The Above the Line Series by Karen Kingsbury

I am a recent reader of Karen Kingsbury's work, having discovered her only this past year. I like that her books are a quick read for me. I pretty much flew through these 4 books which is why I'm grouping them together. The Above the Line series begins with the story of Keith and Chase. Two ex-overseas missionaries with a vision to create really well done, inspiring films. I have to admit that there was a big part of me that wished this to be true, that there are such visionaries out there who want to make quality films without foul language or gratuitous sex scenes, just good films that appeal to a wide audience.
As Keith and Chase begin filming their first movie, Kingsbury opens up a whole range of characters to us. She begins with Keith and Chase's families and continues on to families working on the film and families in and around the area of the film. In this manner she brings back the much loved Baxter family of her earlier novels and the Flanigans.
As the series continued, the stories became less about Keith and Chase and more about the Falnigans, Bailey in particular. Though Keith played prominently in all 4 books, Chase faded out of most of the last two. I would have like to have seen more of Chase's story and his wife Kelly's struggle with mindless eating and weight difficulties. I thought that there was a good, relatable story there that Kingsbury kind of took the easy way out of in wrapping up. I also would like to have seen more of Ben and Kendall's stories (a father/daughter team that got involved with Keith and Chase's production company), but they too left the stories after the first two books.
I think Kingsbury has a great vision but sometimes that range is too wide. There is too much going on so you lose some characters in the process. I also think that telling too many stories mean that you do get some easy endings.

*Warning - book spoilers below this point*

Here's what I found frustrating: Brandon's quick conversion. This would have been a good book all on it's own, telling Brandon's story. The fact that we didn't get to see much of him makes his conversion much too easy.
-Bailey and Tim's drawn out relationship - just break up already!
-Bailey and Cody's forever getting together/not getting together story line, stop dragging us along here!
-That Andi came back to her faith pretty quick. Again, I think this comes from trying to tell too much. A book just about Andi would have been great.
-That there was a lot left hanging at the end of the 4th book.

This series is not a complete story in and of itself. It could be called The Baxter's part 4, or at the very least Bloomington, Indiana part 4. I know from reading Karen Kingsbury's website that there will be a Bloomington, part 5 which will be Bailey's stories. And great, I'm looking forward to them. I enjoy Kingsbury's books for the sheer fact that they inspire me a bit in my own faith. I like revisiting old characters, they are a little like old friends. As far as Christian writers go, she's alright. She is light though. She does touch on some very relevant issues facing Christians today, which is great. And she is current (sometimes too much so as I think her books will become dated pretty quick). You pretty much know what you are going to get with Kingsbury's books if you've read a couple of them. A pretty decent Christian book. It will be heartwarming and enjoyable along the way.

House Rules by Jodi Picoult

Say what you will about Jodi Picoult, she always does manage to find a current 'hot topic' and incorporate it into her books. This book focused on Aspergers syndrome, a high functioning type of autism. I really looked forward to reading this book as Aspergers is a topic that has interested me for some time. I have taught several children with Aspergers and have made it part of my continuing education as a teacher to learn about and try to understand how best to teach these kids. This is the story of Jacob. He is an 18 year old high school student with Aspergers. He is extremely interested in and focused on forensics. He then becomes a person of interest in a local murder case. The very traits of Aspergers, inability to look someone in the eye, taking things literally, stimming...make him look guilty. I have to admit that I was captivated by this novel. I really didn't know until the very end of the book the whole truth of the story (which isn't always the case in books). I would be very interested in what the Austism and Aspergers community think about this book. Personally, I found Jacob to be less an Aspie and more autistic.

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

So I've read Michelle Moran's books backwards. It didn't really matter. All the books were set in Ancient Egypt, but they weren't a series where you had to know what happened in one book to understand the next. This was Michelle Moran's first novel, based on the life of the Egyptian queen of the same name. It was again a very enjoyable, interesting book. I really enjoy her writing and look forward to her next offering, coming next year.

Her Mother's Hope by Francine Rivers

Francine Rivers has been one of my favorite authors for a number of years now. I love how she has used her gift of writing to glorify Christ and His work in her life. I often find Christian fiction to be weak in writing and don't like a lot of it. She is one of the exceptions. She is a fantastic writer and would be successful even if she didn't write Christian fiction.
Her Mother's Hope is a bit of a departure for Rivers. It is part one of a saga and a very personal book. It came about as Rivers was looking into her own family history, trying to figure out what caused a rift between her own mother and grandmother. A number of the events in this book are related to her grandmother and mother, but it is not a biography of those women. They inspired the book, but the book is not necessarily their story.
That being said I became so engrossed in reading these women's lives. They are very different women. The first, Marta, we meet as a young Swiss girl determined to escape life under her father's abusive thumb. The journey begins at the beginning of the 20th Century. The second woman is Marta's daughter Hildemare, born after the second world war. She is a much quieter soul from Marta, determined to serve others. My description hardly gives credit to the fabulous stories inside this book. I very much look forward to Her Daughter's Dream, the second book in this saga that will tell the story of the next 2 generations in this family.

The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran

After reading Cleopatra's Daughter last year I fully intended on reading more of Michelle Moran's books, but I never did.  This past week my husband was ordering some things on Amazon.  He came up to me and said, do you want to pick out a book so we can get the free shipping?  Um, yeah!  So I finally got another Michelle Moran tale.  I loved it.  I absolutely love authors who can take a time in history and make it alive.  When you read this book you get a sense of what life in Egypt would have been like. 
This story is based on real life Queen Nefertari.  Nefertari is one of the more well known queens of Ancient Egypt.  Michelle Moran acknowledges that this book is a work of fiction, based on what could have been her life.  She take an author's licence in tying together people and events.  Some of the characters are based on real people, others are complete fiction. 
I found the story to be very interesting and want to read Moran's first novel, Nerfertiti. 

The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim

This was one of those books that looked interesting to me in the store, but I wasn't sure.  I thought maybe it might be a little dry, and really, I don't know much about Korea (where the story is set), so would I get it?  I'm so glad I picked this book up!  It is simply one of the best reads I've ever read.  It's hard to believe that someone's debut novel would be this beautiful.  I started recommending it out before I finished it (and I rarely do that).  As I said, the story takes place in Korea in the first part of the 1900's and spans 30 years.  Kim beautiful weaves the story of Najin and the history of Korea at this time.  Gorgeous!

Catching up with Books

Now that my infant daughter has grown up to a point where I feel I can read again, I'm beginning to make up for lost time.  I found myself with about $150 worth of reading material in my hands a few weeks back but refrained myself from actually buying the books.  I knew I wouldn't be able to justify the expense.  I did jot down the titles and authors on my iphone and made a library visit requesting them all.  I did purchase one of these books, and borrowed another from my mother.  The rest were library loaners.

First, A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve. 
It's hit or miss I find with Anita Shreve.  She's written one the best books I've ever read (Testimony) and then a few of the most boring books I've ever read.  This one I liked, once I got into it.  The premise is a newly married couple living in Africa during the 70's.  They find there a many hidden tensions in the land (and in their marriage).  I don't want to say much more than that as I fear giving away too much plot.  If you like Shreve's style then this one is worth reading, just give it a few chapters first.














Next up was The Celebrity Mother by Deborah Wright

It appealed to me as a possible quick read and look at the trend of celebrities who adopt foreign children.  Karina West (the lead character) was once a leading British Pop singer who is searching for a way back into the spotlight.  The young lady chosen to become her daughter is an Indian orphan named Devika.  I actually quite enjoyed this book.  It was written much better than I expected.  If you are looking for a good beach or bubble bath read, I suggest picking this one up.  Sorry no link to Amazon.com for this book, it is available through Amazon.ca.

And onto Old School Ties by Kate Harrison
This book has recently been republished as Harrison has had some success with later books she's written.  She did add a note at the end of the book saying how much she enjoyed revisiting the character.  It also explains why a seeming new book seems to be so dated.  This was one of those books that I marginally enjoyed, but I didn't want to leave it either.  At first I really just didn't like the main character, but I stayed in it to find out what all the secrets in the story were.  The premise is set on Tracey Mortimer, a woman whose glory days of high school popularity still shine over her unfulfilled life.  She has the opportunity to be the main subject of her high school reunion in a reality TV spotlight.













Then onto the Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn

OK, I knew I would like this one before I even opened the cover.  It's endorsed by one of my favorite authors, Margaret George, as authentically bringing ancient Rome to life...and I agree.  Rome definitely comes alive as Quinn tells the story of Thea, a slave girl who survives much and achieves much.  Through Thea's story you also find the story of Julia, the mad niece of the Emperor; the Barbarian, a gladiator and many others who are so realistically brought to life.  Definitely worth reading.














Finally, there's Baby Laughs by Jenny McCarthy
Say what you will about Jenny McCarthy, the girl can write and she is funny.  I read her Belly Laughs during my last pregnancy and thoroughly enjoyed it.  This one added to the collection.  Jenny writes each chapter essay style, so it's really easy to pick up and down (something important when you have a little one demanding your attention).  She's also very real.  I don't think I would enjoy a celebrity book that focused on being a celebrity mom, she focuses on being a real mom.  One of my favorite quotes is when she declares that having a $150 stroller is good enough for the average mom, it's good enough for her.














So what's next?  Well, I'm currently enjoying The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim.  I'm also waiting for a few more reads to come in at the library (they are newer and currently popular so I'm suspecting they may be a while yet)