Tag Archives: fiction

I Am Not Wolf – Roger Terry

“I Am Not Wolf” by LDS author Roger Terry is a book that is equally at home on the shelf of an LDS reader or a person who prefers nationally published books. Written in a literary style we don’t often see on the LDS market, I was instantly caught up in the beautiful and rich imagery and found myself more than just a little bit jealous of Terry’s skills as a writer. David Nelson has taken some time off from college and decides to come to Germany for a vacation. His mother was German and so he speaks the language … Continue reading →

Queen of the Summer Stars – Persia Woolley

“Queen of the Summer Stars” is the sequel to “Child of the Northern Spring,” reviewed here. Guinevere has now been married to King Arthur for a couple of years, and life at court is sweet to her. Her reservations about the union long gone, she loves her husband, but he doesn’t seem to share her emotions. He treats her as a friend and an ally, but he has never said he loves her. She badly wants to hear those words. Also causing her concern is the fact that she’s not yet pregnant. She wants to give Arthur an heir, but … Continue reading →

To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee

One of the most beloved novels of all time, “To Kill a Mockingbird” is the story of Scout Finch, a six-year-old girl being raised by Atticus, her widowed father, along with Jem, her ten-year-old brother. They have a housekeeper, Calpurnia, who keeps them on the straight and narrow most of the time, and these children have a secure foundation which puts them in good stead to weather some of the trials they’re going to face during the course of the story. It all begins, really, with Boo Radley. The Radley house is just down the street from the Finches, and … Continue reading →

Accepting Joy – Todd F. Cope

“Accepting Joy” by author Todd F. Cope is the story of Andrew and Rachel, a young couple who are moving into their new home and also expecting their first child. The house they bought is in a quiet area, and their nearest neighbor is a little ways down the road. The house was built some years before and does need some modernizing, but Rachel is sure she can make it wonderful. Andrew heads down the road to meet his new neighbor, Hank, only to be treated brusquely. He comes to find out that Hank is rumored to be a murderer, … Continue reading →

Not All Fiction is Fluff!

It’s been a little while since I’ve gone off on an editorial-type rant, and after being good for so long, I’ve decided to break my silence in honor of Literacy Month. As a huge supporter of literacy, I talk to scores of people about the importance of being literate and how literacy can change lives. We all essentially agree that nonfiction is a valuable resource to help us to become educated, but there is a broad range of thought and feeling when it comes to fiction. For some, they’ll read anything voraciously and love every minute of it, others are … Continue reading →

April and the Dragon Lady – Lensey Namioka

It’s Literacy Month! But it’s always Literacy Month at the Pinkston house – we’re all obsessed with books, even my two-year-old. One of my favorite library finds this last week was young adult novel “April and the Dragon Lady,” by author Lensey Namioka. April is the teenaged daughter of Chinese American parents. She lives with her father, her brother, and her aging grandmother, her own mother having passed away some years before. Because April is the daughter, traditionally the care of the house and of her grandmother falls to her, and she doesn’t think to question it. Her brother, Harry, … Continue reading →

Eclipse – Stephenie Meyer

“Eclipse” is the third installment of the vampire series written by new author Stephenie Meyer. As we begin this story, we find that Bella hasn’t seen her friend Jacob for a while. As a werewolf, he’s a natural enemy to Edward, and Bella feels trapped between her best friend and the love of her life. She tries to send notes to Jacob, but they are returned with a terse message – that she should just drop it, but she doesn’t want to. Meanwhile, a rash of killings has broken out in Seattle, and someone gets into Bella’s room and messes … Continue reading →

Child of the Northern Spring – Persia Woolley

“Child of the Northern Spring” is the story of Guinevere, who would marry King Arthur. In past stories, we haven’t learned much about Guinevere. She is portrayed as a high-spirited, fun-loving woman who runs off with Lancelot, and that’s really all we know about her. This novel seeks to give her a background and a personality, and explain how she came to be who she was. Her father was the King of Rheged, and they didn’t live in a palace, like most kings. Instead, they moved from place to place as his business required it. Guinevere grew up wearing breeches … Continue reading →

Author Interview – Traci Hunter Abramson

Today we are joined by author Traci Hunter Abramson for an exclusive interview. Traci, thank you for stopping by today – let’s get right to your questions. First of all, I’m curious to know – how long have you been writing? It feels like forever! I guess I started when I was a teenager writing journals, and it progressed from there. I tried writing novels when I was in college, but I never finished anything until the year I quit working to stay home with my kids. Since I had been employed by the Central Intelligence Agency, anything I wrote … Continue reading →

Sam’s Letters to Jennifer – James Patterson

Jennifer has recently lost Danny, the love of her life, and she’s trying to put the pieces back together, without much success. When news reaches her that her grandmother has had a fall and is in the hospital, she leaves right away, heading out to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, to be by her grandmother’s side. Sam, short for Samantha, is the only person in the world Jennifer has left, and if anything were to happen to her, Jennifer’s not sure she could make it. She returns to the house on the lake she knows so well, surprised and yet not surprised … Continue reading →