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Neches, Karen. 2008. Earthly Pleasures.

I rarely read Amazon reviews these days. I typically don't second guess my opinion. (And for the record, I'm not second guessing it here either even though I did look the book up on Amazon. The only thing I'm second guessing is whether to give it 3 stars or 3.5 stars or 3.75 stars.) But I have to say that Publishers Weekly's phrasing of "appealingly unorthodox" is just right in describing this fun, often light-hearted debut novel, Earthly Pleasures. Set both in heaven and on earth, it follows the lives of many characters--some living, some not so much. The story lines are seemingly unconnected--unconnected but enjoyable nonetheless--until the last third of the book when everything begins to come together. It is a romance. An unusual romance, but a romance all the same. The man? A celebrity both in heaven and on earth. Ryan Blaine. The woman? Well, when we first meet her she's a 'greeter' in heaven. Skye Sebring. Where they meet. How they meet. When they meet. I'll leave that up to you to discover.

Expect a sweet, often-funny story of two lovers that seemingly will never have the chance to connect. Don't expect an orthodox vision of heaven. Don't. If you do, if you read it through the mindset of "this is wrong; this is wrong; that's wrong, too" you'll be missing out on a charming story. Theologically weak--at least for Christian believers that may come across this novel--the novel's strength is in its telling. The back cover for instance mentions that the heroine "discovers that all of life's lessons can be learned from the lyrics of five Beatles songs." As a Beatle fan, how could I really resist such a tale?

This book may not be for everyone. Some--myself excluded--might find it a bit too light, a bit too fluffy, a bit too predictable. Romance novels aren't suited for all readers after all. And one person's "best book ever" is sentimental trash to another. But I enjoyed myself greatly with this one. It was fun. Pure fun. Guilty fun.

First sentence: The red light on Skye Sebring's computer blinked rapidly, announcing the arrival of her first client of the day. Within seconds a girl with dark, darting eyes entered the cubicle. She wore spiked leather wrist cuffs and a T-shirt with the logo "Hustle or Die."

309 pages.

Gaskell, Elizabeth. 1866. Wives and Daughters.

To begin with the old rigmarole of childhood. In a country there was a shire, and in that shire there was a town, and in that town there was a house, and in that house there was a room, and in that room there was a bed, and in that bed there lay a little girl; wide awake and longing to get up, but not daring to do so for fear of the unseen power in the next room; a certain Betty, whose slumbers must not be disturbed until six o'clock struck, when she wakened of herself 'as sure as clockwork' and left the household very little peace afterwards. It was a June morning, and early as it was, the room was full of sunny warmth and light.

This first chapter introduces us to a young Molly Gibson. She's around twelve at the time give or take a little. And she is most eager to go to her 'first' 'real' social event: a tea hosted by the Lord and Lady of the region--Lord and Lady Cumnor. The Cumnor's estate--they have several--in the region was called The Towers. (Usually they reside elsewhere. This is definitely just their country vacation home.) At this grand party, the young girl gets bored wanders into the gardens, falls asleep, is later discovered by the former-governess-then widow, Mrs. Kirkpatrick. (The family STILL calls her Miss Clare.) This discovery ruins the day for her. It's not that the family treats her poorly, it's just that when Mrs. Kirkpatrick tells the young girl to rest from being out in the sun (or some such notion) in her room, the girl falls asleep and misses her ride home. So she awakens hours later alone and confused and wanting to go home and be with her dad. (Her mother died when she was just a wee thing.) Her dad, the doctor, a somewhat dignified, genuinely respected doctor, comes to her rescue, however, and she's saved the embarrassment of having to sleep over.

A few chapters later Molly has grown from twelve to sixteen. She's becoming a young lady, an attractive young lady. And her father is noticing the transition. Feeling overwhelmed by the thought of raising her alone, he decides to remarry. It's not that he decides this overnight. At first he resists the notion. But as the idea sits with him, it grows on him more and more. When he discovers that Mrs. Kirkpatrick is once again visiting The Towers (after quite a few years absence from the region) he decides to call on the family and see if she might not do as a wife. He knows or vaguely remembers that she has a daughter around Molly's age. He hopes that the idea of raising a daughter without a father will seem equally daunting to her as raising a daughter without a mother.

Molly is SO NOT HAPPY with the idea of a stepmother and stepsister.

And here my summary must stop. The book is long 648 pages. But it is good in a steady kind of way. It is slow; It is steady; It is good; It improves with each bit. (What do I mean by "bit"? Well, the descriptions seem heavy and largely unnecessary--very weighty--at the very beginning. But towards the middle and especially at the end, it begins to make sense. These descriptive bits which you take for fluff at first, are meant to pad the resulting pages. In other words, they help explain or fill out or give substance to the rest. It's not that you'll desperately need that information, but it will make more sense and be a better read if you resist the urge to skip and skim. Gaskell has a HUGE task. She brings to life a whole community. From the Gibsons to the Kirkpatricks to the Cumnors to the Hamleys to the town busybodies. A real panoramic, sweeping view or portrait of life.

The Bookworm is hosting a challenge for 2008 called the Romance Reading Challenge. She is asking that participants choose five romance novels. They don't have to be *smutty* romance novels either. Classics like Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen or Evelina by Frances Burney or something by the Bronte sisters will do as well.

Since I will be hosting the mini-Austen challenge in 2008, I am going to be trying to read the six Austen novels: Emma, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility.

I'd also love to read Gone With The Wind (Back to History Challenge, Book Awards Challenge) by Margaret Mitchell.

And possibly Christy by Catherine Marshall as well. (Back to History Challenge)

I'm sure many of my Christian titles would qualify as well, though I don't think I'll try to make them 'official' reads for this challenge.