by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . January 20, 2012 . 10:14PM
We want to believe that once we’ve found joy in our lives, all of the hardships have been worth it and nothing will spoil that wonder we have gained. As such, we take pains to keep our lives unblemished and pure and for some people, that means hiding the wrongs they have committed or the mistakes they have made in order to keep their lives as joyful and pain-free as possible. They never understand, after the fact, how it could have gone wrong or what they missed or how they have hurt their loved ones.
It is in the midst of this joy that we find Ella. She has been through one bad marriage and has found her way to Joe and the children she could never have. They have settled in Elbow, in Northern California, surrounded by the forests and water. Joe has a hobby of photography and chooses to go out and take pictures of the waves one particularly windy morning. He does not return. The aftermath of his loss is where we find The Underside of Joy by Sere Prince Halverson.
On the day of Joe’s funeral, his ex-wife, long gone, has returned. Ella has already lost Joe and now she is faced with the possibility of losing everything she has left. The business he ran is failing, his children are learning to appreciate his ex-wife (and their biological mother) and Ella is slowly estranging from Joe’s family. Will she have anything left as her own when it is finished? What will she learn about herself and the nature of all encompassing love? Will she be able to forgive Joe his trespasses against all of them as he kept his secrets and his weaknesses from her to keep them in their own personal romance?
The Underside of Joy is, at heart, a love story. However, it in non-traditional in the sense that we already know that Ella and Joe found each other. What happens when they lose each other is where the real learning and bonding takes place. Did Ella ever really love Joe? Did she ever really know Joe? And can she learn to be alright with herself and who she is without him? The story is melded beautifully with some lovely twists and turns. Ella is completely fallible and she recognizes this in herself and strives to change it. So frequently authors make their heroines unaware of their weaknesses and Halverson allows Ella to grow through hers in many ways and cling to them without letting go, as well. She is a fragile heroine, at best, and a conflicted one, at worst. In other words, she is like most of us.
Plot-wise, the story was solid. I appreciated the polished setting and the author’s ability to move me in and out of the small town of Elbow and keep me feeling like I was a true part of this story without Hemingwaying me to sleep. It is a rare occasion that I feel like I am a part of the book, sitting on the edge of the page looking at the characters and silent like a ghost. I was truly there in many instances. When Ella found out about Joe, I reeled with her, though I already knew what was happening. When Paige steps in to take her children back, I fought with Ella, and yet I yearned for Paige to have what she lost. The true test of a story is whether or not it can make you believe even when you know something different. This novel passed the test.
It is a thoughtful read and I enjoyed taking my time with this one, though it is a feasible one sitting novel if you have a rainy day, a cup of tea, and some fresh cookies. I can absolutely see settling down on the couch and devouring this novel in a day and enjoying it greatly. I hope you can, too.
Note: I received this book for free in order to review it. Thank you for allowing me to share my opinions, good or bad.
by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . January 18, 2012 . 6:15PM
It used to be that technological gadgets were solely for the adults who could afford them. Kids were expected to enjoy kid things and appreciate what they were offered. However, as we’ve grown with technology, we’ve figured out that we can use that technology to help our kids grown and learn in ways that may be more effective than some of the ways that we have been trying to teach them. One of the nice things about the obsolete nature of technology is that it is not only for adults anymore. When something begins to drop in price and starts to lose it’s shiny value for adults, the price drops to a point where it is a feasible option to buy for our children because we no longer stress about them destroying it any more than we do the huge remote control car we might get them as their one super gift for a holiday or birthday. The price has become reasonable and the expectation is that they may or may not like it and they may or may not take care of it, but either way, it’s their gift. Sometimes this is a massive upset and setup for failure and sometimes it turns out beautifully.
This year, for younger children, the “in” gift was the leapfrog. The leapfrog is a small mini-computer system that helps kids learn. What? This is the “IN” gift? Something that helps a child learn? Yep. It makes learning fun, it looks like the smartphones, tablets and computers the big kids and adults have and it has fun “games” for little ones. It was SO COOL this year. Parents were scrambling for these things.
I’m lucky enough that my son, AJ, has just turned 11 and I don’t feel the need to hit up the cool kid stuff. Frankly, I never have. I always assumed he’d be happy getting anything and he has always met that expectation. This year, he’s mentioned wanting plenty of things, but over the summer, I added a kindle to his wishlist knowing that he dislikes reading. He’d commented on my kindle, one of the 2nd generation ones I’d bought 3 years ago, and mentioned that he wished he had something cool like that on which to read his books. I mentioned that I’d consider buying him the kindle if he’d ever read books, considering I was begging him to read.
When October hit, it was AR season. In his school, and other public schools around the country, kids have Advanced Reader goals to hit and if they get points they get rewards. AJ was struggling to hit his minimum. He complained to me that, “I’m not like you and Daddy. I hate to read. It’s not fun for me. I don’t get why you guys like it.”
When November rolled around, I’d already decided that I was buying him the kindle mainly because he didn’t have much else on his list. If he didn’t like it, I’d give it to Leon, who’d waffled back and forth about wanting one. I’d gotten some Best Buy rewards and it had dropped my kindle price to around $50. It was a steal at that price and AJ could at least try a couple books on it.
When Christmas morning rolled around, AJ opened it up and seemed excited enough. He couldn’t wait to try out some books on it because it was shiny, it was new, and it was something that mommy had that he wanted and he never got shiny, new, technological TOYS. He seemed a little disappointed that his NeeNee, his Oma and I got him so much money on Amazon gift cards specifically for books for his kindle, but grudgingly decided he’d give it a try.
Since then, he’s read no less than 12, 300+ page books on his kindle with 4 of those being read in the last week. Almost daily he is requesting that I search for new books for him on Amazon and I mentioned to him today that he is almost out of his hefty Christmas and birthday amazon.com card stash for books. He laughed and said, “I can’t help it, Mama, I loooooooove reading. It’s so much fun!”
This kindle, it could be a game changer for kids that don’t like to read. As I write this, AJ is laying on the couch sick as can be, but he’s also calm and relaxed reading his Kindle. He used to tell me he couldn’t read more than an hour a day and now, some days, he reads up to 4 or 5 hours. His main issue with reading is that he is now reading on an 8th or 9th grade level in the 5th grade and most of the books he is reading don’t fall into his AR category so he doesn’t get points for reading them. He reads them anyway. He likes them. He likes to read. He loves to read. I love that he loves to read. Thanks, kindle. Thanks, amazon.
*note: Amazon/Kindle didn’t pay me to write this. They don’t know I’ve written this. This came totally from my heart.
by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . January 15, 2012 . 12:02AM
Time for full discloser on this one: #1/I got this book for free to review it and #2/I’m a huge Harriet Lerner fangirl so excuse me while I SQUEE that I got to review one of her books in advance. I know, it’s ridiculous, right? Some of us psychology girls geek out on Harriet Lerner because she’s a fantastic author, writes incredibly well, doles out down to earth psychology wisdom and does it in a way that is easy to read. It’s nice to glean wisdom outside of class and from the comfort of my electric heating blanket. I have most of Lerner’s books on my “professional bookshelves” (of which I have 4, which is upsetting my husband, but I digress).
Now you know my big bad secret in that I went into this pre-disposed to like this book. It hasn’t been a secret that in my life my relationship has been through the tumble cycle of the dryer so this book actually came at a great time for me to really get some sound insight. Marriage Rules has solid information for those that are sensing cracks in their relationship, those who are already broken and know it and want to fix things and those that are doing wonderfully but don’t want to hit either of those points.
Perhaps one of the most solid aspects of the book is that, for those of us who are too busy to take off our make-up, Dr. Lerner has made each chapter into small subsections that can easily be read during morning coffee breaks or while you microwave your Weight Watchers meals and listen to Private Practice in the background. Her advice is practical and thoughtful and also has some sound theory behind it. I enjoyed reading the book, especially her personal anecdotes, and have already taken my advanced reader copy up to my office to share with my co-workers.
If you are considering an easy read to help balance things out and are looking for some well-processed and easy to implement suggestions, I highly recommend this book.
by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . January 8, 2012 . 2:12AM
11 years ago today my little AJ decided to grace us with his presence. I would get all sweet and sappy, but I’m avoiding the inevitable Mommy breakdown that comes when you realize your kid is growing up. Happy day, sweetie!
by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . December 30, 2011 . 9:47PM
Usually, I don’t jump right into my reviews, but
Solomon’s Oak by Jo-Ann Mapson was so compelling that I feel like I need to get right down to it today. I was lucky enough to snag a copy of this from an early review program, which is odd because this book actually came out in hardback in 2010 and is available on Amazon.com for a bargain price right now! Frankly, I’m shocked that the price was lowered because this was one of my favorite reads this year.
Solomon’s Oak introduces us to Glory, a newly widowed woman who is still grieving for her husband and desperately trying to make ends meet. When the local social worker comes calling and asks her to take on a new foster child, something Glory and her late husband had frequently done with open arms, Glory isn’t sure that she has it in her to help Juniper through her adolescent issues. With the help of Joseph, an out-of-towner who has some issues of his own, Glory and Juniper discover that family is often who you make it.
This book has a lot of backstory for each character and that makes it a fascinating read. Almost all of the characters have some sort of dynamic movement throughout the novel, including the minor characters. Sometimes when an author goes that route the book because a busy mish-mash of too many spoons in the soup. However, Solomon’s Oak is written with a perfect, delicate balance that left me bouncing between the characters and while I was on one part of the story I found myself longing to know what another character was doing. Jo-Ann Mapson did a lovely job tying these characters together and really weaving a beautiful picture of what life is like for them.
None of the stories are easy to read. The characters in this book are struggling to deal with issues that are real world issues. However, the empathy that Mapson allows the reader to feel is more than adequate to allow for a bonding between reader and character without making the book overly sappy or the characters overly pitiful or pathetic in their griefs.
I think this is a lovely book that is worth a read. It may not be your favorite of the year, but you won’t forget it. You may find yourself wondering where the characters are heading and if they realize what they’ve gained in the process. It’s a nice journey.
Edit: I received a free copy of this book in order to review it. Thank you for allowing me to share my opinions on it!
Home
We want to believe that once we’ve found joy in our lives, all of the hardships have been worth it and nothing will spoil that wonder we have gained. As such, we take pains to keep our lives unblemished and pure and for some people, that means hiding the wrongs they have committed or the mistakes they have made in order to keep their lives as joyful and pain-free as possible. They never understand, after the fact, how it could have gone wrong or what they missed or how they have hurt their loved ones.
Life is like a game. We all have challenges, thoughts, opinions and beliefs. Often, it feels like something out there, life, karma, catty people, or blue shells (for the Kart lovers), seeks to bring us down. Luckily, we always get up. This is where I wear my heart on my sleeve and my foot in my mouth.
