Monthly Archives: June 2012

The Writing Class

Posted on by
Reply

A lot of times I pick a book to read because I’ve heard or read something about it. This is a book I saw at the library &  only judged it by its cover. Cute cover. My kids even commented on it (something they rarely do; not that they don’t read or find books interesting, but they think I read only ‘boring’ books. Ha!)

So, from this cover I was expecting a light-hearted read about a writing class. I almost brought it back to the library unread, but decided to read a few chapters first. Starts off okay, then starts to get weird. Really weird. This writing class has entered the Twilight Zone. I couldn’t put it down.

If you haven’t read Jincy Willett & are looking for something a little unusual for the summer, pick up The Writing Class.

A Reluctant Queen The Love Story of Esther

Posted on by
Reply

When I first heard about this book, A Reluctant Queen, I was not very interested in reading it. Yes, you could say I was ‘reluctant’. Why? Because I have heard the story of Esther many times; I can read the ‘real thing’ in the Bible any time, and another version just sounded boring.

So, why did I pick it up and read it? One, I read a couple of favorable reviews from readers I respect on goodreads.com; and, two, I had read some historical fiction by Joan Wolf years ago and really enjoyed them. So, I decided to give A Reluctant Queen a try.

Since I’m taking the trouble to write a review here, you can probably guess by now that I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. It is historical fiction, so don’t take the few liberties Wolf takes with the story disturb you. She does a very good job of giving reasons for Esther being sent by her Jewish uncle to enter the Persian king’s beauty contest.  She may or not be right, but it’s a question I always have when I read the story, so it adds a new dimension to the story. She brings the characters to life, giving them personalities and filling in some of the historical background, making the story believable and interesting.

To learn more about Joan Wolf and an upcoming book (The Scarlet Cord), check out her website: www.joanwolf.com