Building the world of Sea Haven

Book two was finished last night so I guess I should add that as well....
Book Info: Spirit Bound by Christine Feehan. Published by Jove 2012 (released 12/27/2011)

Christine Feehan is one of those authors that has been on my auto-buy list for a couple of years now. She writes paranormal romances and has 4 running series. I continue to purchase them even if I can't read them for a couple of months.
This book is the second in her new Sisters of the Heart series about 6 women that have been pulled together not b blood but by understanding. 6 women who have be victimized and struggle to deal with the world around them. They have found a haven on a farm in a small town on the west coast (of the U.S.) named Sea Haven. This same town was the backdrop of the earlier Feehan series surrounding the Drake sisters.
I enjoy her novels, but I also recognize some of her drawbacks. This being a second book, Feehan spends quite a bit of time building the world and tie-ing it to the world she created for the Drakes. While this is masterfully done, it does take a bit of time. Also for those that are critics of what my sister refers to as "trashy romance novels" this fits the theme. Yes there is a paranormal aspect but it still falls into the category of boy meets (sees) girl, boy loves girl, boy screws up big time, girl loves him anyway, and love conquers. There are love scenes... *gasp* and there are battles. Both of the paranormal and the standard hand to hand style.
One of the many complaints I have about Feehan's writing is that what I imagine will be a short 7 book series turns into something that has 22 books (see her Carpathians or her Ghost Walkers). While I love returning to a series time and again to meet the characters that Feehan has introduced, there is a very fine line that must be walked. Sometimes this many books in a series can have a formulaic feel. This is not the case with Sprit Bound, as it is still new in this series but in reading this one, I spotted a couple of places that Feehan could choose to veer and lengthen the series. I have read the interviews by Mrs. Feehan that say that she can only write the stories of characters that are talking to her and I truly understand that. I guess this is my lesson in patience.

Regardless of these fears, I enjoyed the novel and look forward to book three.

The First Book

So I will start off this new blog with a book that I had a chance to read yesterday.
Book Info:  In The Dark Street Shineth: A 1941 Christmas Story by David McCullough. Published by Shadow Mountain in 2010

Though only an excerpt from the 2009 Christmas Concert given by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, this short book caught my attention quickly. As a history buff, I couldn't pass up the chance to learn not only about two favorite Christmas carols, but also a quick look to the painful Christmas of 1941.  I wasn't disappointed. The book is full of small pearls of history. The pictures of that Christmas 60 years ago are littered among the 40-odd pages to create a heartwarming nostalgia akin to a Norman Rockwell paining. (At least for me) The chance to read the actual transcripts of the addresses given in 1941 by Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt had my inner history/fan girl giddy. The uplifting words to a fearful nation meant to lighten the hearts of a world embroiled in war. These words of yesteryear still have the power to touch the heart.
The book also includes a 10-minute DVD which has the actual performance of the Choir as narrated by David McCullough. Mostly this is just a reiteration of the text in the book with the choir and orchestra accompanying. Yet, the last is not included in the book and holds a special set of meaning for any history lover. As a public history student myself, I can't help but share his words:

"History isn't just dry dates and statistics. History is human. History can be a great source of strength and affirmation. An aid to navigation, especially in dark and dangerous times. And the words and the music we love, that have stood the test of time, mean still more when we know their story."

My goals....

This is a new year and I hope to start it off right. Many of my friends begin the year by stating how many books they plan to read. I never do this because many of the ones I read I have read before. There is something comforting about reading a favorite book again. It is like coming home to find old friends in the kitchen. You can sit and gab to your hearts content... or until the last page of the book. ;)

So this year, instead of guessing how many books I will read, my goal is to review the books after I have read them. These could be new books... or they might be one that I have read for the 4th or 5th time. I know that my all time favorite Chesapeake Sage (by Nora Roberts) is due for a re-read this year as well as Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time books (Thank you Brandon Sanderson for finishing them!) The blogs might not be long but hopefully they can be used to remind me what I have read and when. :)