The weekly Booking Through Thursday question for today is:

Suggested by JM:

I receive a lot of review books, but I have never once told lies about the book just because I got a free copy of it. However, some authors seem to feel that if they send you a copy of their book for free, you should give it a positive review.

Do you think reviewers are obligated to put up a good review of a book, even if they don’t like it? Have we come to a point where reviewers *need* to put up disclaimers to (hopefully) save themselves from being harassed by unhappy authors who get negative reviews?

This is a timely question: I was just discussing this topic with a friend recently.

Anyone who reads here much at all knows I love to read and I love to share with others the good books and authors I find. All the book reviews here have come because I read a book I wanted to talk about, not because I have been asked to review them. I have received e-mails asking me to review books, but so far I have turned them down because of some of the thorny problems I have seen other reviewers wrestle with.

I think blogging and online book reviewing are great for both book lover and author. The reader gets free books just in exchange for reading and discussing them, something she loves to do anyway. The author gets about the cheapest publicity possible, someone to enthusiastically spread the word. When it all works well, it’s delightful for both. When a reviewer, though, has a problem with a book or the author isn’t pleased with the review — then it can be a headache for both.

I think book reviewers are obligated to put up honest reviews above all else. I think if there is something they dislike about the book, they can and should discuss it as kindly as possible. There is no need to shred it to pieces or be condescending. But no reviewer or blogger is obligated to offer free commercials for authors — or nearly free, just for the price of the book. If a particular reviewer is always gushingly positive about everything he or she reviews, I don’t feel I can really trust their reviews: I feel they are just providing commercials for books. I might still read them for information, but if I am on the fence I would read elsewhere before deciding whether to check out the book.

As a Christian, there is another layer besides characterizations and plot lines: when I read Christian books I am also evaluating what I read in light of Scripture. Christian fiction encompasses a broad spectrum of views and interpretations, and while I understand and allow for that, I do feel obligated to point out anything I see that I would classify an unscriptural. I evaluate secular books the same way, but of course I don’t expect them to always line up with Scripture: that’s why I would be a little harder on Christian books which purport to represent Christian doctrine to some extent.

I know it can be a scary thing for an author to put their work out there and then read criticisms of it, and I know people can be causticly critical sometimes. But I would hope most authors would sift through criticisms to see ways to improve. If a number of people criticize a particular point or character or section of a plot line, it isn’t always because they don’t understand, don’t get it, or are ignorant grouches: it may indeed be because the author could have written it a little more clearly and compellingly. I think the best authors are always improving and growing in their craft.

An author takes a risk sending a book out to reviewers, and I think most of the time it works out well for all involved. But I think a good author doesn’t just want to sell books: he or she wants to write good books, and one factor in doing so is getting positive and negative feedback.

Stepping Into Sunlight by Sharon Hinck is the story of Penny Sullivan, who, just after a move to a new town and just before her husband’s deployment as a Navy Chaplain, witnesses a horrific crime and a threat to her own life. Though trying to assure her near and extended family that everything is fine, she begins to suffer nightmares and panic attacks. With her husband away and no new friends or church yet, she has no support system, and she is reluctant to take it to the Lord because of the lingering question: Where was He when this happened, and why didn’t He prevent it?

She tries to put a brave face on things so that no one will worry about her and so that she can take care of the young son who depends on her, but she finds herself increasing afraid and unable to take up even the ordinary tasks of life.

Help comes in various ways: a nosy, advice-giving neighbor, a DVD she discovers of message her husband made for her, a quirky couple who run a little mission church nearby, and a support group she eventually makes herself attend. Thinking her usual planning and goal-making skills will help pull her out of the quagmire she is in, she lists several things to do, one of which is “Penny’s Project,” an attempt to do one kind thing for someone each day.

I have to admit when I first read that idea, I cringed a little. It brought up images of the Boy Scout doing his good deed for the day helping a little old lady across the street (whether she wants him to or not) rather than a lifestyle or character of kindness. But the more I got into the story, the more it made sense. Penny discovers that, with grocery store delivery, ordering things she needs online, and even online discussion forums, she can almost function from her home without interacting with others, and this project is her baby-steps attempt to extend herself beyond her four walls and her own problems. It is not a bad goal in itself: how many of us miss opportunities to exercise kindness because we’re not actively seeking them?

If you have ever suffered panic attacks, you’ll find realistic portrayals of them in this book. If you know someone who suffers them, you’ll understand a little more what they are going through in this book. Sharon always writes realistically (even in her fantasy books, the characters, feelings, and struggles are very true-to-life) and draws you into the heart of the character while providing unexpected pockets of humor throughout. I highly recommend this book.

The weekly Booking Through Thursday question for today is:

What, if any, memorable or special book have you ever gotten as a present? Birthday or otherwise. What made it so notable? The person who gave it? The book itself? The “gift aura?”

I receive a lot of books as presents. Our family likes to have ideas of what the recipient would like, so books are almost always on my list, specific books at that. Though I love and appreciate them, there is none that particularly stands out except my first Bible that I received some time during my elementary years from the church I was attending. I don’t remember if it was a general gift or a reward for Sunday School attendance or what. But my mother kept it put away and wouldn’t let me have it except for church. I’m sure she just didn’t want me to mess it up in some way, but I remember even then thinking, “It’s not going to do me much good to have it if I can’t read it!” Still, though, perhaps that experience as well as teaching about how special a book the Bible is taught me to respect it. I believe in respecting and taking care of all books, as we discussed last time, and I believe the Bible is meant to be studied rather than showcased, so I do highlight and underline and jot notes in it. But I hate to see it on the floor or under other books or stuffed with other papers or with food or drink on top of it.

“Above all theologies, and creeds, and catechisms, and books, and hymns, must the Word be meditated on, that we may grow in the knowledge of all its parts and in assimilation to its models. Our souls must be steeped in it; not in certain favorite parts of it, but the whole. We must know it, not from the report of others but from our own experience and vision,…Another cannot breathe the air for us, nor eat for us, nor drink for us.”
–Horatius Bonar from They Walked With God

Read the Bible, and it brings you into the association of the best people that ever lived. You stand beside Moses and learn of his meekness; beside Job and learn his patience; beside Abraham and learn of his faith; beside Daniel and learn of his courage to do right; beside Isaiah and learn his fiery indignation toward the evildoer; beside Paul and catch something of his enthusiasm; beside Christ, and you feel His love.

~ Charles H. Spurgeon

The weekly Booking Through Thursday question for today is:

Mariel suggested this week’s question.

Are you a spine breaker? Or a dog-earer? Do you expect to keep your books in pristine condition even after you have read them? Does watching other readers bend the cover all the way round make you flinch or squeal in pain?

I don’t break spines on purpose. I’ve gone back and forth on dog-earing — sometimes I haven’t had anything with me to mark a page I want to remember. But I don’t so that much these days.

A lot depends on the book. The classics that I hope to hand down to my children are kept in mint condition. If it is a paperback that I don’t think anyone else will read but me, I might dog-ear pages or underline lines a bit more.

I do hate to see books treated carelessly — tossed around, laid face-down while open, pages bent because another book was shoved on top of it in a backpack, etc. I do believe in a general respect of property — my own, someone else’s, or the library’s.

The weekly Booking Through Thursday question for today is:

Monica suggested this one:

Got this idea from Literary Feline during her recent contest:

“Name a favorite literary couple and tell me why they are a favorite. If you cannot choose just one, that is okay too. Name as many as you like–sometimes narrowing down a list can be extremely difficult and painful. Or maybe that’s just me.”

I have a feeling this question is going to keep bringing possibilities to mind all through the day. But probably at the top of the list would be Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester. Though they got together in rather an odd way, there is much I admire about their relationship. One of my favorite quotes about marriage comes near the end of the book:

To be together is for us to be at once as free as solitude, as gay as in company. We talk, I believe, all day long: to talk to each other is but a more animated and an audible thinking.

Other favorite couples would be:

Emma and Mr. Knightly from Jane Austen’s Emma.

Ma and Pa Ingalls from the Little House series.

David Copperfield and Agnes Wickfield.

Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe in the Anne of Green Gables series.

Sydney Carton and Lucie Manette from A Tale of Two Cities — even though they were not an actual couple, his demonstration of love is one of the greatest in literature.

Father Tim and Cynthia in Jan Karon’s Mitford series.

In all of these relationships there is depth and maturity. Their romances are not just starry-eyed infatuation. They’ve come out on the other end of serious struggles with a greater, deeper love than what they started with.

You can find more answers or link to your own at Booking Through Thursday.

The weekly Booking Through Thursday question for today is:

Okay–here was an interesting article by Christopher Schoppa in the Washington Post.

Avid readers know all too well how easy it is to acquire books — it’s the letting go that’s the difficult part. … During the past 20 years, in which books have played a significant role in both my personal and professional lives, I’ve certainly had my fair share of them (and some might say several others’ shares) in my library. Many were read and saved for posterity, others eventually, but still reluctantly, sent back out into the world.

But there is also a category of titles that I’ve clung to for years, as they survived numerous purges, frequent library donations and countless changes of residence. I’ve yet to read them, but am absolutely certain I will. And should. When, I’m not sure, as I’m constantly distracted by the recent, just published and soon to be published works.

So, the question is his: “What tomes are waiting patiently on your shelves?“

I have Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey and a book of Washington Irving’s short stories as well as a biography of Scottish poet Robert Burns that I have not read yet but have had for years. I got them all as good deals, the book on Burns an older used one, the others new. I really would like to get to the Burns’ biography but just don’t usually think of it when I am trolling for reading material. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to Homer’s books. Maybe I’ll skim through them a bit.

I also have a few books that are compilations of family stories that I had thought I would read out loud to the kids, but after we stopped home schooling, we just didn’t read out loud all together any more. I regret that. I have thought about passing them on, but can’t quite let them go yet. Maybe I will some day read them to grandchildren.

I also have several Christian non-fiction books by authors whose other works I have read and enjoyed — Spurgeon and C. S. Lewis, for example — but I just haven’t gotten around to these. Maybe some day…

So many books, so little time!!

I read Sweet Dreams Drive by Robin Lee Hatcher last year, not realizing at first it was the fourth book in a series about residents in a small town in Idaho. But earlier this year all four novellas in the series were released in one book, Home to Hart’s Crossing.

In the first book, Legacy Lane, Angela Hunter had left the town of Hart’s Crossing years before to pursue bigger and better things and to escape her mother’s urgings to come to faith in Christ. But after being passed over for a promotion in her job, she quits and offers to come take care of her mom after surgery. Her mother, Francine, has learned in the intervening years to wait on the Lord’s leading and trust Him to work in hearts all the while earnestly praying for them. So, though Angie approaches the return to her home town with some dread, the Lord has more in store for her than she could have imagined.

In Veteran’s Way, the second book, Jimmy Scott had moved away years before after going into the service. marrying, and raising a family. After his wife’s death he decides to return back to his family’s home in Hart’s Crossing. He unexpectedly crosses paths with his former high school sweetheart, Stephanie, who is also widowed after a 50-years marriage…and a relationship develops from there. They then have to convince their children that they are both in their right minds and in a relationship for all the right reasons. This was convicting to me, with my mother-in-law now living near us: there does come a time when parents are no longer able to make good decisions for themselves, but we wrestle maintaining her dignity and respecting her choices and desires as much as possible. Though Jimmy and Stephanie aren’t to that place yet and are fully functioning adults, seeing their adult children’s reactions through their eyes gave me a glimpse of some of the frustrations “seniors” face.

In Diamond Place, ten-year-old Lyssa Sampson has her heart set on pitching for her Little League team. When her coach doesn’t think she’s quite ready, she begins to think a little match-making between the coach and her mother might help her cause.

And, finally, in Sweet Dreams Drive, Al and Patti Bedford struggle with a lack of sleep caring for infant twins, mounting debt, and communication problems, all of which begin to wear on their marriage. I particularly liked the switching of the point of view between the two in the story which gave a glimpse of how differently the same situation looks from each side. I enjoyed that the resolution wasn’t one-sided, but each one had to change their thinking and focus and take steps to heal their relationship.

Another thing I liked about these books, personally, is that my husband is from Twin Falls, ID, which is mentioned in some of the stories. 🙂 The names of some of the other towns were also familiar to me.

The back of the book says that “Celebrating family, faith, and forgiveness, Home to Hart’s Crossing will warm your heart and soothe your spirit.” I found that to be quite true and really enjoyed these stories.

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(In other news, I have a dreaded dentist’s appointment this afternoon in reference to the problems I’ve been mentioning this week. Actually last night another problem began, a recurring situation from one crown which doesn’t seem to be fitted right. I don’t know if that is the cause of all the other — this tooth wasn’t painful through all of this til last night — or maybe the other set it off. But I hope it can be taken care of quickly and easily. A pharmacist told me once “There’s no pain like tooth pain,” and I think I agree!)

The weekly Booking Through Thursday question for today is actually a series of questions:

What was the last book you bought?

I bought three: The Longing by Beverly Lewis, Sunset by Karen Kingsbury, and Summer Breeze by Catherine Palmer and Gary Chapman. I’ve finished the first one and I am in the middle of the second one.

Name a book you have read MORE than once

Little Women and its sequels, the Little House series, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, Changed Into His Image by Jim Berg, Winning the Inner War by Erwin Lutzer, Amy Carmichael of Dohnavur by Frank Houghton, several of Isobel Kuhn, Rosalind Goforth’s, and Elisabeth Elliot‘s books.

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?

The Bible primarily, and other Christian books have enhanced the way I see life, especially missionary biographies.

How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews

All of those have influenced my choice of books, cover design probably the least. Cover design may catch my eye if I am browsing in a store, but if the summary doesn’t sound interesting, I won’t get it. But recommendations and reviews often cause me to seek out particular books.

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?

Christian fiction and biographies are my favorite genres.

What’s more important in a novel – beautiful writing or a gripping plot?

Seems like we’ve discussed this one before, but if you don’t have a plot you don’t have a story. Yet the writing has to be engaging to some degree or else it doesn’t draw you into the plot.

Most loved/memorable character (character/book)

Oh, so many…Beth and Marmee in Little Women, Jean Val Jean in Les Miserables.

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?

My Bible and Daily Light for the Daily Path devotional book.

What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?

The Longing by Beverly Lewis October 4.

Have you ever given up on a book half way in?

I did with The Tale of Two Cities a couple of times — probably less than halfway in — before I finally completed it. It became one of my favorites and I immediately read it again.