Avery Academy is a private school for the privileged. Holding its standards high, the school is shaken to its core foundations when a sex tape starts circulating involving three members of the basketball team and a freshman girl. The scandal revolves around one night of poor choices that seems to grow tentacles as it spreads through the school, the homes, the families and lives – much like a disease – infecting all those involved.
As each chapter unfolds a different character speaks – from the boys involved, to the girl, the parents, head master, and the investigator. What slowly comes to the surface is a deep revealing of what is buried deepest within our souls, the darkness that slowly can devour even the strongest of people.
I listened to this on audio and fair warning – the beginning is harsh. Harsh is actually too light of a word. The beginning was… graphic. I was listening to this in my kitchen and immediately turned the volume down as the words rushed out of the speakers, bringing me right into the core of the story line.. the actions of the night that changed so many lives forever.
As each narrator took on a characters voice – from one of the students involved, to the headmaster, to the parents… I started to feel this story shed its layers like an onion… each layer bringing me closer to the center of an underlying truth…
While the events that bring this book to be called Testimony work their way through the characters I am fascinated with the way each chapter overlaps with the last – building the mix of those involved so carefully that you never lose the point. Anita Shreve’s unique telling of a hideous crime is only the tip of the iceberg as families are destroyed in the aftermath. A less talented author would not have been able to pull off such a tale, but Anita Shreve does this in a near flawless way.
I enjoyed the different narrators taking on the characters, it really added to the story as each character shared their side of the story. My only regret is that I felt some of the story lines could have went deeper – I never felt I fully understood the girls story from that night, as she seemed to remain more surface than the boys telling of what happened.
Over all a deeply moving story that demonstrated how one night can change lives forever, lives that you never thought would be even be touched by another persons choices. I applaud Anita Shreve for taking on such a topic and leaving me in the end –
Yeah… is seems early as I type this at 6:20 a.m. and it is really dark out yet, but the hustle of my day will start in about 30 minutes as I get read y for work.
Over the weekend we were having a great conversation here about the BIG BOOKS, and then as if on some sort of cosmic cue this arrives in my mailbox on Monday:
Weighing in at: 757 Pages!!!
yes…. I think this came in from Shelf Awareness and I don’t recall it looking this ummm…. errrr…. HUGE on-line. I think I was thinking, this is somewhat of a classic and I have never read it…. and now here it is. Bigger than ever.
On time management I took part of Sunday to prepare this weeks meals ahead of time. Since Chance came to stay with us I feel like I am flying by the seat of my pants when it comes to dinner. I work weekdays, then I hit the gym with a friend from 3:30 – 4:30 or 5… THEN I come home and many times have a small window before I have a meeting or a class, or Chance has something going on so we need to be out of the house by 6 or 6:30. It has got to the point that we are eating pizza , subs, and chicken at least once a week – takeout -yes TAKEOUT! Not good for any of us….
This is the base for Taco Pie. This part you can freeze and when ready to eat, thaw and then add in a corn muffin mix with milk and butter and eggs that goes over the top. TASTY! We had this last night.
Shredded beef for sandwiches – so yummy! This is already packaged for the freezer, pull out the day you plan to serve it, thaw and heat up for a quick meal with raw vegies on the side.
Shephards Pie… ready and froze – a great meal that the guts like because it contains both meat and potatoes.
Not pictured:
BBQ Bacon Pepper Jack chicken
Tuna Fettuchini * not prepped yet
Hamburgers and sweat potato fries *not prepped yet
Manicotti
Lasagna
And on a final note for this morning – LINKY was a bear yesterday for the Monday What Are You reading meme. The site was going through an upgrade and unfortunately it hit on the day that I use it the most and caused the list of participants to not be able to be accessed for most of the day. I believe it is working now and if you still need to add your post please do so – I have hardly had time myself to visit so that will happen over the next few days.
Final final note… I have to get back into my training – Birthday week did a number on my eating habits…… back to the gym and back to setting my goals…. spring will be here before we know it! 😀
It has been two years since the tragic accident that has left Brian Weller’s wife in a coma and their three-year old son dead. Brian was an author thrillers but finds that he can no more write anything than he can take away the terrors of the past two years. The grief and despair is overpowering.
Then one morning an email arrives from a long-lost acquaintance, Joanna Richman. The note brings up emotions that Brian no longer thought he possessed, and he arranges a book signing in the Boston area to connect with her again. He is unsure where this reunion will lead, but knows he must take the chance to see if his heart will love again.
Know this. I am not a reader of romance. I just don’t particularity enjoy the genre. That’s just me. However – occasionally a book comes along that might close in on this genre and I will read it because of other connections to the book. In this case, that connection is the author.
Bill Walker first was introduced to me when I picked up his book Titanic 2012. Know this. I LOVE all things Titanic. I have watched endless movies and read many books on the subject. The ship and the story fascinate me. The tragedy is beyond belief. When I read Bill Walker’s take on a new Titanic, it was like visiting an old friend. I enjoyed the book very much. Of course when Bill wrote A Note From An Old Acquaintance, I had to give it a read.
This book covers that age-old question, what would you do if that person you loved in the past popped into your world today? What if there were no obstacles?
Bill once again worked a story into my heart. This book is not only a romance story – it also has plenty of suspense. Bill Walker is masterful at description and emotion and I love well-developed characters which I found here as Bill breathed life through his pen into both Brian and Joanna.
In flashbacks, you see the life of the young Brain and Joanna and as you learn more about them and their past, you really start to piece together this incredible love through the years. Yes this love has its own obstacles…. and one would be Joanna’s husband. (This part is really the only part of the book I did not enjoy – as it is handled lightly and I am calling it what it is – infidelity).
Overall, I am pleased I had the opportunity to read this book.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.
I love being a part of this and I hope you do too! As part of this weekly meme I love to encourage you all to go and visit the others participating in this meme. I offer a weekly contest for those who visit 10 or more of the Monday Meme participants and leave a comment. You receive one entry for every 10 comments, just come back here and tell me how many in the comment area.
Congratulations! Please choose an item out of the PRIZE BOX (♥selections updated!♥) and email me your choice with your mailing address as well! journeythroughbooks@gmail.com
AND
The winner of the One Year Anniversary $20 Amazon card goes to:
I used Random.org to choose the winner of this gift card – adding in all participants from last week as well as an additional vote for participants who left a comment
What a super week I just had – maybe not so much for my reading, every night seemed like I had something going on – something good, I had a few dinners out with friends this past week for my birthday (thus the extra gym time coming up this week…) and just overall BUSINESS that kept me from the books I had hoped to finish. However – I did have a few things lined up from reviews I had yet to post:
I have a few yet to post and a few ready to be finished this week and thing (THINK) that I will be able to make progress. 😀 Perhaps…. hope is a better word. 😛
This is what is on my list for this week:
Late in the summer of 1877, a flock of purple-and-white hoopoes suddenly appears over the town of Constanta on the Black Sea, and Eleonora Cohen is ushered into the world by a mysterious pair of Tartar midwives who arrive just minutes before her birth. “They had read the signs, they said: a sea of horses, a conference of birds, the North Star in alignment with the moon. It was a prophecy that their last king had given on his deathwatch.” But joy is mixed with tragedy, for Eleonora’s mother dies soon after the birth.
Raised by her doting father, Yakob, a carpet merchant, and her stern, resentful stepmother, Ruxandra, Eleonora spends her early years daydreaming and doing housework—until the moment she teaches herself to read, and her father recognizes that she is an extraordinarily gifted child, a prodigy.
When Yakob sets off by boat for Stamboul on business, eight-year-old Eleonora, unable to bear the separation, stows away in one of his trunks. On the shores of the Bosporus, in the house of her father’s business partner, Moncef Bey, a new life awaits. Books, backgammon, beautiful dresses and shoes, markets swarming with color and life—the imperial capital overflows with elegance, and mystery. For in the narrow streets of Stamboul—a city at the crossroads of the world—intrigue and gossip are currency, and people are not always what they seem. Eleonora’s tutor, an American minister and educator, may be a spy. The kindly though elusive Moncef Bey has a past history of secret societies and political maneuvering. And what is to be made of the eccentric, charming Sultan Abdulhamid II himself, beleaguered by friend and foe alike as his unwieldy, multiethnic empire crumbles?
I am reading this one for a tour – AND I have two so expect a giveaway! 😀
Thirteen linked tales from Strout (Abide with Me, etc.) present a heart-wrenching, penetrating portrait of ordinary coastal Mainers living lives of quiet grief intermingled with flashes of human connection. The opening Pharmacy focuses on terse, dry junior high-school teacher Olive Kitteridge and her gregarious pharmacist husband, Henry, both of whom have survived the loss of a psychologically damaged parent, and both of whom suffer painful attractions to co-workers. Their son, Christopher, takes center stage in A Little Burst, which describes his wedding in humorous, somewhat disturbing detail, and in Security, where Olive, in her 70s, visits Christopher and his family in New York. Strout’s fiction showcases her ability to reveal through familiar details—the mother-of-the-groom’s wedding dress, a grandmother’s disapproving observations of how her grandchildren are raised—the seeds of tragedy. Themes of suicide, depression, bad communication, aging and love, run through these stories, none more vivid or touching than Incoming Tide, where Olive chats with former student Kevin Coulson as they watch waitress Patty Howe by the seashore, all three struggling with their own misgivings about life.
This is for a bonus review the end of this month with my book club for a “food review”
Since their mother’s death, six years ago, 12-year-old Sadie Kane has lived in London with her maternal grandparents while her older brother, 14-year-old Carter, has traveled the world with their father, a renowned African American Egyptologist. In London on Christmas Eve for a rare evening together, Carter and Sadie accompany their dad to the British Museum, where he blows up the Rosetta Stone in summoning an Egyptian god. Unleashed, the vengeful god overpowers and entombs him, but Sadie and Carter escape. Initially determined to rescue their father, their mission expands to include understanding their hidden magical powers as the descendants of the pharaohs and taking on the ancient forces bent on destroying mankind. The first-person narrative shifts between Carter and Sadie, giving the novel an intriguing dual perspective made more complex by their biracial heritage and the tension between the siblings, who barely know each other at the story’s beginning.
I started listening to this in the car with Chance during our St Cloud road trip this weekend. I am really enjoying it!
Henry VIII’s challenge to the church’s power with his desire to divorce his queen and marry Anne Boleyn set off a tidal wave of religious, political and societal turmoil that reverberated throughout 16th-century Europe. Mantel boldly attempts to capture the sweeping internecine machinations of the times from the perspective of Thomas Cromwell, the lowborn man who became one of Henry’s closest advisers. Cromwell’s actual beginnings are historically ambiguous, and Mantel admirably fills in the blanks, portraying Cromwell as an oft-beaten son who fled his father’s home, fought for the French, studied law and was fluent in French, Latin and Italian. Mixing fiction with fact, Mantel captures the atmosphere of the times and brings to life the important players: Henry VIII; his wife, Katherine of Aragon; the bewitching Boleyn sisters; and the difficult Thomas More, who opposes the king.
This one I am starting as my plan to try to get through some of the chunksters in my home – I am giving myself two months to complete this.
So that I think is a big enough plan for this week! I am ready to see what your week was like last week and what your plan is for this next one! Be sure to click on the linky below where it says “click here”! 😀
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System Upgrade about 99%DONE:
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I’ve gotten a couple of emails about things not showing, but they are showing on my end… this is most likely because the “Internet post office” (DNS) is still updating… it takes 24-48 hours (usually much less) for the entire Internet to update with a new address (it’s still “www.linkytools.com” but the technical address of where the site resides has changed)… anything “missing” because of DNS should clear up in the next few hours, and definitely by morning
This morning as I was checking what was being posted at some of the blogs I frequent, I caught a post of Amanda’s from The Zen Leaf that made me stop and think about my reading habits. Amanda (who if you do not pop in and check out her posts – you should…. she is a fun to read blogger and reads some pretty amazing books!) was talking about the pace she reads and brought up some interesting points that started me thinking about my own reading habits.
I tend to read books between the 200 – 375 page range. I admit as much as I am drawn to the look of the large chunkster books (I like big books and I will not lie!) I like them on my shelf – and rarely take the time to read them.
WHY?
Honestly – because the 200-375 page book can be read in a few days. That keeps my moving because I always seem to have other books waiting in the wings that I just can not wait to get to. Ridiculous reasoning? Probably… but that is the way my reading habits have turned to. I want to gush about books, but as Amanda pointed out, the book that can be read in a few hours, can probably be forgotten just as quickly. Can a book touch your very soul within the page count I prefer? Absolutely…. but the large books of my past that I have invested the time into reading over a week or more… can also make a huge impact on me. (Harry Potter of course are the first that come to mind that I still treasure and these books average around 700 pages each.)
My point today – is that I went and looked at the chunksters that currently grace my shelves unread. The only reason I have not read them is because I know they will require an investment of time from me. I think it is time I put on my big girl pants and rise to the challenge of the larger book.
Looking at these books, the page count is not out of control – these average right around the 550 mark.
As of this week, I plan to break into one of these big boys…. I am not sure which one yet, but I would like to commit to a chunkster and take my time with it, allowing myself two months to get it finished if I need to.
Do you avoid larger book? Do you have any chunksters waiting on your shelves that you need to make the commitment to start reading? Care to join me with your own chunkster? If so, let me know what BIG BOOK awaits you.
I am in a fantabulous mood (yes it’s a word… maybe my word – but a word! :D)
Yesterday was a fun road trip with Chance. We went to Hennen’s which was really the reason for the hour trip to St Cloud because we were looking for a new mattress set that we could not find what we liked locally. I do love Hennen’s. It is a large furniture store with good prices and sales and they deliver for free which unfortunately is a better deal than they offer in my own home town.
After spending about an hour in the store I found what I believe to be a great deal and the set will be delivered to my home next Wednesday. Mission accomplished.
Next stop – Barnes and Noble… fondly know by my friends and family as my Mother Ship. Ahhhhh…… I can just smell that new book scent! I did not really have a mission when I went in other than to see what I could find but of course I could not leave empty-handed AND I did have a gift card from my friend Cindy from Christmas. So….
The Hate List and Olive Kitteridge
The Hate List was one I have heard a lot about and the synopsis left me going “whoa” which in book language is “this sounds good.”. Olive Kitteridge is a book that part of my book club is reading for a bonus read this month. We have been asked as a group to review a couple of books and plan food around the reviews for a possible opportunity to have our group mentioned in a book coming out. I know – SSQQUUUUEEE right? In order to do this we had to plan a couple additional reviews, and for this month – Olive Kitteridge is the one we will review in two weeks.
Then Chance and I popped into Mongo’s in St Cloud which is a treat every time we are in the area. The food is Mongolian stir fry and if you have never experienced this sort of grill I highly recommend it. They go by many names around the country, I think the one in Fargo is called Hu Hot. You get a bowl when you come in and you go around and fill your bowl with the veggies of choice, (there is everything you could imagine – peppers, cauliflower, spinach, yellow squash, broccoli, onion, pea pods, green beans, potato, peas…) and then you chose your meats (chicken, crab, shrimp, beef, salmon, sausage…) then there are three choices of noodles and then you choose 6 scoops of a sauce which you can select from about twenty different types from sweet and mild to hot and spicy and everything in between. Then you give your bowl to the cooks and they stir fry it in front of you. They will ask you if you would like to add an egg of rice or a wrap – all included. It is delicious and fun! And to give you a bit of what it was like I totally geeked out and recorded a bit of the experience:
Today I have a pretty open day and I am really looking forward to it. After church Chance is hanging with friends all day and I am coming home to read a bit, prep meals for the week, and do a bit of house cleaning and then hopefully – read a bit more. After a week of birthday celebration and eating out way too much and eating way too much…. I need to get back on track.
Cheryl Lu-Lein Tan grew up in Singapore with no interest in the family traditional cooking that surrounded her youth. Cheryl’s dreams were bigger than that. At the age of 18 she left home and family for America to become the fashion writer she had always hoped to. Yet in her 30’s, Cheryl began to long for that taste of Singapore, the dishes that defined her childhood. Was it too late to learn the secrets that surrounded her youth and now were embedded within the kitchens of her Grandmothers and Aunts?
A memoir of not only the beauty of tradition and food but also the strength found in unlocking the stories of the past.
First of all – do you see this cover? What is not to love? There is a story about how this book came to me. Last weekend I was looking at the inner workings of my blog. I noticed that I was bringing in a large number of readers from a site called Food News Journal and I could not figure out why. When I went to their site, my review from last Saturday, The First Timer’s Cookbook was listed under Best Of The Blogs which was kind of cool – but what really caught my eye was in the upper left hard corner this book, A Tiger In The Kitchen was being featured. When I read a little about it – I decided that it was a birthday gift to me…. from me. AND since it was not released until February 8th, I actually preordered it on the 7th. As you can see, it did not take me long to dig into.
In this mouth-watering sensation of a book – I learned about the history of Singapore flavors to the point that I felt as though I could almost smell the scents of fried crab, peppery pork rib broth, and Hainanese Chicken Rice…
During one trip back to Singapore when Cheryl has decided to actively pursue learning more about her Singapore heritage in cooking and offers to help make the traditional Pineapple tarts, I had to laugh when she walks into the kitchen to help to find not one or two pineapples for the tart making – but seventy. The plan was to make 3,000 tarts.
Popiah
Written and told by Cheryl Lu-Lein Tan herself, I enjoyed the humorous style of writing and had to laugh because she sounds a little like me – biting off more than she can chew (pun intended) such as traveling back and forth to Singapore to capture the family traditions, and in the midst of it all taking on the Bread Bakers Apprentice Challenge which was an on-line challenge to bake your way through every recipe in this book…. which includes triumphant stories “Bagels that were perfection right out of the oven!”, as well as not so triumphant stories. “I knew the day would come when I would almost burn down my kitchen”.
Oh – and just wait until she calls her maternal grandmother a liar. 😀
Honestly I have not had so much fun reading a food memoir style read
Laksa (spicy noodle soup)
in a long time. I tasked myself to look up the words I did not know and turned this whole culinary adventure into a learning experience as well. As Cheryl makes her way through New York restaurants that feature Singapore favorites, and heads home to learn the “how to’s” of her heritage she grows in more ways than she could have imagined.
I thoroughly enjoyed every morsel of this book. If you are looking for a real treat in culture, food, and everything in between, I would highly put my stamp of approval on this book.
Well this recipe would truly be an adventure in cooking, I do not think this review would be complete without Cheryl’s recipe of Tanglin Ah Ma’s Pineapple Tarts
* this
Yields about 100 tarts
Quantities aren’t exact. My aunts don’t use a recipe, and they laughed at me the first 10 times I asked them for this one. The first set of instructions they gave me for pineapple jam was, “Aiyah, you just juice the pineapple, add sugar and then boil, boil, boil!”
For the jam:
4 pineapples at least ½ kilogram sugar (at least 2 ½ cups, depending on desired sweetness) 2 to 3 pandan leaves* knotted together 1 long cinnamon stick, broken in two
Peel the pineapples, dig out the eyes and chop into chunks. Run the chunks through a juicer. Place the pulp in a large wok or pot with a large surface area and heat on the stove. Add the juice until the mixture has the consistency of porridge or grits; add the knotted pandan leaves and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil and keep it there for a total of three hours, stirring often. Halfway through, taste the jam, and add sugar by the half cup until it is as sweet as you desire. (Note: The amount of sugar needed will vary greatly depending on how ripe the pineapples are.)
The jam is done when the pineapple mixture has changed color from bright yellow to brownish ochre and most of the liquid has evaporated, leaving a dense but moist jam.
375 grams salted butter (3 sticks plus 2 ½ Tablespoons) at room temperature 600 grams flour (about 4 ¾ cups) 4 egg yolks, plus 1 yolk for brushing onto pastry
With a mixer on low speed, combine the butter, flour and four egg yolks, mixing for 3 to 5 minutes.
Place dough in a cookie press fitted with a disc featuring a circle of diamonds. Press cookies out onto greased baking sheets. Form small balls of dough and press each one into the hollow of a cookie, forming the base of the tart.
Beat the remaining egg yolk with ½ teaspoon of water. Brush the rim of each tart generously. Take a scant teaspoon of pineapple jam (more or less, as desired) and form a ball, then press into the hollow of each tart. Pat the sides of the jam to create a small dome.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees, until golden brown. Remove cookies from sheets and cool on a rack.
** Note: During last weeks Weekend Cooking I found this recipe posted by Books and Quilts for shredded beef. I made this for out supper tonight and it smells and tastes fantastic! Perfect for February in Minnesota!
Good morning *as I shuffle through the kitchen hair all a twang in sleep pajamas and large fluffy slippers*
Saturday.
At last.
Today Chance and I are road tripping to St Cloud. I need to look at a couple of things at Hennen’s (the furniture store) and then of course we need to stop at Barnes and Noble (tradition when I am in the area) and maybe we will hit Mongo’s on the way back. I am hoping not to make a long day out of this as I want to get back home and do a little reading.
This is (Left) Sara, Me, and Cindy. We are in Duluth at the park in fall of 2009. Other than that... we are just goofing off. 😀
This morning as I was looking at my Good reads email I was all excited to see some of the beautiful new releases coming out! (Ignore the mass piles of books behind me as we share in this moment of new books).
I mean just look at them!
NEW RELEASES BY GENRE
fiction
nonfiction
young adult
children’s
history & biography
memoir & autobiography
mystery & thriller
romance
science fiction
fantasy
historical fiction
graphic novels & comics
Looking at these, I have heard good things about West Of Here, I am absolutely kicking myself that I have taken the time to read Delirium yet even though it is on my Nook., Fortunate Sons looks interesting, I just read a review on The History Of Witches that sounded interesting enough, and Madame Tussaud is the latest ny Michele Moran – and of course that is totally SSQQQUUUEEEEE worthy! Of course there is also Sarah Pekkenen’s new one Skipping A Beat (not pictured here) but woo….. I loved her last book.
Are there any on this list that are on your “must read” list? Any other releases coming up that you have circled on the calendar and can not wait to read?
My plan for 2011 was to do more author chats. I really enjoy chatting it up with the authors of the books I enjoy and being able to know the person, behind the book. So far, as of this mid February, I have not accomplished and where near what I had hoped to do in this category. Today however, I am hoping this interview will be a launching pad for me to move forward on more discussions such as these.
In most cases, I find books I want to read through book magazines, on-line websites, word of mouth, and of course by reading book blogs. It is a rare circumstance these days that I find a book all on my own with no outside influences, yet, the book Unspeakable Journey is exactly that.
I was looking through audible.com a month ago for my next book on my IPOD. Nothing on the “best sellers” list or the “Newly Released” was speaking to me and I started to explore the books by genres that I enjoy. Cruising through the pages offered of faith reads, I found myself giving pause at this book, Unspeakable Journey. The cover stopped me – the synopsis hooked me, and the brief listen of the narrator reeled me in.
It was supposed to be a quick trip to the store, but it turned into an Unspeakable Journey. On the eve of her 30th birthday, Isabella is abducted in the parking lot of her local grocery store. Hasam, a sinister human trafficker, arranges for her to marry Latif, his longtime friend and a Saudi Arabian prince. Latif has everything—political prowess, success, and wealth—until he meets Isabella.
Earlier this week I posted my review of this audio and was pleased when an email out to Rinda Hahn requesting a chat was responded by a “yes. I would love to!”
So – please welcome to Book Journey Rinda Hahn.
Rinda hahn
Good afternoon Rinda! Being a coffee lover I have to ask, how do you take your coffee?
Rinda: I hate to say it, but I don’t drink coffee. I’m trying to like a couple of the Starbucks flavored lattes, but I’m not sure that counts as coffee to a real coffee lover. My husband loves coffee, and I have been trying to like it since we met. I just can’t acquire the taste, but I love the smell of coffee in my kitchen.
Well… as long as you are TRYING to like some sort of coffee product… and you do enjoy the smell so that does count too. 😀 I am always fascinated with the books that people surrounded themselves with when they were young. Have you been a long time reader?
Rinda: I have loved to read for as long as I can remember. When my kids were small, there was even a period of time that I had to stop reading completely. When I start a good book, I am compulsive. I stay up too late, neglect my responsibilities, and get lost in the world created by the author. During the demanding stage of being a new mom, I found my compulsion did not lend itself to reading. Even now, my family loves it when I read, and they hate it too for that reason.
When I was in seventh grade I had an English teacher that assigned three or four short stories written by Stephen King. I had never been exposed to psychological horror/thrillers, and that was the moment I knew the raw, unyielding power of a written story. There were moments when I was too afraid to read more, but I was unable to stop. This isn’t my favorite genre to read, but to this day, I still remember the intense emotions (mostly fear) that he evoked with those stories.
That is awesome! I had a Stephen King phase too in high school through early 20’s. What authors and or books inspire you today? Why?
Rinda: I like well written Christian fiction, but find a lot of it disappointing. CS Lewis and Francine Rivers are two authors that inspire me, but I really love any well written book that transports me to another world and introduces me to great characters. When an author uses their story to teach me a hidden truth, it is even better.
I am a big fan of Francine Rivers! I really enjoyed her women of the Bible series, and Redeeming Love still has me gushing (and for a reader who avoids any sort of romance style reads this is huge!) If there was a fictional character in any book that you could bring to life and hang out with – what character would that be and why?
Rinda: Several years ago I read the Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers. Her main character, Hadassah, endured many heart wrenching situations, but never lost her unrelenting love for her God and those who persecuted her. To really have a conversation with her would be amazing.
I have to talk about the book. I can’t wait to talk about the book. Unspeakable Journey was an amazing book on faith and at the same time, hugely frightening and real feeling. What made you decide to write this book, this topic?
Rinda: I had prayed for several months about what story to write. One morning, I awoke and the storyline for this book played out like a movie for me. At that moment I knew it was the story that I had to tell.
I loved how you covered some hard issues within the book. I am not a fan of “book fluff” and you did not hold back. Isabella’s character is abducted and forced to marry a Muslim prince – even though she is already married in the States. Not only does she get married, but she is expected to behave as a wife should, and risk becoming pregnant. In your opinion, what was the hardest part of Unspeakable Journey to write?
Rinda: For the most part writing Unspeakable Journey was wonderful. I loved engaging with my characters, and at times, it seemed the story wrote itself. Probably the hardest part was balancing Latif’s selfish, controlling, yet passionate and kind nature. I wanted the reader to struggle with how they felt about him. In life people are complicated, and I wanted that to translate to all my characters in the book. My readers have the most diverse feelings about him. Some love him and feel sorry for him, and others see his weaknesses and never like him. I like it that each reader takes away something different from the story.
It worked Rinda… I was back and forth between horrified and frustrated by him, and then understanding him. What research did you need to do to make this book come together?
Rinda: When I started Unspeakable Journey, I knew almost nothing about Saudi Arabia and their culture. I spent weeks reading through material from the library and on the internet about their customs, their religion, and their social structure.
Rinda, I said it in my review and I will say it here… the ending left me wanting more! I was so curious as to what would happen next and feel there is plenty of material here to continue this story. Have you given this any thought?
Rinda: This is the most asked question I have received about Unspeakable Journey. I have a couple of ideas I am tossing around that may introduce a character or two from Unspeakable Journey into another completely different story, but I am not planning to write a sequel. I know that some of my readers are disappointed by that. I have just had so many readers and book club members discuss with me what they think happens next, and I don’t want to mess with that. A great story leaves you thinking about what happens, wondering where the characters are now, and how they are doing. They come alive and live with you for a while, and it is hard to say good-bye at the end. For people to want a sequel to Unspeakable Journey is a great compliment, but right now, I like the end the way it is, where you have to fill in the blanks.
Oh! I was afraid you were going to say that…. 🙂 What is currently in the works for you?
Rinda: I am currently working on a new novel. It is very different from Unspeakable Journey and is geared more toward young adults. I don’t think it will be Christian fiction (at least at this point that is the plan). I do hope that readers of Unspeakable Journey will still enjoy this new novel.
I have also been very busy promoting Unspeakable Journey and interacting with book clubs that have invited me to attend their discussion of my book. The book seems to lend itself to engaging book club discussion, and I hear from lots of readers that they are suggesting it to their local book club groups.
This is the family dog: Cuddles. Rinda says, "Can you tell that we have girls? My husband just laughs about all his girls, and when he gets overrun, he escapes to the garage. He has appropriately named it the "man cave". I am glad he has a sense of humor!"
It is a tradition here to ask each author I interview to share a little known fact about themselves.
Rinda: Like do you want to know that I am clumsy? I don’t pay attention to where I am going, because my head is usually in the clouds, dreaming, and I run into things and fall down. My husband and kids laugh at me a lot. Truthfully, I laugh at myself, cause you know, I have learned not to take myself too seriously!
On a more serious note, I am an artist. I enjoy drawing and painting, and would love to write and illustrate a children’s book.
Rinda, thank you so much for taking the time to come and chat with me today. I enjoyed learning more about your book, your writing, and what we can expect next.
Readers: You can find Rinda Hahn hanging out at her website: www.rindahahn.com
Unspeakable Journey is available on Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Borders.com, or nationwide at your local bookstore. I picked up the audio version on audible.com If your bookstore does not have it in stock, they can order it.
Ok its morning.. and I do not have the capacity this early to carry on a long con (sorry – LOST joke and thumbs up to Sawyer).
Over the past couple weeks I have ran across a couple of videos that have cracked me up. One is Harry Potter related. The other is book related. I tried to ignore them….but…. ya know….
I am not real good at that either.
SO – hopefully you find at least one of these as entertaining as I did:
Literal Harry Potter. Had to chuckle.
and then…
This one… his eye brows crack me up.
Today I am striking against activity. LOL – ok, just until 1:00 when I have lunch with a friend and then at 4:00 when I go to Group Power…. but other than that…. I am banning activity for the day other than good books and a little down time. This past week exhausted me… last night I had dinner with my friends who I used to work with and that was a lot of fun catching up. By the time I got home at 7:30 pm I was so tired I went to bed at 8 pm.
Mmmmm hmmmm… there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. I have people over dosed and just need a little recoup time.
Any hoo – off to read! Have an awesome rest of your day!
Book Journey 