Fall Into Reading Challenge Finished

I love the sense of accomplishment when a set goal is reached. With the reading of Wonderlust I completed the Fall Into Reading 2007 Challenge hosted by Katrina at Callapidder Days blog. I didn't stick to my original list for every book. Read four that were on the original and switched 3 out for different books to satisfy my mood swings. These are the ones I read:
1. Christine Kringle by Lynn Britney
2. Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland
3. Latitudes of Melt by Joan Clark
4. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy
5. The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thorton Wilder
6. The Bookman's Wake by John Dunning
7. Wonderlust: A Spiritual Travelogue for the Adventurous Soul by Vicky Kuyper

I enjoyed all the books. I probably liked Latitudes of Melt, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Bookman's Wake and Wonderlust a bit more than the others. Christin Kringle was probably my least favorite, but it was very fun to read for the Holidays. So - NO losers.

Wonderlust:A Spiritual Travelogue for the Adventurous Soul.

by Vicki Kuyper

When the publisher asked if I would be interested in reading this book, I was more than a little hesitant. Here is what the email said about this book:
WONDERLUST contains 30 spiritual travelogues of the author’s adventurous journeys around the globe. You will experience your own personal inner pilgrimage toward a better understanding of God and yourself as you join the author on a journey of discovery to find God’s imprint on creation, from hiking the Inca Trail to riding a dogsled across the Arctic tundra. Catch a glimpse of the wonder, beauty, and mystery of God’s world—and your unique place in it and in God’s heart. Each chapter is a minijourney that stretches across 7 states, 15 countries, and 5 continents. A “Personal Journey” section is included for personal reflection questions and journaling space.

The travel part made my heart beat faster, but the religious part caused it to drop in free fall. Now I'm not a pure heathen, but Christian literature can sometimes be a bit of a turn-off for me. I strongly hate when Christians write about Diety in a casual maner, like Jesus was some Joe Smoe off the street. (That made me shudder to write - so offensive.) The other thing I hate is preachiness.

All that said, I loved this book! Kuyper's writing is descriptive and appealing. I discovered many new destinations that I want to visit and some that I can quite easily pass by. I have great admiration for Kuyper and her fortitude. She can climb, hike and endure some challenging journeys. She visited places in the U.S. as close as Colorado and Arizona and as exotic as Italy, Scotland, Thailand, to name a few.

I like how the author converses with God on a regular basis and not always in the typical prayer format. I was reminded often of Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof. And I like how she likened the scriptures to her life and situation.

This is a great bathroom book. The chapters are short. I liked reading it in small chunks so I could ponder it in between readings. I left it on the hamper and my husband picked it up and read it. I brought it out to write this post and he thought I was adding it to my bookmooch inventory. He said, "You can't give that away. I want to read that one again." Of course, I had no thought of mooching it. It's a definite saver and one that I will read over and over. I need to keep my bookdarts and highlighter close by for the next reading.

I hope other's will read this one and share your thoughts with me. I think you'll be glad you did.

Be sure to check out Candleman's review. Candleman is my husband.

Christine Kringle

by Lynn Brittney

In this book we learn that it's preposterous to believe that one, and only one, Santa can possibly stop at every single home on Christmas eve and deliver presents the world over. There are really many Santas that take over that responsibility. Each Santa and his family are members of the Yule Dynasty and each has his own country to take care of. In the US it is Kris Kringle, in Japan it is Santa Kurohsu, Brazil has Papai Noel, Slovakia has St. Mikulas, for Canada it's Old Belsnickle and in many South American countries there are the wise kings.

The Yule Dynasty meets annually on Nov 29 to take care of business. This year Kris Kringle hopes to persuade the council to change the age-old policy of turning the family business over to the oldest son. You see, Pa and Ma Kringle only have a one child, their daughter Christine.

There is another problem for the Yule convention when a small village in England announces it's decision to ban Christmas.

The process of resolving these problems and a few others that emerge along the way are at the heart of this whimsical, creative and delightful book aimed at the 8 to 16 year old reader. Christine Kringle is a fun book that will certainly get you in the Christmas spirit with its fun takeoff on the Santa Claus tale.

Latitudes of Melt

by Joan Clark

I read Shipping News earlier this year while we were traveling in Newfoundland. It didn't fill me with a sense of Newfoundland the way that Latitudes of Melt did. Shipping News could have taken place anywhere in a small, cold, coastal community whereas Latitudes evoked a strong sense of Newfoundland.

"There amid the cushioning green, millions of bakeapples shown like orange stars, spreading inland as far as the eye could see, past the blue pond water to the infinite rise beyond. They were a galaxy whose constellations changed as handfulls of berries tumbled into pails. No matter how far the women walked inland, they were never out of sight of the sea. . . the berries grew best in boggy ground, the same bogs where purple iris grew."

Newfoundland is in the middle of the latitudes of melt, between 46 and 51 degrees north, a region where icebergs calved in Greenland drift down the Labrador Current to dwindle in the coves before disappearing altogether below the 43rd parallel. For this reason alone the title was appropriate for the story. Clark carries the theme of icebergs and melting beyond the setting and into the characters themselves and their relationships. There are times when the current of circumstance melts the frost in a person's and other times when the cold hardens into an iceberg. And like an iceberg only a small portion of the thing is visible.

Latitudes of Melt starts out when the main character, Aurora, is found bundled into a basket and floating on a flat piece of ice. The book is about her life and those she is closely associated with. It covers nearly the whole of the 20th century.

I really liked this book - the story, the writing, the characters were all captivating. It was a treat to read about some things I had learned about earlier in the year, such as growlers, bakeapples, bogs, the Christmas tradition of mummering and confederation. This is a book I look forward to reading again.

The Bookman's Wake

by John Dunning

I read Booked to Die earlier in the year and really liked the writing, the mystery and the main character. I knew then that I would want to read more books in the Cliff Janeway series. When Verbivore came up with the Reading the Author Challenge I didn't have to make any hard decisions on which author I would read.

The Bookman's Wake was the New York Time's notable book of the year in 1995 and was even better than Booked to Die, which makes me even more excited to read the other 3 books in the series.

The lead character is a Denver policeman who retired to open up a used book store. He's also a book scout who becomes embroiled in murder cases. This time he is coaxed into going to Seattle to track down a young book thief and possible murderer.

A few passages that stood out at the time I read them:

"Forget what you thought you knew and maybe you'll learn something."

"I read somewhere that fiction's the only way you can really tell the truth."

"Lighter fluid is one of the book scouts's major tools, used for removing stickers from book jackets safely and without a trace. Paper can be soaked in it without getting stained, wrinklet, or otherwise damaged, unless someone remembers what lighter fluid's really for and sets it on fire."

I like the references to books and the interesting tidbits about book scouting. Of course, if that's all these books promised I probably wouldn't read anymore. Dunning does a wonderful job of building his characters and developing a thoughtful mystery. I look forward to book 3, The Bookman's Promise.

The Scarlet Pimpernel

by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

I have picked this book up several times in the past, but always put it back down again after a few pages. Why? I think it was because I am totally in love with the movie and didn't want the book to ruin it by being better. That sounds so inane now that I'm structured that thought in to words. If a book is even better than a movie that you love, than you'll also love the book. Duh!

I loved this book! And I look forward to rereading it, which is something I very seldom do. The Scarlet Pimpernel is the finest adventure and romance I've ever read. It was easy and comfortable to read, but also, very compelling. And I knew what was going to happen. How does an author write so well that you can so enjoy her book even though you know the story.

Since I read Scarlet Pimpernel for the Book-to-Movie challenge, I will compare the two. I am comparing the book to the movie version starring Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour. In the movie Blakeney woes and then marries the actress Maguerite St John, but in the book they have been married already a year at the start of the story. At first I thought that would be a big stumbling block for me, but eventually it didn't bother me. Both version worked fine.

Another difference: In the movie there is a triangular love affair with Marguerite in the middle. That adds some great tension. I really don't think the book needed that extra tension, though.

Some of the scenes in the movie were exactly as described in the book. Both excellent. The ending - different in both, but I'm not going to talk about it as to not give anything away. I like the movie ending best.

Of course, at points in both the book and the movie songs from the Broadway musical play through my mind creating a wonderful atmosphere. My dream is to someday see the musical performed on Broadway.

I've also watched the BBC version of the Pimpernel and I think it is exceptionally done, but I prefer the one with Anthony Andrews. I wasn't sure I would enjoy Jane Seymour before I watched the movie, but she did a very nice job. My husband, daughter and I are just getting set to watch one of my all time favorite shows on this Sunday evening. If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, you really need to arrange to do both.

Bridge of San Luis Rey

by Thornton Wilder

I didn't realize that Thornton Wilder wrote anything but plays. He authored the Pulitzer Prize winning plays, Our Town (1938) and The Skin of Our Teeth (1943), but he also wrote several novels. He won his first Pulitzer Prize in 1928 for The Bridge of San Luis Rey.

When I first listed this book for the By-the-Decade Challenge as my 1920's selection, I thought it was a war story. Even before I read the book, I discovered that I had the story for The Bridge on the River Kwai in mind. Obviously my mind had criss-crossed paths before it ever reached 'The Bridge.'

Wilder's Bridge concerns itself with 5 people who fell to their deaths when Peru's finest bridge collapsed in 1714. A Franciscan monk, Brother Juniper, witnesses the tragedy and begins to wonder if what seemed like random misfortunes were actually part of God's plan. He spends years researching the lives of the five people and then compiles and publishes his findings. The results were unexpected.

I liked this book, both for it's quickness and the questions it posed: Is there an overall plan by an unseen God? Is there a purpose behind tragedy? Wilder doesn't really answer these questions. In fact, he doesn't even address them in so many words, rather the story unfolds and the reader is left asking these questions.

Fall Into Reading Challenge

Fall Into Reading 2007 is a casual, low-pressure challenge that's being hosted by Katrina at Callapidder Days. The official dates are September 23rd through December 21st.

• Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (I've only read Austen's Pride and Prejudice, but would like to read all her books that are going to be featured on Masterpiece Theater starting in January.)
• Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland
• Latitudes of Melt by Joan Clark
• Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy
• Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett
• Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thorton Wilder
• The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens