Bleak House by Charles Dickens

"What connexion can there have been between many people in the innumerable histories of this world, who, from opposite sides of great gulfs, have, nevertheless, been very curiously brought together!" (p. 220)

I have been reading Charles Dickens' books since long before I could fully appreciate them. Even though I didn't grasp the social commentary at a younger age, I have always loved the webs he weaves between and around his characters. By the end of each novel, everyone has had some influence on everyone else. The world seems a much smaller, more significant place after reading one of his works.

"His novels are full of energy and are teaming with life," says Andrew Davies, one of my favorite screenwriters (who incidentally did an incredible screen adaptation of this book) "I love the way he makes such a rich mixture of humour, tragedy, sentiment and social indignation. You get so many different things rolled up into one great book. He had such a vivid imagination and some of his characters are just extraordinary. Bleak House combines a terrific mystery with a series of love stores."

Dickens had a huge influence for good on society of the 1800's through his writing, and in this novel he focuses a great deal on the British Court of Chancery. Yet to me, the most interesting characters were those not directly involved with the "infamous" Chancery suit of Jarndyce and Jarndyce: I loved (and despised) Mrs. Jellyby, a woman intent on helping children a thousand miles away in Boorioboola-Gha, Africa, with several latch-key, unkempt children of her own. The married life of the sweet Bagnets, the "deportment" or Mr. Turveydrop, the awkward, muddling, good-hearted Mr. Guppy, and the poor street-sweep, Jo, were more interesting even than the main characters. This story is told from two completely different perspectives: chapters told by an all-knowing narrator who can see the end from the beginning (and drops several hints of it along the way), and the autobiographical chapters of Esther Summerson, the sweet and kind orphan girl who ends up blessing countless lives. His jumping back and forth between these two voices keeps the story interesting.

If you don't think you can handle the book (although you really should try!), you must at least watch the BBC version. Even those skeptical husbands out there (like my own) will like it for its mystery and suspense.

"The vast majority of the fastidious critics [of Dickens] have . . . never read Dickens at all; hence their opposition is due to and inspired by a hearty innocence which will certainly make them enthusiastic Dickensians if they ever, by some accident, happen to read him." -G. K. Chesterton

Jane Austen Mystery Series by Stephanie Barron

Jane Austen--I love all of her books, each one more than the one I previously read, because each improves upon reading.  But sometimes I'm a little disappointed that she didn't live just a tiny bit longer . . .

So for someone who loves Jane Austen as much as I do, this series is a perfect goldmine.  It has been a while since I read them, (and there are two I haven't read yet) but I was completely enchanted by them.  Stephanie Barron has studied and perfected the voice of Jane Austen.  Based on a fictional "diary" found in a manor house years after her death, these books are a sort of record of her life in between her novel writing and letters to her sister and other family members.  Each one centers around some kind of mystery, some involving murder.  Barron includes a lot of actual instances and facts from Austen's life, and you travel with her on her real-life journeys, so you feel like the mysteries could actually have happened . . .

As I recall, these books are clean enough for older teenage readers and definitely recommended for any and all Jane Austen-fan grown-ups like myself!

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I love reading a book that I'm sorry to finish.  Usually books that fall into that category are the classics, like a good Jane Austen or Charles Dickens.  In fact, it used to be that I didn't trust modern writers to come up with anything half as good.  But I absolutely loved this book, in spite of its being a national bestseller (and it looks like they're making it into a movie).  It's just about perfect for a book club (luckily that's how I was introduced; I don't often read books unless they come highly recommended by people I trust!).

Set in Jackson, Mississippi, in the midst of the Civil Rights movement, surrounded by Jim Crow laws, lynchings, and all kinds of racial issues, this novel explores the lives of two types of women; the white women of "society" and the black "help" they employ.  Stockett unfolds the experiences of three strong women; Skeeter Phelan, a white girl raised on a plantation, and Aibileen and Minny, two maids to her white friends.

Kathryn Stockett writes this book from three different and distinct viewpoints, reminiscent of Barbara Kingsolver's style in The Poisonwood Bible.  I couldn't pinpoint one I looked forward to hearing from the most--each had a lovable personality and faults a-plenty.  Perhaps that's what makes this story was so real and human.

I must warn you that it does have some swearing; not every-other-word or anything, but enough to discourage me from ever hearing it on tape . . . and there is a chapter with a "flasher" (I don't know how to put it more delicately) that I thought could have been left out.  But I still think it's a beautiful story well worth reading.

Once Upon a Time: Before Midnight & The Storyteller's Daughter by Cameron Dokey

I find that I have to intersperse my heavy reading with lighter books so my brain doesn't start to hurt . . .  and this series was a perfect "'tweener."  It was recommended to me my my lovely sister-in-law, Amy (who has excellent taste in books).  The series has several titles, all of them retold fairy tales, and three or four of them are written by Cameron Dokey.  Now they aren't life-changing and tend to be a bit predictable (because of course we all know how the fairy tale ends, right?), but they are clean and fun--and who doesn't like a nice happy ending once in a while?

Before Midnight is a retelling of the Cinderella story.  There is an unusual twist on the father and step-mother relationship that makes it different from the familiar Disney version, and I really liked it.

Another title I read was The Storyteller's Daughter.  You'll find a lot of stories out there about Beauty & the Beast, Cinderella, etc., but you don't often hear about Sharazad, and I found her tale quite intriguing.

I would really recommend this series (hopefully all the others are as good!) for any preteen daughters you might have who are perhaps too caught up in vampire series books. . . .  You are safe with these, and they're still interesting and have enough romance (but not too much) to keep them reading.

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood

"All books are judged by their covers until they are read."

Such is the claim of Agatha Swanburn, founder of the Swanburn Academy for Poor Bright Females. The prize student from this school, Miss Penelope Lumley, is the governess and heroine of the story, and often refers to such "pithy kernels of truth," another being, "If it were easy to resist, it would not be called chocolate cake."

I tend to judge books by their covers. Even more so, I judge them by their "opening act"--the first page usually has to grab my attention and delight me, and this book was a winner on both counts. The cover has a macabre look to it, and the story was delightful. A young governess is sent to instruct three "incorrigible" children (which incidentally becomes their last name) on how to behave--but unfortunately they appear to have been raised by wolves, making her task difficult and hilarious. It was a sort of Jane Eyre for kids--minus Mr. Rochester and the romance--written with a voice not unlike a modern Jane Austen:

"As you may have already had cause to discover, a statement can be both completely true and completely misleading at the same time. This is called 'selective truth telling,' and it is frequently used in political campaigns, toy advertisements, and other forms of propaganda." (p. 166)

"If you have ever opened a can of worms, boxed yourself into a corner, ended up in hot water, or found yourself in a pretty pickle, you already know that life is rarely (if ever) just a bowl of cherries. It is far more likely to be a bowl of problems, worries, and difficulties. This is normal and you should not be alarmed." (p. 119)

Clean, fun, witty (and even mildly instructive about literature and poetry), this book makes a good read for young adults and adults alike. It has a cliffhanger ending, which luckily means there are more to come!

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

Lydia's Take: This is a very sad and happy book, all at the same time. What I mean by that is that it has a sad beginning and a happy ending.

Jessica's Take: Charming isn't a word I use very often--it seems to belong to a more Jane Austen-ish time. But it is just the word to describe this book (as well as The Tale of Despereaux, also by Kate DiCamillo). I think I read this in just one day, so it's definitely a quick read. Still, I enjoyed the style of prose she uses. She seems to leave out anything unnecessary, yet still keeps the charm (there's that word again . . . ) and carries you without your knowing it through a beautiful, sweet, touching story.


I was pleasantly surprised by the way she wove together the lives of seemingly unrelated characters. It was like reading Dickens (on a much smaller scale), and for me, that's really saying something.

Sarah's Quilt by Nancy E Turner

A sequel to These is My Words by Nancy E. Turner, Sarah's Quilt had so much that I loved in it. It changes the way you look at our easy life nowadays, as the main character goes through drought and loss of cattle, land, etc. If you have read and enjoyed the first book, I'm sure you'll like this one. I did think it was a bit unrealistic that so many major things happen in such a short amount of time, but it's still believable and very interesting to read. I can't decide if I liked this or the first one better; in the second, Sarah Prine has been through so much and has become an amazingly strong woman, but I think I liked her better young, bold, and naive. Still, this one was clean, and you can't argue with that! (If you're interested, here's a good review of the series.)

Nick of Time by Ted Bell

This book was a lot of fun because it had a sort of taste of Treasure Island to it--there were a lot of fun parallels to that book, which I also enjoyed, but that's another story. Literally.

Anyway, I loved the fun adventures going on throughout the book and the mysteries involved. And the history. I thought it would be a perfect book for my boys when they get older. My only complaints were that there were a some unanswered questions (there's time travel in the story, which always presents a few), but then again, they could be resolved in the sequel, which I haven't read. Also, the author seemed to jump inside of anyone's brain he wanted to. That's not necessarily a bad thing--I just prefer first person or third person from one or two points of view. Other than that--really fun, perfectly enjoyable, and a light, quick read.

The Missing: Found & Sent by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Definitely a fast, exciting read, I have had a lot of fun reading these books. Written at about a 6th grade level (give or take a grade . . .), they involve everything from time travel to history. I would highly recommend them for kids. They are clean and entertaining, and the second book even has a fair bit of English history in it. And Haddix--could you have a cooler last name as an author?

How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn

From the very first page of this book, I was gripped by the beautiful Welsh voice of the narrator--you find yourself thinking with a lilt.  The whole book just felt green.  I don't mean eco-friendly green--just lush and beautiful, like the fields of England I miss so much.


The narrator, Huw Morgan (never quite sure how to pronounce that . . . Hugh? How? . . .), reflects on his life, beginning with his childhood.  Even though they go through trial after trial, their simple faith and strength are inspiring.   I almost felt it could be the tale of my own ancestors.

***Disclaimer: I hate how some of the best books have to have these!  In the "coming-of-age" portion of Huw's life, he gets way too involved with a young lady.  I skipped several paragraphs, so I honestly don't know exactly how graphic it was, but what I read was too much for me.  The only dog poop in the cinnamon roll, as my mother would say . . . still, I think the rest of the book is well worth reading if you are forewarned, and now you have been.