Book Talk

   Definitely a new kind of "fairy" tale--quite literally! Knife , by R. J. Anderson is the first installment in a three-part series about a race of faeries that make their home in a monstrous oak tree, and the way their lives intermingle with the human society around them.     The young faery in this tale is a fierce, independent soul with an unquenchable thirst for adventure. She goes by several different names in the story, but Knife is the name that she holds most dear. As the youngest faery in the Oakenwyld, the area of the humans' backyard the Oakenfolk call their home, Knife is at the mercy of every other faery in her home. Bargaining is the only way to make anything happen in this culture, and she must bargain the worst of the chores around the Oak for anything and everything she needs or wants.     When the Queen calls her to ceremony to receive her lifelong task or career, she's completely surprised--and eventually delighted--to be named Queen's Hunt

   There is a note of heaviness to this book. The Gospel of Trees is a memoir written by a woman named Apricot Iriving, eldest daughter of missionary parents to Haiti. She weaves heartbreak through the story of how she grew up, moved to Haiti and back, and back and away again. She falls in and out of love with the home of her childhood, the prison of her teenage years; the best and worst things that could have happened to her when her parents decided to upend her world.    There's an overall tone of hopelessness to this story, and yet by reading it, I feel as though I have been freed of questions and anguishes that have plagued me since I donned the mantle of missionary kid when I was seven years old. How do we respond in the face of such blatant, crushing, impossible poverty? How do we respond to our own privilege? Am I lording my white privilege over the other races of the world? Have I grown up believing I was better because I was born into more money? And whether stated,

   I'm going to be honest for a moment. I have a hard time finding Christian fiction that I really, really enjoy, let alone Christian historical fiction. I find a lot of it to be cheesy and predictable and a little... boring. I'm very picky. It's been a long time (which is sad) since I found a book from this genre that beautifully describes a certain era, and builds character development that's believable. And that's not all about a love story. I love a good love story as much as the next girl, but sometimes I really want to read a book that doesn't revolve around it, or it's not the main focus. I must say, Jocelyn Green has been a breath of fresh air.    A Refuge Assured takes place just as the French Revolution begins in 1792, when lacemaker Vivienne Rivard learns that her occupation will likely get her killed by the guillotine like it killed her dear aunt. When her last remaining relative, her mother, dies from a terrible fever, Vivienne escapes France

   Reclaiming Shilo Snow is book #2 following The Evaporation of Sofi Snow --another fantastic read from Mary Weber. In this high-stakes, action-packed sequel, Sofi Snow must conquer her fears, her love, her hatred--even her very own mind--in order to make it off of the alien planet of Delon alive.    After finding out that her brother was abducted by the alien race masquerading as allies to earth's many celebrated ambassadors, Reclaiming Shilo Snow begins where the first book left off: Sofi and Miguel are sneaking through the technologically-advanced corridors of the planet where the alien race of Delonese make their home. Sofi is sure that they have her brother held captive somewhere, just like they were holding dozens of other children over the years, using them as lab-rats in an attempt to rebuild their population. Despite the massive leaps in medical technology they've provided, the trafficking and experimentation the Delonese are subjecting upon earth's people com