The Heretic's Daughter (3/81)

This is a very well written book about the events leading up to the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. The story is centered around young Sarah Carrier, her brothers, sister, father, and most importantly, her mother Martha. It is easy to perceive Martha as cold and unfeeling toward her daughter and other children, but it becomes evident just how much a mother will endure for the sake of her children. Martha and Sarah's relationship is strained, and it set against the backdrop of Puritan community beliefs, plagues, and Indian raids. This book is more a story of family relationships than of descriptive accounts of the Salem Witch Trials.

Overall, I did enjoy reading this book.

#2 Patriarch: George Washington and the new American Nation

Book title - Patriarch: George Washington and the new American nation
here is my review. To say the least, I really enjoyed this book!

The beginning (though a very difficult read for the first 50 pages) shows traits of his character as he started his public career as a surveyor and landowner. He decided early on that his way to fight against the tyrannies of the mother country was by making Mount Vernon self-sufficient so he eliminated tobacco from the crops produced and planted wheat and corn so that he could feed his family and slaves without having to buy English products. The book does not go into details of the era of the revolutionary war, but states his steadfast belief that it was necessary to break from the Mother Country. His leanings toward a strong central government were defined within himself during the Revolutionary War due to the difficulties that he encountered trying to maintain the army. The Congress, which had originally appointed him as the Commander of the Army, was reluctant to provided financially for the soldiers with either provisions or salary. His private life was not as he and Martha had wished, but as Martha Washington said, " I little thought, when the war was finished, that any circumstances could possibly have happened which would call the General into public life again"…. And continued " I cannot blame him for having acted according to his duties in obeying the voice of his country." Once elected to the office of President, Washington, while setting up his administration, tried to choose those with the best credentials, not necessarily those that thought the same way he did. He struggled in trying to keep his cabinet (mainly Jefferson and Hamilton) from arguing given that Jefferson was in favor of republic attributes and Hamilton was a Federalist. Washington was constantly trying to keep the peace with England, Spain, and the Indians while maintaining good relations with France during their revolution. His determination to have the young US remain neutral to all the upheaval occurring in Europe, appears to be one of the main reasons why the tiny nation managed to survive. Washington concentrated on establishing peace and prosperity in the new nation, rather than trying to become a political power at the time. During his second term in office (one that he reluctantly took - he really felt that he was too old and wanted to retire) Washington continually ran into political issues that threatened the infant nation. The English ambassador of the time was quoted to say about his leadership abilities "he possess the two great requisites of a statesman, the faculty of concealing his own sentiments and discovering those of other men." Not stressed in normal historical accounts, after his retirement from the presidency, he was actually overseeing the building of the "Federal City" and when worries mounted about a possible war with France, he was charged again to be the Commander in Chief of the army. He made provisions for the recruitment of a standing army and debated with President Adams the order of precedence for his officers (Hamilton, Pinckney, and Knox). The author stresses that though many historians see Washington as mainly a man who let others govern, he was in fact, a leader, who displayed the same strengths in governing that he used as a military commander and as a large landowner -diligence, fortitude, and determination. What truly amazed me about this book, is the man that was revealed- I never thought of George Washington as a particularly eloquent man, but the writings that appeared changed that perspective for me. I also saw other sides of characters that I had read in history but now saw in a different light - in particular, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. Washington also came through as especially gifted in the area of diplomacy, as well as thoroughly insightful when taking into consideration, the people's well-being even when it was not appreciated by the general public. Often, he prevented political disasters for the fledgling country by well-timed delays and assumptions of responsibility where others would likely have placed blame. I admired this man before reading this book, now I truly respect his accomplishments. and his character. The author states at the end " the first president remains that rarest of historical figures, of whom it can be said that in conceding his humanity, we only confirm his greatness."

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (1/81)

C2008 276pgs rating: 4 stars

Summary
At its heart The Sugar Queen is the telling of how the lives of Josey Cirrini, Chloe Finley and Della Lee are bound together. When Josey goes to raid her secret stash of candy one morning, she instead finds Della Lee hiding out in her closet. But Josey doesn't force Della Lee out because at her core, she's a very isolated and lonely person. Josey needs change in her life and Della Lee is the catalyst that makes it happen.

Review (be aware of spoiler potential although I'll try not to give it away)
I picked this book for my Favorite Author category. Sarah Addison Allen is a recent addition to my stable of favorites but I was very impressed by her first novel, Garden Spells. I find her particular brand of magical realism simply charming. She gives her characters traits, not abilities. It's physically a part of who they are not something they consciously choose to utilize. This book is not overly dramatic, but Chloe's book manifestation is perfect comic relief. Allen's prose is easy and it keeps me turning the pages. I care about her characters. I want them to finish the journey and I'm glad to be along for the ride. She includes just the right level of romance for me.
I kept noticing duality throughout this book. Della Lee, Chloe and Josey had physical similarities (green eyes, curly hair) and that was on purpose. But mostly I was drawn to parallel occurrences between Jake and Margaret. Both had affairs. Jake takes dinner weekly with his parents out of obligation. Likewise, Margaret has tea monthly with Livia even though the two despise each other. I'm not sure if the Jake/Margaret pairing is intentional or what that means if it is.
I also could not keep myself from comparing The Sugar Queen with Garden Spells. Another reviewer has said they should not be compared but I disagree. There are so many similarities. Food; Sisters; The creep of an ex-boyfriend who shows up at the end; women who physically burn or heat their surroundings when emotions are high, especially passion; the rich mother who controls her daughter's life. I think there's plenty of room for comparison here. In the end, while I immensely enjoyed both, I have to admit that I liked Garden Spells better. But I can't really nail down why.

Favorite quotes:
"Ice queens didn't break, after all. They melted. And Marco didn't have enough warmth for that."

"He was seated at the bar, surrounded by women, women who existed only at night, thin sheets of steel, all sharp edges and shine, undulating and unsteady."

"She felt him getting nearer, felt it like a pull in the pit of her stomach. It felt like hunger but deeper, heavier. Like the best kind of expectation. Ice cream expectation. Chocolate expectation."

Recommendation
I would definitely recommend this to fans of magical realism and even chick lit. It's a nice cozy book and can be easily read in a few hours, because you won't want to put it down.

... Go!

Happy New Year everybody. Actually its 5 to 3 in the morning here so pardon the sloppy typing! I'm half a dozen chapters into my first (official) book for the challenge. Lord of the Rings. Yes it's a reread - but one of my categories is Tolkienana (not sure if I invented that word) and for the first time in years, I didn't read LotR last year so it looked like a fine starting point. As well as an easy one, I'm half a dozen chapters in and a quarter of a dozen sheets to the wind! But I know this book like the back of my hand and it's an old friend, so I'll just snuggle off to bed now. All the best and good reading.

Ready, Set, .....

A little over five and a half hour to go until 2009 here on the east coast of Australia. Heh, heh, I get about 16 hour head start! I could have knocked off two thin books before you guys start. Mind you, I gave myself a one book penalty for starting early, so I need the legal head start.

ETA: Head start based on US east coast. Is anybody else getting a geographical jump?

Category Stats!

For those of you who enjoy stats, Detailmuse took on the daunting task of tallying our common categories. The Top Ten:

Science Fiction/Speculative Fiction (45)
Classics (33)
Nonfiction (33)
Award Winners (31)
Children's & YA (31)
Reading Globally (31)
Recommended (31)
Historical fiction (30)
Grab bag (29)
Biography (28)

You can read the full thread here (message #93). Thanks so much Detailmuse!

The Global Challenge

I got a message from LT member cathcartes wanting to know about starting the challenge for French members of Library Thing. I think that's great! The more people who sign up, the more fun it will be! So if you are a member of a foreign language version of LT or if you want to mention the contest on your blog or any other site you visit regularly, please feel free!