Novels Now

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
A companion to the Harry Potter series

Pages: 109
First Published: Dec. 2008
Genre: YA, fantasy
Rating: 3.5/5

First sentence:

The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a collection of stories written for young wizards and witches.

Comments: A very short collection of five short fairy tales that are a part of the Harry Potter universe. They have no connection to Harry Potter except that these tales would have been told to children in his world as the first sentence indicates. The stories are cute, nothing spectacular, but certainly cute and well-worth a read for Potter fans. The best part of the book is that each tale is followed by a Commentary chapter by Professor Dumbledore. These are probably more interesting that the tales themselves. My favourite of the tales was The Warlock’s Hairy Heart, probably because it stood apart from the others because it is dark and gruesome while the others are light-hearted.

Overall, a cute little book, nothing terribly special, but certainly a fun read for fans. Younger children will appreciate the fairy tales while older children/teens will be more inclined to appreciate the Dumbledore commentary. If you are a Harry Potter fan, you won’t regret the hour or so it takes to read the book.

This is what I’ve learned so far about Rhode Island chat rooms.Not everyone is from Rhode Island.

Correct spelling and complete sentences are signs of a newcomer.

And no matter what the supposed topic of the chat room, two-thirds of the conversations are always about sex. [excerpt from book]

Teaser by Jan Brogan
St. Martin’s Minatour, 2008
Crime Fiction (S/T); 291 pgs

We all have been warned about the dangers of the internet many times over, especially for children. There are predators lurking out there, sometimes pretending to be who they are not, preying on the young.

Jan Brogan’s Teaser takes readers into that world as Chronicle reporter Hallie Ahern investigates a possible sex ring involving teen girls. As a former gambling addict, Hallie has turned to chat rooms to keep herself occupied and out of trouble. One night Hallie stumbles onto what will become a career make it or break it story. She finds a video clip of two girls in a provocative situation, with a promise of more to come—in other words, a teaser. Hallie’s investigation into the video and her search for the two girls involved, lead her into dark territory. Drugs, sex, and murder are all tangled together in a complex web of conspiracy. The more she learns, the more complicated things become and the more danger Hallie finds herself in.

I instantly liked the character of Hallie Ahern. She has a reporter’s tenacity and dedication to her job, but she also takes time to think things through—even if at times she ends up going with her first impulsive thought. She is aware of the toll her choices have on her personal life, which is where her more vulnerable side comes out. Her live-in boyfriend is a prosecutor who has made sacrifices in his career because of his love for Hallie. In Teaser, Hallie finds herself facing difficult choices—follow the story and risk losing the man she loves or hand over the reins to someone else. Her quandary is complicated by the fact that she cares about what happens to the girls she meets on her quest for the news story. These warring factions only prove to deepen Hallie’s character, and endear her more to the reader.

The two teen girls, Whitney and Lexie, couldn’t have been more different. Lexie comes from an abusive background and in many ways, for her, survival is her utmost priority. Whitney, on the other hand, comes from a solid but distant family. She is lured in by the attention and money and expensive gifts that come her way. Both girls are in over their heads. It was impossible not to feel sympathy for Lexie and Whitney. They played at being grown up and yet they were really just children, lonely and afraid.

Jan Brogan also takes readers inside the newspaper business, where the financial impact and worth of stories are negotiated and decided upon. I liked that the staff of the newspaper worked so well together (most of the time). They seemed like a real team even off on their individual assignments, and each of the characters in the newsroom were interesting in their own ways.

Teaser is a compelling novel that had me glued to the pages, turning them as fast as I could to find out what would happen next. While this is the third book in the series featuring investigative reporter, Hallie Ahern, it stands on its own quite well. I look forward to going back in the series and seeing where Hallie got her start.

Rating: (Good +)

For more information about the author and her books, please visit the author’s website.

Many thanks to Jan Brogan for providing me with a copy of Teaser!

Cassie Johnson has been married for 15 years to Peck Johnson. After discovering she was pregnant at the end of her summer romance with Peck, Cassie is forced to give up her dreams of attending college, is disowned and cut off from her preacher father and her beloved mountain home, and she is left with little choice but to marry Peck and move to his home in the low country. Their marriage has been rocky and Cassie has never been able to get over the loss of her dreams or the fact that her father never let her back into his life and died without knowing his grandchild.

The book is set in the summer of 1970. Cassie is about to go to the mountains to spend time with her mother as she always does. However, this time she is unsure if she is coming back. Peck, the new fire chief of the Garden City Beach Fire Department, can’t really take the time off work to chase her. The area is in the midst of a drought and fires are threatening the area. Besides, Peck knows he loves Cassie and that he needs to give her the time to figure things out.

The Fireman’s Wife is a beautiful story that is about shades of gray. It’s about hearing both sides of the story and being able to understand both points of view. Both Cassie and Peck are sympathethic characters so I didn’t really end up taking sides.

Cassie has mourned all of her losses for fifteen years and has never truly engaged in her life with Peck. Peck loves his wife and daughter tremendously. He just doesn’t know how to give Cassie whatever is missing from her life and feels he needs to let her go to figure it out.

The descriptions of the both of the landscapes in this story are beautiful. Whether describing Cassie’s beautiful and lush mountain home or Peck’s dry and drought-stricken low country marsh, the word pictures are vivid.

I loved this book. I thought it was poignant and gripping. In fact, I would have devoured it if I would’ve had the free time.

I would highly recommend this story to anyone who loves reading about relationships. Just make sure you have your tissues handy. (4.5/5)

This One Is Mine
By Maria Semple
Completed December 3, 2008

This One Is Mine is the debut novel by former TV screenwriter, Maria Semple. It’s a chick lit book, full of humor, man troubles, fashion woes and self-exploration. More intriguing for me was the satirical look at the Beverly Hills life of the two main characters.

Violet Parry was in a loveless marriage with a famous music producer. A former screenwriter, she gave up her career to take care of her home, and eventually, her daughter, Dot. Violet was frustrated with the drudgery of her life, and when she stumbled upon former drug addict, bass-playing, Hep C-infected Teddy Reyes, he brought her some excitement that she yearned for in her life.

Meanwhile, Violet’s sister-in-law, Sally, was a body-obsessed, status-obsessed young woman who pegged her affections on an up-and-coming sports broadcaster, Jeremy. Jeremy had the personality of a toenail, but he was on his way to fame and fortune – and was intensely loyal to Sally.

As I followed Violet and Sally’s lives, Semple showed off her former screenwriting skills by creating a very descriptive story. You knew what the characters were thinking not only by their language but also by their gestures, facial expressions and body language. Semple’s power of observation allowed her to show the story to her reader.

I am not an enormous fan of chick lit, and this book certainly is not for people who are offended by foul language (especially anatomical references). However, this would be a great book for the poolside or cruise deck. If you loved Sex and the City, then give This One Is Mine a try. ( )

303 pages

Laura Miller

The Magician’s Book is about the author’s experiences with The Chronicles of Narnia. First, as a young student who is offered a copy by her teacher, then as a teenager when she re-reads them and discovers the “hidden” messages that are in the story, and lastly, later on as an adult.
The first time she read these books she was captivated by the story and fell in love with them. When she re-read them as a teenager she felt betrayed by the messages it contained. When she read them again as an adult she finds that she truly does love the story though she doesn’t care for some of the other messages that are present.

I found this book to be very accessible and I enjoyed the author’s writing style. I don’t know if I necessarily agree with all of her conclusions but that was not entirely unexpected. I did enjoy seeing Narnia from a different perspective. I have only read the first two books of The Chronicles of Narnia and only as an adult so I didn’t necessarily have the innocent wonder that a child would have. I am also not a skeptic but a believer. These are two probable reasons why my perceptions are different.
Still, I would recommend this thoughtful book to anyone interested in pondering Narnia.(3/5)