exactly the writers are trying to convey by giving it screen time. This wasn't the first time The Beautiful and Damned made an appearance in the show, earlier in the same season Serena gifted it to her professor/love interest and told him it was her favorite book.

I decided to read the book to see if it could give me any insight to the way the writers think about the character of Serena. For anyone who doesn't watch the show, Serena is sort of the it-girl of the story, beautiful and desirable, things generally fall into her lap. But she lacks direction, is often guided by her impulses in the moment, and is constantly trying to remake herself and become a better person. Of course she is given a background that explains her behavior, her mother was neglectful, her father abandoned her, and she's often been objectified by men.

I'm glad I read the book, because I can see how Gloria Gilbert guided the characterization of Serena in season 4. The above quote is Gloria's, she says it to Anthony when they are looking at old buildings and Gloria is oddly offended by the idea of preservation. The full quote is: "Beautiful things grow to a certain height and then they fail and fade off, breathing out memories as they decay. And just as any period decays in our minds, the things of that period should decay too, and in that way they're preserved for a while in the few hearts like mine that react to them. Trying to preserve a century by keeping its relics up to date is like keeping a dying man alive by stimulants" It's fitting that Gloria in the novel, whose entire sense of self worth revolves around her beauty, would take issue with the attempt to preserve the fleeting and the temporal. She later says in this same section, "there's no beauty without poignancy" and it later bears out when they leave their honeymoon behind, she weeps over the fact that nothing can ever be repeated, and will never quite be the same again. Beauty by its very nature is transient, and since Fitzgerald casts Gloria as beauty incarnate, this combination of adoration and loss creates an interesting dilemma for Serena.

Serena as Gloria Gilbert

At the beginning of Season Four of Gossip Girl, Serena and Blair are vacationing in Paris. Serena is having the time of her life, having left behind a complicated relationship situation where she was torn between two boys, she's seeing many men, living in the moment ("home doesn't exist until we're there" she tells Blair at one point) and Gossip Girl herself even declares her "a muse to us all." This is Serena at the height of her Gloria Gilbert characterization, living in the moment, indulging in the pressing passion of the now, and captivating the people around her with her beauty and her presence. In The Beautiful and Damned, Fitzgerald describes this mentality as Gloria at her normal state of mind, "existing each day for each day's worth."

It's not only the way Serena herself lives, though, but the way people react to her. There has never been a time when Serena fancied a boy she couldn't have, and at the beginning of the fourth season she feels she must decide between two boys, Dan Humphrey--her first real boyfriend of the past, and Nate Archibald, the golden boy and friend since childhood. When she returns home, both boys have made attempts to move on thus delaying her choice. When they talk about her, it's almost as if she's an addiction they can't shake, and they strike an agreement to not have anything to do with her (purportedly to preserve their friendship). But when tough times hit Dan, he seeks Serena out as an escape, she represents a kind of idealization of the past for him, a sense of things being easy and free from emotional complications. The same holds true for Nate, after being emotionally manipulated by another girl, he shows up at Serena's doorstep in hopes of rekindling their relationship. Both of these relationships had ended for legitimate reasons, but Dan and Nate seem to forget them when presented with the idea of Serena. And a third love interest, Colin, feels that after meeting her he's willing to forgo his playboy ways in an effort to get to know Serena better.

The Colin relationship is somewhat puzzling, but I feel it holds some significance outside of it's linear narrative purpose. In the episode before she meets him, Serena declares to Blair that she can't choose between Dan and Nate and that she needs to find someone who can give her what she finds appealing about both men. It would make sense that this would be Colin, who, according to Serena is "handsome in an old Hollywood way and smart." Colin is a self made businessman and unfortunately, also Serena's professor. They decide to get to know each other outside of a romantic relationship while he's her professor and Serena gives him a copy of The Beautiful and Damned which he amazingly reads in like one day. (so unfair it took me a week!) In the original script for episode 4x07*, Colin was supposed to quote a passage about Gloria and say that it reminded him of Serena. The episode was changed to make his reference much more subtle and generic, but I think that we can believe that even though Colin might represent the ideal partner for Serena, he still viewed her as Gloria Gilbert. The passage from which Colin's favorite quote is meant to have come from: "...she moved him as he had never been moved before. The sheath that held her soul had assumed significance--that was all. She was a sun, radiant, growing, gathering light and storing it--then after an eternity pouring it forth in a glance, the fragment of a sentence, to that part of him that cherished all beauty and all illusion."

Irrelevancy

I guess all of this begs the question, why did the writers choose The Beautiful and Damned as a framework for Serena's character? The story of Gloria Gilbert is depressing and slightly outdated. Her relationship with Anthony more closely resembles Blair's relationship with Chuck than any relationship Serena has had. Personally, I think it's tied to the label Gossip Girl gave Serena at the end of season 2--irrelevant. Gossip Girl labelled Serena this way because her status as the it-girl in high school was coming to an end. On top of that, Gossip Girl herself gave Serena her relevancy--thus creating a complicated relationship between the two.

When Serena is first slapped with this label, she reacts badly. She attempts to take Gossip Girl down and fails. After all, if Serena can get rid of Gossip Girl, she is getting rid of the person who controls the narrative about her relevancy. It's also interesting that in this episode, Dan seems to think that perhaps their friendship might be over, feeding into Serena's insecurities about how she matters.

This is not unlike Gloria. Gloria is loved for her beauty, and dreads growing old. When she goes out for a part in a movie, she is at first encouraged but then rejected. She does not receive the lead role, but rather a smaller part, she is cast aside, her beauty is no longer opening the doors for her that it once did. I think this is at the root of Serena's insecurity--she is aware that she is known and often loved for things that are fleeting, and that the real Serena is overlooked or unknown.

In episode 4x19, she hits her lowest point on the irrelevancy scale when she discovers that Dan and Blair have formed a secret friendship and have become so close that they consider they might have romantic feelings for one another. She is angry and hurt, but Blair strikes at her deepest fears when she says that she shares a connection with Dan where they do things they could never do with her. Serena has suddenly become irrelevant to a relationship her two best friends share.

This drives her to make a decision in 4x22 to choose herself, which is the first step in developing a Serena beyond Gloria Gilbert. Her chance encounter on the beach centered around The Beautiful and Damned gives voice to her awareness of the limiting value of the superficial and it launches her into a career that gives her a chance to develop purpose.

Season Five--Taking Control of the Narrative

5x01 opens with Serena happily working her production job in Los Angeles as the filming for The Beautiful and Damned wraps up. She loves her job, she's eager to take on more work, and let her own ideas be known. But when a co-worker tries to sabotage her job, she's once again confronted with the existing narrative about Serena van der Woodsen, when he bitterly says to her, "So it looks like things really do come easy for Serena van der Woodsen, just like I heard." This prompts Serena to take responsibility and ownership of her actions. But, interestingly enough, The Beautiful and Damned also makes an appearance in this episode. The episode opens with a shot of the film Serena has been working on all summer. Anthony holds Gloria and declares "you're such a swan in this light." In the book, I feel this is another passage about the elusive nature of beauty, but I'm going to be rebellious and say that in the show it's about the transformation of Serena van der Woodsen.

Serena again butts heads with someone else's narrative about her life in 5x04. Her ex-boyfriend/step-brother/good friend Dan wrote a book about all of his friends and in this season's most fun episode to date, the book is released. Serena has served as a muse to Dan in the past, and fully expects that she will be portrayed well. She feels Dan knows the real her, and if anything she'll simply be put on a bit of a pedestal. But the reaction of her co-workers clues her in to the fact that this is not the case. Instead she feels she's been depicted as selfish, insensitive, and shallow. And while this leads to an emotionally charged scene with Dan where she tells him she always thought he was the only person who saw her for who she really was and who she wanted to be, it's also worth noting that because of Dan's book Serena loses a valuable and highly sought after meeting at work. The existing narrative about her interferes with her job and her own goals.

It's interesting that in 5x06, Serena and Dan's career goals come up against each other. Serena has convinced Dan to sign over the film rights to his book to her as a way of making things up to her boss. But her boss has different ideas about how to use Dan's book than Dan does and Serena ends up sacrificing her job to protect Dan and his reputation. In some ways, it's a precursor to her eventual goal to become a new and improved Gossip Girl. While she makes a sacrifice that's admirable, she also makes the choice on her own about someone else's portrayal. She is, in a sense, controlling the narrative about her friend. Additionally, she also agrees to write her own blog in this episode and tell her own story. Keeping in mind that part of Serena's Gloria Gilbert characterization is based on how others react to her, it's significant that both Jane and Diana express support for Serena being someone other than the current public opinion holds she is.

In 5x07, Serena is now writing her blog, but she doesn't know what to say about herself. Her cousin suggests that if she wants "people to read you, then they need to read about you first." In other words, get Gossip Girl's attention! It puts Serena back to the step one, her relevancy being dependent on Gossip Girl. She agrees, though, and a convoluted plot ensues. Diana suggests to Serena that Gossip Girl is heartless and cruel when a blast comes out that Serena has been stood up on a date, but Serena says it's nothing compared to the past, and the first example she uses is when Gossip Girl called her irrelevant! Diana says they need to work together so that Gossip Girl "loses her readers and their attacks lose their power." Serena declines at first, but when Charlie comes under attack by Gossip Girl, she agrees to help Diana take down Gossip Girl. Charlie also tells Serena she doesn't need to be seen with some guy to define who she is. ♥

One other thing that is kind of interesting to me about 5x07 was the choice to film at Sleep No More. I puzzled over the idea that this was a pivotal episode in the story line of Gossip Girl as an idea until I read a few reviews of the play from friends that went together. They each had an entirely different experience, because there is no one story to be told at Sleep No More. As a backdrop for an episode about confused encounters it works, but it also works as a framework for exploring the idea that there are multiple ways to tell a story and the perceptions and life experiences one brings to a story affect the way it is received. On the show, Gossip Girl generally sends out suggestive blasts with pictures, but could the same gossip have an entirely different impact in someone else's hands? This is the idea Serena engages with as the season progresses, so Sleep No More is actually a really interesting place to launch that part of the story.

Episode 5x10 is when old Gloria Gilbert!Serena begins to battle with new emerging Serena. Serena is confused about where her own story is going and wishes she had a way to look back at where she's been and maybe where she's going. Dan suggests she look back at Gossip Girl blasts to get a sense of things. As she does, feelings for Dan begin to stir within her as she reflects on their relationship. She knows that Dan is in love with Blair, though, and makes no mention of her feelings to him. Even so, when Chuck and Blair are in a car accident believed to be caused by the paparazzi who were alerted by Gossip Girl, Serena decides Gossip Girl has to go down for good...and Nate agrees with her.

In 5x11, with Nate, Serena decides to become the new and improved Gossip Girl after she realizes that it's not just the pictures and secrets that are a problem, but the assumptions that come with them. This is important to me in the progression of her story line this season because you start with Serena reacting and taking ownership over her actions due to what people say about her and in the important mid-season episodes, she's at the point where she now wants to take overall control of the narrative. But...you also have these lingering feelings for Dan that seem to me to based on old Serena, the Serena that looks to what someone else says about her and thinks maybe that part of being Serena is being with a man. I feel like since Serena's feelings were sparked by reading Gossip Girl blasts, her feelings for Dan come from a place where she's insecure about where she's headed. My understanding of her relationship to Gossip Girl thus far is that in order to defeat her label of irrelevancy she needs to come to a place where she no longer depends or cares about what Gossip Girl says about her.

I make no predictions about where this story line will lead, and I wouldn't be surprised if it takes a bit of a backseat to other story for the next run of episodes. And...I don't know I don't relate AT ALL to this idea of being valued for surface beauty and yet the irony is it all feels rather poignant to me, I can't help but sympathize with Serena as she struggles to find worth beyond the worth she has to offer men.

I HOPE that it's relevant that Nate is the one helping Serena forge this new identity even as he works on his own independence. And at the moment, he's certainly doing it out of friendship with no ulterior motives. But I'm slightly nervous it's just going to end up in some big mess where we find out everyone is even more related than we thought.

Coming Up

Next week is Gossip Girl's 100th episode and several weeks ago a video leaked of a dream sequence Serena will have. In the dream, she sees herself as Marilyn Monroe singing "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend." I feel like the song is the perfect choice and Marilyn the perfect movie star for Serena to see herself as. The song is about the importance of a girl securing a future for herself before her looks fade and in so many ways that seems like what Serena is battling towards this season. And yet, she's distracted by the fact that she has lost Dan's attention to Blair. My loose Serena-centric interpretation of this dream is that Serena is battling to be herself and yet she's not quite there yet, she still hasn't fully let go of the idea that Dan's/men's attention is important. And yet she realizes that Dan is interested in a girl who in the past would never have been a threat, a girl known for her smarts and incidentally, Serena's best friend.

*totally useless bit of information, but Marilyn Monroe was married for a time to Arthur Miller who described her this way: "She was a whirling light to me then, all paradox and enticing mystery, street-tough one moment, then lifted by a lyrical and poetic sensitivity that few retain past early adolescence" After all the Gloria Gilbert as light talk I waded through in The Beautiful and Damned I have to admit that I thought Marilyn was an excellent choice for Serena's dream. (along with the obvious--blond sex symbol reputation!)

*Gossip Girl had a huge script leak problem last season which is the only reason I know there were changes from script to screen in episode 7.

Thoughts on The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

mypalamy@gmail.com — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:34:55 PST

When I was in high school, they split up our junior year (mostly American lit) reading between classes--one class read The Great Gatsby and one class, my class, read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I was slightly bummed at the time because I remember my sister loved The Great Gatsby and at the time, of course, I still idolized my older siblings, but I ended up loving Huck Finn. (there is a probably a life metaphor in there somewhere) I never took the initiative to read The Great Gatsby on my own, but now years later, I have finally read F. Scott Fitzgerald! I read The Beautiful and Damned and it was not necessarily a fun read, but I guess I'm glad I read it since he is considered to be such a great American novelist, etc. The setting for the book is the 1920's? But the book was published in 1922 so maybe a bit before that, the war in the book is the first world war.

The Beautiful and Damned is primarily Anthony Patch's story and he is in no way a likable protagonist, there was nothing redeeming about him really, but obviously that wasn't the point. Anthony Patch has enough money to get by, certainly, but what he really wants is his grandfather's inheritance, so he's basically waiting throughout the entire book for his grandfather to die, so he can have this unlimited amount of money to squander on the pursuit of pleasure. He meets Gloria Gilbert, and thinks he falls in love with her. Gloria is beautiful, like the most beautiful girl ever (of course) and Anthony must have her! So when she sort of turns him down at one point, he gets very childish and pretends he doesn't know her for like five weeks in order to make her see the error of her ways...and that's pretty much the story of their relationship. It's hard to believe they really love each other, but rather the idea of each other and the idea that they are young and beautiful and indulging in their greatest passions. But the reality of their relationship is ugly. Gloria clings to the sentimentality of it and Anthony essentially hates her and the hold she has over him, so he's manipulative and abusive and it's just not a lot of fun to read?

The book is divided into three sections, the first section being about how Anthony and Gloria meet, fall in love, and get married, the second section is about how their marriage slowly begins to dissolve, and the third section is pretty much about their utter destruction. I feel like the story meanders in some places, I hit the halfway mark and almost gave up. But even so, it's kind of a depressing look at desire. I mean ultimately I feel like it's the satiation of desire in the moment that both characters live for and that ultimately destroys them.

Anthony's feelings for Gloria are largely centered around his desire to possess her. "He was not so much in love with Gloria, but mad for her." She is the one thing he really wants in the beginning of the novel and for awhile she remains out of reach for him. An old family friend is also interested in her and that drives Anthony mad with jealousy, but eventually he...wins? And marries Gloria. And it's good times at first, they go on their honeymoon, and rent a house and they are happy and indulging all their inner passions. Only they have serious problems and those come out in the a scene that made me think, "why am I reading this book?"

Fitzgerald prefaces the scene with saying it was an incident that stole Gloria's brightness or whatever, but really it was just Anthony being abusive. They were out with friends and Gloria wants to leave but Anthony doesn't and he's annoyed by her insistence that they need to leave. And they argue about whether or not he's drunk, and then comes this gem: "In his mind was but one idea--that Gloria was being selfish, that she was always being selfish and would continue to be unless here and now he asserted himself as her master." They fight and Gloria is miserable, but Anthony thinks, "Ah she might hate him now, but afterward she would admire him for his dominance." It's just really gross, but it does take place approximately halfway through the novel and signifies the turning point in their relationship...things are never quite the same again, while they might find temporary reprieves, whatever trust Gloria had in Anthony is shattered in a way that can never really be repaired. The closest she comes to feeling things for him again is when he goes to war and she's writing him letters overcome with sentiment.

But nothing seems to stop Anthony and he continues to work his way to his own destruction. He goes to train in the army for war and self sabotages the opportunities he has there, strikes up an affair with a local girl, and continues to drink. He neglects Gloria until it becomes clear she might be forgetting about him at which point he does everything in his power to try fix things. And that's pretty much the story of Anthony Patch. He doesn't want anything until it's out of reach and then he wants it desperately. He even says at one point, (to the girl he's having an affair with for crying out loud!) "Things are sweeter when they're lost. I know--because once I wanted something and got it. It was the only thing I ever wanted badly, Dot. And when I got it, it turned to dust in my hands.*" Honestly that pretty much sums up the story of Anthony's life! He only ever wants what is just out of reach.

Gloria spends the novel preoccupied with her own beauty and its inevitable deterioration. When she thinks at one point in the book she might be pregnant, she's upset over the idea that her body will lose its shape because that is what Anthony loves. She is told again and again how beautiful she is, so when something happens towards the end of the novel to make her feel like she is losing her youth, she's really upset. And there's this weird thing in the beginning I think, where we are supposed to believe that Gloria is beauty itself incarnate.

The book wasn't without humor though, sometimes I did just laugh at how ridiculous Anthony was. He never wants to work and at the beginning of the book he thinks that he wants to be an author, but the very thought of having to sit down and try to pour all his thoughts out is off putting. I mean, I could actually recognize some elements of real human behavior in a funny way through some of these stories. And oh the disdain for the middle class! Anthony would rather be poor or rich than middle class.

Supposedly The Beautiful and Damned is really closely based on F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda. If this is true what depressing lives they had and what a jerk Fitzgerald was! But I do think it's an interesting read if you can bare hating the characters and knowing they will make every wrong choice available to them based on their desires in the moment. As you might guess, there's no happy ending in that. And I suppose there's still quite a bit of a cautionary tale in it. Also I was looking at some reviews and I saw someone say the characters are really complex and so is their relationship. And I don't quite agree with that because I felt like I understood everything about their driving motivations and how they related to each other, and I don't know if that's because Fitzgerald painted them so well or if it's just because it all boiled down to selfishness.

I read this book because the show Gossip Girl wove the book into their framework as a reference point for the characterization of Serena. I'm a sucker for shows that do this (hello Lost) and it was actually pretty illuminating. I will talk more about that tomorrow, but don't you think it's fascinating how stories build upon stories and no story exists in isolation? It makes me wish I could read more books and consume more stories, but alas I am only one person, I must rely on others to do a lot of it for me!

Rating: ha ha how do you rate a classic? like this 4/5
Source of Book: Bought it
Publisher: Signet Classics
*Okay so this reminded me of a line in a Cure song, "A Letter to Elise" so I looked up the song just for fun and discovered is actually does have literary influence in the form of Letters to Felice by Kafka!

The Sunday Salon -- I ain't changed but I know I ain't the same

mypalamy@gmail.com — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 01:00:04 PST

Hey guys happy start to a new week!

This week I went to the Book Warehouse for the last time. This is the second time I've watched a store that sells remaindered books go out of business in the last couple of years and they always mark the books down to a dollar. And THERE ARE STILL SO MANY GREAT BOOKS LEFT! It's really surprising to me, but then again, it's pretty hard to stock up on books. Especially these days with how slow I'm reading, but the temptation is big and of course I got some.

The National Book Critic Circle Awards finalists were announced and in keeping with my stellar track record, I've read none of them! In more exciting news, the Newbery, Caldecott, and Printz awards will be announced on Monday and you can watch it all via webcast. And the Edgar nominees were also announced! An exciting time for book awards, I guess.

In other fun book news, Fyrefly is offering her great spreadsheet for tracking your reading again, Ana offers an annotated reading list of ladies in comics, and there's going to be a Jane Eyre board book, which might be the coolest thing ever.

TV

Alcatraz--I liked this. I think a lot of the appeal is the lead, she's fun and cute (and female which is always a plus with me). The mysteries of the prisoners might become a bit formulaic? But with the longer ongoing mystery, I think it has potential. Jorge Garcia is pretty much playing the same character he played on LOST, and Michael Giacchino scored the pilot beautifully, too bad he's not doing the rest of the show. I feel like both episodes they showed ended with good surprises, so I don't know I'm willing to stick with it awhile. Also you know, with so much of the LOST team involved it's hard for me not to want it to be great.

Switched at Birth--I loved this episode, toooo! It's always a good sign when a show is willing to bring things back and have consequences to actions, and also I just kind of love that they don't shy away from things like the fact that yes, sometimes Emmett hates hearing people or that Daphne might run up against being used for her "disability". And...I don't know I think it's just kind of amazing that Daphne was able to determine the root of her problem being with her dad and facing him. But the real winning scene to me was the one between Bay and Daphne, I can't imagine a more complicated relationship than theirs. They alone can understand each other, yet at the same time there's just so much resentment between them.

Revenge--I actually thought this was pretty good this week, I was kind of struck by how Emily was kind of facing what she'd given up. When she saw how Jack cared for Amanda, if she'd just come back, with no thought for revenge, that's the life she could have had. Instead, she's stuck in this never ending cycle of destroying people. I thought it was sad when Daniel proposed, though, and told her he could be his true self with her. I guess I'll stick with this one for a little while longer.

Gossip Girl--Ha ha ha, are they serious with this storyline? Okay I have actual serious issues with the way they ripped The End of the Affair for their show, but maybe I'll save those for another time.

Ana pointed me to this great piece on Racialicious about The Vampire Diaries, and it paints a pretty clear picture about the problems with the show. It was eye opening for me, I knew I had vague issues with the show I couldn't exactly define, they are well defined here.

Film

The Ides of March--I liked this a lot actually. I thought it was a clever and interesting look at just how one man's idealism was shattered. And in smaller ways, it was just a convincing look at the lengths people are willing to go to win and how they sort of lose the things that were once important to them.

I also watched Don't Be Afraid of the Dark and Fright Night neither one was great.

Books and Reading

I read Sara Zarr's How to Save a Life this week and it was amazing. Truly a great book, I'm kind of scared to try to review it. I also read Stewart O'Nan's new one, The Odds which was typical O'Nan meaning amazing characterization. Right now I'm reading Legacy of Eden by Nelle Davy which is good as well, except that she makes out every single event in the past to be like the EVENT THAT CHANGED EVERYONE FOREVER.

Enough about me! Tell me what's new with you, what you've read that you loved or if you liked Alcatraz or even just you know, what you had for breakfast.

The Vampire Diaries 3x12: The Ties that Bind and The Secret Circle 1x12: Witness

mypalamy@gmail.com — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 01:21:15 PST

So TVD. I liked this episode for the most part, in that I was pretty entertained throughout. Bonnie's mom is like the worst mother ever, so maybe there's more to that story. I don't know, I guess she wasn't apologetic enough for me. I liked the scene where Bonnie told her about Grams, though, I thought it was played perfectly, Bonnie's grief still so big, yet she managed to contain that big huge story in just a few lines and her eyes..I don't know I thought it was good.

Caroline was there for what..two lines? I thought it was brave of Tyler to ask her father for his help, knowing what he did to her before. And having to turn so much is bound to be painful for him. I guess I just feel like this Tyler as a hybrid story line is still all over the place and not that interesting. Nothing about it has been about Tyler's character or even Caroline's, with the exception of last week, so I don't get it and I don't care. I'm still kind of mad at the writers for doing it in the first place to be honest. Also...like it's SO painful to turn into a werewolf, and if gratitude is what keeps Tyler bound to Klaus, why did Klaus want to be a hybrid in the first place? I can see why werewolves would, but it's interesting that they don't really talk about the appeal of being a werewolf at all, which...there has to be some right?

I have to admit I was laughing a little bit when Elena told Stefan about the kiss...which, she just plucked some wood out from his chest NICE TIMING but it's like...there's all this HUGE stuff going on, but this had equal emotional weight to all of that. I mean I totally understand that this triangle is the focal point of the show and this is a teen drama so of course this stuff seems just as huge, it just felt odd and like too much to me tonight. I really felt for Stefan, though, wow!

Klaus was annoying tonight. Please stop whining about your family and be a majestic kingly vampire instead okay?

And lastly...yay Elijah! That was a GREAT comeback!

The Secret Circle

I really liked this episode! It gave me Harry Potter vibes again, with the flashback to their parents' deaths. I love Jake, I can't help it, and I'm annoyed by it because I ship him with Cassie but the show already told me that ADAM AND CASSIE ARE WRITTEN IN THE STARS. I'm annoyed by how often Melissa gets shipped off to Seattle and how they have no storyline for her anymore, when she's around she's always propping someone else. I hope they fix that. But seriously I liked this episode.

It was pretty sad to see Jake's parents die and that scene where his mom was begging for help was just...perfect and sad. I like that Cassie is trying to figure this stuff out about her father and that we learned some details..i.e. he's still alive! And I like Diana and Adam working together. I thought Faye's story line was pretty interesting, the way she's isolated from the circle which automatically puts her in danger, and I wondered if drug guy could be Cassie's dad? Not sure he's old enough.

Loved Ethan tonight! I thought that was one of the most interesting developments of all, he was such a sad sop before, but he's got a little spark. And I guess the fact that he was on the scene of the fire...maybe he was more drawn to magic then he let on before, maybe it wasn't the deaths of all the people he loved that drove him to drink, but the loss of his magic. He seemed like a whole new person with the crystal. I just thought this episode was really tight, and the Adam and Diana relationship stuff in the middle of it didn't feel ridiculous and out of place like Elena telling Stefan about the kiss did in the Vampire Diaries. I feel like Thomas and Shelley really sell those scenes, and I guess I kind of appreciate how much emotional weight the show puts into their relationship.

There are all these things I really like about the show, I like, for example, that when they needed a shocking death they killed a boy instead of a girl. I like that the cast has more females than males, I like how important the girls friendships are to each other and that you can have really great scenes like the one last week between Diana and Melissa where they talk about how their friendship sort of faded away. I feel like the Adam and Diana relationship is so well handled, and I love that it hasn't been glossed over or tossed aside but that it's a genuine struggle the way those things really are. It doesn't have the same shocking fast moving plot of The Vampire Diaries, but I still love it and look forward to it each week.

And you guys? What did you think?

Review: LoveSick by Jake Coburn

mypalamy@gmail.com — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:40:11 PST

I started LoveSick right before the end of the year because I wanted to read a book I was fairly certain would not become a favorite and miss out on my favorite books of the year list. I know it's wrong to head into a book with so much prejudice, but in this case it actually worked because I enjoyed it much much more than I thought I would*.

LoveSick is about two young college students who each have a huge demon they are battling in the form of an addiction. Ted is a recovering alcoholic. His alcoholism led to a drunk driving accident that ruined his life via an injury that would keep him from a basketball scholarship. Erica is a wealthy girl who is battling bulimia. Her father is very controlling and when Erica insists on going to college on her own, he devises a plan to hire someone to keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't return to binging and purging.

He hires a private consultant who locates Ted and offers to pay his way to college completely in exchange for keeping an eye on Erica. Ideally the situation shouldn't require Ted to do much except look for alarming signs that Erica is relapsing, and in exchange, he'll be able to attend college after all.

I'm pretty sure you can guess where the story is going. Ted goes to school but soon finds himself in a surprising friendship with Erica. And he feels more for her than friendship. He starts to feel guilt ridden about what he's doing. And Erica really likes Ted, too, she likes him more than she's ever liked anyone. After this is established, the story escalates in ways that feel REALLY BIG for the quieter story it felt like before. I guess I can understand the reasoning behind it, but to be honest it was my least favorite part of the book. Still, when you are messing around with big money, bad things are bound to happen.

I really loved the characters in LoveSick I thought both Ted and Erica were well developed and their individual struggles with their addictions fleshed out. The scenes where Erica is binging were just..I don't know described so well. She would carefully plan each second of her activity, from where she would buy her food, to the kind she would get, and the rush she would feel. Even in its nitty gritty horrific details, I could really feel the pull and hold it had over her. And I liked that she had a complicated view of herself, that she struggled with both wanting to be free from the shackles of worrying about how others saw her, to the reality that she wasn't. For example, I loved this part:

"Erica skipped hurriedly past his eyeline and then paused outside the door to the bathroom. She couldn't decide if she was embarrassed by her messy ponytail, or her swollen pores, but she suddenly felt like turning into the bathroom and meticulously inspecting herself." (She spends some time then trying to figure out what to do and talking herself into the fact that only she has a right to judge herself when..."Ten feet from the lounge, Erica realized she'd instinctively refastened her ponytail, and it infuriated her. Reaching again for the elastic, she yanked it from her hair.

Erica continues to meet her therapist from home, but because she doesn't trust him quite yet, or her father, she meets him in online chess games to chat about her life. The therapist is really endearing, but I loved how she described Ted to him at first, and how she didn't want the things Ted had done to be what defined him to anyone else.

DrMTRudas: Then how would you describe the 'real' Ted to me?
ep149846: i don't know...i guess i feel like i can be my alone self with him
DrMTRudas: I think that's a contradiction in terms, Erica.
ep149846: you know how you can't really feel like you know yourself unless you're alone....cause there're a million eyes on your or people telling you what to do or say or think...cause people are like static for the soul
DrMTRudas: I'm following you.
ep149846: well with a real person i can be myself around them...my alone self

I also really liked Ted and his struggle with the morality of what he was doing and his growing feelings for Erica. I never doubted that he wanted the best for Erica, but at the same time this money they were giving him represented his last real chance. His roommate drinks a lot, and Ted is never unaware of the temptation. He even thinks to himself that he could outdrink him, when his roommate looks down on him for not partying like everyone else. His emails with the private consultant who hired him are hilarious and reveal his level of discomfort with what's he's doing.

To be clear, when the truth comes out Ted faces the consequences of his actions. Ted and Erica don't save each other, the narrative holds that change can only happen when the individual is ready. But they do provide friendship and understanding for each other in a time when they don't have it anywhere else.

So while the plot is not all that original, I enjoyed LoveSick for the characters and the realistic depiction of their addictions.

Rating: 4.25/5
Things You Might Want to Know: Profanity
Source of Book: Paperbackswap
Publisher: Speak (Penguin)

*Jake Coburn writes for Gossip Girl and I never like his episodes they often include problematic elements and are sometimes offensive. I do not understand how the person that wrote the LoveSick characters gets the Gossip Girl characters and their issues so wrong though. Also, he's a recovering addict himself according to his website.

Class of 2k12 Interview with Megan Bostic, Author of Never Eighteen

mypalamy@gmail.com — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:04:34 PST

How has your personal history influenced your writing of your book?

My personal history has greatly influenced me in writing Never Eighteen. I cared for my mother-in-law as she was dying of cancer, so I saw firsthand the effects of the illness and the treatments for it as well. And all the problems Austin’s friends and family face? I’ve faced these same problems either personally or indirectly through friends and family. It’s funny, because people have said that maybe it’s too unbelievable that so many people Austin knows have these issues, but truly I’ve known people with every single one of these struggles, and I’d bet most people out there do too. I don’t want to elaborate because I don’t want to give away too much of the book.

How did you react when you saw the cover of your book?

Honestly, I wasn’t really sure if I liked it, or maybe, it just wasn’t what I expected. I guess I was expecting something dark and dynamic. My editor alleviated my reservations. First, she explained to me that just about every cover on bookshelves these days is black. The light blue color of my cover will stand out from the rest. Also, the artwork on the cover is original, and I LOVE the mustang—I’d rather have original art than stock art. The cover is also androgynous; it would appeal to boys as well as girls. I did have them change the color from a creamy yellow to the soft blue it is now. In my opinion, my cover is uber cool, and I’m totally in love with it.

What was your reading life like as a child?

I love to read—always have. I read all the time when I was a kid, a virtue my mom instilled in me. Mysteries were some of my favorites growing up. I used to read the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and Encyclopedia Brown. I also liked poetry a lot. I used to read Robert Louis Stevenson’s, A Children’s Garden of Verses, over and over. The Judy Blume books were probably my favorite, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Blubber, and my all-time favorite, Are You There God It’s Me Margaret. I went from Judy Blume to S.E. Hinton, and then at about thirteen, straight to Stephen King.

What’s the last book you read?

The last book I read was from a very talented debut author and member of the Class of 2K11, Bettina Restrepo. The title is Illegal, and it’s about a girl and her mother crossing the border from Mexico into Texas after the disappearance of her father. It’s a very heart rending, but thoughtful novel. I highly suggest it.

How do you feel about book blogs and using social media?

In this day and age, I think both of these media aspects are very important to writers, especially debut writers. With the economy the way it is today, publishing houses just cannot put much money into publicizing their authors -- this goes double for unknowns. Social media has made it easier for authors to market themselves. Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube have become very effective tools for the self-promoting author. Book bloggers are also instrumental in getting authors out in front of the masses. They always seem so willing to help a debut by doing interviews, reviews, and blog tours. I think without social marketing and book blogging, writers would have an extremely difficult time marketing their work.

Would you rather deal with an alien invasion or a zombie apocalypse?

I would much rather deal with a zombie apocalypse. Aliens would more than likely be more intelligent than humans, plus have better technology, making our weaponry look primitive. Zombies are slow and stupid and most the time can be killed by merely cutting their heads off.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure food?

Definitely pizza. I’m Italian after all. I love it! I could eat it every day and wish I could. Any kind of pizza will do, just hold the anchovies.

What are you working on next?

Presently I’m writing a novel about a girl who is a self-harmer (cutter). It’s about the events that steer her to that dark place and what it takes for her to recover. The tentative title is Sad, though I’ve thought about changing the name.

About Never Eighteen: Austin Parker is on a journey to bring truth, beauty, and meaning to his life.

Austin Parker is never going to see his eighteenth birthday. At the rate he’s going, he probably won’t even see the end of the year. The doctors say his chances of surviving are slim to none even with treatment, so he’s decided it’s time to let go.

But before he goes, Austin wants to mend the broken fences in his life. So with the help of his best friend, Kaylee, Austin visits every person in his life who touched him in a special way. He journeys to places he’s loved and those he’s never seen. And what starts as a way to say goodbye turns into a personal journey that brings love, acceptance, and meaning to Austin’s life.

You can learn more about Megan at her website.

FIRST: Sinners and Saints by Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley

mypalamy@gmail.com — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:46:13 PST

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card authors are:

Victoria Christopher Murray
and
ReShonda Tate Billingsley
(Chapters written by alternating author)

and the book:

Sinners and Saints

Touchstone; Original edition (January 10, 2012)

***Special thanks to Shida Carr of Simon & Schuster for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Victoria Christopher Murray is the author of nine Essence bestselling novels, including The Ex Files, Too Little, Too Late, and Lady Jasmine. Winner of the African American Literary Award for Fiction and Author of the Year, she splits her time between Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

Visit the author's website.

ReShonda Tate Billingsley is an award winning former television and radio reporter, as well as the author of twenty-one books which have appeared on the Essence bestseller list more than twenty times. She is married with three small children and lives in Texas.

Visit the author's website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

TEAM JASMINE or TEAM RACHEL?

Bestselling and award-winning novelists Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley bring their favorite heroines together in a novel that will delight their legions of fans.

Jasmine Larson Bush and Rachel Jackson Adams are not your typical first ladies. But they’ve overcome their scandalous and drama-filled pasts to stand firmly by their husbands’ sides.

When a coveted position opens up—president of the American Baptist Coalition— both women think their husbands are perfect for the job. And winning the position may require both women to get down and dirty and revert to their old tricks. Just when Jasmine and Rachel think they’re going to have to fight to the finish, the current first lady of the coalition steps in . . . a woman bigger, badder, and more devious than either of them.

Double the fun with a message of faith, Sinners & Saints will delight readers with two of their favorite characters from two of their favorite authors.

Product Details:

List Price: $15.00

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Touchstone; Original edition (January 10, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1451608152
ISBN-13: 978-1451608151

AND NOW...THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS:

Chapter One

How in the world was Jasmine going to keep her promise to God now?

Two years ago, she had promised Him that if He saved her daughter when she was kidnapped, if He brought her home safely, then she was going to live a life devoted just to Him. Jasmine had vowed that with Jacqueline’s return, she was going to live the life that God had for her as Hosea’s wife, as Jacqueline and Zaya’s mother. She wasn’t going to want for anything more than what God had given her, because surely, He had supplied her with enough.

God had done His part.

And for the last two years, Jasmine had done her part, too.

She’d lived a low-key life, thrilled that her greatest dramas were debates about fashion choices every morning with her seven-year old daughter.

But how was she supposed to keep her promise to God now? After what her husband had just told her?

“So, hold up,” Jasmine said, slipping into the chair across from Hosea. “I thought you were just going to the convention as the keynote speaker.”

Hosea nodded.

“So, explain this to me again.”

With a sigh, Hosea folded the newspaper he’d been reading and placed it on the table. He stuffed his mouth with a forkful of pancake, chewed for a moment, then said, “The call came in from a friend of Pop’s, Pastor Earl Griffith. He thinks I need to submit my resume.”

“To be the head of the American Baptist Coalition?”

Hosea nodded.

“But we’re not Baptist.”

His eyes danced with his amusement. “Get out of here.”

“You know what I mean,” Jasmine said, waving one hand. “I just don’t get it. Why would they call you?”

“They didn’t call me. Only Pastor Griffith.Seems like there’re a couple of men in the running, though according to Griffith, the front-runner is Pastor Adams, Lester Adams from the Southern region.”

Jasmine frowned. “I’ve never heard of him.”

“Out of Houston. But Pastor Griffith doesn’t think Adams is the man. Seems that the last four presidents have been from the South and Griffith and a couple of other pastors on the board think that the Coalition needs someone from the North, someone more progressive, to really move the organization forward.”

“And they think that can be you?”

“Not they, darlin’. I told you—Griffith called me.”

“But you said there were others who agreed with him.”

Hosea nodded. “Apparently, they don’t have anyone from the North who they think can go up against Adams. I guess they think my name could win this.”

“That makes sense to me.”

“It doesn’t matter how much sense it makes, darlin’. I told Pastor Griffith that I’m not interested.”

As if she didn’t hear any of Hosea’s last words, Jasmine whispered, “Wow.” Old thoughts, familiar desires came to her mind—of power and prestige and money. How much money would a president receive?

She didn’t know a lot about the American Baptist Coalition, but she knew enough. Like the fact that they were the largest African American religious organization, and wielded major political clout. And as much as black folks loved religion, the head of the ABC would have a boatload of power—and so would his wife.

Talk about being the first lady!

“Jasmine?”

I’d be the first lady of like . . . the world!

“Jasmine?”

“Huh?” Her eyes were glassy with images of her future and it took her a moment to focus on Hosea.

His admonishment came before he even said a word. It was in the way his eyes narrowed and the way he’d already begun shaking his head. “Don’t even think about it.”

“What?”

“You know what. I’m not gonna do it,” he said slowly, as if he was speaking to one of their children. “I’m gonna go to the convention and speak, just like they asked. But I’m not gonnarun for that office. The little I know about Lester Adams, he’s a good man. They’ll be fine with him.”

“How could he be the one if I’ve never even heard of him?”

“Like you know every pastor in the country.”

“I’m not talking about knowing every pastor. I’m thinking that Pastor Griffith is right. The head of the ABC should be someone who’s known and who can add to the Coalition. Think about what you bring as the pastor of one of the largest churches in the country. Then, there’s your show.” She nodded. “Pastor Griffith is right,” she repeated. “It has to be you.”

His head was still shaking. “No. I don’t want the drama.”

“Who said anything about drama?”

“Any type of election—political or religious—is always about drama.” He stood and placed his plate in the sink. “And then there’s you, my wonderful wife. As much as I love you, darlin’, anytime you’re involved in anything, drama makes its way into our lives. No, I don’t want any part of it.”

“So, you’re just gonna let this huge opportunity pass us—I mean, pass you by?”

“Yup, because it’s not an opportunity that interests me. The church, the show, and most importantly you and the children are enough for me.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Speaking of the church, I’m gonna get dressed and head over there. I have a meeting in a couple of hours.”

“Okay,” she said, dismissing him with words, though she’d already dismissed him in her mind. Jasmine stayed as Hosea left her alone in the kitchen.

You and the children are enough for me.

Until a few minutes ago, she would’ve agreed with her husband. But this conversation was a game changer.

Hosea was right—their lives were without drama, but it had gotten kind of boring. Every day it was the same thing—getting the children off to school, then working on the women’s committees at the church, then coming home to meet the children, then helping Mrs. Sloss with dinner, then . . . then . . .then . . .

Not that she had complaints; she loved her life, her family. But she would still love everyone, and maybe even a little bit more if Hosea were the head of the ABC .

Oh, no. She wasn’t going to sit back and let this opportunity pass Hosea. He needed this position, even if he didn’t know it.

Standing, she moved toward their bedroom, the conniving wheels of her brain already churning. She stood outside the door of their master bathroom, listening to her husband praise God, the spray of the shower, his accompanying music.

“I trust you, Lord!” He sang the words to one of Donnie McClurkin’s songs.

“Babe,” she said, interrupting his praise time. “I’m gonna run over to Mae Frances’s apartment, okay?”

“Don’t you have a meeting at the church?”

“Yeah, but it’s not till this afternoon and Mae Frances just called and she really needs me to help her with something.”Jasmine paused. It had been a long time since she’d manipulated the truth to get somethingshe wanted. But it wasn’t like she was going back to being a total liar again—she just needed to get this done and after Hosea was in his rightful place, she’d go back to being on the side of righteousness.

“Oh, okay. Is Nama all right?” he asked, referring to Mae Frances by the name their children called the older woman.

“She’s fine. You know Nama. I’ll call Mrs. Whittingham and tell her that I may be a little late for my meeting.”

By the time they said their good-byes and Jasmine grabbed her purse, she already had a plan. But she’d need some help, and Mae Frances, her friend who knew everyone from Al Sharpton to Al Capone and his offspring, was just the person to help her.

“Sorry, Pastor Adams,” she said to herself as she rode down in the elevator. “Whoever you are, you can be the president of the ABC once Hosea and I are done—in, say, ten or twenty years.”

She stepped outside of their Central Park South apartmentbuilding and into the New York springtime sun. Slapping on herdesigner glasses, she laughed out loud.

Oh, yeah, today was gonna be a really good day.

Chapter Two

Watch out, Michelle Obama!

Rachel Jackson Adams smiled in satisfaction as shesurveyed her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She’d had toleave the prestigious American Baptist Coalition regional dinnerand step inside the restroom to compose herself. After all, shewas about to be the first lady of one of the most prestigiousorganizations in the country. She couldn’t very well be actinga plumb fool because she was overcome with excitement.But Rachel had wanted to do a backflip, front flip, toe touch,cartwheel, and anything else she could think of to express herjoy.

Rachel fluffed her honey brown curls, then lightly refreshedher MAC Oh Baby lip gloss. She had come such a long way. Hermother was probably dancing in her grave at the sight of Rachelas not only a first lady, but a soon-to-be prominent one at that.Rachel had worked hard to garner the respect of the parishionersat Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church. She’d grown up inthat church, so everyone knew her dirt—all of it—and it hadtaken God himself to get these people to respect her. And whileZion Hill had grown tremendously, it still wasn’t considereda megachurch, and outside of Houston there were few whohad even heard of it. As the first lady of the American BaptistCoalition, her status would go to a whole new level. Shoot, if shehad to be first lady, she might as well be the top first lady.

Rachel savored the thought as she dropped her lip gloss backinto her clutch and stepped back into the corridor.

“I was beginning to think you’d fallen in,” her husband ofeight years said before leaning in and lightly kissing Rachel onthe cheek.

Lester Adams wasn’t her true love—that title belonged toher thirteen-year-old son’s father, Bobby Clark. But Lester wasgood for her. Her love for Lester was that agape love they talkedabout in First Corinthians. It brought out the best in her. Well,for the most part anyway. Life with Bobby had been filled withdrama—Rachel admitted much of that was her own doing, but itwas drama-filled nonetheless. And although Bobby still remaineda part of Jordan’s life, Rachel had finally gotten him out of hersystem and was focusing all of her attention on making hermarriage work.

“What took you so long?” Lester asked, snapping Rachel outof her thoughts.

“Sorry,” Rachel said with a slight smile, “but you know I’mabout to be the preeminent first lady, so I had to make sure mymakeup was on point.” She tossed her hair back. “Come to thinkof it, I think I’ll change my name to Lady Rachel so I can havethe title to go along with the position.”

Lester narrowed his eyes and glared at his wife. “Rachel,” hebegan in that voice she hated—the one that he always used whenhe was chastising her.

“What?” Rachel shrugged, already getting defensive.

“I don’t have the position yet,” he said matter-of-factly. “Theregional board just nominated me tonight. There’s still a nationalelection.”

Rachel waved him off. “That’s just a formality. Did you hearthose election results? You beat Pastor Johnson seventy-three totwenty-five percent!”

Lester sighed. “Pastor Johnson also got his sixteen-year-oldstepniece pregnant.” As soon as Lester said it, he looked like hewished he could take the words back.

The smile immediately left Rachel’s face. Lester was no sainthimself. He’d had his own little pregnant-woman-on the-sidedebacle. But thank God, they’d worked through that crisis.“I’m just saying,” Lester quickly continued, like he wanted toprevent Rachel’s mind from traveling down that rocky memorylane, “Pastor Johnson wasn’t that hard to beat. I still have to runagainst whomever they nominate from the North region, andrumor has it they’re bringing out their top dogPastor HoseaBush.”

“That jack-legged TV preacher?” Rachel asked with a frown.

Lester shook his head. “Pastor Bush is not jack-legged. He’swell established, comes from a highly respected family, and heleads one of the largest churches in the country.”

“So? He’s. Not. You,” Rachel said, reaching up and adjustingLester’s bow tie. Lester had been an extreme nerd when theywere in high school—which is why Rachel had never given himthe time of day. But he’d pursued her relentlessly and eventuallyhad worn her down. He was willing to be a father to her twokids and he loved her unconditionally. So she agreed to givetheir relationship a try, but not before having him shave off thatred mop of a hairstyle he wore and introducing him to Proactiv.She’d revamped his wardrobe, taught him how to have a littleswagger, and now, even she had to admit, he had it going on. Notto mention the fact that he was an awesome preacher. “Lester,sweetheart,” Rachel said, taking her husband’s hands, “you heardthat emcee tonight. For the past sixty years, the president of theABC has been a Southerner. That’s not about to change. I don’tcare how prominent this Rev. Tree is.”

Lester let out a small chuckle. “Pastor Bush,” he corrected.

“Tree, Bush, Leave, whatever,”she said, flicking her hand.“The bottom line is, that position is ours. God said so.”

He laughed again. “Oh, God said so, huh?”

Rachel nodded emphatically. “He sure did. And if God said it,then it’s so.” She grinned widely.

“Look at my baby,” Lester said proudly. “And to think, youthreatened to divorce me for entering the ministry.”

“Well, that’s because I’d spent my life as a preacher’sdaughter. I wasn’t trying to be a preacher’s wife. But I’ve gottenthe hang of it now.”

“You do make a great first lady,” Lester said, kissing heragain. “And can I say it again—you look lovely in that dress.”

“Thank you. And I’m going to make an even better first ladyon a national level.” She tightened the belt on her royal blueDiane von Furstenberg silk dress. Her attire tonight was justone indication of how far she’d come. Just a few years ago, shewould’ve shown up to an event like this in the latest Baby Phator Apple Bottoms style that she could find. And although she stillloved her some Kimora Lee Simmons, she didn’t have to wear iteverywhere.

“Congratulations, Rev. Adams,” an elderly man said as hewalked past them.

Lester stopped and smiled. “Thank you, sir.”

“I can’t wait until you officially claim that presidency,” theman said as he stepped on to the elevator.

“From your lips to God’s ears,” Lester replied as he wavedgood-bye.

Rachel waited for the elevator door to close. “See, everyoneknows you’re the man for the job. And I’m the woman that needsto be next to the man for the job.”

“Since when did this kind of stuff excite you?”Rachel’s hands went to her hips. “Since I did my homework.Do you know that the last wife of the ABC president wasinvited everywhere? To White House dinners, commencementceremonies, the Grammys—she even cohosted on The View!”

“But wasn’t she a TV journalist anyway?”

Rachel frowned. Lester and all this negativity was about towork her nerves. “That’s beside the point. Everyone knows theABC president is one of the most powerful men in the country,so that means the ABC ’s president’s wife would be one of themost powerful women.”

“I’m just saying, don’t get ahead of yourself.”

“Whatever, Lester.”Rachel rolled her eyes. She’d beeneuphoric since they announced he’d won the election an hourago. Of course, she always knew he would, but hearing itconfirmed was the icing on the cake.

As thoughts of hanging out with Michelle Obama danced inher head, Rachel once again smiled.

“Rachel, I see your mind working.”

“Just trying to determine where I’ll get my dress for yourinduction ceremony.” Maybe she could get Kimora to design hersomething personally.

“Rachel—”

She put her finger to his lips. “Shhhh,” she said, draping herarm through his. “Let’s just savor the moment tonight. Let’s goback in, mingle with the people, and enjoy ourselves. My dadand Brenda have the kids, so the night is all ours. Tomorrow,we’ll talk about the national election.” Rachel decided to justchange the subject because she didn’t care what Lester said,he would win the national election. And if this Reverend Bushproved to be a problem, well, Rachel might just have to revertto her old bag of tricks—just for a moment—to make sure thathe wasn’t a threat. She wasn’t going to let anything, or anyone,stand in the way of claiming what was destined to be hers.

Brief Thoughts on Books as Meeting Places

mypalamy@gmail.com — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:36:07 PST

Jessica at Read React Review wrote a thought provoking post about underreading and overreading in book reviews. The whole post is great and you should read it, but one of the most interesting points she makes for me is about how one of the ways to correct overreading and underreading is "intentional interpretation in light of others’ readings." She gave an example of a time her own perspective of a book was changed by the alternate interpretation offered by a friend on Twitter. And it made me think how important this is to me in discussing books and TV shows...I seek out others opinions for multiple reasons, to know if others agree with the way I see things, to get clarity on what I don't understand, and to be given a broader view--after all I'm only one person with one limited set of life experiences and education, to view the same "text" through another's eyes often helps me appreciate its depth in new ways.

A recent example of this was The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I read it and loved it, but then I read Ana's review. And while I also appreciated many of the things she did in the book, I felt she had understood things in a way I had sometimes missed. It almost made me want to read the book again immediately, to read it with not only my own eyes but with the added benefit of Ana's perspective. And I think that's one of the great things about sharing book reviews and discussing books with friends and online--it gives us added understanding of the text itself, but also of each other.

(I just can't figure out the ropes of this social reading thing! I want to be able to read books others have read, and recently enough that we can have actual conversations about them, but at the same time I need to protect myself and not develop a reading schedule or I'll lose my love of reading all over again.)

I thought Jessica made another interesting point that when authors throw a fit over the negative reviews it shows their lack of respect and understanding for what reviews mean to readers. If I am not allowed to express what I didn't like about a book or story, how can I ever be given the chance to understand it in new ways? For the millionth time, reviews are for readers, they are not for authors. They are our space to discuss a book and a book, in reality, is so much more than just a commercial unit that must be sold, they are places where we safely discuss the weighty, deep, troubling, and beautiful issues of this life in general and the world we live in. (2 points to anyone who gets that reference!)

It's an interesting thing to ponder and I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences. Has you view on a book ever been altered or corrected in light of another's reading of the same book? What role does bookish interaction play in your reading life?

The Sunday Salon

mypalamy@gmail.com — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 03:28:45 PST

This week went by in a blur to be honest, and I'm not entirely sure why. I can't believe January is already half way over, I feel like I'm trying to catch up to all those shiny things I was going to do in the New Year. On the bright side, we had absolutely gorgeous weather here this week--like spring! I do miss having a bit of a winter but I can never hate on spring weather. I was happy to spend as much time as I could outdoors soaking it in.

Blogging

After talking about potentially stepping back from blogging or quitting altogether last year and finding so many felt the same way, I really enjoyed this guest post on Pro Blogger about 31 Perks of Blogging You'll Never Want to Give Up. It's so true. I especially thought number 3 was fantastic as it's something I don't want to give up. I am definitely forced to develop my thoughts more through blogging and I often don't even fully realize how I've felt about something until I've written about it. How did people like me survive before blogging to be honest?

I use IntenseDebate for commenting and will probably continue to do so for the forseeable future, but Blogger has (finally) introduced threaded comments and Emily wrote a great post on using them.

Books

This week I read The Accidental Bride by Denise Hunter (didn't really like it), The Captive Heart by Dale Cramer (loved it!) and The Fault in our Stars by John Green. Spoiler alert: I cried. A lot. But I also really loved it. I'm having a hard time deciding what to read next thought as there so many great options!

TV

Switched at Birth --I watched the first two episodes of the midseason this week and omg you guys why is this show so good? I feel like by virtue of the name Switched at Birth it should be terrible, but to be honest it's the most satisfying teen drama I watch right now. I was trying to pinpoint exactly what I love about it...is that I love all the characters and feel something for them? Is that the drama in their lives feels so real (even though the situation is so implausible?) I don't really know, I just love it. I loved the latest episode especially, as it felt like a true coming of age story. One of the things I really enjoy about the show is Emmett and Bay's relationship. It's actually the perfect relationship for a show like this because there are real conflicts they have and true obstacles that are never really played as being super melodramatic. And it was interesting how Emmett and Daphne sort of had parallel plotlines about standing up to their parents for the things they wanted. And what this show does so well and why I thought these stories were so effective is that the reasons their parents for denying their wishes were sympathetic to be sure, but also were rooted primarily in their own interests and so it was necessary but difficult for them to stand up and say they wanted something different. I thought Emmett's conversation with his mom at the end was particularly moving--all the reasons she hadn't had him in speech therapy and Emmett telling her she should have all along was so brave! When he said she didn't want him to be happy--her shock and hurt showed these weren't cheap words he was using but that they were coming from a genuine place where he could not understand why she was throwing up roadblocks at every turn. And I thought it was interesting as well that Daphne turned Wilke down when he's sort of become a new Emmett to her. Girl doesn't see when she's relying to so much on someone that maybe there should be something more! :)

I also love the Kathryn writing a book storyline so much. I feel like it's an excellent progression to the place she found herself in at the midseason finale where she wasn't sure who she was. The book will give her a chance to take control of the narrative about their lives and it gives her something to work towards. I don't know how long the show can continue to be this good, but I'm going to enjoy every second.

Film

I watched the 1999 version of The End of the Affair and it was terrrrrible. Seriously, what was that? I think this was a very good case of a book not translating into film AT ALL. I felt like if I watched the film without having ever read the book I would have missed half of the inner workings of this story. Not to mention they changed the ending and made it utterly stupid and invalidated the story IMO.

That's it for my very exciting week! Do you guys have plans for the long weekend?

Review: The Captive Heart by Dale Cramer

mypalamy@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:35:20 PST

So a few years ago when I read Dale Cramer's Levi's Will, there was this little section in it about how Will's father's family had attempted to make a settlement in Mexico work but due to their strong convictions of pacifism, they couldn't. It was really thought provoking and intriguing to me so when this current series, The Daughters of Caleb Bender was announced, I was really excited because it's a historical fiction series based on these real events of an Amish community that attempted to settle in Paradise Valley. Last year when the first book came out, I absolutely loved it and couldn't wait for the next in the series. And it didn't disappoint!

Miriam is in a difficult situation when the book opens because she is in love with Domingo, a local Mexican who works for her father. Miriam is already baptized into the church and so this presents a huge problem for her...to act on any feelings for Domingo essentially means to cut off her family forever. But she does have strong feelings for him and she suspects he feels the same way and so she tries to bring it up with him. He tells her their are too many obstacles between them, not least of which is the very different ways they see God. Miriam is crushed but tries to move on.

Meanwhile, the situation with the bandits hasn't really gotten better and as a reader, every time they planned to go somewhere I felt so much dread! And with good reason, because there were several incidents with El Pantera in the book, many times that really terrible things happened and there was a lot of threat. In the beginning, Miriam explains to Domingo why they are pacifists, that violence is always wrong, that everyone is created by God. But as the book progresses it becomes clear the biggest threat is Hell...they believe they will go to Hell if they fight, even in self-defense.

I feel like this is the central tension of these books--how can they believe so much in Pacifism when there are constant threats to them--their lives and their belongings. How can they sustain that belief? Can they make it in a world where the cost of really and truly believing that is steep? They settled in Mexico to flee religious persecution in the States, but the cost of actually living their beliefs out in freedom might be more than they can bear.

To be honest, I love love love Miriam as a heroine much more than Rachel, for probably pretty expected reasons, she's independent, compassionate, and open minded. She's smart and brave. So I enjoyed every scene with her, her struggle to move on from Domingo and while I don't think trying to move on with Micah when she really doesn't love him is necessarily the most fair thing, in her world I can completely see why she tries. But the book takes an extended break from her POV in the middle to set up the major crisis that will change all their lives forever!

Regarding the question of violence, I rather love the way it's approached. It might be easy to side with Domingo while reading and think the Amish ought to take care of themselves, but violence is not treated as something light at all by the narrative, and the costs of engaging in it, even in self defense, are clearly illustrated. It's such a fair handling of the topic, in my opinion.

I don't think this is the last book in the series, but I'm curious as to what the next one is about. Two major threads were set up, I think, but I don't know if a third sister's point of view will be introduced or not.

I feel like this review is a little bit all over the place, but in short, I really love these books, they engage interesting ideas of the practicality of living out your beliefs and are just interesting historical fiction as well!

Rating: 4.5/5

Things You Might Want to Know: Christian fiction

Source of Book: Review Copy

Publisher: Bethany House

Oh The Vampire Diaries: Our Town

mypalamy@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:59:41 PST

This episode didn't irritate me! The only thing irritating about it was Elena! That's not unusual!

Okay I'm just going to talk about what I was most interested in which was Caroline. And Tyler. Last season I really liked Tyler and Caroline and was interested in where it was going to go this year which was...nowhere? Like they hooked up, had a friends with benefits situation for a bit, Tyler was obviously feeling deep things (evidenced tonight by being the first to say "I love you") and then he was turned into a hybrid and they broke up because...she couldn't support him through it? But then tonight they acted like they broke up because Tyler would never be able to put her first. Which actually makes oodles of sense. But then Tyler had that confrontation with Klaus and felt like he turned Klaus down but I guess there's no such thing as turning Klaus down if you are sired so he bit Caroline :( Which was sad. But then Klaus came along!

Okay here's the thing. I watch this show, called The Vampire Diaries but sometimes I forget there are vampires on it. I have a thing that I like, with vampires, which is the idea of vampires not bound by the restraint of human conscience. It's why I loved that episode earlier in the season that was set in the 20s where they were rich and beautiful and evil and in love. Obviously a story like that can't be sustained because you need conflict, etc. But I like it. And you know, one of my first vampire books ever was Interview with the Vampire where they go to Europe and there are old vampires and it's all very mysterious and romantic. I like these old vampires. So when Klaus comes in to Caroline and talks about what good things she could get out of this vampire life, and Klaus is like...the oldest of old vampires and speaking in his British accent and you can sort of visualize them ruling the world because Caroline is a royalty type (tiara earlier in the ep! :) I just....I sort of loved it. It evoked that old vampire story feel for me. No it doesn't make sense why he was nice to her or cared about her or saved her life, but I didn't need for it to to enjoy that scene. And I don't mind Klaus and I think it's because I find Joseph Morgan so appealing. The character of Klaus on paper is kind of boring, but Joseph does it for me I guess and so I liked that scene. Now, I'm not saying that I'd be interested in watching a long drawn out Klaus and Caroline love affair. I don't think they'd even let Caroline go dark enough to do that. In fact, I can't help but wonder if it won't become a sort of Samson and Delilah situation where she gains his trust and then goes for a stake to the heart.

I also liked that they addressed how depressing it is for her to be stuck as a vampire forever at age 17. The funeral was really cute and yay Bonnie for calling Elena out...only..okay here's the thing. Bonnie calls Elena out for compelling Jeremy and trying to control everyone (which is my biggest problem with Elena--not that she does it per se, but that her choices and decisions are always framed as being the right ones) and then Elena's like...yeah it was bad but I didn't know what else to do and Matt's like it's okay you're awesome anyway. I just didn't really know if anyone actually thought in the long run that it was bad or not. It felt very glossed over even while being brought up if that makes sense. So did it actually have any impact on Elena as a character? Would she choose differently if she had it to do over or would she see that if she does something awful believing it's for the best, others might do the same for her? I just don't know what the overall stance of the show is except it seems to always come back to, "whatever Elena chooses is right" Which leads me to...

I didn't understand that scene on the bridge between Elena and Matt. I got why Caroline needed to grieve the life she'd never have, but I didn't have the feeling before AT ALL that Elena was struggling with having lost her life before. In fact, she always seemed really into the vampire thing if you know what I mean. So...was she really accepting that her life was different and that was okay and that the hard stuff she had to do, i.e. compelling Jeremy for his own good, was okay because that's the kind of person she has to be now? I guess I'm just thick, but I didn't get it.

Liked Dr. Fell and Alaric! Always fun. Enjoyed Damon and Stefan. I think it's interesting that they specifically had Stefan force blood down Elena's throat and even though his motives were different I think it's another step to making Stefan and Damon equal to Elena--so when she chooses it's not for obvious reasons like good vampire or bad vampire but because she loves one more than the other. Honestly though? The correct answer Elena is to run away!

I feel for Tyler because honestly I feel like no one cares about him. It's not something that a lot of attention is brought to in show, but I can't help but notice. I really feel for him. It will be interesting to see how they work that out.

EDITED TO ADD: Okay seriously I needed more time to think about this episode before writing because I think I understand both Caroline and Elena's stories better. Elena mentioned feeling stuck to Matt. Stefan, the one who saved her originally, almost kills her in the exact same place. And so it's this place Elena goes back to to free herself. I'm still less clear on exactly what aspect of herself Elena is saying goodbye to. The part of her that will never be innocent again? The part of her that wishes her life was something different? The self she lost forever when a vampire rescued her?

And with Caroline I see why they used Klaus. Caroline, also was stuck. She mentioned feeling forever stuck at 17, grieving the life she'd never have. The funeral party both foreshadowed Tyler's bite as well as symbolizing Caroline's death to the sort of in-between she was in. She literally needed to be on death's door to experience the life giving blood of Klaus. And she needed to be brought to life in that vampire life, to embrace it, to let go of the sort of normal human girl life she was trying to hold onto. And only Klaus could do that, only Klaus could show her there was more than the things she was saying goodbye to, there was beauty and a reason to live as a vampire. I mean seriously! Damon and Stefan only care about Elena. Klaus has been around. It had to be him.

Your thoughts? I talked to a few friends immediately after watching the ep and we pretty much disagreed on everything so I'm hoping at least one of you feels a tiny bit as I did? It's okay if you don't though, I still want to know what you think!

CFBA Book Spotlight: The Captive Heart by Dale Cramer and His Steadfast Love by Golden Keyes Parson

mypalamy@gmail.com — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 01:18:57 PST

I'm reading The Captive Heart right now and it's soooo good!

About the Book: Bandit troubles intensify as Caleb Bender's family tries to settle into their new life in 1920s Paradise Valley. When El Pantera kidnaps Rachel and leaves her brother, Aaron, for dead, Jake Weaver and the Mexican native Domingo pursue the bandit leader to his mountain stronghold in a hopeless rescue attempt. Jake and Domingo manage to escape with Rachel, with the bandits hot on their trail. In a desperate attempt to avoid recapture, Domingo puts himself squarely in harm's way, giving Jake and Rachel time to get away. This is not the quiet life Caleb Bender envisioned when he led his family out of Ohio. What is a father to make of his daughter's obvious affection for a man outside the fold? And how will a pacifist Amishman like Caleb respond to the events that threaten his family and their way of life?

About the Book: It isn't until the Civil War comes to her doorstep that Amanda Bell must choose between love and family. It's the spring of 1861 on the Gulf Coast of Texas. Amanda never thought she would marry because of a promise she made to her dying mother, but her attraction to Captain Kent Littlefield is undeniable. When Texas secedes from the Union, her brother Daniel aligns with the Confederate States, while Kent remains with the Union troops. Her heart is torn between the two men she is closest to and the two sides of the conflict. Amanda prays to God for direction and support, but hears only silence. Where is God in the atrocities of war-and whose side is He on? Amanda senses her life is at a turning point. She must trust God to deliver her family through the chaos of war with her heart and her faith intact.

Class of 2k12 Intervew with Robin Bridges, Author of The Gathering Storm

mypalamy@gmail.com — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:15:45 PST

Throughout the year I'll be bringing you some interviews with the authors over at the Class of 2K12! I hope you will enjoy getting to know these authors and thoughts on their books better. Today I'm bringing you an interview with Robin Bridges. Her book, The Gathering Storm, comes out today!

If you had to describe your book in one word what would it be?

Spooky.

How did you react when you saw the cover of your book?

I was ecstatic when my editor emailed me the cover art. I thought the design department had done an excellent job portraying my main character. But when she mailed an actual copy of the jacket with the shiny paper and the embossed title, I sorta got teary eyed! (And I put the jacket around one of the hardback books on my bookshelf to see what it looked like!)

What was your reading life like as a child?

My grandmother taught kindergarten, so I was surrounded by books when I was little. It was a treat for her to read “The Elephant’s Child”, or “The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat” out loud to us. And I practically lived at the library. Once I finished every Little House book and every Nancy Drew book in the children’s department, I discovered fantasy and science fiction. I loved Andre Norton and Madeline L’Engle.

What was your favorite book as a young person?

THE QUEEN OF SPELLS by Dahlov Ipcar

Would you rather deal with an alien invasion or a zombie apocalypse?

Zombies, definitely. I have an almost irrational fear of aliens! Close Encounters scared the pants off of me when I was little. And those were friendly aliens.

What are you working on next?

Revisions for the third Katerina book and a new YA fantasy for my agent.
Thanks Robin!
About The Gathering Storm: Saint Petersburg, Russia, 1888.

As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue.

An evil presence is growing within Europe’s royal bloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina’s strength as a necromancer attracts unwanted attention . . . including from two young men.

The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose—and to whom will she give her heart?
Learn more about Robin at her website!

Review: The Accidental Bride by Denise Hunter

mypalamy@gmail.com — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:01:26 PST

It's been awhile since I've read some Christian fiction...probably since the Inspys selection process...and truth be told I find myself reading less and less because so much of it is romance and I've grown quite tired of the genre. but every once in awhile, I like to pick one up for the comfort read and to have an idea of what's going on in the genre. Denise Hunter has written some books I've enjoyed before, so I dug into The Accidental Bride this weekend.

Shay Brandenberger is a single mom raising her daughter on a ranch in Moose Creek and struggling to pay the bills. Her husband left and then passed away and she's several months behind on the mortgage. When a friend asks her to help out in their Founder's Day celebration, she agrees to do so. The role she has to play is going through with a marriage ceremony. But it turns out the groom in the ceremony is her ex-boyfriend--who left her at the courthouse years ago on the day they planned to marry. But..someone is meddling and they use the old marriage license Shay and Travis signed years ago to make their wedding legal and real.

Sounds crazy right? And Travis does still love Shay. In fact, he came back to town to take care of his parent's ranch and in hopes of making up with her. When he realizes how much trouble she's in financially, and the fact that they are now legally married, he strikes a deal with her--he'll help her get her finances straight in exchange for a five month trial of marriage. He doesn't expect or want sex or anything, though.

Shay agrees but very reluctantly. She hates accepting charity and she lives in constant fear and worry about what others are saying about her. She grew up less privileged and doesn't really want to accept what she perceives as charity, but at the same time she really doesn't have a choice. So she agrees to the temporary arrangement...but as you can imagine Shay still has feelings for Travis so things get complicated quickly.

As a quick escapist read this works. Hunter has a nice breezy style and Moose Creek seems like a fun place. I like the way she writes romance in that I get that melty feeling in my stomach in all the right places. I believed that Travis and Shay loved each other and I could understand Shay's hurt over being left and her reluctance to trust Travis again. So if I was just...wanting to turn my brain off and enjoy a quick read, a romance without sex (and very little spiritual content as well) than The Accidental Bride worked.

But unfortunately I couldn't turn my brain off and as I was reading I started to wonder if The Accidental Bride was a good example of why I no longer enjoy romance as much. Let me explain why. This will contain somewhat detailed plot discussion so read no further if you have an aversion to spoilers!

After Travis left Shay she returned home and got married quickly. Eventually this guy left her and her daughter. But Hunter makes it clear throughout the book that Shay never loved him like she loved Travis in fact it's questionable if she even loved him at all. Her marriage and even her daughter felt like pure plot devices. Her daughter easily accepted Travis and even started calling him Dad right away which felt inauthentic to me based on their situation. At one point there's an indication that Shay's husband had called her frigid and while it's used in the book to show why Shay is so insecure with men, it's also just sad that she obviously didn't love her husband. And she bore no awareness that he probably realized that and that's why he left. I'm not excusing him leaving it was just frustrating that the book was like POOR SHAY and that the her first marriage had to be invalidated and regarded as ultimately meaningless in order not to be a threat to the romance of Travis and Shay. And see...I just don't need that. I don't need to believe there's just one person you ever really love in life. I would have preferred a story where Shay rediscovered her old love but had still had a happy marriage. In fact, I think that the reason she hadn't merely lost her husband to death but he left her first was to build a stronger case for Travis/Shay forever. So that really bugged me. And also of course, the plot was pretty convoluted. I think the premise is cute but there are a couple of points where Shay sees evidence that Travis dated before he returned home and maybe has an ongoing relationship. Instead of confronting him and talking about it though, she just gets mad and hurt. And eventually that drives him away. And yet that's never really addressed, that she should have just asked him, that she was playing an active role in damaging their relationship in the present.

The Sex Stuff

Okay so this interests me. Because Shay and Travis have a legal marriage they eventually start sleeping together. And the book says it's okay because they are married. This was FASCINATING to me, because it means that basically the book endorsed the view that a legal/government marriage is what matters in so far as when you can have sex. (sex is a big issue for evangelical Christianity lol) And I don't know, I guess I think the heart commitment is more important. They started having sex before they'd committed to each other but it wasn't a "sin" because they had a legal marriage. I mean..really? I just feel like the legal documents are not the most important part.

So....yeah. I just don't know. The faith stuff felt fairly superficial and all of the quibbles above..I just don't know if romance or Christian romance is working for me anymore or if it's just this particular book.

Rating: 2.5/5

Things You Might Want to Know: Christian fiction

Source of Book: Received for review

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

The bell above the diner’s door jingled and—despite her most valiant effort—Shay Brandenberger’s eyes darted toward the entry. An unfamiliar couple entered—tourists. She could tell by their khaki Eddie Bauer vests and spanking-new hiking boots. Look out, Yellowstone.

When her heart rate returned to normal, she checked her watch and took a sip of coffee. Five minutes till she met Miss Lucy at the Doll House, forty till she met John Oakley at the bank. What if he said no? What would they do then?

“Mom . . . Earth to Mom . . .” Olivia waved her hand too close to Shay’s face, her brown eyes widening.

“Sorry, hon.” The one bright moment of her Saturday was breakfast with her daughter, and she couldn’t enjoy it for the dread. “What were you saying?”

Olivia set her fork on her pancake-sticky plate and heaved a sigh worthy of her twelve-year-old self. “Never mind.” She bounced across the vinyl bench, her thick brown ponytail swinging. “I’m going to meet Maddy.”

“Right back here at noon,” Shay called, but Olivia was out the door with the flick of her hand.

The diner buzzed with idle chatter. Silverware clattered and scraped, and the savory smell of bacon and fried eggs unsettled her stomach. She took a sip of the strong brew from the fat rim of her mug.

The bell jingled again. I will not look. I will not look. I will not—

The server appeared at her booth, a new girl, and gathered Olivia’s dishes. “On the house today.”

Shay set down her mug, bristling. “Why?”

The woman shrugged. “Boss’s orders,” she said, then made off with the dirty dishes.

From the rectangular kitchen window, Mabel Franklin gave Shay a pointed look.

So Shay had helped the couple with their foal the week before. It was the neighborly thing to do.

Fine. She gave a reluctant smile and a wave. She pulled her wallet from her purse, counted out the tip, and dragged herself from the booth, remembering her daughter’s bouncy exit. Lately her thirty-two years pressed down on her body like a two-ton boulder.

She opened the diner’s door and peeked both ways before exiting the Tin Roof and turning toward the Doll House. She was only checking sidewalk traffic, not hiding. Nope, she wasn’t hiding from anyone. The boardwalks were busy on Saturdays. That was why she hadn’t come to town for two weeks. Why their pantry was emptier than a water trough at high noon.

She hurried three shops down and slipped into the cool, welcoming air of Miss Lucy’s shop.

“ ’Morning, Miss Lucy.”

“ ’Morning, dear.” The elderly woman, in the middle of helping a customer, called over her rounded shoulder, “It’s in the back.” Miss Lucy’s brown eyes were big as buckeyes behind her thick glasses, and her white curls glowed under the spotlights.

“Okeydoke.” Shay forced her feet toward the storeroom.

A musty smell assaulted her as she entered the back room and flipped on the overhead fluorescents. She scanned the boxes of doll parts and skeins of yarn until she found what she was looking for. She approached the box, lifted the lid, and parted the tissue.

The wedding gown had been carefully folded and tucked away. Shay ran her fingers over the delicate lace and pearls. Must’ve been crisp white in its day, but time had cast a long shadow over it. Time had a way of doing that.

Her fingers lingered on the thin fabric. She remembered another time, another dress. A simple white one that hung on her young shoulders, just skimmed the cement of the courthouse steps. The ache that squeezed her heart had faded with time, but it was there all the same. Would it ever go away?

Shaking her head, Shay turned back to the task at hand. The gown seemed too pretty, too fragile to disturb.

Oh well. She’d promised.

She pulled it out and draped it over the box, then shimmied from her jeans. When she was down to the bare necessities, she stepped carefully into the gown. She eased it over her narrow hips and slid her arms into the long sleeves. The neckline was modest, the gathered skirt fuller than anything she ever wore. Here in the air-conditioning it was fine, but she would swelter next Saturday.

Leaving the button-up back gaping, she hitched the skirt to the top of her cowboy boots and entered the store.

Miss Lucy was ushering the customer out the door. When she turned, she stopped, her old-lady shoes squeaking on the linoleum. “Land sakes.”

Shay took two steps forward and dropped the skirt. It fell to the floor with a whoosh.

“Fits like a glove,” Miss Lucy said. “And with some low heels it’ll be the perfect length.”

Shay didn’t even own heels. “My boots’ll have to do. Button the back?”

Miss Lucy waddled forward, turned Shay toward a small wall mirror flecked with time, and began working the tiny pearl buttons.

Shay’s breath caught at her image. She forced its release, then frowned. Wedding gowns were bad luck. She’d sworn she’d never wear another. If someone had told her yesterday she’d be wearing this thing today, she’d have said they were one straw short of a bale.

Miss Lucy moved up to the buttons between her shoulders, and Shay lifted her hair. The dress did fit, clinging to her torso like it was made for her, wouldn’t you know. Even the color complemented her olive skin.

Still, there was that whole bad luck thing.

And what would everyone think of Shay Brandenberger wearing this valuable piece of Moose Creek heritage? A white wedding gown, no less. If she didn’t have the approval of her closest friends and neighbors, what did she have? Not much, to her thinking.

She wanted to cut and run. Wanted to shimmy right out of the dress, tuck it into that box in the storeroom, slip back into her Levi’s and plaid button-up, and go back to her ranch where she could hole up for the next six months.

She checked the time and wished Miss Lucy had nimbler fingers. Of all days to do this, a Saturday, when everyone with two legs was in town. And she still had that infernal meeting with John Oakley.

Please, God, I can’t lose our home . . .

“I’m obliged to you, dear. I completely forgot Jessie was going out of town.”

“No problem.”

“Baloney. You’d rather be knee-deep in cow dung.” The woman’s marionette lines at the sides of her mouth deepened.

“It’s one hour of my life.” A pittance, after all Miss Lucy had done for her.

Miss Lucy finished buttoning, and Shay dropped her hair and smoothed the delicate lace at the cuffs.

“Well, bless you for being willing. God is smiling down on you today for your kindness.”

Shay doubted God really cared one way or another. It was her neighbors she worried about.

“Beautiful, just beautiful. You’ll be the talk of the town on Founders Day.”

“No doubt.” Everyone in Moose Creek would be thinking about the last time she’d worn a wedding gown. And the time before that.

Especially the time before that.

Third time’s a charm, Shay thought, the corner of her lip turning up.

“Stop fretting,” Miss Lucy said, squeezing her shoulders. “You look quite fetching, like the gown was made for you. I won’t have to make a single alteration. Why, it fits you better than it ever did Jessie—don’t you tell her I said so.”

Shay tilted her head. Maybe Miss Lucy was right. The dress did make the most of her figure. And she had as much right to wear it as anyone. Maybe more—she was born and raised here, after all. It was just a silly old reenactment anyway. No one cared who the bride and groom were.

The bell jingled as the door opened behind her. She glanced in the mirror, over her shoulder, where a hulking silhouette filled the shop’s doorway. There was something familiar in the set of the man’s broad shoulders, in the slow way he reached up and removed his hat.

The sight of him constricted her rib cage, squeezed the air from her lungs as if she were wearing a corset. But she wasn’t wearing a corset. She was wearing a wedding gown. Just as she had been the last time she’d set eyes on Travis McCoy.

Class of 2K12 Interview with Caroline Starr Rose, Author of May B

mypalamy@gmail.com — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 01:29:38 PST

How has your personal history influenced the writing of your book?

I grew up reading The Little House books and talked about Laura Ingalls like she was someone I knew personally. Her books were my first exposure to the American frontier, a time and place that has fascinated me ever since. I think part of the draw is the knowledge I would have made a wimpy pioneer woman. The courage, fortitude, and plain hard work these women needed just to live a regular life -- who’s built like this anymore? Before I started May B., all I knew was I wanted to write about a pioneer girl and trusted that as I researched a story would surface. It did.

My teaching background also played into the storyline. I’ve always wondered how children with learning disabilities would have coped in an era before their struggles were identified and understood. May’s dyslexic but at the same time loves to learn and wants desperately to be a teacher. In 1870s Kansas, Her disability marks her as flawed. Even her family finds her expendable, she feels, when she’s pulled from school and made to work for the Oblinger family. Writing her story, I couldn’t help but think of the students I’ve had over the years, especially the ones I might have done better by. It’s a tremendous responsibility, teaching a child, and I’m haunted by some whose needs I didn’t fully understand or meet. In a large part, this book is for those kids, for any kid who’s been marginalized or feels she doesn’t measure up.

If you had to describe your book in one word, what would it be?

Hopeful.

How did you react when you saw your cover?

You have to understand that I had another cover to begin with, one that was very Laura-like and that I loved. When Random House closed my first imprint, Tricycle Press, I lost my editor, my cover, and even for a time the certainty my book would be published. Thankfully another Random House imprint, Schwartz and Wade, swooped in and picked up May a month later.

My new editor had other ideas for my cover. She wanted something unique and eye catching, but something that also sent a message to teachers and librarians (because let’s be honest, they’re a huge part of my audience) about the type of book inside. This was hugely flattering because my art director chose to work with C. S. Neil, who created the covers for Laurie Halse Anderson’s Chains and Forge. I’m no Laurie, but to have my cover echo her historicals and even hint at some sort of similarity is both amazing and terrifying.

Why do you write for young people?

I love being able to validate children through story, their experiences, fears, and dreams. Books are a place we get to examine life intentionally, its big events and small. Writing for children allows me to share the profundity of the ordinary, small moments that make up our lives.

Middle grade books are really the first children explore on their own. As independent readers, kids start to develop their interests and preferences in literature while growing into their own personhood. I know Young Adult fiction is often described as the genre for firsts: first love, first big decisions, etc. But to me, mid-grade is the ultimate genre for the first experiences and emotions that are all a part of growing up.

What’s the last book you read?

I’m in the middle of two books right now, If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler and The Night Children. Before that it was The Dark and Hallow Places.

What was your biggest challenge in writing your book?

The fact that it ended up in verse. I’d only read two verse novels prior to writing May, and I wouldn’t let myself anywhere near one while working on the first draft (I figured what I’d created would fail so miserably in comparison, I’d get discouraged and never finish).

I initially tried a few scenes in prose, but everything felt too far away from the character and her circumstances. When I went back over the first-hand accounts of pioneer women, I was struck by the spare, matter of fact tone of their letters and journals. That’s when I turned to verse. I wasn’t really sure what I was doing, but I could tell what I was writing felt like the most honest way to write May’s story.

Thanks so much Caroline!

May B is available January 10th from Schwartz and Wade (Random House Children's Books).

About the book: Abandoned in a one-room soddy, May Betterly must withstand a blizzard and face her own shortcomings in a solitary struggle to survive.
I watch the wagon until I see nothing on the open plain. For the first time ever, I am alone.

May is helping out on a neighbor’s homestead—just until Christmas, her pa promises . But when a terrible turn of events leaves her all alone, she must try to find food and fuel—and courage—to make it through the approaching winter.

This gorgeous novel in verse by Caroline Starr Rose will transport you to the Kansas prairie—to the endless grassland, and to the suffocating closeness of the sod house where May is stranded.

May’s eloquent, straightforward voice, and her bravery, determination, and willingness to risk it all will capture your heart.

Learn more about Caroline by visiting her at her website!

The Sunday Salon -- One Week In

mypalamy@gmail.com — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 00:47:01 PST

I hope the first full week of 2012 has been great for everyone. I've been a little absent this past week because I flew to Kentucky to help my grandma start packing up her house to move. It was...a pretty intense trip. It's been a few years since I've seen her and her memory is beginning to go. (thus the reason she needs to move) Also, I spent a lot of time in my childhood summers in that town and going there brings back so many memories. I think I was just hit hard with the natural progression of time and change and aging and transition. Not to mention that having to work so quickly to sort through her belongings and try to pack up her things was hard. I wish that I lived closer and could be there more. I also learned some family history and it's so weird how you view it all differently the older you get and the better you know yourself...you can kind of see your family in yourself more if that makes sense.

On the bright side, I got to see my sister and nieces for a bit. My 10 year old niece is reading The Hobbit and loving it! She's going to be a fantasy fan for life. I sometimes wish I had read and loved those books as a kid as it seems that people who read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have really special feelings about them. I've always felt like I missed out on that club. She obviously won't, as she's loving it!

Reading
I've read two books so far in the new year. I read The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was the first Fitzgerald I've ever read, I know, I know. It was...kind of painful, but I'm glad I read it. Not ever having read his work before I felt like I had a huge gap in my education. I read this one for a specific reason which I'll write about later, but it was a book that took a lot of power of concentration. I even ended up dreaming about it one night. At that point, I decided to try reading another book at the same time, and picked up Francisco X. Stork's Irises which turned out not to be a light book at all, but a book I loved so so much. I can't wait to talk about it in more detail soon.

TV

I haven't had a chance to watch all the shows that came back this week, but I made time to watch The Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle both of which I really enjoyed.

The Vampire Diaries--So...I guess the various sibling relationships were supposed to kind of tie the stories together, but tbh the Jeremy one kind of annoyed me. I actually think a longer story about Jeremy coming to the realization that "no one here gets out alive" could have been great story telling and given the compulsion scene more emotional resonance. (as it was though, I did cry a little during that scene, but in my defense I'm a bit of an emotional wreck due to lack of sleep and the week I had). For some reason, that seems to happen a lot with this show, I enjoy the stories they tell, but it's like this little persistent bug that there's potential for such great stories that get kind of rushed or glossed over because there's a different plot they are more interested in. BUT anyway, I did enjoy the episode. I liked that the problem with Alaric's ring came back and escalated (the last time Damon killed him, if you remember, it took longer than normal for him to come back to life) and I'm wondering if Alaric will die by the end of the season or someone else will die to somehow save him. Also, Dr. Fell! Tyler was...kind of annoying and I thought it was interesting that Alaric likened his mentality to that of being in a cult. Even though Tyler compelled Jeremy it could have been so much worse. I kind of think Tyler will probably die this season as well, but it could have been a much bigger thing that he did before realizing what was going on, so I don't know.

Stefan/Damon were the best part of the episode for me. Their little fight, lol. Damon and Elena was...interesting. I don't know it's so weird, but I'm having a really hard time buying them. I'm not sure exactly why. But it will be interesting what they do with that...you know Damon finds out Stefan was saving him YET AGAIN and then kisses Elena. But in fairness, of course, she's just said that nice stuff about she didn't know what she'd do if he wasn't there and they were having a moment. And he did tell her about Stefan. And also nice callback to the last time we thought they kissed on the porch!

Though....Nina Dobrev's acting irritated me this episode for some reason she kept making the same face. Maybe she always does that I just really seemed to notice it this episode. And compelling Jeremy again annoyed me. I am constantly annoyed by Elena making decisions about how to protect people. And Klaus was...well just sort of there. This whole stealing his family plot makes me laugh it's like straight out of 24. Anyway, enjoyed the ep! And next week looks interesting.

The Secret Circle--Diana's grandma! ♥ I liked this episode a lot. I did get Harry Potter vibes from learning that Dawn had worshiped John Blackwell. And I wouldn't be surprised if John is in fact not dead. I liked the symbolism of Cassie rising from the grave and then later being branded the one they were waiting for. I'm easy okay? Though I'm not exactly sure what they meant by the one able to tip the balance of darkness and good. I loved everything Melissa but I'm ready for her to have her own story line. Faye trashing that voo-doo guy's place was awesome! And I liked Diana and Cassie being friends and hope they build that even more.

One minor gripe...if someone you barely know is going to do a spell to take all the black magic out of you, it might be a good idea to like, ask them more details beforehand. And if Kate hadn't been trying to trick her and such a spell really existed, I think she would go over the process beforehand. But oh well, Cassie is so so naive, and I like to think that this episode put that to death and that's the death she experienced. The battle of dark nature and good side is an interesting one to have in your main character and I like it. I'm really liking this show. And I was glad to see Jake come back ~~because I kinda ship it.~~ Also, I just love all the elders. More elders please! They are more interesting than Charles and Dawn, yawn.

Movies

I only watched one, Moneyball on the plane and whenever I watch a movie on a plane, especially an old one with old headphones and only those aisle TVs I only feel like I see about 75% of it. But I really really liked this! I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed it, tbh. Brad Pitt was fantastic, and also just the story about the business of baseball and the fight against established way of doing things was fascinating to watch. I kind of want to watch it again soon. Fans of baseball should definitely watch! It's about baseball, but it's really about carving out a path to do something new against all accepted procedure and reasoning.

And that was my week. I hope to catch up with everyone soon! How has 2012 been so far? A winner?

Give Me Your Recs!

mypalamy@gmail.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:31:19 PST

So in a continued effort to increase my interests and knowledge I need your help!

I want to try to listen to more podcasts in an effort to eventually make a great one myself (LOL) so any recs? Bookish ones are okay, but I'm more interested in good ones about film, music, TV, news, theology (not too conservative though).

Also I'd love your recs for good film blogs and music blogs...I need to learn how to write about both things better and the best way is by reading the best out there right?

I eagerly await your recs.

CFBA Book Spotlight: The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen and The Rose of Winslow Street by Elizabeth Camden

mypalamy@gmail.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:09:26 PST

Pampered Margaret Macy flees London in disguise to escape pressure to marry a dishonorable man. With no money and nowhere else to go, she takes a position as a housemaid in the home of Nathaniel Upchurch, a suitor she once rejected in hopes of winning his dashing brother. Praying no one will recognize her, Margaret fumbles through the first real work of her life. If she can last until her next birthday, she will gain an inheritance from a spinster aunt--and sweet independence. But can she remain hidden as a servant even when prying eyes visit Fairbourne Hall?

Observing both brothers as an "invisible" servant, Margaret learns she may have misjudged Nathaniel. Is it too late to rekindle his admiration? And when one of the family is nearly killed, Margaret alone discovers who was responsible. Should she come forward, even at the risk of her reputation and perhaps her life? And can she avoid an obvious trap meant to force her from hiding?

On her journey from wellborn lady to servant to uncertain future, Margaret must learn to look past appearances and find the true meaning of "serve one another in love."

The last thing Libby Sawyer and her father expected upon their return from their summer home was to find strangers inhabiting a house that had been in their family for decades. Widower Michael Dobrescu brought his family from Romania to the town of Colden, Massachusetts with a singular purpose: to claim the house willed to him long ago. Since neither party has any intention of giving up their claim, a fierce legal battle ensues between the two families.

When important documents go missing from the house, Libby suspects Michael is the culprit. Determined to discover the truth behind the stolen papers, Libby investigates, only to find more layers of mystery surrounding Michael and his family. Despite their rivalry, Libby finds herself developing feelings for this man with the mysterious past.

As a decision about the house looms in the courts, Libby must weigh the risks of choosing to remain loyal to her family or give her heart to a man whose intentions and affections are less than certain.

Review: The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

mypalamy@gmail.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00:04 PST

Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why was a big hit, a book people talked about for a long time and still talk about. I enjoyed it myself and thought it made a great book club read since there was a lot to discuss. So this new book, The Future of Us that he co-wrote with Carolyn Mackler got a lot of attention. To be honest, I didn't know much about the book except for that I wanted to read it and I was thrilled to get it for Christmas.

The premise of the book is very interesting, Emma gets an AOL CD ROM in 1996 and when she logs in, Facebook pops up. Of course, there is no Facebook yet, so at first she and her friend Josh are really perplexed by what's going on...is it a prank? But of course it can't be a prank, Josh thinks. Who would prank the future and talk about what people were fixing for dinner? (which LOL). They quickly become addicted to seeing their future, though, and surprised when choices they make in the present affect their future Facebook selves.

Of course there's more to the story....Emma and Josh have been best friends forever and just six months before they discover Facebook-from-the-future Josh misread their situation and believed that Emma wanted more from their relationship than she did. But...she didn't and so things were awkward and strained between them until Facebook came along. Sharing the Facebook secret brings them closer together again and forces both of them to examine what they really want from their lives.

I found this book to be utterly compulsive reading, once I started reading I didn't want to stop! Of course the idea of having the option to know your Facebook status in several years is really really appealing...but I think there was something else at work here...Emma was just a couple of years ahead of where I was in school so there was just tons of nostalgia. It was like reading a YA book about my youth! AOL! (lol I was always meant for the internet I got grounded from using it when we first got it because I always ran up the charges and I was kicked off AOL and forced to only use the free juno email. OMG the days! Thank god it's limitless now!), phone cards!, having a cell phone being a novelty!, Dave Matthews and Greenday! plus I mean I think it's obvious this is a story about best friends realizing they want to be more and so it was a fun love story from that respect, too.

It was also interesting to read how Josh and Emma dealt with learning surprising things from the future about the people they loved...things that very much affected the present and the way they saw their friends. The book is told in alternating viewpoints...and Emma first person chapter and then a Josh one. And both Josh and Emma have things they need to learn about themselves that Facebook helps them with.

The Future of Us is just a super fun read, like a window back in time but also a reflection on the value of living in the here and now and making good choices now that will obviously affect your future. I highly recommend it for a fun time.
Notes: What is this cover tbh? Did they not do any market research? Also, Emma is a runner which at first annoyed me b/c I thought it was going to be preachy about getting off the internet and spending more time outside but then that didn't happen. Yay! Rating: 4.5/5 Things You Might Want to Know: um....there might be some profanity? Definitely some talk about teen sex without actually describing anything Source of Book: Christmas present from my wonderful friend Thomas Publisher: Razorbill (Penguin)

Six Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2012

mypalamy@gmail.com — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST

I decided to share a list of a few of the books I'm looking forward to in 2012. I didn't scour catalogs looking for these, they are just books I already knew about that I'm looking forward to reading.

Small Damages by Beth Kephart/July Of course.

It’s senior year, and the future should be right within reach. But for Kenzie—bright, ambitious, in love with Yale-bound Kevin—the future has been rearranged. She’s pregnant, and she’s determined not to end her pregnancy. Her mother and Kevin refuse to understand. Sent off to an old cortijo in Spain, Kenzie must find a way to endure until her baby is safe in an adoptive couple’s hands. What will she make of the stubborn old cook who plagues Kenzie with demands? How will she ever understand the mysterious young man Esteban—his way with horses and birds, his way of watching her? And what can the eccentric gypsies teach Kenzie about love? There are choices to make. There are questions about home. Small Damages is Spain alive. It is hearts broken and healed. It is heat and color and soul.

This is not a Test by Courtney Summers/June

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up.

As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, everyone’s motivations to survive begin to change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life–and death–inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

If I Lie by Corinne Jackson/August

A powerful debut novel about the gray space between truth and perception.

Quinn’s done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend. And she got caught. Being branded a cheater would be bad enough, but Quinn is deemed a traitor, and shunned by all of her friends. Because Carey’s not just any guy—he’s serving in Afghanistan and revered by everyone in their small, military town.

Quinn could clear her name, but that would mean revealing secrets that she’s vowed to keep—secrets that aren’t hers to share. And when Carey goes MIA, Quinn must decide how far she’ll go to protect her boyfriend…and her promise. I love the synopsis on this! and the cover!

Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacqueline Woodson/February

Laurel Daneau has moved on to a new life, in a new town, but inside she's still reeling from the loss of her beloved mother and grandmother after Hurricane Katrina washed away their home. Laurel's new life is going well, with a new best friend, a place on the cheerleading squad and T-Boom, co-captain of the basketball team, for a boyfriend. Yet Laurel is haunted by voices and memories from her past.

When T-Boom introduces Laurel to meth, she immediately falls under its spell, loving the way it erases, even if only briefly, her past. But as she becomes alienated from her friends and family, she becomes a shell of her former self, and longs to be whole again. With help from an artist named Moses and her friend Kaylee, she's able to begin to rewrite her story and start to move on from her addiction.

Incorporating Laurel's bittersweet memories of life before and during the hurricane, this is a stunning novel by one of our finest writers. Jacqueline Woodson's haunting - but ultimately hopeful - story is beautifully told and one readers will not want to miss. Yay new Jacqueline Woodson!

Facing the Hunchback of Notre Dame by Lisa Samson/May (my birthday in fact!), Zonderkidz

A hidden attic. A classic story. A very unexpected twist. Twin twelve-year-old bookworms Ophelia and Linus Easterday discover a hidden attic that once belonged to a mad scientist. While relaxing in the attic and enjoying her latest book, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Ophelia dozes off, and within moments finds herself facing a fully alive and completely bewildered Quasimodo. Ophelia and Linus team up with a clever neighbor, a hippy priest, and a college custodian, learning Quasimodo's story while searching for some way to get him back home---if he can survive long enough in the modern world.

The Messenger by Siri Mitchell/March Bethany House

Hannah Sunderland felt content in her embrace of the Quaker faith

...until her twin brother ran off and joined the army and ended up captured and in jail. Suddenly Hannah's world turns on end. She longs to bring her brother some measure of comfort in the squalid, frigid prison where he remains. But the Quakers believe they are not to take sides, not to take up arms. Can she sit by and do nothing while he suffers?

Jeremiah Jones has an enormous task before him. Responsibility for a spy ring is now his, and he desperately needs access to the men in prison, whom they are seeking to free. A possible solution is to garner a pass for Hannah. But while she is fine to the eye, she holds only disdain for him--and agreeing would mean disobeying those she loves and abandoning a bedrock of her faith.

With skill and sensitivity, Mitchell tells a story of two unlikely heroes seeking God's voice, finding the courage to act, and discovering the powerful embrace of love. Siri always writes a story that grabs my heart. So yay!

There are a lot of other books I'm looking forward to as well, but this is just a sampling. What are you looking forward to in 2012?

The Sunday Salon -- Welcome 2012!

mypalamy@gmail.com — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:10 PST

Happy New Year everyone!

I suspect most of you are going to spend the day lazing around recovering from your New Year's festivities, but I wanted to take the opportunity of a bright and shiny new year to share a little bit about what you can expect on the blog in 2012.

Book Reviews--Shocker right?

TV Talk--I'll keep recapping my Thursday night shows here and probably Gossip Girl at Intimate Strangers.

Class of 2K12 Interviews--This will be an ongoing feature where I share interviews with some of the authors who are a part of the Class of 2K12. Yay!

Ageless Stories Feature--This will be a new somewhat regular feature where I share picture books that have appeal for all ages. I've been wanting to start this FOREVER and 2012 is the year!

And more melodramatic, very serious reflections on life as a reader, TV fan, and story addict.

I want to connect with you in 2012!

Subscribe to My Friend Amy via RSS or Email.

Follow me on Twitter

Follow me on Tumblr

Befriend me on Goodreads and LibraryThing

Some last minute 2011 TV Talk

American Horror Story--Okay so I finally watched the finale and....WHAT WAS THAT? My favorite part was when Ben told Tate off. I was cheering him along! But the rest of the episode felt very strange to me, like...they aimed for a light tone and kind of acted like death was the answer? So death was the answer to all the problems that the Harmons had? They found peace and happiness once they'd all died violent, horrible deaths and were stuck together in the house forever?...IDEK what to think of it, but I'll still probably watch next season. I love the anthology approach to the series.

The Closer's Season finale on the other hand was fantastic! So much drama! So much tension! Brenda not exactly getting her way but being unable to fight it. AND WHO IS THE LEAK? Ugh, I'm so sad there are only 6 episodes left and I'm still not sold on the spin-off.

Happy New Year everyone! You make me so happy and I hope this is the best year EVER for all of you!

Reflecting on the Year in Books and Book Blogging

mypalamy@gmail.com — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:00:08 PST

2011 feels like it was a big year for change in a lot of ways--in publishing, books, how and why we read what we do, and also book blogging itself. Maybe some of these changes are just changes for me...I once rode in on a new wave of book blogging and now something else has taken its place and at times I feel a bit lost. I've had to evaluate exactly what I'm doing and why and what matters most to me in all of this, otherwise I'd probably just stop altogether...I very nearly did this year, after all. I've watched some of my own favorite book bloggers drop the title of book blogger--something we used to be proud of that sort of...bonded us together as a community? others leave Twitter, many go professional, and still others nearly disappear altogether. I used to feel like I had a sort of segment of the community that I belonged to, but there have been so many divisions now, some of them ugly, some just the natural way things progress as time passes. And yet...despite all of this, there's a warmth I feel when in the company of fellow readers, a way that blogging about books is a part of my life that I don't want to lose. YOU all are part of my life and I don't want to lose you even if I can't be a book blogger in the way that I used to. And so I guess that's what I learned at the end of the day, that what I value about book blogging the most are the connections and friends that I've made along the way, and the way I've learned to think smarter and better about what I read. There's something so comforting about knowing that while we each live our own lives, we also share a sort of life on our blogs. I like it. Let's not kill it completely okay? Evolution is a weird thing, and this evolving as a blogger thing has been one of the most interesting for me, because I certainly never expected to find myself at this particular point. In short? What I care about: reading good books, talking about them, making and keeping good friends, being smarter, and having a record of what I've read in a year. What I don't care about: Discovering the next great book, having a million readers that I have no interaction with, marketing and selling books just for the sake of marketing and selling books. Admittedly, I used to have a lot of internal conflict over some of these, but not anymore.

As far as the actual title of book blogger...well I still consider myself one because that IS what I blog the most about, but it doesn't really matter to me one way or another. I didn't originally create this blog to be a book blog and I do blog about other stuff so if that doesn't make me a book blogger so be it.

But! On top of all that stuff, I thought this post I wrote back at the beginning of the year was very timely. In A Dying Way of Life, I discussed how I could see our bookish way of life coming to an end. And since then I watched another used local bookstore close and just today (well on Thursday when you read this) I learned the local Book Warehouse is closing. I just feel so much grief and some of it is ridiculous because it's not like I NEED physical bookstores, it's just that I have a really hard time letting things go. I don't know if I will like a world better where we all read on electronic devices and our interests are even more divided and fragmented than ever before. I will miss just browsing the shelves, eavesdropping on complete strangers' bookish conversations and just being in a place where books matter. Who knows what 2012 holds? I wouldn't be surprised if one of the big things that happens is that even more bookstores close.

In other news, a few other of my favorite posts this year:

My post about Reader's Block

Jealousy and Book Bloggers

I also admitted that I prefer female authors to male authors, and don't feel guilty about it. Much.

And just for nostalgia's sake, my tumblr post about missing the early days of book blogging.

I'm sure the coming year will bring many other changes to my blogging life and reading life, and hopefully personal life as well. But I do hope I'll be back at the end of 2012 to review the year once again. :)

Reading Goals for 2012

mypalamy@gmail.com — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:00:11 PST

One of the advantages of writing the blog for me is the ability to look back at what I've written and see what I was thinking about and what happened during the year. For some reason, I tend to forget like..January through April especially, they feel like a different year or something.

I was especially interested in looking back at this year because somewhere along the way I almost fully dropped out of the reading and book blogging thing for awhile. And I was kind of wondering what was going on before that happened, and I do feel like I have a lot more clarity at the end of the year about how things progressed.

It's funny because in 2010, I had a sort of reading crisis where I was trying to figure out what I was doing with my reading life and I wrote post after post about how I wanted my reading to mean something, about how I wanted to read more socially, I wanted to spend more time on the books I was reading, etc. And for some RIDICULOUS reason, I thought the solution was to plan themed weeks and readalongs. And while that makes a certain kind of sense, it was just another way of boxing in my reading life. So basically I failed in every goal I made for myself with regards to reading.

So here are a few of my plans for my 2012 reading life.

Nothing is set in stone.

I have a few reading ~~challenges~~ projects I intend to tackle but I don't even want to write about them here. Somehow, if they exist only in my mind, I feel more like I will actually do them for the joy of it. Also if I don't finish them it will be no big deal. These are mostly focused on large overarching themes. I'll let you know if I complete them!

No more challenges.

I got antsy a few times wanting to sign up for challenges in the past month as every blogger unveils their shiny new challenges for 2012, but the truth is I just can't. I never complete them anyway and usually they just lead to a book acquisition binge which leads to more books sitting around that I feel stressed about not reading. So I will not be joining any challenges this year. I will also not be hosting any. The Buy One Book and Read It Challenge was originally conceived to encourage people to read who normally don't, then I expanded it to encourage people to buy books. But I don't think it's making any actual difference at the moment so it's time to lay it to rest.

Read where my interests take me

This should be so obvious, but I'm so often scheduled to the max with commitments that there a lot of books I want to read that I don't have time to read. And then this past year I flaked out on almost every commitment. So I want to give myself room to just go where my interests are taking me in the moment.

Still, I should challenge myself

I don't want to become a lazy reader, so I do want to challenge myself in some ways. So for me that's going to mean that I'm going to read a bit outside of my comfort zone...I'd like to read 3 nonfiction (non-memoir), 3 books of poetry (stole this from Ana), 3 graphic novels, 3 short story collections, and 3 classics. Hopefully I'll be able to do more than that in some categories, but I think I need to be more conscious about diversifying my reading.

Keep Track of My Reading

I've never been one who can track what I read, but I intend to try this year. It will give me a good idea, I hope, of how diversely I read and where I'm spending my time. Kind of like how when you're making a budget you write down every penny you spend.

Finally, I do have a list of books I'd like to try to read this year. Most of these are from last year's challenge list that I didn't get to, but still very much want to read.

The Yearling by Marjorie Rawlings

1984 by George Orwell

Watership Down by Richard Adams

Germinal by Emile Zola

Strong Poison by Dorothy Sayers

Saints in Limbo by River Jordan

Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

Lilith by George Macdonald

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

Plus all of the Faith and Fiction Round Table books.

Sooooo...those are my goals. My main hope for 2012 is to rediscover my joy of reading. What are your goals?

2011 -- The Year in Books

mypalamy@gmail.com — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:07:13 PST

I am so hesitant about posting this two days early, especially as I have a long day of travel on the 30th during which I will probably read at least one more book. But I am not going to get another chance to really write for awhile, so here goes! (Also these are my favorite reads of the year, not necessarily books published in 2011)

You Are My Only by Beth Kephart (I never wrote a review)

This year was really kind of strange for me, and there were periods of time where I struggled a lot with just feeling down. It's weird, too, how sometimes you don't see that if you aren't enjoying the things you used to love you might be depressed? Even if you don't recognize it as such at the time. Well that was this year and reading for me. I don't even know how to explain it, but it was a really tough reading year. And so I actually put off reading You Are My Only for a time, because it's Beth's book and I wanted to love it and not read it when I hated the very thought of reading. I don't even remember why I finally picked it up, but I read it straight through staying up until the early morning hours, and weeping as I reached the end of the book. Beth masterfully tells two stories simultaneously of two girls that are in need of hope. And hope doesn't come wrapped in bright packages, it comes in its hard won way and it's difficult and hard but it's there. I love her use of language, theme, and her eye for detail, but mostly I love, will always love that healing and hope and freedom come through human interaction in her stories. We reach out to one another, we love each other, and we heal each other in our own stumbling, clumsy way. In You are My Only especially it's the art of food and the treasure of shared story that build bonds. THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL BOOK and obviously it's a very personal read for me, but you should still read it. I don't really understand how it didn't win all the awards, tbqh.

You Know When the Men are Gone by Siobhan Fallon

This stunning collection of short stories about life for military spouses has stayed with me to this day. I can still vividly recall certain scenes out of the collection, and I still recommend it every chance I get. The stories are connected in loose ways through one major event that takes place and seeing how that impacts the lives of various people at Fort Hood is an effective storytelling technique. While some stories might be a bit weaker than others, the writing is enjoyable and believable throughout the book.

Night Road by Kristin Hannah

I sat down and read Night Road in one day, I did not want to stop. It was such a satisfying read, because Hannah developed her characters so well and clearly laid out their paths. It was impossible not to become invested in their stories, to feel their loss, and celebrate their hard earned victories. I cried A LOT during this book and understood for the first time why Kristin Hannah is such a beloved author.

The First Husband by Laura Dave

Laura Dave's The First Husband is a smart, funny, and touching book about a woman who has to learn to choose what she can live with and what she can't live without. I loved following Annie's journey of facing down her fears, embracing freedom, and learning who she was. Months later and I'm still recommending it to everyone!

A Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.

This was a book for Faith and Fiction's Round Table last year that I found a complete chore to read. I think it took me something like three weeks to read and I was apologizing all over the place to the group for being so late. But it's not a bad book, just very difficult. And the ideas...so many ideas are raised in the book that are fascinating to contemplate. So even though this wasn't a book I had to read all at once, it has stayed with me since I read it and I realize that is a very good book, a book I'm really glad to have read and may even read again one day. A Canticle for Liebowitz is comprised of three novellas that take a look at a post-apocaplyptic society's attempts to rebuild itself over the ages.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

I have a thing for stories about people coming together in unlikely circumstances and creating something new together and Bel Canto fits that to perfection. Add in some tragedy and reverence for music and you pretty much have my ideal book. I loved this one a lot, and I anticipate the characters staying with me for a long time.

The Pirate Queen by Patricia Hickman

I remember being so surprised to discover this beautifully written book. Hickman masterfully creates the inner world of her protagonist so that you know exactly who she is. As she battles her own disappointment with her life and eventually learns to unearth the treasures all around her, it's hard not to feel hope bloom in your own heart. Loved it.

Paradise Valley by Dale Cramer

Hands down the best Amish book there is! I love how Cramer draws on his own family history to tell a story about a people who feel called apart but must come to terms with the way in which the world is colliding with their own. The very practical question of pacifism vs. protection is explored. And the women feeling stifled is actually addressed! And they are even forced to confront their racism. I don't know, I just loved that this book manages to depict the Amish with tremendous sympathy and fairness while also exploring the obstacles they face in trying to live out their faith. I have the second book in my possession now and I'm very happy about it!

This was kind of a strange reading year in that I didn't read many of the big titles and I flaked out on pretty much every commitment I tried to make for myself. I'll share more about that later, but these are the books I read that really made a big impression on me. I'm curious if I have ANY overlap at all with anyone else since it's kind of a strange list.