Wondrous Words Wednesday

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by TheBermudaOnion where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading. Feel free to join in the fun....just click on the link at the beginning of this paragraph. I've been away from this meme for a couple of weeks, and I am so glad to be participating in it again. I wish I had more than 3 words, though...I can't seem to find the list of words that I'd been accumulating. :o(

fichu - n.
a woman's kerchief or shawl, generally triangular in shape, worn draped over the shoulders or around the neck with the ends drawn together on the breast.

surtout - n.
a man's close-fitting overcoat, esp. a frock coat.

fascinator - n.
a scarf of crochet work, lace, or the like, narrowing toward the ends, worn as a head covering by women.

(How very odd that all my words seem to be related to clothing!)

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays are hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. The rules are pretty simple, if you decide you'd like to participate!


So, my teaser this week will be from page 43 of The Justice Game by Randy Singer. I plan to start on this one later on tonight, and I know it's gonna be fabulous! Watch for it to be released later on this month!

"As was his custom, Jason came bearing a large pizza--half meat-lovers and half cheese--an order of spicy chicken wings, bleu cheese, a six pack of beer and a bottle of Diet Coke. The beer, wings, and meat-lover side of the pizza were all for Lassiter, a string bean of a man whose metabolism was off the charts. Jason had never seen Lassiter exercise, but his brain cells alone probably burned more calories than most people entire bodies."

Also, be watching in the next few weeks for a review of this book here on my blog. :o)

Book Review: The Veil by Diane Noble/5 Stars

Fiction lovers don’t need to budget to travel this summer with Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group’s eight full-length, historical novels by beloved Christian authors (WaterBrook, June 2, 2009). At the low cost of only $6.99, these well-read “get-aways” provide quality entertainment at a price that any reader can afford.

This week, Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group is featuring these eight books on various blogs, and I consider myself fortunate to feature two of these newly, re-released titles. First up this week will be The Veil by Diane Noble.

About the book:

A shroud of secrecy cloaks a new nineteenth-century sect known simply as the Saints. But that veil is about to be drawn away. Amidst the majestic beauty of 1857 Utah, the members of one secluded religious group claim to want nothing more than to practice their beliefs without persecution. Yet among them are many who engage in secret vows and brutal acts of atonement…all in the name of God.

But one young woman, Hannah McClary, dares to question the truth behind the shroud. Soon Hannah and the young man she loves–Lucas Knight, who has been trained from childhood to kill on behalf of the Church–find themselves fighting for their very lives.

As a group of unwary pioneer families marches into Utah toward a tragic confrontation with the Saints at a place called Mountain Meadows, Hannah and Lucas are thrust into the most difficult conflict of all–a battle for truth and justice–even as they are learning for the first time about unconditional love, acceptance, and forgiveness.…

My thoughts:

Francine Rivers definitely got it right with her endorsement that's printed on the front of this book: "Prepare to burn the midnight oil." Just so you know...she was not kidding. I was awake past midnight the past 2 nights reading this fabulous book. :o) Even though I am a Christian, I am intrigued by the Mormon culture, and occasionally like to read something that gives me a better understanding of their history and lifestyle, and why they believe what they do.

While reading this book, I thought about what life must have been like back then. The events in the book take place just shortly before the Civil War, and it's just heartbreaking to think of how much killing took place back then. I don't understand how a society (the Mormons) could believe in blood atonement--a person giving up their own life to atone for their own personal sins to achieve a higher level of godhood when they make it to their own planet. There are some serious brainwashing issues there.

Of course, I don't even have to mention the obvious issues with some of the things that are the central basis of Mormon belief, although the multiple wives issue is no longer a part of the Mormon theology, just the FLDS (Fundementalist Church of Latter-Day Saints). There is one scene in the book where a wedding takes place, and the bride is given a new name just before the ceremony. When her groom leans to ask her new name, she gives it to him, and he explains to her that this new name will be hers after death when they get to their planet. She'll only be welcomed there once her groom calls her by her new name, not her old. The problem with this is the groom is the one who can get her into heaven (along with all his other wives), not God. More brainwashing issues....

The emotions in this book are all over the place, and I mean that in a good way. There were times when I was happy, sad, shocked, and in tears. I also loved that the story was told from both sides--the Mormons on one side, the people from the wagon train on the other--and even though I knew how things would play out, it helped to see everything from both sides. I couldn't help but grieve for both Ellie (from the wagon train) and Hannah (from the Mormon community)--Ellie because of the pregnancy that she had to live through while driving a rig across the country, and Hannah because of what she's forced into once she's an adult.

No doubt about it, this book will definitely be a keeper for me and loaned out many times, I'm sure! This is a 5-star book, hands down! (Now, must go and find out if Diane Noble has written anything else like this....)

5 Stars

Southern?  No
Sass?  No

Booking Through Thursday: Celebrities

Thanks to Deb for hosting Booking Through Thursday every week!

Here's this week's question:

Do you read celebrity memoirs? Which ones have you read or do you want to read? Which nonexistent celebrity memoirs would you like to see?

I'm not much of a memoir reader, no matter if it's about a celebrity or a regular Joe. Probably the only book that would even remotely qualify as a "celebrity" memoir that I've read would be "My Sergei" by Ekaterina Gordeeva. That book was about her life as a pairs skater with her husband, Sergei Grinkov, who passed away about 10 years ago. The 2 of them were paired up as skating partners at a very young age, and what started out as just getting the job done on the ice one day blossomed into love. No doubt about it....this book will leave you in tears.

The only book that's out that I'm even remotely interested in reading in the future would be the newest book by Melissa Gilbert called Prairie Tale. I grew up watching Little House on the Prairie (have since purchased all the seasons on DVD), and I am just flat-out addicted to the show to this day. I read an excerpt online from the book, and just from that little snippet, I am very eager to read more. Just wanna wait until I can find it on sale somewhere.....$26 is a lot for a book, IMO, especially for someone who doesn't do memoirs. :)

What about you? Any celebrity memoir that you're interested in?