Book Review: The Red Tent

I haven't done a book review in a while so I've decided its time to get back in the swing of things. Time to start reading again! A few years ago, I took a class on Women and Religion. It was really interesting and I learned a lot. This is one of the books we had to read for the class and to this day, I absolutely love this book!

Here's the teaser plot set-up on the back of the book: 

Her name is Dinah. In the Bible, her life is only hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the more familiar chapters of the Book of Genesis that are about her father, Jacob, and his dozen sons. Told in Dinah's voice, this novel reveals the traditions and turmoils of ancient womanhood--the world of the red tent. It begins with the story of her mothers--Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah--the four wives of Jacob. They love Dinah and give her gifts that sustain her through a hard-working youth, a calling to midwifery, and a new home in a foreign land. Dinah's story reaches out from a remarkable period of early history and creates an intimate connection with the past. Deeply affecting, The Red Tentcombines rich storytelling with a valuable achievement in modern fiction: a new view of biblical women's society.

Plot better explained: This is a fiction novel written by Anita Diamant. She takes the characters from Genesis and gives a woman's perspective of the time. Even if it is untrue, it is so captivating. The four wives of Jacob: Leah, Rachel, Zilpah and Bilhah all have unique personalities that lend help and friendship to their only daughter Dinah! Each month when the women of the tribe experience their monthly period, they spend their time together in The Red Tent. Diamant never changes the story of the bible, she just wraps her story within that story and add details. It was interesting and I couldn't put this book down.

Opinion/Critique:  I loved this book so much I wish it were a true story. I went back and read the biblical passage and I would recommend reading the passage before reading the book. My only critique would be for the reader to be knowledgeable that this is just a story, NOT TRUE. It just opens up perspective for characters mentioned in the bible that you never hear more than a sentence about. When one's name is mentioned, it allows the reader to reflect on the importance of that life, even if the individual is only mentioned in one sentence of such an important and holy book.

I was reading reviews on Good reads and a lot of folks are pretty critical regarding this book because it does not stick solely to the biblical narrative but ventures off to create it's own story. As a Christian, that kind of what I loved about it. It is a novel and Diamant is in no way saying its true, she is just trying to captivate an audience with an entertaining story. I think she could have spent more time developing the male characters but overall I could tell she focused her story mainly on women. 

I'll have to update my good reads account and add it to the sidebar if you all are on there.. I love reading..More book reviews to come in the future! Have you read this book? If so, I'd love to hear your opinion!

That's all for now! Thanks for stoppin' by

xoxo Jen.

Guest Post: Anima Kinsi {Book Review}

Hey Everyone! 

This is my dear friend, Kinsi! She blogs over at Anima Kinsi 

We used to work together and she moved away and then I moved away! I miss her so much! We had a great time, always laughing or talking! She's going to share a book review today so check it out and leave her some comment love or visit her page!

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Thanks, Jenna! I’ll take it from here.

Hola, Spicy folks!

Some of you may know me, but uh, if the number of followers on my blog is any indication, most of you don’t.  Let me introduce myself.  I’m Kinsi: military wife, homemaker, occasional freelance writer, and all-the-time lover of the Lord.  I’ve also been told by some inside sources that I am also quite the hula-hooper, Zumba/Hip Hop Hustle maven, and a great bilingual advice-giver (“No” in English, “NO” in Spanish).

So, now you know me.  Like, really know me.

Since we’re so well acquainted, let’s talk about something that totally floats my boat.  Oh yeah, that’s right, I’m talking BOOKS. 

Since the holidays are upon us, and everyone can’t help but talk about food, think about food, and stuff their faces with food, we might as well read about it too! There’s nothing wrong with consistency, after all.  I think Jeffrey Steingarten, author of The Man Who Ate Everything would absolutely agree.

I have to tell you, this book is absolutely one of my favorite reads in years.  Earning my degree in English made reading a chore at times and I almost forgot that I can actually read things of my own choosing; books that are not actually written in Middle English, for example.  Published in 1997, this is the first of Steingarten’s full-length books, featuring excerpts from his days as master food critic and intimidating old curmudgeon of Vogue.  If you aren’t a frequent reader of Vogue (and really, don’t Vogue and food seem like opposing forces?), you may recognize Steingarten from his more recent appearances on Iron Chef: America.  Steingarten first appears here around 11:33.

I’ve gotta tell you, I have a soft spot for grumpy guys.  My husband is notoriously grumpy.  Maybe that’s why Mr. Steingarten makes me shoot water from my nose every time I watch/hear/read him, even when I’m not drinking water- like a magical comedy trick.

Back to the book: The Man Who Ate Everything, while perhaps questionable in its construction (seriously, he pretty much just sewed together/edited a bunch of stuff he already wrote) is unquestionable in its wry wit.  If you’ve ever cried over a deflated cake, fought with a wily loaf of bread, or questioned the sanity of foreign food practices, you will find something familiar and laughably honest within its pages.  To boot, Mr. Steingarten includes a recipe at the end of most chapters, inspired by the chapter’s subject matter.  

See this webpage for a… taste.  Oh, I slay me.

I was near tears when I finished this book.  Not, of course, because Steingarten had written anything particularly emotional (though, finishing on the subject of a perfect pie is sure to make one’s heart pitter-patter), but because I so enjoyed living these culinary adventures.  To be honest with you, I stretched this book out for as long as I could bear.  I probably spent a year slowly trekking through it- too scared to finish and return back to flimsy fictional stories about unhealthy romances and memoirs of self-discovery.  

“LET THEM EAT CAKE,” I say!

Give this tasty treat a try.  After all, it’s calorie-free.

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Thanks again Kinsi! & Thanks for stoppin by,

xoxo Jen.

Linkin up:

My Girlish WhimsSew WoodsySouthern Lovely

Heaven is For Real

The Book Review of:

Gosh! I loved this book. I've been needing a little break from my school readings, so I picked this book up off my little bookshelf yesterday and started reading so Noland could watch sports (I was tired of TV)... It was a quick read because I finished it today!

The story: is about 4-year-old Colton Burpo gets really sick with appendicitis. He has 3 emergency surgeries and during one of them has a visit to heaven for 3 minutes. This story is told by his father, Todd who learns piece by piece details of Colton's visit to Heaven through many different conversations months after his surgeries. Colton, time and time again, proves his story really happened with some startling finds for example, he gave exact locations of his parents while he was in surgery and asleep. He describes Heaven from a 4-year-old point of view and it really captures readers. 

Inspiration: This story is inspiring! After putting the book down, I feel like I want to be a better person. Not that I am a bad person now but I want to try harder in the little things. I know God and Heaven are real but this story really puts a new perspective on it. It makes Jesus human and real (even though I already knew he was human and real)..if that makes sense.. It calls us to be mindful of our faults and try to correct them because the Lord is here and more present than we realize.

Here is an excerpt from the book:

For more info on the Burpos, you can check out their website here: http://heavenisforreal.net/

Here's a video of Colton and Todd's appearance on Fox News: 

This is just such a touching story. You all should totally read this book! I loved it!

That's all for today! :)

xoxo Jen.

Michael Vey, The Prisoner of Cell 25

Michael Vey, The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans

This book was just released on August 9, 2011. I ordered it via Amazon and received it on Tuesday of this week. I've been looking for a good read for about a month ago when I finished The Mortal Instruments Series. I started reading this book on Wednesday and finished it on Thursday. I ate it up. I LOVED every minute of this story. It starts out a little slow in the first few chapters but once it picks up, it moves quickly and shares more and more amazingly detailed information about the story that I don't want to give away! I think I'll call this book a MUST READ. I mean its already set to debut #1 on the NY Times Best Seller List - just one week after debut. 

Here is the Synopsis from Glenn Beck's Site: To everyone at Meridian High School, Michael Vey is an ordinary fourteen-year-old. In fact, the only thing that seems to set him apart is the fact that he has Tourette’s syndrome. But Michael is anything but ordinary. Michael has special powers. Electric powers. Michael thinks he’s unique until he discovers that a cheerleader named Taylor also has special powers. With the help of Michael’s friend, Ostin, the three of them set out to discover how Michael and Taylor ended up this way, but their investigation brings them to the attention of a powerful group who wants to control the electric children – and through them the world. Michael will have to rely on his wits, powers, and friends if he’s to survive.

Opinion: Like I stated earlier, I loved this book! I have yet to post about a book I didn't like but this one was just INCREDIBLE. My fiance was amazed at how quickly I read it! I honestly can't wait for the next one to come out.
Michael Vey is just a sweet character who genuinely has a good heart and want be kind to others. He is always picked on at school because he's not the most popular, he's just kind of average-- except not. This book is great for kids too because it teaches wonderful values without being "annoying" and "obvious". It shows that we should care for others. There are just so many wonderful lessons that you can get out of this book.

More than you want to know: Teachers can use this book.. here is a clip of their educator's testimonial:

Opinion Again: I just think this book is the next Harry Potter or Twilight.. Its just sooo good. Please Check it out and Let me know what you think! 

The Hunger Games

The Hunger games series is AMAZING! Its considered a "young adult" book which could lead you astray. I mean I liked Harry Potter and I did love Twilight although the more popular the movies becomes, the less intrigued I am... 

[Side Note: I just feel that the Twilight movies are so Hollywood-ized.. that it takes away from the story. You know, like Bella is bleeding and Jacob is like "Oh, let me take my shirt off for you to wipe off the blood" type thing. but anyways back to the Hunger Games]

Hunger Games is a story with love, war, death, joy, happiness.. It truly covers every emotion. At the end of the story, I know it sounds odd but I cried because I truly was going to miss the characters. Haha. 

So whats the story about without giving the whole plot away? Well basically it takes place in a post Apocalyptic futuristic America that is now be governed in 12 different districts with the Capitol being the head-state and richest of all the districts. The main character is Katniss Everdeen, a member of district 12. The tyranny of the Capitol holds its annual event called "The Hunger Games".. The games consist of competitors called "tributes" (one boy and one girl from each district) fighting each other to the death while enduring the tough surroundings that the Capitol has built to make the game difficult. On top of that, the Capitol televises the event into all the districts in order to keep the residents rebellions in check. This year is a very special year because it seems the tributes have their own agenda.. 

I'm pretty sure I read all three of these books in a week. I loved them! Like I said earlier, the book really encompasses all emotions. Suzanne Collins really creates a world to escape to the point where you feel like you are in the story and developing relationships with the characters! Its just great. So, they are talking about making movies for the books -- I just hope they are better than the Twilight movies.. 

Here is a clip where Elizabeth Banks tells us that "the fans will not be disappointed by the Hunger Games movie". 

And here are some pictures that were released of Katniss & Peeta.. Check it out! So Excited!

The movie is said to be released on March 23, 2012.. Ok, so is it March yet?! 

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

Have you read this book? Its a great read! I read it in a day and a half and that was while I was working so I mostly read it at night. My fiance would pick on me because he said I ignored him when he was talking to me.. haha but luckily for him, I finished this quickly. My wonderful friend Shannon recommended it to me-- She blogs and writes a wonderful story here.

Plot: Impossible's main character is Lucy, who is seventeen. She discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations and are forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or fall into madness upon their child’s birth. But Lucy is the first girl who won’t be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents and her childhood friend Zach beside her. Can they break the curse?

Review: Like I stated earlier, I loved this book. Its definitely a teen novel but the story was very interesting and made me want to look into the "Scarborough Fair" song. You'll understand if you read the book. This book truly demonstrates how people can come together, although this story is a fairy tale. I would give it a 4 out of 5 good read. So what did I not like about it? It definitely has a magical essence to the story which I didn't expect but I still enjoyed it alot. As Lucy battles whether or not to accept the truth to the curse upon her family, I was also battling whether she should believe it or not.

Thats all for now! More coming soon! Leave a comment or some love!