Mira, Mirror

by Mette Ivie Harrison

Mira, Mirror is the continuing story of Snow White. It is told from the perspective of Mira, the Wicked Queen's sister, who was trapped in a magic mirror by the Queen. It is Mira's story, after the Queen is defeated by Snow White and her Prince. Mira has learned how to be manipulative throughout a hundred years of doing her sister's bidding as the mirror and has forgotten love and sincerity. She persuades a peasant girl to take her and manipulates her into stealing the identity of a merchant's daughter, magically trading their faces. The book recounts Mira's quest to obtain enough magic to change herself back into a human. Along the way, the two girls, Ivana and Talia, teach her what it really means to be a sister.
I love different renditions of fairy tales and this one did not disappoint. There are several side stories interwoven together to create a tale that somehow embodies Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella and, of course, a continuation of Snow White. There was nothing inappropriate in the book and it had a great message.

I Didn't Plan to be a Witch: and Other Surprises of a Joyful Mother

by Linda Eyre

I happened upon this title and thought it sounded like a fun and, most likely, insightful, read. The beginning of the book lived up to that somewhat, introducing lively anecdotes featuring the mischievous exploits of the author's nine children. By the middle of the book, however, I found myself getting mad and only made it through the rest of the book by sheer desire to finish what I had started, rolling my eyes all the way.
Having nine children does not automatically make someone eligible to dish out advice like some sort of expert. The author, indisputably, has the experience under her belt, but not necessarily the perspective I wanted to read about. I was greatly annoyed as the mention of her second home in Washington D.C. and her summer cabin in Oregon became regular side notes in every chapter. That, coupled with the humanitarian trips her family took to Romania and Japan, and the years they lived in England struck me as boastful; there are ways she could have related experiences without flaunting her checkbook. This book in itself appeared to be a marketing tool for her other five or six books which, sickeningly enough, are all about child rearing techniques, which makes me want to shout my initial statements, reiterating the thought that perhaps someone with nine kids is not qualified to teach others about raising children simply because they have a large family. The breaking point was the chapter about weight and her insistence that losing ten pounds in a year was a great struggle and bane and that her metabolism was obviously extremely slow. Want to know what I think about that lady? *&%$)*&^%$#@!!

I REALLY don't ever want to read anything by Linda Eyre again. Even her writing bothered me. The number of exclamation points in this book was staggering. The writing itself was redundant and her style added to my impression that she is no expert or professional. She bugs me. The book has nothing inappropriate in it except several instances of babies falling on their heads due to this moron having more kids than she can handle.

Bridget Jones' Diary

by Helen Fielding

I'm not sure what to say about this one. I saw the movie first and I LOVE it, so I almost wanted the book to parallel the movie more closely. However, the book originated the character and it was nice to see the development and personality in black and white.

Bridget Jone's is hilarious, obsessive, flawed, and loyal. She is an average woman, with common insecurities and typical fixations. She is such a relateable character, yet the humorous spin keeps the story from getting too personal.

There is really not too much to say about this one. It was a fun read and I'm excited to read the sequel. There is some language, but the content is not graphic and barely suggestive.

The Princess and the Hound

by Mette Ivie Harrison

This book surprised me in several ways. I thought this would be another pretty light read, which it was, but I felt like the main character was very developed, which is something that you don't often find in the YF section. It was also interesting that the book was told from a male perspective. I think the author did a pretty good job at making it an authentic portrayal of the male psyche. The story was a spin on Beauty and the Beast, but I liked the fact that it didn't mirror the fairy tale exactly.
There were a few things that bothered me: In trying to keep the relationship between the princess and the hound mysterious, there was something missing in the development of Princess Beatrice and Prince George's relationship. There was also a point in the book that it seems like the author suddenly realized that she spent too much time in the beginning developing George's character and now she only had a hundred pages to get to the rest of the story and wrap things up.
All in all, I really did like this book. I actually didn't want to put it down, I was waiting for all the pieces to come together and be resolved. I loved the vulnerable strength of George and the intertwining plots. It was innocent and sweet and I am looking forward to reading the sequel.

To Catch A Pirate

by Jade Parker

To Catch A Pirate is one of those books that you read in a few hours to relax and let your mind rest. It's a piece of juvenile fiction fluff. I love historical fiction; romance mixed with real people living through events that I can hardly imagine. I love learning about different periods of our nation's growth in a very light and paraphrased way. It is sometimes hard to find books like this that don't feature a scantily clad female with heaving bosoms wrapped pitifully around a tall, dark and handsome figment of some poor woman's imagination on the front cover. We all know the kind of imagery used in these books, and I prefer to stay away from material that, in great detail, could be used to explain the birds and the bees. So, juvenile fiction is the direction I choose to go.
The thing I really like about this book is that the main character, Annalisa, is balanced between the two stereotypes used to write women characters in similar books. Usually, the woman is weak and meek and must find her inner strength to save the man that she loves, blah, blah, or she is saucy and strong and a little aggressive. Annalisa was neither of these. She was not dependant on any of the male characters, but she did show fear and weakness without seeming like a simpering pansy.
The book was cliche and predictable, but I liked it anyway. It was romantic and innocent and I don't think there was anything questionable included.

Sunshine

by Robin McKinley

This book is the reason that I started this blog. I bought this book quite a while ago because it is by Robin McKinley, read it, and shelved it. A few months ago, I was in between trips to the library, and picked it up. I could remember the premise, but I didn't remember if I had liked it or not. I only (finally) got through it a couple of days ago. It's not that it wasn't good; actually it has some great ideas. I liked the world that she created- so modern it's almost primitive. There are many different elements that appeal to a wide range of readers: romance, suspense, magic, death, and a whole slew of mythical creatures such as vampires, werewolves and demons.
Usually, McKinley's books have settings that are more fantasy and removed from most ideas of our reality. I think these settings suit her style of writing better than a modern environment. The pace was interrupted by the main character, Rae/Sunshine's, frequent long winded introspection. There were too many long paragraphs of haphazardly pieced together ideas and not enough dialogue. McKinley wasted a great many pages she could have used in wrapping up the story better; I'm not sure if she was just leaving things open for a sequel, or if there was no story behind certain allusions. Regardless, I wanted more closure at the end of the book. I also wished that she would have given a little peek inside the mind of Constantine, another integral character. I know he was meant to seem human-less, cold and mysterious, but instead I felt that the character was not developed and I got no idea of his power, intelligence or thought process.
My final thoughts on this book are that I think it is one that not too many of my friends would die over, especially on the heels of the Twilight series (maybe we'll get to that one of these days *eye roll*)but it does have an interesting story. There are a few unsavory thoughts throughout.

Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea

by Chelsea Handler

This book was not at all what I expected. I had an idea that it would be a typical autobiography chronicling at least portions of her life from childhood to adulthood. Not so. This was a somewhat sporadic, if chronological, collection of isolated events and anecdotes throughout her preteens and, mostly, her twenties. That being said, I have never laughed out loud at a book as hard as I did while reading this one. She's a comedian, so of course these stories are told in a humorous way, but her blunt and sometimes crude depiction of her personality and life sent me into multiple rounds of hysterics. My favorite chapter was titled, Dim Sum and Then Some. She relates an experience of going to a spa and receiving a very shady massage, ending with the exclamation "My body, my choice!" Her fascination with "nuggets" and vodka is also hilarious as she expresses her thoughts on these most beloved indulgences. This book is great for people that don't get offended easily as it contains very straightforward depictions and language.

The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands

by Dr. Laura Schlessinger

I could write a book about this book. It personifies so many values and ideals that our society has given up on, or even worse, fights against. There were many wonderful things that came from the women's liberation movement, but many valuable things were lost and overlooked in the process. The fact is, men and women are vastly different and there are things that women are inherently good at that men are not and vise versa.
The book is comprised of excerpts of letters and phone calls from Dr. Laura's listeners. It was heartening to see what men had written concerning the way they are treated by their wives. Dr. Laura, along with several listeners, makes the point that men are very simple; their needs are simple. Basically, if you love a man, respect him and feed him, he'll treat you like a queen. Most of the chapters go into great detail about these needs and how, by giving men their basic desires, a woman's life becomes so much more fulfilled.
Many women would fight against these ideas, as I did a little bit at first. It really said a lot about the things that society has tried to grind into us, seeing as I was not brought up in a feminist household. I think the key here is that it has become acceptable to be selfish in our relationships. Women have many tools to manipulate men, to gain power over them, and many times, they do. They may think that having the upper hand makes them happy, but what of their husbands? Are we really so blind and self-centered to think that we can obtain true happiness when the person we love is miserable?
The focus in this book was caring for HUSBANDS. This doesn't mean that wives should be in the background or that a woman's needs are less important than a man's, only simpler. In my opinion, the indisputable fact is that a man's divine role is to care for his family by providing for them monetarily and supporting his wife in her divine role, which is to raise and nurture children and support her husband and his needs. Both parties should show their love and commitment by honestly communicating and providing their significant other with an equal partner, having a constant consideration for the other's thoughts, emotions and role within the family. Women are complicated, having an excess of analytical thought and emotion, while men have basic necessities.
One of the most poignant things I learned was the importance of respecting my husband. I didn't realize that by trying to control every situation and make the "right" decisions, I was depriving my husband of his manhood and hindering his growth. How do we expect our men to be men and take care of us if we never allow them to make mistakes?
Overall, I think that every woman should read this book. If we could get back to those values that our grandmother's practiced so diligently, we would have such a better world to raise our children in. I have implemented many of these changes in my life and marriage. I have struggled to push selfishness away from me, to ignore those differences in my husband that I don't necessarily appreciate or understand, and show him my unconditional love and respect. It has changed my life and saved my marriage. It will take a lot more work and many more changes to fully embrace the principles that I have relearned in this book, but I know that it will make me happy with myself, a more loving mother and a more diligent wife.