Bogormen

Title: This is Where it Ends
Author: Marieke Nijkamp
Genre: YA
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 288
Date read: July, 2015


10:00 a.m.
The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m.
The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03
The auditorium doors won't open.

10:05
Someone starts shooting.

Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student's calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.


I am having a really hard time figuring out what I think of this book.

It was horribly, heart-wrenchingly devastating.
It was so well written that I felt physically sick with worry.
It made my heart break for the people involved.

But at the end of the day, I don't know what the author wanted to say. There seemed to be no resolution, no closure of any kind. It was just "something horrible is about to happen", "something horrible is happening", "something horrible happened", "the end". That didn't work for me. Rather, it seemed as if the author had a great idea for 90% of the book, and then instead of trying to figure out what to do with the last 10% just ended the book then and there.

It may work for you though - in which case this book will blow you away.

Title: A Little Piece of Me
Author: Stephan A. Geller
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 2.5/5
# pages: 293 pages
Date read: July, 2015

Marcia Kleinman has a difficult husband, a difficult mother and a little boy, Max, who has a rare chronic liver disease that will eventually require a liver transplantation.

When Max becomes ill Marcia and her husband, Michael, are presented with difficult choices that include allowing Marcia to donate a portion of her own liver, or waiting until an appropriate liver becomes available from another child of Max's approximate age and size.

During the months during which Max's condition slowly worsens Marcia seeks relief from stress by deciding to learn Beethoven's "Appassionata" piano sonata, a piece that her mother recorded but that Marcia had not been able to master in the past.


I'm really hard pressed to say what I think of this book. Parts of it were absolutely excellent, while other parts (mostly the flashbacks) were a slog to get through. It's one of those books where I'm not really sure what the author was trying to achieve by it, which made the depressing parts seem somewhat pointless -- and while I don't mind if my book has depressing parts, I want it to be for a reason!

I was taken in by the cover (actually the reason I requested this book in the first place), and loved the musical aspects of the story, so while the end might seem callous to some - I totally get it.

Title: Envy
Author: Sandra Brown
Genre: Suspense
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 549
Date read: July, 2015

When New York publisher Maris Matherly Reed receives a tantalizing manuscript from someone identified only as P.M.E., its blockbuster potential-and perhaps something else-compels her to meet its author. On an eerie, ruined cotton plantation on a remote Georgia island she finds Parker Evans, a man concealing his identity and his past. Maris is drawn into his tale of two young friends and a deadly betrayal ... and to Parker himself. But there's something especially chilling about this novel, its possible connection to Maris's own life, and the real-life character who uses her, or anyone, to get what he wants.


Sandra Brown writes trash. But ridiculously readable trash. I couldn't put it down and read it at times where I should have been doing other things ;) It's been so long since I read it last, that I'd forgotten most of the details, but they came back to me as I went along making for a fun combination of enjoying a new book and the fun of rediscovery.

It is not high class literature in any sense of the word, but it kept me nicely entertained. I have a hard time believing people as evil as Todd exist, but certainly enjoy reading about them getting their comeuppence... at least when they're brought to justice and aren't just killed off at the end because that's easier... Yes, that's a pet peeve of mine, can you tell? ;)

Title: Who Do I Lean On?
Author: Neta Jackson
Genre: Christian fiction
Rating: 5/5
# pages: 358
Date read: June, 2010

Gabby expects a fight from her husband over custody of their boys, but she is taken aback when he leans on her for a loan to cover his gambling debts. When she turns him down, Philip makes a desperate move that puts Gabby, her friends at the shelter, and even the House of Hope at risk.

Neta Jackson never fails to inspire me through her books, and thankfully this third book in the House of Hope series was no exception. Though I did still occasionally want to shake Gabby for her bad choices, she had come far enough to realize her mistakes herself, before they got her in too much trouble.

Phillip was at his most likeable here, and I was grateful for this glimpse into the person he used to be - until now it had been difficult to understand why Gabby ever married him in the first place. Here we got to see behind his ambition to the person he could be.

I did think the Lee story line was much too easily resolved though. It seemed a bit too convenient - I would have liked to see Gabby come to a decision by herself, rather than being forced into it by an ultimatum.

But as always Neta Jackson delivered an AMAZING story that made me ache to be part of that kind of Christian fellowship myself.

I read the book in one sitting, and stayed up until 2am to finish it. Unfortunately the next (and last) book in the series won't be out until March 2011.

Title: Where Do I Go?
Author: Neta Jackson
Genre: Christian fiction
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: 370 pages
Date read: May 2009, July 2015

Gabrielle Fairbanks has nearly lost touch with the carefree, spirited young woman she was when she married her husband fifteen years ago. But when the couple moves to Chicago to accommodate Philip's business ambitions, Gabby finds the chance to make herself useful.

It's there she meets the women of Manna House Women's Shelter; they need a Program Director-and she has a degree in social work. She's in her element, feeling God's call on her life at last, even though Philip doesn't like the changes he sees in her. But things get rough when Philip gives Gabby an ultimatum: quit her job at the shelter or risk divorce and losing custody of their sons.

Gabby must take refuge, as in the song they sing at Sunday night worship: "Where do I go when there's no one else to turn to?... I go to the Rock I know that's able, I go to the Rock."

This is my second attempt at reviewing this book, because I don't think I did it justice the first time around.

At a first glance the book was a huge disappointment. I'd come to it expecting warmth and comfort, I left it crying of frustration and hopelessness. Any book powerful enough to do that to me deserves more than the original three stars I have it - for writing, even if it doesn't for plot.

And the plot was very unpleasant to read. Instead of starting with a person who was ill off and whose circumstances improved through the book, we're here presented with a person whose life at the outlook seems... if not great, then at least satisfactory, but whose circumstances deteriorate through the book, leaving her with the rug pulled out from underneath her at the last page.

It's the first few chapters of Job, before God stepped in.

What really annoyed me about the book was that this was where it ended. There was no resolution, no last-minute waving of a magic wand (which is good, I guess - I don't like last-minute wavings of magic wands in an otherwise realistic book). All there was was an incredibly open ending, and a woman whose life had suddenly hit rock bottom.

This is where my thoughts were at last night, and why I wrote the review I did.

Now that I've slept on it and thought about it some more, I've realized that my mistake was in assuming it was a self-contained novel. If instead I view it as an introduction or a prequel to the series, it changes from being frustrating an disappointing to being incredibly powerful and captivating. What I wrote yesterday (review saved here for reference) still stands, but my perspective has changed. It'll be interesting to see where Neta Jackson takes the series from here.

I guess I'll know come September.

Reread 2015: It was with some trepidation that I picked up this book for a reread - I remembered only too vividly how I'd felt on first reading it. Fortunately, knowing what was coming made it a lot easier to stomach, and the later books definitely make up for it. Still, I had to put it down from time to time, when I knew something unpleasant was coming up :-P But the end was not nearly as much of a shock to the system when I could go straight over to my shelves and pick up the next book.

Title: The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Rolling
Author: Neta Jackson
Genre: Christian fiction
Rating: 10/10
# pages: 395
Date read: October 2008, July 2009, July 2012, July 2020

A devastating fire wakes up the Yadas to a new reality: God is on the move.

What I'd like to know is, why does God keep rearranging my comfort zone? It could have something to do with my Yada Yada prayer sisters, who aren't afraid to get in each other's faces and tend to expect big things from God.

But to move forward, sometimes we have to let go of what's behind. In spite of the loss of two dear friends. In spite of the breakup of a teenage love. In spite of the curse of HIV. In spite of prison time hanging over the head of a beloved child. In spite of fire consuming the hopes of those who have nothing.

Yet out of the ashes, God is doing a new thing! It's time for the Yadas to press on, pray on, and get rolling!


Wow... that was some ride. I'm still wiping the tears off my face from the last few chapters. Good tears though. It wasn't sad, just incredibly moving.

I'm sad there are only 7 books in this series, because they are just incredible. I pray I can learn to pray like Jodi and her Yada Yada sisters... and I wouldn't mind hearing that still small voice as clearly either.

Title: The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Tough
Author: Neta Jackson
Genre: Christian fiction
Rating: 5/5
# pages: 366
Date read: October 2008, June 2009, July 2012, July 2020

The Yada Yadas have grown close in the past year, but they're about to learn the real meaning of togetherness.

With a wedding, an early parole, and two baptisms in the lake, everything is feeling pretty great. But without warning, lots of little things become big problems. When a white supremacy hate group targets a local university, the group's own diversity almost becomes a liability. A vicious attack on Noni's husband forces the Yadas to get tough-and fight back together.


It gets difficult finding new things to say about this series, because each book is 'more of the same' - but in a good way! It touches me, it moves me, it makes me laugh, it makes me cry, and most importantly - it challenges me. I need to take a page from these books and get my prayerlife up to snuff.

I liked how this book had everybody involved - not just the Yadas, but their families as well. Josh is growing up to be an amazing guy, and I look forward to reading more about him in the next books. I'm looking foward to seeing more of Becky's growth as well.

Title: The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Down (Book 2) Author: Neta Jackson Genre: Christian fiction Rating: 5/5 # pages: 400 Date read: August 2008, June 2009, July 2012, July 2020

In this second installment of the series, a robbery, a lynching, and a mourning mother shake up the Yada Yada Prayer Group.

One night, while the Yada Yadas are "gettin' down" with God in prayer, a heroine-crazed woman barges into the house and, at knife-point, demands their valuables.

Then a well-meaning gesture incites a backlash of anger within the group forcing them to confront generations of racial division and distrust. The members of the Yada Yada Prayer Group find themselves learning what true forgiveness is.


Brilliant book. The Yada Yada books speak straight to my heart. I'm challenged to pray, praise God and generally take a closer look at my relationship with God. Do I just pay Him lip-service - or do I actually practise what I preach?

"The YYPG Gets Down" is a fitting continuation of the first book, and it raises an interesting question of forgiveness. Do we forgive even if the other person doesn't repent? Can we repent for the sins of others? (Like the Germans asking the Jews for forgiveness for the Holocaust) How can we accept God's forgiveness and learn to live with what we've done? And how do we cope if somebody we've wronged won't forgive us.

A powerful book, and a breath of fresh air. I need to remember to turn to these books when I feel like my spiritual life needs a 'pick me up'.

But why does Ruth have to speak like Yoda? Talks like this she does. Takes some getting used to.

Title: Gerd og gadedrengene (Gerd and the boys of the street)
Author: Estrid Ott
Genre: Classics, YA
Rating: 10/10
# pages: 151
Date read: November 2007, July 2015

Summary: Long-legged Gerd is doing research in the field just like her author father, because she wants to write a book of her own. Only she doesn't need to travel abroad, she can just go out her front door and suddenly she's part of a completely different world - a world governed by the kids who rule the streets of Copenhagen.

Gerd is a reckless girl whose aunt has troubles controlling her while her parents are abroad; but she's healthy, natural and has a strong moral code. Her reflections on life and people in general are wonderfully un-snobbish and droll when coming from her matter-of-fact outlook on life.

Review: I first read "Gerd og gadedrengene" when I was in my pre-teens, and it's still one of my favourite books. Estrid Ott is an amazing Danish author, and her books are always filled with charming and amusing anecdotes from her personal life. This is my favourite book by her and although it's a children's book I still read it every or every second year. It's a quick read and one that never fails to put me in a good mood. I absolutely adore it.

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