January Book Reviews
The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson ★★★★☆
Published in 1958, this is a sweet and humorous story of a homeless man living in Paris who befriends three kids and a dog and helps them and their mom get safe shelter. It would be a fun read-aloud with elementary-schooled kids and I look forward to reading it to Elliot in a few years. There are a few black-and-white illustrations spread out in the book that add to its charm and would help young kids understand the plot. Content rating: G
Summerhills by D.E. Stevenson (audiobook) ★★★★★
I read the first book in this three-part series, Amberwell, in October and adored it, so it didn't take long for me to listen to the continuation of the story of the Ayrton family, published in 1956. The first book was more focused on their childhood and early adulthood, while this one continues right where Amberwell left off and includes several sweet love stories. Wholesome, endearing novel that is a little like Downtown Abbey (it shares the stories of both the wealthy Ayrton family as well as their beloved staff). I will definitely read more by D.E. Stevenson since these first two books I have read by her have become instant favorites. Content rating: G
The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis (audiobook) ★★★★★
Originally published in 1955, although this is the genesis account of Narnia, it was not the first of the Narnia books (that honor falls on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe), but it gives great background to how the White Witch/Jadis entered Narnia, the character of Aslan, and possibility of using magic's power for both good and evil. I absolutely love this one. So clever and humorous (like the animal's conversations when they discover they can talk), while also deep and faith-building with all it's allegorical allusions to the gospel and the creation of the world. It is pure gold and worth a read if you want to climb into the enchanting world of C.S. Lewis' brilliant creativity.Content rating: G to PG ("dem" a few times, which I am assuming means in British English what it sounds like in American English)
Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery (audiobook) ★★★★★
I have loved reading through Montgomery's lesser known novels since each have their own special charm. In this sweet book, Jane is an eleven-year old stuck in a home with a passive but loving mom and a very cantankerous grandmother. She feels like everything she does is reprimanded and she can never live up to the standard set before her. When invited to visit her father in Prince Edward Island for the summer, she reluctantly goes since she had been taught to hate him and only recently found out he was alive. She finds out she adores him and the island as she matures and learns many new skills and hobbies. Content rating: G
Send Down the Rain by Charles Martin (audiobook) ★★★★☆
Charles Martin has become a favorite contemporary author of mine (and I don't have many); one I can trust will write a compelling story, weaving the gospel in a non-preachy way, and making me cry in public places while listening to the audiobook. This story started with some very heavy, heart-breaking circumstances and I didn't know where he was going with it since it seemed too sad, but I am glad I stuck with it because, as always, there was a redeeming and hope-filled thread that held the characters together through tough circumstances. He seems to always have a wealthy, well-meaning (but often rough-around-the-edges) man as his protagonist, but I don't mind the trope since his supporting characters, particularly the women, are always written so well and compliment and often soften the edges of the protagonist. Content: PG (some violence)
A Daughter of the Land by Gene Stratton-Porter (audiobook) ★★★☆☆
This sprawling novel is a far departure from my two favorite of Stratton-Porter's novels, The Keeper of the Bees and The Girl of Limberlost. Unlike the likable protagonists of these tales, Kate is strong-headed, wildly impulsive, and thinks too concretely in white and black (and her way is usually the only way). It was difficult to root for her when she seemed to be so hard-headed and refused help or wise advice from anyone, only plowing ahead with her schemes. I hoped she would learn from her mistakes in the decades that spanned from the beginning to end of the story, but it was very slow-going change. Her family's lack of support and love for her through her many hardships the first three-quarters of the book helped me have more grace for her and understand why she was so hard around the edges and set in her ways. It isn't often that I enjoy the plot but dislike the characters, but Stratton-Porter just has such a gift with crafting an engaging story. Though there wasn't much to learn from Kate, it was a good reminder to learn from her mistakes and flaws: seeking an attitude of humility rather than pride and thinking my way is the only way, seeking wise counsel before making big decisions, seeking reconciliation rather than letting years pass with broken relationships, and seeking fairness and love between all my children (her dad was a hard, cruel man who preferred his sons over his daughters and didn't plan on leaving hardly anything to them once he died. Later on, she preferred her son over her daughter). It was a very long book, but so much kept happening (usually bad things to Kate) that it kept me interested and curious what else could fall apart and how she'd recover, which reminds me that what I did appreciate about Kate was her resourcefulness and eagerness to provide for her children and turn bad situations around. Also, her ambition for farming and her overall work ethic were also admirable. Content rating: G
Who is Jesus (Crucial Questions #1) by R.C. Sproul (audiobook)
Content rating: G
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Elle Alice