Hitting the Books

What I’ve been up to the past month.

Skid (Occupational Hazard Series #3)

Rene Gutteridge

Publisher’s Summary: Blissfully unaware that Atlantica Flight 1945 from Atlanta to Amsterdam is about to make aviation history, First Officer Danny McSweeney focuses his energies on navigating the turbulent personalities of an eccentric female captain, a co-pilot with a talent for tactless comments and conspiracy theories, and a lead flight attendant with an outsized attitude that definitely exceeds the limits for carry-on baggage.

On the other side of the cockpit door, the unscheduled in-flight entertainment includes a potbellied pig, a jittery diamond courier, and the recently jilted Lucy Meredith, whose personal mantra of “What Would Oprah Do?” will be challenged by the sudden appearance of her ex and his new traveling partner. On her left sits Hank Hazard, whose unusually polite but constant requests–prompted by his covert role as a spy for the airline–test the limits of the crew’s customer service.

But as Lucy and the rest of the crew discover, Hank’s odd behavior is linked to a quiet faith that may play a key role in the fate of everyone on board. Especially when an unexpected traveler sets this already bumpy flight on a course toward the unfriendly skies.

Author Bio: Rene Gutteridge is the author of twelve novels, including the Boo series, the Storm series, and the novelization for The Ultimate Gift, as well as Scoop and Snitch, the first two Occupational Hazard novels. She lives with her husband, Sean, and their two children in Oklahoma City.

Review:

Okay, so I really need to read these invitation e-mails a lot closer, because again I didn’t clue into the fact that Skid too was an Occupational Hazard novel (which I found a cute series title, but I’m a sucker for that kind of name), and plunked myself into the middle of a series. Anyhow, to clear up any possible misconceptions, SKID IS BOOK THREE IN THE OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD SERIES. There.

As for the book itself…I’m coming to the conclusion that I’m not a good judge of contemporary fiction, because while I found it a nice one-evening tubbie read, I certainly didn’t find it a “fun, wild ride with devious humor” nor did it have “me smiling all the way through.” Nor did I consider it worth 5 stars like most of the reviewers on Amazon. Perhaps I’ve grown cynical in my old age. More likely it’s because the more I try to write, the more critical I’ve become of other writers. So much so that it is very difficult for me to read for pleasure anymore.

The plot was okay, if far-fetched/forced. Again, it may be me–after a stint working for the FAA I dislike most things to do with planes. I did like Hank, though he came across as naive rather than innocent. The other characters… Well, I suppose they were relatively well-developed, had decent back-stories, and I identified with nary a one. They all felt like characters rather than real people.

Truth is as Strange as Fiction Tidbit: I was reading Uncle John’s Supremely Satisfying Bathroom Reader earlier this evening (I love books with random trivia) and stumbled across this interesting little article:

On October 17, 2000, two women and their (300 pound) hog boarded a US Airways flight from Philadelphia to Seattle. They presented a note from a doctor verifying that the animal “was a ‘theraputic companion pet,’ like a guide dog for the blind,” so the airline cleared it to fly.

The hog snoozed through most of the six-hour flight, but got spooked when the plane landed. It charged up and down the aisle, squealing loudly, at one point even trying to smash into the cockpit. Then it hid in the galley until its owners lured it out with food and pushed it off the plane…at which point it fouled the jetway.

US Airways immediately revised its companion animal policy specifically to exclude hogs. “We can confirm that the pig traveled,” a spokesperson told reporters,”and we can confirm it will never happen again. Let me stress that. It will never happen again.”

At least not until Atlantica Flight 1945 takes off.

Grades:

• Characters: B
• Plot: B
• Flow of Story: B
• Writing Style: B
• Enjoyable: C+

Overall: B

My Soul to Keep (Dylan Foster Series #3)

Melanie Wells

Publisher Summary: As nasty as I knew Peter Terry to be, I never expected him to start kidnapping kids. Much less a sweet, funny little boy with nothing to protect him but a few knock-kneed women, two rabbits, and a staple gun…

It’s psychology professor Dylan Foster’s favorite day of the academic year–graduation day. A day of pomp, circumstance, and celebration. And after all the mortar boards are thrown, Dylan and some of her best friends will gather around a strawberry cake to celebrate Christine Zocci’s sixth birthday. But the joyful summer afternoon goes south when a little boy is snatched from a neighborhood park, setting off a chain of events that seem to lead exactly nowhere.

Police are baffled, but Christine’s eerie connection with the kidnapped child sends Dylan on a chilling investigation of her own. Is the pasty, elusive stranger Peter Terry to blame? Exploding light bulbs, the deadly buzz of a Texas rattlesnake, and the vivid, disturbing dreams of a little girl are just pieces in a long trail of tantalizing clues leading Dylan in her dogged search for the truth.

HTB Review:

(Only two months late on this review. Sigh. See here for an explanation.)

So…I did like the book, despite not being a big fan of thrillers. It’s not one that I would re-read, or go buy for all my friends, but it was a good evening-in-the-tub read.

Good Points

1. Ms. Wells is a funny writer. Some of her descriptions are a real hoot and a holler.(yet again)
2. The author did a good job of filling in important background information without pulling an “As You Know, Bob.”
3. The action is a steady clip (up until the last few chapters when it suddenly hit breakneck speed and whammed in the ending out of nowhere).
4. The characters are sympathetic, and (for the most part) nicely round. I did like Dylan.

Not-So-Good Points

1. As usual, I did not realize this was book 3 in a series. Which meant I probably missed quite a bit. It also meant that I didn’t know this was a supernatural thriller, which I tend to avoid even more than regular thrillers.
2. Okay, if Dylan is supposed to be a Christian, she’s got quite a bit of growing to do, ‘cuz she certainly doesn’t think or act or speak like one.
3. And again, the ankh as a protective symbol just doesn’t work if this is supposed to be Christian-based.
4. The wrap-up comes far too quick, and almost out of nowhere.
5. As a mom, I really, really don’t like stories about child-snatching. Especially not ones with supernatural villains.

Grades (until I can come up with a better rating system)

• Characters: B
• Plot: C
• Flow of Story: C
• Writing Style: A
• Enjoyable: C+

Overall: C+

The Next Level–A Parable of Finding Your Place in Life

David Gregory

Publisher Summary: Business degree in hand, Logan enters the immense Universal Systems building and is hired as an organizational analyst – a trouble-shooter. His job: evaluate the company’s five divisions, each on a separate level and each operating on startlingly unique principles. Which set of principles is successful? Why is most of the company’s profit generated by one tiny division? What is real profit, anyway? And who is the enigmatic executive that Logan ends up reporting to?

Logan engages in a life-changing pursuit for The Next Level—a fascinating parable that will help readers answer some of life’s most perplexing, vital questions. Joining Logan in evaluating each level’s approach, readers will be inspired to consider the big picture of their own life from an entirely different perspective – one that holds the key to life’s ultimate purpose. No matter where you are now, get ready to embark on your own passionate pursuit of The Next Level.

Author Bio: David Gregory is the author of the best-selling books Dinner with a Perfect Stranger and A Day with a Perfect Stranger, and coauthor of two nonfiction books. After a ten-year business career, he returned to school to study religion and communications, earning graduate degrees from The University of North Texas and Dallas Theological Seminary. A native Texan, David now lives in Oregon devotes himself to writing full time.

So, I did take the time to read the book, and it’s a good book. I guess. Not the kind I would usually read, so I can’t say if it’s a really good one or not. And that’s about all I can say about it, especially since I don’t have the time (nor brainpower) to do the really deep thinking necessary to come up with a better review. My apologies.

When the Morning Comes (Sisters of the Quilt, Book 2)

Cindy Woodsmall

Synopsis (from publisher):

Her relationship with former fiancé Paul Waddell in tatters, Hannah Lapp has fled her home in hopes of finding refuge with another Amish outcast, her shunned Aunt Zabeth in Ohio. Hampered by limited education and hiding her true identity, Hannah struggles to understand the confusing world of the Englischers and embrace unfamiliar freedoms, but a deepening friendship with the handsome Martin Palmer renews her courage to face the future.

Meanwhile, Hannah’s absence and the distressing events that led to her disappearance create turmoil among her loved ones in Owl’s Perch, Pennsylvania. Her father stubbornly refuses to search for her or to acknowledge increasing signs of instability in daughter Sarah, who suffers secret guilt over her sister’s ruined reputation. Fiancé Paul Waddell is wracked with regret over his betrayal of Hannah’s trust and is concerned with her whereabouts. He befriends Hannah’s remaining allies—brother Luke, best friend Mary, and loyal Matthew Esh—trying to convince them to help search for his love.

First off let me apologize for not putting up as thorough a review as I usually do. This has been an absolutely mad month with NaNoWriMo, and my brain is likely to be pudding for a few weeks yet.

That being said, this is a pretty good book. I read it in a single evening while on a mini-vacation (very mini–one night) in Colonial Williamsburg) because I was interested enough to not want to put it down. The sections that take place in Owl’s Perch drag a bit, especially those with Matthew and Elle, and Sarah’s instability does not ring especially true. Faye is another stock character, but other than those small items the plot moves fairly quickly and the characters are well-drawn.

The only other thing that bothered me about the story was the ease with which Hannah adapted to an Englischer lifestyle. In the course of 2 1/2 years she tosses 18 years of habit and training out the window to do such things as learn to drive a car, wear her hair down, sing with a band, and kiss a man in public. Highly unlikely, but as I am used to reading fantasy it didn’t pull me out of the story all that much.

I was also a bit annoyed that the book ended on a semi-cliff hanger. I don’t like loose ends, and I really don’t like having to wait months (or, heaven forbid, years–Robert Jordan is still on my bad people list because of that, though he’s approaching decades) to find out what happens in the next book.

Other than these nit-picky details, I enjoyed the book. I’ll pass it on to my mother, and then probably to some of the ladies of my bible study group, who I’ve discovered have similar tastes in books (this came out totally by accident, and by the end of the lesson we’d started swapping books and authors).

You know, I need to come up with a rating system if I am going to continue this reviewing business. Stars are so over-done, as are thumbs up/thumbs down and school grades. I need something…something wild. But my brain is too fried to come up with anything right now. Any suggestions?

I know! A contest! I have a free copy (not my used copy either) of When the Morning Comes that I will send to whomever gives me the best rating system. How does that sound?

Looking forward to hearing from you!