The Vanishing Sculptor-Book Review

The Vanishing Sculptor, by Donita K. Paul, is a perfection of storytelling. One can almost imagine sitting around the campfire in medieval times, logs popping and crackling, smoke drifting eerily upward into the black sky, while this tale of dragons and quests unfolds.

The story is the chronicle of Tipper, her father, Verrin Schope (the artist/sculptor), Beccaroon (her parrot), and a cast of uniquely crafted characters who set out on a mission to search for her father's three missing statues. These statues will serve an unexpected purpose: to save a world steeped in magic and wizardry.

At the start of the story, Tipper's father has unexplainably disappeared leaving her mother befuddled and Tipper sad and overwhelmed. Tipper and Beccaroon (less a pet parrot than her guardian), have sold Verrin's valuable art to make ends meet. This has somehow unbalanced the world's foundation and endangered her father.When her father suddenly reappears in her mother's closet, flickering in and out constantly, the quest to locate the lost art begins.

Tipper sees immediately that her father has returned a noticeably changed man. His heart attitude and demeanor are softer and more in tune with everyone, even the plight of the minor dragons. She soon learns that he has developed a relationship with Wulder, the Creator. This new knowledge flies in the face of the slightly believed in Boscamon, the ruler of fate. Tipper learns much about Wulder and herself on this fateful quest.

The reader will be immediately drawn into Paul's newly created world of dragons and quests. Her writing style makes for easy reading and creates an almost believable world where Wulder protects and guides this crew of travelers.

This book can be purchased at RandomHouse.com:

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl? isbn= 9781400073399&ref=externallink_wbm_thevanishingsculptor_aeb_0427_01.

LIKE GLASS

                 I

Like glass sometimes,

breaks, or at least cracks, sending

runners of prismatic pain up the center, I

split. A yawning maw, I open, wider even than a crack, yet,

as jagged and direction-less.

                      II

Hope diverts and morphs, revealing underlayment bare.

Without nourishment it stands like skinny ribs.

Loss seems the hand I hold, hardy and fickle, cold

and bony. Nothing really to grasp. An almost amphibious sleight.

                       III

I want to scream, I sometimes do it,

wondering if it is heard in Heaven. Through clouds and mist

and azure grey skies, "Can You hear me?"

"Please God," has become the mantra,

a request and a command. Full of sorrow it

pours from the ewered gash of my heart.

                         IV

Like glass, transparent, what shines through, fades.

And I am fading, a wisp on breezes cool. 

I bend as willow in those breezes, aged and

broken with silent losses.

Their whispering, whispering green fingers trailing

along the earth, weeping again and again

for the One Who heals and comforts. 

copyright M. LaPointe 06/19/2009 

Stealing Home-Book Review

Allison Pittman's new book Stealing Home is a story of how deeply wounded people can be made whole through the power of love which is more often than not demonstrated through an unlikely hero, a 12 year old Negro boy.

Ellie Jane stands alone on her principles, which isolates her from her community and even from her father.  She watches life pass by through her glass enclosure at the train station, never really partaking of life. When an alcoholic professional baseball player, Duke, enters the small town for "rest and relaxation,"everything changes; for Ellie Jane, for Ned Clovis (in love with Ellie Jane since childhood), and for the entire community.

The undeniable star of this story is 12 year old Morris who defied the constructs of the community and transcended the traditions of the times. His pithy insights are demonstrated over and over throughout the story. "I'd tell her I felt sad for all them people in the city but she'd hush me and say we weren't to question the Lord's decisions. She'd say sometimes He had to clear the clutter to do His work...Now Grandma would probably rise up out of her grave and pull me down in it if she ever heard me say the name of Duke Dennison and Joshua in the same breath. But I can see them both the same. Ever since he worked to build that field it's like more and more of a wall fallin in town," (page 249).

This story embraces healing and hope even in the face of an horrific tragedy. Cleverly using the metaphor of a baseball game to parallel life's tragedies and joys, Pittman draws together an unlikely and diverse group of people in need of salvation.

This book can be purcahsed at:

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display/pperl?

Saints in Limbo-Book Review

River Jordan's Saints In Limbo  is a wonderfully crafted story describing the mysterious link between life and death, spiritual warfare and helpless flailing.  The author's ability to shape and mold words draws the reader in. The storyline, as fantastical as it seems, keeps pages turning.

This is a story about Velma True and the fears and loneliness that keep her tied to her "safe" haven--her front porch. When a stranger appears one day with a special gift, Velma's predictable life is turned upside down. Woven into Velma's story is the sad tale of Velma's son, Rudy, who experiences as much of a transformation as Velma through this special gift. In a strange turn of events, a young girl becomes planted into everyone's hearts and healing bonds begin to form.

Reading River Jordan's unique and poetic story will leave the indelible mark of hope on the reader's heart. Within the pages lie the secret to our existence, the protection of our God and the healing that occurs with reconciled lives. It is a highly recommended read.

This book can be purchased at: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?

AMISH LOVE-AMISH FICTION

Amish Love

What’s all the hubbub about Amish fiction? Major media outlets like Time and ABC Nightline are covering it, and authors like Cindy Woodsmall are making the New York Times bestseller list regularly. What makes these books so interesting?

Check out the recent ABC Nightline piece here (http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=7676659&page=1) about Cindy and her titles When the Heart Cries, When the Morning Comes, and When the Soul Mends. It’s an intriguing look at Amish culture and the time Cindy has spent with Amish friends.

And don’t forget that Cindy’s new book The Hope of Refuge hits store shelves August 11, and is available for preorder now.