Book Review: The Christmas Sweater

The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck
I read the Kindle version.
You may like this book: If you like stories of redemption, faith, finding joy after hard things happen, and sentimental Christmas stories.


Okay, let's just get it out of the way. I like Glenn Beck. I think he is interesting, bold and honest. I don't always agree with what he says, and I know he is mostly an entertainer, but these days, most of the news media is. Let's move on now.
So, with that in mind and knowing that this book had at least somewhat of an autobiographical side to it, I was curious and suggested it for my in-person book group. I had to miss the meeting, so I don't know what everyone else thought of it, but I found it readable and more enjoyable than I thought it would be since I usually avoid Christmas Tear-Jerker type books like the plague. The story is fairly predictable, although I was thrown for a minute by the twist at the end, and the heart-strings are tugged as one would expect.  So, it is a nice little read for this time of year. What I actually liked the most though, was Beck's epilogue in which he tells about the synthesis of the story, explains the autobiographical connection, and basically bears his testimony of his beliefs without getting dogmatic or specific about his Mormonism, thus leaving it accessible to anyone who has ever searched for more meaning in their life or come back from a serious challenge. This part of the book was true to his ways-honest, no punches pulled, and pleading for folks to consider, just for a moment, looking at things from a different vantage point. So, if you don't think you could stomach the book, then check out the epilogue while you're browsing at the bookstore. You might be surprised to find out that Mr. Beck is a real human being.

Oh, and of course I LOVED the knitting content. It IS about a sweater, after all. 

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Book Review: Nine Days a Queen

Nine Days a Queen: The Short Life and Reign of Lady Jane Grey
Anne Rinaldi
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
You might like this book if you like history, especially English royal history, or if you like interesting female characters, or if you like learning about peripheral or lesser known individuals surrounding really famous people.

I had never really thought about Lady Jane Grey, later Jane Dudley and, very briefly, Queen Jane. I had heard about her, but most of my knowledge about the tumultuous times of the Tudors was limited to Henry VIII and Elizabeth. Apparently, Lady Jane did not like that situation and has managed to make herself known to me in some interesting ways. Some weeks ago, I was having a night of insomnia and started poking around the free movies on demand from my satellite provider. I found an unfamiliar film from 1985 or so called Lady Jane and starring Cary Elwes and Helena Bonham Carter, two favorite actors. I loved it, it got me through my insomnia, and I started trying to find out more about this Jane person. A few weeks after watching the found movie, I was at a friend's house inspecting her bookshelves, as I am wont to do, and found this book. Had it not been for my recent foray into the life of this poor girl, I would have had no idea what the title meant. Newly savvy, I was immediately interested in another telling of the story.

It's a good one. It is the story of a girl-relative of Henry and Elizabeth who, by no fault of her own, was caught up in the machinations of the Royal Family of the time. As a result, she ended up being queen without any ambition to become so.  We already know that Royals, shall we say,  have many obstacles to normal relationships, and this book just proves it in spades.  Since it is YA, it is accessible, easy to read and focuses on the feelings and observations of the eponymous young person. Jane tells her own story and I really liked the way the author imagined what it was like to be a doomed teenager. She manages to tell her story without  sentimentality, but I found myself really caring about her.  If you do watch the movie and read the book, know that neither is exactly right, of course, but the book is closer to the truth. The movie ramps up the romance, which is good with two such lovely actors, but the book is easier to swallow as far as how things probably really were. It was a delightful read and a serendipitous follow-up to the movie.As a side-note, I appreciated that it was a clean book. The sexual shenanigans of the royal family were handled in a way that might invite a young reader to ask questions but nothing was described in any visual or graphic way.

In the end, while it stands on its own as a good read, it rekindled an interest in reading more about the realities of that time in history, and its always a good thing when one books leads to another.

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Book Review: The Anatomy of Peace

The Anatomy of Peace
by The Arbinger Institute
Genre: Self Help, specifically about Peacemaking
Non-Fiction
Adult

The Arbinger Institute is a sort of think tank that applies its research and consulting to the subject of peacemaking. I've been interested in their work for a while and find that the ideas they promote resonate with me. This is a self-help book, but it is presented as a story. The creative writing aspect of it is not its strongest characteristic, but that's okay. It teaches the concepts in the setting of a fictional group of parents who have just dropped off their troubled kids at an intensive outdoor intervention camp. The parents have to have some training with the camp staff so they can prepare to support the kids after their experience in the wilderness. The teaching is clear and the concepts are presented in an organized way, but sometimes the dialog and characterizations are a tiny bit cheesy. They are designed to be representative of a wide cross-section of people, so the concepts can be shown as applying to everyone. I get that, and I learned what the book has to offer, so the choice of style worked.

So, beyond a bit of criticism for the presentation, I really believe what this book teaches. I believe it with all my heart, and I think that if I can internalize it and learn to apply it, it really will help me in all my relationships. There were several moments of deep personal recognition of struggles that I have. Fortunately, these moments were eased by practical, useful pointers to new ways of thinking about my "way of being." Which brings me to another head's up. Just like any set of skills, whether it be skiing, knitting or car mechanics, this one comes with its own vocabulary. Some might dismiss it as psychobabble, as I did at first. What I've found however, as I've thought about and really tried to use the concepts taught is that using the language of the book actually helps me to build the new habits I want to build. The new words help me to sort of short circuit my usual habits.
I found the book most applicable to my family relationships, but really the concept of how to relate to others with a "heart of peace" is something that can be used in all situations. I thought of dealing with teachers at school, the staff at the doctor and dentist offices, and many other times when I've found myself not so peaceful.
If you are interested in a new way of thinking about looking at others, especially people you have struggled with for any reason, this could be a really useful book for you.

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Book Review: The Big Rock Candy Mountain

The Big Rock Candy Mountain by Wallace Stegner:
This is a beautifully written novel, large in scope, rich in emotion and ideas, and one I'll remember for a long time. It is the heartbreaking saga of a family during the first third of the 20th century. The narrative does not dwell on history except to place the events of the story in context. So we know that prohibition is going on, WW1 is going on, and the Great Depression is going on, but they serve mostly as the backdrop to the wild and challenging life of Bo Mason and his family. Stegner's writing is spare yet so descriptive of both the expansive settings of Western North America and the complex personalities of the characters that every scene came alive with detail. All five of my senses got involved and I was transfixed until the very end. There are lessons to be learned along the way, and it is not an easy story to read, but in my opinion, well worth the effort.

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Book Review: Beauty by Robin McKinley

This turned out to be a really nice retelling of the very familiar story of Beauty and the Beast. I think that the Disney film was much influenced by some of the imagery in this book. The descriptions are lush and imaginative, but the world of the story is still recognizable. The one thing I liked about this story that was a bit different from other versions I remember is that Beauty herself had to realize her own power and even her own beauty. Her character had more of an arc than merely coming to see the Beast differently. She also had to learn to see herself differently. For that reason, this would be a great book for any young woman or girl to read. It was absolutely wholesome, with no scenes at all that I would be concerned about sharing.

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