Collected Miscellany

As regular readers know, I am a fan of creative young adult fiction particularly fantasy. It seems that publishers have given this genre more freedom and thus the books are simply more interesting than a lot of what is being published for adults. These works have the added benefit of being lighthearted and witty. They provide a nice break from more serious reading.

One of my favorites series along these lines is the Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley. They are creative, fun, easy reads, with a touch of suspense and have great illustrations. What’s not to like?

The latest in the series (book six) has recently come out, and Tales from the Hood is a delightful addition to the sister’s adventures.

For those of you unfamiliar with the premise of the series, it is that the famous Brothers Grimm were not capturing folktales and fairy tales but actual history. As the world turns away from believing these stories the magical creatures involved end up sequestered in a sleepy town in upstate New York called Ferryport landing.

The central characters, Daphne and Sabrina Grimm, are long last relatives of the brothers and they end up in the family business: solving the crimes and mysteries of the magical residents of their new home town known as “Everafters.” A group of the Everafters known as the Scarlet Hand, however, resent the Grimms for their role in trapping them in Ferryport. They kidnap Daphne and Sabrina’s parents and put them in a deep sleep. The arc of the series is driven by the Grimm’s quest to rescue and awaken them. Each book resolves a smaller mystery while keeping this over-arching mystery just out of reach and ends with “To Be Continued.”

For more on book six see below.

Continue reading →

As regular readers know, I am a fan of creative young adult fiction particularly fantasy. It seems that publishers have given this genre more freedom and thus the books are simply more interesting than a lot of what is being published for adults. These works have the added benefit of being lighthearted and witty. They provide a nice break from more serious reading.

One of my favorites series along these lines is the Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley. They are creative, fun, easy reads, with a touch of suspense and have great illustrations. What’s not to like?

The latest in the series (book six) has recently come out, and Tales from the Hood is a delightful addition to the sister’s adventures.

For those of you unfamiliar with the premise of the series, it is that the famous Brothers Grimm were not capturing folktales and fairy tales but actual history. As the world turns away from believing these stories the magical creatures involved end up sequestered in a sleepy town in upstate New York called Ferryport landing.

The central characters, Daphne and Sabrina Grimm, are long last relatives of the brothers and they end up in the family business: solving the crimes and mysteries of the magical residents of their new home town known as “Everafters.” A group of the Everafters known as the Scarlet Hand, however, resent the Grimms for their role in trapping them in Ferryport. They kidnap Daphne and Sabrina’s parents and put them in a deep sleep. The arc of the series is driven by the Grimm’s quest to rescue and awaken them. Each book resolves a smaller mystery while keeping this over-arching mystery just out of reach and ends with “To Be Continued.”

For more on book six see below.

Continue reading →

I will address this more fully tomorrow when I have more time, but here are a couple of posts that lay out the two sides:

– Meagan McArdle offers ten reasons why she loves her Kindle

– James Joyner is still not a believer.

The Kindle, BTW, is now available for immediate shipping!

I am not a literary critic. Sure, this blog may be loosely “literary” to the extent I talk about literature. But mostly I am just a person who loves to read and writes what he thinks about books on the internet. I try to honestly communicate what I like and don’t like about the books I read. I am comfortable offering my opinion. And in this sense I suppose I am a critic.

I find the idea of writing a novel so daunting, however, as to be almost incomprehensible. I simply can’t imagine the work and creative skill involved in making up dialog, creating and describing characters, keeping the plot straight, etc. That is why I love to interact with authors. It is with a sense of awe at what they are able to accomplish. When someone I am in any way connected to writes a book then it makes it that much more interesting.

Mark Sarvas and I are connected by nothing more than the fact that we both have blogs. I have exchanged some emails with him and commented on his blog. We aren’t exactly blog soul mates, however. He is a West Coast liberal and I am a Midwest conservative. (In fact, we had something of a falling out during the last election – if it could be called that.)

Nevertheless, he is a talented blogger and a love for books can surely overcome politics. With this in mind, I wanted to read his first novel and genuinely hoped it met with success. And so when it came out I read it.

Feel free to take what I say with whatever amount of salt grains you feel are appropriate. Maybe I am just kissing up to a famous lit blogger. Maybe I want to join that infamous clique and reap the link love that is said to come with it. Maybe I am just not as sophisticated a judge of literature as the New York Times.

But I will admit that I liked the book and even found it moving. It is a comic story about grief, deception, and self-perception.

More after the jump.

Continue reading →

Today I recorded a podcast for Redstate and thought I would share it with CM readers. My guests are Tara Ross and Joe Smith authors of Under God: George Washington and the Question of Church and State.

In our conversation we discuss George Washington’s unique perspective on questions of church and state; why his views have not been more widely discussed or understood; how one phrase from one letter from Thomas Jefferson came to dominate American views on the subject; and how we might go about changing this dominance.

I read Ray Blackstone’s first novel, Flabbergasted, and found it to be a lighthearted and wholesome novel about dating from a Christian perspective. It lacked depth and much tension, but I wrote at that I could appreciate the perspective:

That being said, Flabbergasted is an interesting read and a family friendly one at that. It is refreshing to read a book that doesn’t treat becoming a Christian like joining a weird cult or as a fig leaf for a warped psyche. Given the bias and antagonism that much of our culture has towards faith Blackstone provides a nice counter-balance. He paints a picture of real people living real lives yet doing it in within the context of church and faith. Jay’s path to faith may seem a little trite at times but it is honest and sincere. Not everyone needs to go through a “dark night of the soul” to come to faith in Christ.

Blackstone has gone on to write a number of novels including two sequels to Flabbergasted. His latest book, Par for the Course, caught my eye because of its subject matter: golf and politics. I thought it would be interesting to see what Blackstone could do with two of my hobbies.

Here is the set up for the book:

In PAR FOR THE COURSE, Chris Hackett owns and operates Hack’s Golf Learning Center, an eccentric golf range in Charleston, SC. Chris jumps at the chance to step up his game when an attractive new student and political correspondent, Molly, suggests that Chris capitalize on the current, highly polarized, presidential election. This pitting of right versus left means even more income, plus a sharp new girlfriend, and soon Chris, his sidekick, Cack, and their unique golf range are the talk of the town . . . until someone takes the political insults too seriously. Will Molly stick around as Chris learns the true meaning of “playing politics”? And will Chris realize how much he wants her to?

Like Flabbergasted, Par for the Course has dating as a focus. And obviously Blackstone is still writing for a Christian perspective. But the faith element is largely missing from the story. Instead it focuses on Chris and his interaction with women.

The hook for the story, having golfers try to hit a specialized golf cart while Cack hurls partisan insults at them is interesting. And Blackstone handles the set up pretty smoothly – although, a plot line about a feminist speaker never really goes anywhere – and adds in some tension when the plan backfires with disastrous results. Before things turn ugly, however, Blackstone delivers some funny moments.

Chris is an interesting character in many ways. A nice guy who couldn’t quite make it as a professional golfer who really wants a family but lacks confidence when it comes to the opposite sex. Blackstone uses him to explore the discussion men have about relationships as well as the challenges of dating and career.

But like Flabbergasted, the question comes down to one of taste (I feel like a broken record on this point). If you are looking for lighthearted, squeaky clean, and slightly cheesy fare then you will probably enjoy Par for the Course.

If you prefer your fiction a little deeper and with a more literary bent then you will probably be disappointed. Blackstone avoids dark or difficult topics and wraps everything up in a nice happy bow. His style makes for a quick read and his main characters are likable if corny. But, IMHO, they require little of the reader and don’t make much of an impact.

To me they are Christian fluff, pleasant and family friendly, but fluff nonetheless.