Book Review: What Happened to Hannah by Mary Kay McComas

by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . January 28, 2012 . 11:00PM

Sometimes, you have no choice but to go home again. Hannah Benson left her hometown 20 years earlier due to a tragedy that she has not yet moved past. However, when she receives a call from her old flame letting her know that her mother and sister have passed away and she is now the guardian for a niece she has never met, Hannah takes a deep breath and prepares herself for what is coming. Hannah has her reasons for not returning, Grady among them, but her niece, Anna, is there and she feels responsible for making sure Anna is cared for, which is more than anyone ever did for Hannah.

What Happened to Hannah by Mary Kay McComas is the story of what can happen when we allow ourselves to let our guard down and try to move beyond our past hurts. More so, it is a story of what happens when we forgive ourselves and allow ourselves the understanding of the people around us and why they make the choices they do. What Hannah discovers about mercy, compassion and love will fill your spirit as well.

As a character, Hannah is endlessly complex and completely frustrating. The entire book is spent talking her down from a ledge of her own making. But isn’t this what we all do? We spend so much time making up drama in our heads and then dealing with the upset from that that the real life issues we have are minuscule in comparison. Hannah moves through the story keeping secrets not only from the other characters, but from us, the readers. It was frustrating to have a clear understanding of why she was doing what she was doing until the end of the book, but the tension was not altogether unpleasant.

Other characters in the novel were pleasantly involved, but I found Grady to be a little too supportive. He showed so little emotion and the end felt inauthentic. I wanted more of Grady’s story and to know what Grady was doing when he was going home at night. Or what he was thinking, feeling or doing at work. How was Hannah’s pulling away really affecting him? There is a little of this in there, but I could have used more insight into both him and Anna.

Out of all of the characters, Biscuit was probably my favorite and I can’t tell you why without giving away some key details of the novel. If you read it, just know that I appreciate his wisdom beyond his age and his ability to truly see people as they are. I enjoyed the addition of Biscuit to the novel.

What Happened to Hannah is not a difficult read, though it may be for those that have abuse in their histories. The story is an interesting one, though there were some turns that I would have expected to be explored more fully (Jim). Either way, this is one that is a take it or leave it, but if I had the choice again, I’d probably take it.

Note: I was given a free copy of this novel in order to review it. Thank you for allowing me to share my opinion.

Book Review: The Underside of Joy by Sere Prince Halverson

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.

Book Review: Believe by Shelly Hickman

by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . December 4, 2011 . 4:57PM

Every now and then an author will contact me and ask me to review his or her book. I’m always a little reluctant to do so because that personal interaction makes it…well, personal! It’s harder to be objective when you’ve spoken with someone behind the book before reviewing it and it’s much harder to say what you really think because you know that the author is looking forward to hearing what you have to say and that they chose you to do this. I’m going to be as honest as possible in this review, knowing that I have some good things and some bad things to say about this book and hopefully they will help you, the reader, decide whether or not this is a book for you. That’s always the goal of my book reviews, but it’s important to me that my readers know that I got a free book from the author (I always disclose freebies) but when the author asks a blogger personally, sometimes it can make it harder to say things, both good and bad because you are inclined to exaggerate the good and be quiet on the bad. I’m doing neither here.

Believe by Shelly Hickman is a book about grief and loss and the ability to forgive others for the wrongs they’ve done and the ability to forgive yourself for the mistakes you’ve made. Rachel was a single mother who lost her daughter Sarah to cancer. When Cooper, a former flame, suddenly comes back into her life she is stunned to discover that his son has cancer and that feelings she thought were long gone about Cooper have resurfaced. Rachel begins to experience events that can only be described as supernatural and she begins to wonder if Sarah is still with her. As Rachel explores her feelings about her loss and struggles with remaining aloof with Cooper, events begin to fall together as the story of Rachel and Cooper and, ultimately, Sarah make both Rachel and Cooper look at the people they were and who they have become.

While reading this book, the first thing I realized was that the writing was stilted, but detailed. It was Hemingway-esque (an author I’ve never enjoyed) in that it focused on small details that made up surroundings such as what song was playing on the radio. I’ve always preferred more polished writing, but this is a more creative form of writing and it reminded me of some of the work that we wrote in my undergraduate creative writing class. This is not to say Hickman’s writing isn’t good. What it says is that the writing style is not my preferred style. I do not need the entire picture drawn for me, which is why I hate Hemingway. I dislike being endlessly deluged by the small details of what a knob of a door looks like or what the fuzz on a sweater looks like. However, there are plenty of readers that flock to this kind of writing. Just not me. And that’s ok. The book is dialogue heavy and I felt like it was written more for a play than for a book. It was very statement/fact oriented and I felt like the characters spent the novel proclaiming things rather than having any sense of self-awareness or dynamic changing. Overall, I would have liked to have seen a more impactful use of dialogue and a better use of the supporting work to help the dialogue form the story.

However, the book excels in a lot of ways. This book isn’t for me because I’m not someone who is in the midst of losing someone or who has recently lost someone. This book is catered for that person. The raw dialogue and the realistic and verbose use of terms to describe the cancer-related medical supplies and course of treatment would likely make someone who had recently lost someone to a disease, especially cancer, feel supported and understood. For the rest of us, there just isn’t enough insight to help us get to the point of understanding or caring about these characters beyond a stranger empathy we would experience when reading the story in a newspaper.

In many ways, I noticed that this book seems like a walk-through of the different stages of cancer for someone whose child is going through it as well as a noticeable journey into the lapse of faith a Christian parent might have when facing a child who has a terminal illness. The realistic thoughts and comments of Rachel are appealing in this way. One thing I like about creative writing was the ability to open people up to new things. For all the ways that someone has just hit the end of their rope terminal illness, trips to the hospital, pain and hurt and needs someone to speak for them, Rachel may just be that person.

In other words, the book may be a balm for people who are struggling through dealing with a loved one with cancer or have lost a loved one to cancer. The rest of us might just not get it and wonder why things are the way they are. This book is for the former.

The book loses chances to explain things more to readers as well as to offer Rachel and Cooper a chance to give us more insight into them at the end of the novel. Things seem very cut and dry in a very complicated situation and it may be the only part of the book that felt unrealistic to me. Overall, not a bad book, but not one for someone who is looking for a light read or who has never been through this kind of struggle.

Book Review: Tempest (Tempest #1) by Julie Cross

by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . November 29, 2011 . 7:57PM

Alright. I admit it. I read the Twilight books and liked them. If that doesn’t send some of you running from my reviews immediately, I don’t know what will. The thing about those books is that they had elements of fantastic literature, even if you can’t get over the sparkles, the angst, the sheer EMOness of them. For me, those very things appealed to me in a lot of ways because one of the reasons I read is the for the element of escapism that I find so frequently in novels. Not all novels can be Twilight-esque or I’d get bored very quickly and beat myself over the head with a ball-bat. Some must have other elements that intrigue me. The nature of books and reading is why I am ok with admitting to you that once upon a time I read and appreciated those novels. I could probably read and appreciate them now. They offer me something found outside of real life and I don’t pretend that they offer me something found here in the real world. It is because of that I can find appreciation in them.

Tempest, by Julie Cross, appeals to me in much the same fashion. It combines elements of a love story with a twist of Dr. Who time travel for good measure. In other words, it’s milkshakes brings us geeks to the yard and it could teach us, but it’d have to charge…I know. I know. Tempest brings us straight to 19-year old Jackson’s summer job and his relationship with his girlfriend, Holly and his friend, Adam. Within the first few pages, Holly is shot, Jackson is watching her die as he suddenly…jumps back through time? With his genius computer tech friend Adam helping him out, Jackson continues jumping through time to try to save Holly, save himself and Adam and figure out who the people around him really are, including his father. The book is never boring and I never quite could get two steps ahead of the author, Julie Cross, in her writing. I always thought I knew where she was headed, but the ending surprised me, but felt right. I’m excited to see where this trilogy leads. I am so, so glad that it didn’t end with this book.

I read this novel in about 2 evenings. I rarely do that and what it should tell you is that the book is exciting and spellbinding. I didn’t want to put it down. It caused me two cranky early mornings, to be sure. The author cites Stephanie Meyer, of Twilight author-hood, as an inspiration, and while I can see comparing the two because they are both in the young adult genre (hence my introduction), the writing styles are only similar in that they both easily held my interest and had a nicely flowing cadence. Julie Cross has figured out her hero and his voice is clear in this novel. I warn you, if you pick up this novel, you will be on your tippy toes waiting for the next one. Go for it, though! It’s well worth it. This was a great read and I am truly looking forward to Part 2!

Edit: I received this book for free in order to review it. Thank you for allowing me to share my opinions on it!

Click here to listen to a clip from the audiobook version of Tempest! For those of you that like listening to books this is right up your alley. Tempest_webclip

Book Review: Proof Of Heaven: A Novel by Mary Curran Hackett

by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . October 28, 2011 . 3:40PM

Being a mother, the mother-child bond is something that I hold sacred, so when I saw that I could review a book about a single mother who finds out that her only child, a son, has a life-threatening illness, I was both excited and worried about the task. Frankly, I wasn’t sure that I could handle the subject matter. My son and I are very close, as are the mother and son in this novel, and I wasn’t sure that it wouldn’t rip out my heart to read this novel. I’m really glad I chose to read it anyway.

In Proof of Heaven, Colm is a little boy who has always known that there was something special about him. Since he was an infant, Colm has experienced seizures that end in him on the ground, unbreathing and with his heart stopped. There is little warning other than a feeling of falling for Colm and he feels as if he loses a bit of himself each time it happens. Even worse, Colm worries that there is no heaven, the heaven his mother so desperately believes in and prays for, because when Colm seizes there is nothing but blackness. More than the fear of dying, for Colm, is the fear that he will shatter his mother’s belief system. It’s a lot of pressure for such a little kid.

Cathleen has spent her young adulthood struggling to keep her son alive. Every time he dies and is brought back to life through the power of medicine she fights to keep her head above water. Her own life and dreams are on hold until whatever is wrong with Colm can be treated and cured. She spends her days working tirelessly at a job that doesn’t challenge her just to pay the bills and her evenings praying and trying to save her alcoholic brother and her son. When Cathleen discovers that Colm has a terminal illness, she endeavors to take them on a journey that will end with Colm’s cure regardless of the cost to all of them.

Proof of Heaven is a journey of family, a discovery of the life that lies just beyond us if we will reach for it and the life beyond this that may be out there. Faith is both a huge part of this novel and such a small piece of it that the reader will wonder exactly what happened at the end of this book. The twists and turns in Cat and Colm’s story are worth the read and kept me involved. There were times I wondered how Cat could be so devoted and yet so negligent; how Colm could be so strong and yet so young. It was a delightful read with frustrating and lovable characters.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in order to review it. Thank you for allowing me to share my opinions on this novel.