Betrayal by Robin Lee Hatcher (RITA Nominee )

Betrayal by Robin Lee Hatcher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I often stray away from Christian romance, primarily because I feel that there will be oddly placed Biblical references throughout the book that will stray me away from engaging with a trashy romance read. And if it were up to someone overbearing like my mother, then Christian fiction would be the furthest thing away from trashy romance reads. But when you have a romantic plot that just does not seem plausible at all, of course it’s going to go on the “to-read” list by Smart Bitches. We have a hot religious cowboy (who knows how to read! Ahhh! ) and right away I’m swept off of my feet…And I was just looking at the cover folks.
There are two separate plot lines going on in this story: first, “Betrayal” is the second novel in Hatcher’s “Where the Heart Lives” trilogy, but you won’t need to have read the others to understand what is going on. Each novel in the series focuses on one of the Brennan children, who were separated when they were younger and sent to different foster families. So if you want the full story, check them out. “Betrayal” focuses on Hugh, the big brother in the Brennan clan, and his happened-by-chance encounter with widowed Julia Grace. On his way to Idaho to search for his sisters, Hugh meets Julia and agrees to work around her ranch doing all of the manly work. Right away, the reader’s reality check alarm goes into play—he just mysteriously happens to have horse trouble when he encounters a widow’s ranch? Hmm…
However, the story does have some valuable morals to it. Both the hero and heroine use their religious beliefs to influence their choices, “God give me strength” and what-not. What I found particularly interesting and actually realistic was how Hugh and Julia connected romantically with a religious foundation. Each of them wanted an independent life with their separate goals--Hugh wants to find his sisters, Julia wants to keep her ranch, but is still haunted by the memories of her abusive deceased husband—and they solve their problems through God’s word.
Personally, I started the story and ignored the religious parts for fear that the novel would turn into a Bible lesson. But once you get involved with Hugh and Julia’s chemistry, you’ll want to see how it turns out.


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"The White Tiger"-Aravind Adiga

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very interesting pseudo-narrative that tells the reader about a man who calls himself "The White Tiger". Balram is a man who has come to work as a driver from the country, only to be swept up in the conflict that comes with being a servant in a big city. The entire book is set up as a letter from Balram who is self-proclaimed fugitive (we won't find out why until later) writing to the Premier in Socialist China. Personally, I was confused with this part of as to why he was writing him, but the reason I gathered was simple-- no one else will tell us how it truly is. And for doing so, Balram is considering himself an outlaw.

I enjoyed this Man Booker Prize winner for its momentum that constantly kept the reader interested, and even though I feared I wouldn't understand the cultural differences, Adiga takes time to explain things in detail for his reader. With that said, if there are any points of confusion, feel free to pause and do some Googling... it definitely helped when there were moments involving Socialism, etc that I didn't fully comprehend.



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Margaret Atwood's "Oryx and Crake"- Reviewed 2007

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this as part of the assigned reading for English 106 at Purdue University with a TA who thought that we should be prepared for the future... Little did I know, it was a proclamation more towards the evolution of the dystopic literature genre, versus the actual dystopia that could engulf the world. At the time, I had not been exposed to much Atwood, (besides "The Handmaid's Tale), and since this was her most recent work I was excited to read it.

There are many biblical connections that one needs to make sure they have brushed up on while reading "Oryx and Crake", simply because the plot is connected metaphorically to all of the Adam and Eve allusions... Atwood creates Eden- a paradise that slowly goes to ruin throughout the novel, but despite giving away that major detail, I'll also give away that the characters story of Oryx, Crake and Snowman are much more interesting. To see different people operate within the possibility of demise is very interesting. Looking back on my time with this novel, I can safely say that I enjoyed the experience.... Even more so, I'm THRILLED to see that it began a trilogy.

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Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell

An inquisitive short young adult read that just keeps dragging you through a mystery of a ghost haunting a 14 year old girl. The only attribute that I found particularly interesting was the repetition of "where ya at?", a phrase I find commonly amongst curious teenagers.

A Place Not A Place- David Carr

Very good textbook for Library Science and Museum Studies students... I specifically like how it incorporates Education and Bloom's Taxonomy to create tiers of information exposure for patrons.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac- Gabrielle Zevin

Naomi has amnesia and had to suffer high school at the same time...The horror! Not only can she not remember why she wanted to take photography, but also forgets all about her boyfriend, best friend and the "crazy" kid, all three whom she happens to fall in love with throughout the story. Gazooks girl! Share the wealth!!

The idea was strong, title is ironic, but alas, the plot falls short in places where it needs to be stronger... Much like an actual teenager, this book often changes its mind on what it is going to do next.

"The Great Gatsby" Film Review

When I first heard that Baz Luhrmann was taking on the project of recreating one of the most classic pieces of literature AND it was going to have one of my favorite actors in it, I was counting down the months until it would arrive on the big screen. After purchasing my tickets online through Fandango.com, I was counting down the hours until I could munch on popcorn excitedly before the previews.... At every spare moment that I could dedicate to this film, I was thinking "will it be worth it?" Ladies and Gentlemen..... it was. 

A Dog's Purpose

Anyone who has ever had or loved a dog needs to read this book... I am trying my best to write this review with tears in my eyes because a dog (reborn many times) that is trying to find his purpose of existence finally found it... It also doesn't help that my dachshund Happy Gilmore is curled up next to me.

My Life in France by Julia Child

What a lovely audiobook that provides insight to THE American master of French cooking and her adventures in doing so... I would play this every morning on my way to work and felt enlightened about making various dishes that I feel compelled to go out and get the actual recipes to try. Be forewarned- hunger pains and unusual cravings for butter will ensue as you absorb this memoir.

Django Unchained

I heard quite a few things about this movie, and when my roommate sat me down to watch it with her, I must admit that I only remained on the pretense that Leonardo DiCaprio was in this movie. This will be a short review as that it's 4 am and I'm sleep deprived. This movie was quite good with the action and essence of a Quentin Taratino film....I haven't seen many of his other films, other than the first "Kill Bill", but since I heard that Django was a Western-esque film, I thought that I'd try it out. I was quite impressed. Not only was the storyline very good, but the acting was superb from Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, DiCaprio, and Kerry Washington. There are also many memorable moments with Samuel L. Jackson, in a perfectly suited role that he obviously had fun with. I was on the edge of my seat (difficult since I was sitting on a plush and comfy sofa), and was immediately knocked out of my trance when my roommate threw a ball of orange Play-Dough at my face to knock me out of it. We rented this from Netflix, but I'll most likely be purchasing it to share with others...once every bill that decided to arrive in my mailbox AT THE SAME TIME has been paid.