More than Words

More Than Words by Judith Miller. 2010. Bethany House. 368 pages.

"Come down from that tree, Oma!" I'd done my best to sound firm.

Historical fiction. Amana Colonies, Iowa. 1880s.

Gretchen, our heroine, has a busy life. She helps her father with the general store. She tries her best to 'mother' her younger brother, Stefan. She is also responsible for taking care of her grandmother, her Oma. And since Oma has dementia--it's a job with no end. But. No matter how busy her life may get, Gretchen, finds time to write. She journals and writes poetry. Not every one notices this--Gretchen's special gift. Many just take her for granted. Not noticing the things that make her special, unique. But. There is one man (at least) who notices.

For better or worse, Gretchen's life is changed one year when an outsider, Mr. Finley, comes to town, comes to her father's store. A salesman more interested in getting acquainted with Gretchen than in selling his merchandise. A man who claims he's interested in joining the community. But is becoming a part of the Amana community really what he's interested in?

And then there are the visiting gypsies....her brother and grandmother can't resist visiting the gypsy camp every chance they get. It doesn't help that neither are supposed to. That Gretchen feels responsible for them both.

Can Gretchen find some peace in her life? Can she find love?

I didn't enjoy this one as much as Somewhere to Belong. But I didn't dislike it. I just found it a bit predictable in places. It didn't help that the publisher gave too much away in their description! True, I might have been suspicious of Mr. Finley's intentions anyway. HOWEVER. I did enjoy Conrad very much.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Faithful (YA)

Faithful. Janet Fox. 2010. Penguin. 336 pages.

The trail was too crowded for a hard ride. Too groomed, too manicured. I wished I could fly, could gallop away from my raging confusion, but I couldn't give Ghost my crop and set him off at a canter. I urged him into a fast trot instead and even then I saw it in the faces we passed: the raised eyebrows, the surprise, the disapproval. Disapproval draped over me like a funeral crepe.

Maggie Bennet, our heroine, is miserable. She's miserable in Newport where our story begins. She's miserable on her journey west with her father. She's miserable in Yellowstone where her journey ends. For this "surprise" vacation brings with it devastating news: there will be no going back. For her father is ruined. The money is gone. Their home, their belongings, their horses--all sold. Why is her father ruined? Well, he's not gotten over his wife's scandalous life and death. The truth is neither has Maggie. Both harbor hope that she is alive--somewhere. It is this hopeful little lie that makes Maggie agree to the trip West in the first place. But. Yellowstone doesn't bring Maggie's mother back to her. It does hold a secret or two about her mother's past though...

Maggie is on a journey of self-discovery. As she explores her new surroundings, she begins to contemplate her life in a new way. She considers that perhaps some things are more important than money, than social standing, than having the best of everything. She realizes that maybe happiness can't be bought. Maybe love is better than money.

What lessons can Maggie learn from her mother's past? Can she make peace with her troubled mother? Can she finally come to understand her at last?

Faithful is historical fiction; it's set in 1904.

I liked Faithful. But Maggie wasn't always the easiest heroine to like. A bit selfish. A bit spoiled. At least in the beginning. Of course, if she didn't have some flaws, she wouldn't be believable. It was easy to sympathize with her--in many ways. With her father, suitor, and grandfather all trying to "manage" her life for her. With everyone trying to have a say as to how she should live her life. It's easy to see how frustrating that could be!

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Nonfiction Monday: The War to End All Wars

The War to End All Wars: World War I. Russell Freedman. 2010. August 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 192 pages.

Those who lived through World War I called it the Great War because of its massive scale: some two dozen countries joined the conflict, which swept across continents and killed perhaps 20 million people.

I'm not as familiar with World War I as I am with World War II. I've read less nonfiction and fiction books on this war. (The fiction book that immediately comes to mind--for me--is Rilla of Ingleside. Oh, how I love Rilla of Ingleside. And last year I read Helen Frost's Crossing Stones, which was amazing.) But. When I saw that Russell Freedman's new book was on World War I, well, I knew I just had to read it.

It did not disappoint. It was wonderful. It was everything I was expecting. It was informative, fascinating, and oh-so-compelling. One of my favorite aspects of the book was Freedman's use of quotes. How he weaves together primary sources. These details make the soldiers' experiences so vivid. Heartbreaking but vivid.

Here is an example:

On the Western Front alone, more than a half million men lost their lives in 1916. Second Lieutenant Alfred Joubaire, serving with the French 124th Regiment at Verdun, made the following entry in his diary on May 23, 1916: "Humanity is mad! It must be mad to do what it is doing. What a massacre. What scenes of horror and carnage! I cannot find words to translate my impressions. Hell cannot be so terrible. Men are mad!"
That was the last entry in Alfred Joubaire's diary. That day, or possibly the next, his life was ended by a German shell. He was twenty-one. (101)

The book follows each year of the war. From the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand to the peace treaty and the formation of the League of Nations. The final chapter, "Losing the Peace" takes readers from the close of World War I to the beginning of World War II showing readers how these two wars are connected.

The book is compelling and intense. Freedman's writing is informative, clear (easy-to-follow), and fascinating. He includes just the right amount of detail. I never expected to find a book about battles, strategy, and politics so interesting, so compelling.

The book has plenty of photographs (black-and-white) too. And maps.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Sunday Salon: Reading, Read, To Read #37

Happy Sunday! Do you reread books? Do you value a reread? There are two posts up on rereading today. Amy is featured at 5 Minutes for Books. And Amanda has "In Defense of Rereading."

While I don't always have time to reread everything I want, I do value reading books again (and again and again.) Some books that I've reread multiple times are Frankenstein, Gone With The Wind, Ender's Game, and Life As We Knew It. There are actually a couple of books I'd love to reread now if only I could find the time. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. The first time through, I didn't really connect with the characters. Now that I know the characters. Now that I love the characters. I'd love to revisit this one. I'm hesitant because it would probably make me want to reread The Ask and The Answer and Monsters of Men. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I'd love to reread this one. I had such great fun with the graphic novel and the paranormal retelling. But reading those made me crave the original.

Which books would you love to reread?

What I've Reviewed This Week:

The Thorn. Beverly Lewis. 2010. Bethany House. 352 pages.
Wench. Dolen Perins-Valdez. 2010. HarperCollins. 293 pages.
Paul is Undead. Alan Goldsher. 2010. Simon & Schuster. 310 pages.
Revelations. Melissa de la Cruz. 2008. Hyperion. 272 pages.
The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester. Barbara O'Connor. 2010. August 2010. FSG. 176 pages.
The Silly Book with CD. Stoo Hample. 2010/2004/1961. Candlewick Press. 32 pages.
Tubby. Leslie Patricelli. 2010. September 2010. Candlewick Press. 28 pages.
Potty. Leslie Patricelli. 2010. September 2010. Candlewick Press. 28 pages.
Lily's Potty. Begin Smart Books. May 2010. 14 pages
Pete's Potty. Begin Smart Books. May 2010. 14 pages.
Maisy Goes to Bed. A Maisy Lift-the-Flap Classic. Lucy Cousins. 2010. September 2010. Candlewick Press. 16 pages.
Dirtball Pete. Eileen Brennan. 2010. August 2010. Random House. 32 pages.
Animal House. Candace Ryan. Illustrated by Nathan Hale. 2010. July 2010. Walker Books. 40 pages.
City Dog, Country Frog. Mo Willems. 2010. Hyperion. 64 pages.
Slugs, Bugs, & Lullabies. Music CD. Andrew Peterson and Randall Goodgame. 41 minutes.

Coming Soon:


More Than Words by Judith Miller. 2010. Bethany House. 368 pages.



Faithful. Janet Fox. 2010. Penguin. 336 pages.


The War to End All Wars: World War I. Russell Freedman. 2010. August 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 192 pages.


Sabotaged. Margaret Peterson Haddix. 2010. August 2010. Simon & Schuster. 377 pages.

Currently Reading:



The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. 1868. 544 pages.


Ninth Ward. Jewell Parker Rhodes. 2010. August 2010. Little, Brown. 217 pages.


Sir Charlie: Chaplin, the Funniest Man in the World by Sid Fleischman. 2010. June 2010. HarperCollins. 268 pages.


Bleak House. Charles Dickens. 1852-1853. 912 pages.


Unknown Ajax. Georgette Heyer. 1959/2009. Harlequin. 384 pages.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Library Loot: Third Trip in September

New Loot:

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Lincoln Tells A Joke: How Laughter Saved the President (And the Country) by Kathleen Krull
Ninth Ward by Jewell Rhodes
Liberty or Death: The Surprising Story of Runaway Slaves Who Sided with the British During the American Revolution by Margaret Blair.
The Birthday Ball by Lois Lowry
They Called Themselves the K.K.K. by Susan Bartoletti
Sabotaged by Margaret Peterson Haddix
The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson
City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems
What if? by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
The Pirate of Kindergarten by George Lyon
My Garden by Kevin Henkes
The War to End All Wars by Russell Freedman
Ubiquitous by Joyce Sidman
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Pinkney
Sir Charlie: Chaplin, the Funniest Man in the World by Sid Fleischman
Disasters: Natural and Man-Made Catastrophes Through the Centuries by Brenda Guiberson
Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton
Antarctica: Journeys to the South Pole by Walter Dean Myers
Dangerous Neighbors by Beth Kephart
Cold Earth by Sarah Moss
The Stories of Ray Bradbury by Ray Bradbury
The Weed That Strings The Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley

Leftover Loot:

Bleak House by Charles Dickens
Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
How To Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor
Scumble by Ingrid Law
The Moonstone, The Haunted Hotel, My Lady's Money by Wilkie Collins
Justin Case: School, Drool, and Other Daily Disasters by Rachel Vail
The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer
The Spanish Bride by Georgette Heyer
Pistols for Two by Georgette Heyer
The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer


Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire and Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews