Category Archives: secular titles

The Hunger Games – A Secular Title

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Have you read this book or saw the movie? If so, what are your thoughts about it?

I read this book because everybody keeps talking about it and now that the movie’s been released, they’re talking about it even more. This book was highly disturbing, but, I did think the story and the writing were amazing. The reason why the story was disturbing to me is because I could actually imagine this happening – the story was not that far-fetched.

North America is now divided into Twelve districts. Katniss, a female hunter who poaches game from a forbidden woods with her friend Gale, now finds herself having to play the Hunger Games. The world is different, much different, than the way we know it today. The government doesn’t care about the suffering of its’ people and when Katniss’s father dies, and her mother suffers from mental anxiety, she finds she must take her dad’s bow and arrow to hunt, or her family will starve to death. Starving is something that happens a lot in District 12.

The Hunger Games is a “sporting event” that the Capitol throws every year to keep their districts in line – to remind them of the Capitol’s power. Each district chooses one boy and one girl from a lottery and, the 24 subjects chosen from the 12 districts are forced to play a survival game in a large arena, killing one another in an effort to survive, the last person alive is the winner. This “game” is televised and most of the people in the 12 districts watch the event. When Katniss’s little sister’s name is drawn from the bowl, she snaps, volunteering to take her sister’s place. The boy chosen from District 12 is Peeta, a boy who has shown Katniss great kindness in the past. The age range of those chosen to play the Hunger Games are 12-18.

It’s troubling to see young people warring against one another on a televised event, however, the premise of the story is written in such a way that you want to finish the novel. When the kids are in the arena, there’s a host of things in the wild that can hurt them other than their competitors. Sometimes water is scarce, and there are wild animals in the forest, too. In the beginning, the tributes (people playing the Hunger Games) may pair up and work together for survival.

Another thing that bothered me was the age range and sex of the competitors – 12 – 18? Boys and girls? How can a small 12 year old girl fairly compete against a strapping 18 year old boy?

I did enjoy reading how Katniss travels to the Capitol for the Hunger Game event. She’s never been outside of District 12 and when she travels on the train and arrives to the Capitol, she’s treated like royalty. This is the first time she’s had enough food to eat, and she’s able to taste “delicacies” like, wine, orange juice, and lamb stew. A hot shower is something she’s never experienced before coming to the Capitol and she’s appalled about how some of the Capitol people are pudgy since most have had enough food to eat their entire lives. The glowing Capitol buildings are also a sight for her to see – the contrast in setting is stark and vivid – such a strange contrast to experience right before you’re thrown into an arena to fight for your life.

I plan on reading the other two book in the series, since I did enjoy reading this book because I wanted to see what happened, in spite of the dark subject matter.

Have you read this book or saw the movie? If so, what are your thoughts about it?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Pastor’s Wife

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The Pastor’s Wife by Reshonda Tate Billingsley

Terrence Ellis is the pastor of a thriving church. He’s thirty and he’s single, and the parishionhers are starting to wonder why he’s still unmarried. Terrance’s parents are deceased, so he was raised by his three aunts – they want to make sure that their nephew has a wife before the big Christmas event so that the congregation can stop gossiping about Terrance’s singleness.

I thought this book was a drama-filled page-turner. However, I thought that even though the book was set in the church, the only character that seemed intent on doing God’s will was Terrance. His aunts were busy-bodies who seemed like they had a lot of time on their hands with judgmental attitudes towards other members of the church. Also, as can be found in some churches, the parishioners were extremely judgmental toward one another. Terrance does develop feelings for Savannah – a parishioner with a bad reputation. When his aunts find out about his interest in Savannah, they go ballistic, trying to set their nephew up on blind dates. Also, Savannah stoops to low levels in order to claim Terrance as her significant other. Terrance harbors a secret, a secret that nobody knows about. This secret creates a unique turning point in this story.

If I were Terrance, I doubt I’d be able to lead such an openly judgmental church. I felt kind of sorry for him since he was only following his calling and trying his best to do the Lord’s work. I could easily see this drama-filled, page-turning novel being turned into a movie. Overall an exciting read.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

A Secular Title – Gone by Michael Grant

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***Please note that this is a secular title.

Gone by Michael Grant

***Please note that this is a secular title.

I really enjoyed this young adult book entitled Gone. It was fast-paced, suspenseful and the characters really drew you into the story. Gone is about a group of kids in a small town who are forced to live on their own. Everybody over the age of fourteen disappers, literally. So now you have everybody from infants to fourteen years old forced to fend for themselves. These children can’t leave their town, they’re stuck there because of the FAYZ, which is a huge bubble that surrounds their beach town.

As is obvious, you’re going to have conflict – somebody wants to be the leader, somebody wants to make peace. Sam Temple doesn’t want to be a hero, but finds himself forced into that role a number of times. During the course of the story, he helps others, wanting to make everything alright. There’s also a little bit of romance between Sam and Astrid (another major character in this novel). Both of these kids are fourteen and Sam is worried. When he turns fifteen, will he disappear, too?

Astrid has an autistic little brother named Pete, and Pete adds an interesting twist to the story.

Many of these kids also have powers, powers that were slowly being developed shortly before they were trapped by the FAZE. Caine, an evil child, wants to do away with all of the powerful children so that he can be the leader, using his powers.

Also, the FAZE world shifts and changes – animals start to talk, and become more aggressive. These animals also develop unusual powers of their own.

You have a lot of drama and fighting and conflict within the FAZE with the two groups of children: Sam’s group and Caine’s group. There’s also some interesting background about Sam and Caine that propelled the story.

This book had some of the children taking on certain roles and jobs since the adults were no longer present. One child takes it upon himself to run the McDonald’s alone. Another child runs the daycare since you need somebody to change diapers and feed and enterain children since all of the parents were gone.

Also, I thought it was cool how the kids were trying to figure out why they were trapped in the FAZE. They often spoke about God, and you do see some of the characters praying while they battle against other forces.

This novel reminded me of two Christian fiction series: 1. Terri Blackstock’s series where all the electronics and electricity stops working.
2. The Left Behind Series

This book also reminded me of the classic Lord of the Flies. You have these kids pitting against one another as they struggle to survive.

Although this book is enjoyable, I did think that the writing and the dialog was kind of corny in some places, but, the story is so good that you still want to finish the book to find out what happens to these kids.

GONE is the first book in a series. I do have HUNGER, the second book, in my to-be-read pile.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Help – A Book Review

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NOTE – THIS IS A SECULAR TITLE

My sister loaned me her copy of this book, and I just finished it a couple of days ago. The movie is going to be released in about a week, so, I’ll probably go and see it when it comes out.

In spite of the controversy for some, I felt this book painted a realistic view for what it was like for SOME African-American maids to work for white families in the sixties. I enjoyed reading this book, but there were parts of it that rankled me, made me angry. But, I felt the author did a great job with the story.

Skeeter is 22 years old and she has graduated from college. Unmarried, she hangs out with her friends who are married with children. Skeeter’s mother is always “on her case” about her height (she’s very tall) and her unruly hair. Can’t she fix herself up so that she can snag a husband? Skeeter is sick of her mother and she’s got goals, goals that are not shared by her upper-class friends. Skeeter wants to be a writer and when she reaches out to a big-time New York editor, she comes up with an idea for a book – a book about what it’s really like to be a Black maid in the deep South.

Skeeter’s family maid suddenly disappears and her mother lies about the maid’s wherabouts. Skeeter wants to know what happened to the African-American woman who raised her. She’s stunned that the maid that they’ve employed for decades is now gone – it’s almost like losing her second mother.

Skeeter’s family as well as Skeeter’s friends all employ African-American domestic help. Aibileen, one of the maids, has been a domestic worker her entire life. I think, when you read this story, it’ll make you stop and make you think about what the life of a maid is really like. They cook, clean, and they also raise the children of their White employers. They’re not really appreciated for all that they do.

You’ll meet a cast of interesting characters who struggle with bigotry and fear. Minny, another maid, has problems that she’s dealing with at home – her homelife is sad and she has trouble keeping domestic jobs because of her sassy attitude. She finally finds a job with Ms. Celia, a white woman who is the social outcast of Jackson Misssissippi since she is little more than “poor white trash” who “stole” the boyfriend of one of the town’s elite.

Skeeter and the maids are fearful, but feel that changes need to be made, so she sets out to write the stories about the maids in her town. Skeeter wants others to know about what the maids have to go through each day doing their jobs. Most times, their White employers are unsympathetic, demeaning, and they treat their help with no respect.

One particular thing comes to mind to illustrate how the maids are disrespected – many of their employers get a separate bathroom contructed onto their homes because they feel that Blacks have diseases to which whites are not accostomed to. I found the views of many of the Whites in the book to be downright stupid. How are you going to have a Black maid fixing your food, raising your children, and then worry about catching a disease from using the same toilet?

The Help takes place during the sixties in Jackson Mississippi and there is an extreme amount of racial unrest during this time in history. Martin Luther King is about to lead the March in Washington. People are getting lynched and shot just for standing up for their civil rights.

I could go on and on talking about this book, but I don’t want to give spoilers. My only pet peeve about this novel is that Skeeter hangs out with her best friends – apparantly, they used to be extremely close. However, now that closeness is being shattered. I had a hard time believing that these Skeeter and her friends had been close at one point? Why? Not sure. Once the story opens, that closeness has faded, so, since I never “experienced” the closeness amidst the pages in the book, it could be why I’m having a hard time accepting that Skeeter was close to her friends?

Overall, the book was a quick, good, engaging read and I highly recommend this controversial book.

~Cecelia Dowdy~
From the back cover:
Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.
Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.
Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody’s business, but she can’t mind her tongue, so she’s lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.
Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.
In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women—mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends—view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don’t.

The Help

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Have you read this novel, if so, did you like it?

I’ve started reading the secular novel entitled The Help. From what I understand, this novel has been extremely popular for lots of people. The book is about a group of African-American maids in the sixties and their relationships with their white employers. The author is Caucasian. What’s interesting is that this novel has a cover with three birds on it – you don’t even get a glimpse as to what the novel’s about from glancing at the cover.

However, they have done a new cover that depicts what the story is about. I think it’s interesting that this book is not shelved in the African-American section of the bookstore. I guess that makes sense since the author is Caucasian. If you’ve been reading this blog long enough, you’ve seen my views about shelving African American books separately from the other books. Also, wanted to add that this book is being made into a movie that’s about to be released pretty soon.

I’ll be sure to post a full review once I’m done. So again, my question is, have you read this novel, if so, did you like it?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Particular Sadness Of Lemon Cake By Aimee Bender

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***Please note that this is a secular title…
The Particular Sadness Of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

I saw this book mentioned via the Goodreads.com newsletter a few weeks back. I was so intrigued by the description that I ordered this title. I found it intriguing because of the food aspect. I love writing about food in my own work and some readers have told me that they get hungry when they read my novels! 🙂

Rose is celebrating her ninth birthday, and her mother bakes her a lemon cake. This cake drastically changes her life. She can taste her mother’s despondent mood in the cake. Soon, Rose finds her life spinning out of control, because when she tastes food, she tastes the emotions of the people who have prepared the foods. As you can imagine, a lot of people experience sadness and negative emotions and Rose can taste these feelings in her meals, and she finds herself not wanting to eat people’s food because the food tastes bad. She can also taste other things in the food, like, the country/state where the vegetables were grown. She can taste place the butter was manufactured. She can even taste the factories where the food was produced.

Rose does learn to deal with her “problem” by getting food from vending machines. These types of foods, made in factories, don’t encompass such an awful taste. When she does stumble upon prepared food that she enjoys, she clings to that source, wanting food from that person since it’s a rarity for her to find food that tastes good.

This book also delves into the complexities of familial relationships. Rose can knows what illicit activities her mother engages in through her food. Rose also has a hard-to-define relationship with her troubled older brother, Joe.

The book spans through several years – starting when Rose is nine and ending when Rose is in her early twenties. Her brother Joe has a best friend named George, and when Rose first discovers her food “gift” George is the only person who takes her claims seriously, and tries to get to the root of Rose’s food “problem.” Her infatuation with George increases over time since he pays more attention to her than Joe does.

I consider this book to be a literary work of fiction and, I’ll admit, I was a bit lost at the end. But I can’t tell how I felt lost without giving away a major spoiler. So, if you’ve read this book, could you email me or leave a comment so that we can discuss it? Also, I’d like for you to leave a comment about your thoughts concerning the description of this title.

~Cecelia Dowdy~
From the cover:
On the eve of her ninth birthday, unassuming Rose Edelstein, a girl at the periphery of schoolyard games and her distracted parents’ attention, bites into her mother’s homemade lemon-chocolate cake and discovers she has a magical gift: she can taste her mother’s emotions in the cake. She discovers this gift to her horror, for her mother — her cheerful, good-with-crafts, can-do mother — tastes of despair and desperation. Suddenly, and for the rest of her life, food becomes a peril and a threat to Rose.

The curse her gift has bestowed is the secret knowledge all families keep hidden — her mother’s life outside the home, her father’s detachment, her brother’s clash with the world. Yet as Rose grows up she learns to harness her gift and becomes aware that there are secrets even her taste buds cannot discern.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is a luminous tale about the enormous difficulty of loving someone fully when you know too much about them. It is heartbreaking and funny, wise and sad, and confirms Aimee Bender’s place as “a writer who makes you grateful for the very existence of language” (San Francisco Chronicle).