The Englisher

Who wrote this book and when?
Beverly Lewis published this in 2006.

Has there been a film version?
Nope.

Who are the important characters?
Annie Zook – an Amish woman torn between her art and her Plain lifestyle
Louisa Stratford – a “fancy” woman who has come to live with the Zook family to re-evaluate her life and values
Esther Hochstetler – a young woman married to an abusive husband
Ezekiel “Zeke” Hochstetler – Esther’s husband, still struggling with guilt issues over his younger brother’s disappearance almost 20 years ago
Jesse Zook – a preacher for the Amish, Annie’s father
Yonie Zook – Annie’s brother, considering leaving the Amish
Ben Martin – an outsider who is wooing Annie
The Ranck’s – a Mennonite family providing sanctuary for Esther

What’s it about?
Annie has promised her father to swear off of painting for at least six months in preparation for her baptism class and joining of the Amish church. But now she has a new temptation away from the Amish – a handsome and kind young man named Ben Martin who is courting her. As Annie grows closer to Ben, she does more and more to hide from her family. Meanwhile, Louisa is finding her friends and former fiance won’t let her leave her old life behind as easily as she’d like. And Zeke and Esther might lose their marriage as Zeke becomes more violent while trying to deal with his guilty conscience.

Why is this book a classic/bestseller?
It’s part of Beverly Lewis’ collection, she’s a great Christian author.

Do I recommend you read this book?
If you enjoyed the first one.

How did this book make my list?
I liked the first book in this series.

Has it won any awards?
No.

Favorite quotes:

Anything else?
I don’t think I could be an Amish wife…sorry.

Personal thoughts:
I completely blasted through this book. Unfortunately when I do this, I remember very little except the basic plot. I did get frustrated because I figured out the big “surprise” of the series at the end of the first book – I think maybe that was intentional, but still… The only thing left for the last book in this series is whether or not everyone ends up Amish or not. However, I think the storyline of Esther and Zeke is interesting mainly because I would never think of an Amish husband being abusive – yet when I consider it, it doesn’t seem that out of the question.
Anyway, on to the next…right?

Anne of Ingleside

Who wrote this book and when?
L.M. Montgomery published this in 1939.

Has there been a film version?
No.

Who are the important characters?
Anne Blythe – formerly Anne Shirley, now mother of six
Gilbert Blythe – a respected Doctor and Anne’s husband
Susan – the Blythe’s housekeeper
Aunt Mary Maria Blythe – Gilbert’s maiden aunt who is a royal pain
Jem Blythe – the eldest at age eight
Walter Blythe – age seven and a bit of a softhearted boy
Nan Blythe – one of the twins, age four with brown hair and eyes
Diana Blythe – the other twin, with red hair and green eyes
Shirley Blythe – the youngest son, two years old and Susan’s favorite
Marilla “Rilla” Blythe – the baby, she speaks with a lisp

What’s it about?
This book mainly chronicles the escapades of the Blythe children as they grow up and enter school. The girls are faced with duplicitous friends and fanciful fairy stories. And the sons are faced with dogs and bullies and the stress of having to buy birthday presents for the best mother ever. And Anne herself must face the fact that her children will grow up and she herself will grow older.

Why is this book a classic/bestseller?
It’s part of the Anne of Green Gables series.

Do I recommend you read this book?
Yes.

How did this book make my list?
It’s by L.M. Montgomery and I love Anne Shirley.

Has it won any awards?
No.

Favorite quotes:
“The Sloanes are still Sloanes, Anne, and will be for ever and ever, world without end, amen.” – p 3

Anything else?
This is the last book that was written about Anne, the previous ones which are later chronologically were actually published earlier. This was also the last book published by Montgomery while she was alive.

Personal thoughts:
This book almost recaptures the innocent fun of the first book in the series as it regales us with stories of the Blythe children – whose mishaps are not unlike their mother’s when she was young. They go through many of the same trials we went through as children, with friends who aren’t always what they seem, with relatives who nobody can understand, with fears of new faces and places. And through it all, their lovely mother is there for them to cry to or laugh with or share serious problems with. Anne is still the same Anne, even though she has six children to keep up with.

This ain’t no fairy tale…

Well, we’ve officially made it through one year of marriage. One year and ten days if you’re one of those anal types. I’m not. I think. Anyway.

A lot of people give you a knowing look when you get married or when you are newly married and say “the first year is always the hardest…” and call you “hun,” “dearie,” or some other slightly condescending name which makes you feel awkward and forces you to smile and nod like you completely agree even though you’re aware they consider you inexperienced and desperately in need of help.

In this case, I’d just like to point out that all those people were right. Not that I have anything to base this off of, btw. In a 365 day, or four season, or fifty-two week, or approx 8,766 hour, or 525,950 minute span, we have dealt with my heart condition (relatively minor for once), MS, cancer, three different cars, two surgeries, one near death experience, financial issues, church issues, friend issues, family issues…not to mention getting used to living with someone.

But through it all, we’ve managed to avoid fighting in pretty much any way, shape, or form. You may not believe me, but it’s true. We like to say we got all our fighting out before we started dating and now that we know the extent that our disagreements can run to – we do our best to avoid them. For the most part, we are quick to apologize and patient with each other (the part that keeps it from always happening is my stubbornness…) After all, there’s nothing like debilitating disease to make you realize just how much you love someone, right?

Many of you have asked what we did for our anniversary, and there was a surprising amount of interest from J’s coworkers which was…odd. We celebrated it in our own way, just as our wedding was celebrated in our own way. We skipped church and slept in, then spent most of the day with either me playing Final Fantasy 12, or J playing Metroid. Then we got all fancied up and went out to dinner at Anthony’s and ate ourselves sick. And returned to more video games and movies. Like I said…our own way. But exactly the way we wanted to.

And now we’re back to “real life.” J is working swing shift this week for year-end processing, which has thrown our schedule off a little. We spent entirely too much money having fun this past weekend and has forced me to get a little creative with dinners this week (omelettes and frozen pizza!) And I have caught a nasty cold which has rendered me closer to bigfoot than I care to admit, stomping around in a disoriented manner while growling and sniffing and coughing. I spent most of yesterday watching the “Gilmore Girls” season one discs that my lovely wonderful friend, Daja, let me borrow. This cold doesn’t help my heart’s annual transition to colder weather in that jump between 80 degrees to 60. Which appears to be happening twice this year. Oh, global warming, you minx. But I suppose the extra rest will do me good. We’re enjoying this little respite of “real life” before we pick up the insanity again in October with concerts and weddings and Halloween parties. And pumpkin. I can’t convey to you how excited I am to make some pumpkiny desserts.

So there’s an update on our non-fairytale marriage which to be brutally honest, I never expected to have. My husband and I are hard core realists. I’ll see you in about a week or so with the September update.

The Preacher’s Daughter

Who wrote this book and when?
Beverly Lewis published this in 2005.

Has there been a film version?
No.

Who are the important characters?
Annie Zook – an Amish young woman who loves to paint even though it’s forbidden
Louisa Stratford – a wealthy girl who is engaged to a wealthy man, she is Annie’s long time pen pal
Esther Hochstetler – Annie’s friend, a married Amish woman with three children and one on the way, she has an abusive husband
Ezekiel “Zeke” Hochstetler – Esther’s husband, he’s emotionally scarred from his younger brother’s disappearance over a decade ago
Preacher Jesse Zook – Annie’s father, one of the Amish preachers
The Rancks – the Zook’s cousins, a Mennonite family who are also Christians

What’s it about?
Annie Zook has a passion for painting and artwork despite it being forbidden in her Amish culture. She struggles with her love for her family and culture and how it clashes with her love of art. To further complicate things, she’s expected to formally join the church soon or leave forever. And her Englischer (non-Amish) friend, Louisa Stratford, comes to have an extended visit after calling off her wedding, further upsetting their quiet lifestyle.

Why is this book a classic/bestseller?
It’s part of a series by a bestselling Christian author.

Do I recommend you read this book?
Yes.

How did this book make my list?
I started reading it thinking it was the first book in another series by this same author. Oh well.

Has it won any awards?
The Best Genre Fiction Award from Library Journal in 2005.

Favorite quotes:

Anything else?
No.

Personal thoughts:
This is perfect reading for cold-fighting. I’ve been pushing one off for the past week or so, and now that it’s threatening to send me to bed for a nap every couple of hours, this series really fits the bill for an enjoyable – if fluffy – read. I enjoy reading about the Amish community and Lewis does a splendid job of developing Annie and Louisa as separate yet similar characters who share the same love of art and similar conundrums in love. Plus, Lewis has added the dark storyline of an abusive husband and a long-disappeared little brother who has most likely met a very early demise at the hands of a kidnapper or serial killer. Like I said…good for sick reading.

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

Who wrote this book and when?
Douglas Adams published this in 1984.

Has there been a film version?
Nope. Although a few unimportant plot points are assimilated into the movie version of “HHGG.”

Who are the important characters?
Arthur Dent – a man who has been traveling space for 8 years and is now back on Earth 2.0
Fenchurch – a woman who solved the problem of life immediately before the first Earth was destroyed, now she can’t remember it and is slightly crazy…her feet also don’t touch the ground
Ford Prefect – a writer for the “HHGG” who is currently wreaking havoc around the universe
Wonko the Sane – a crazy man in California who knows what’s going on with the dolphins

What’s it about?
This mainly catches us up on the actions of Arthur and Ford since the last books. Arthur is back on Earth trying to readjust from being gone for 8 years and being the only one who knows the Earth was destroyed and remade. He meets up with Fenchurch, a lovely but insane young woman, whom he falls in love with. And Ford is just doing what he does – causing universal trouble. And trying to claim 15 years back pay now that the Earth is in existence again.

Why is this book a classic/bestseller?
It’s part of a famous series.

Do I recommend you read this book?
Eh, it’s not my favorite from this series. If you want to read the whole set of HHGG books, then by all means…read it.

How did this book make my list?
See the previous question.

Has it won any awards?
Negative.

Favorite quotes:
“The night was uneasy with rain.” – p 48

Anything else?
No.

Personal thoughts:
This has been the least interesting of the HHGG series so far. This doesn’t mean it isn’t good – so don’t think that. It just focuses either on Arthur and Fenchurch or Ford, with very brief action including all of them. And most of the action with Arthur and Fenchurch follows their developing relationship – something I wasn’t very interested in. I love the character of Ford, and I was very disappointed with the absence of Trillian and Zaphod, and the very small appearance by Marvin. The randomness factor was still there, but it just seemed so forced or even overwhelming, that it wasn’t enjoyable any longer. *sigh*