Repeating the Pattern

Last night, I ran into an old friend of mine.  Not that she’s old, we’re around the same age (insert joke about my age here), but I’ve known her FOREVER.

When I asked her what’s new, she told me that her twenty-year-old daughter was pregnant.

A long conversation ensued.  You see, my friend (we’ll call her Liz for the purpose of this article) was concerned that her daughter was “repeating the pattern”.  She was a bit unnerved that I wasn’t more concerned.  Did I stop loving Ashley (her daughter)?

Of course not.  I’ve loved Ashley since I first laid eyes on her.  Twenty years ago.  I met Liz just after Ashley was born, and we’ve been friends ever since.  I just have a different perspective on “the pattern”.

First, let me be clear that I am a big fan of the two-parent family, whenever possible.  I also understand that there are times when it’s just not possible.  There are many times when it’s not possible.  This occurs for many reasons.  I’ve seen single parents who knock it out of the park.  Not just once in a while but every day.  I’ve seen single parents who put some two-parent households to shame.  It happens, and I’ve seen it.

Second, let me also say, that I may be biased.  I am unable to have children (although we are in the process of adopting) and that may, at times, color my opinions.

But this is not my story, this story is Liz’s.  And Ashley’s.  And Ashley’s fiancé’s.

When I met Liz, it was when she was a new mother at twenty-one.  Our paths crossed when she got a job at a restaurant where I’d been working my way through college.  We were close to the same age, she was just a few years older, and we had led very different lives.

I graduated high school, got a college scholarship, and landed a job to pay my living expenses.

Liz graduated high school, was married at eighteen, pregnant at twenty, and abandoned by her husband at twenty-one (he “just wasn’t ready for kids”).

Our lives could not be much more different, which helped forge our friendship.  Liz struggled every day.  I was interested in her life because it was so different from mine.  She was interested in my life because it was a dream of hers to go to college.  We spent many hours bonding over sodas and snacks.

Now that baby is having a baby.  I’m not thrilled, but I’m not worried either.  Ashley is made of really good stuff.  If she’s anything like her mother, it will be no problem.

When Liz’s first husband left, she came to work at the restaurant.  She worked long hours, allowed herself one night per week to socialize with “the gang” from work, and devoted every spare moment to her child.  It wasn’t easy.

About the time that I was graduating from college, Liz had finally saved up enough money to take her first college class.  I started to see less of her.  The first reason was that I left the restaurant to find my first post-college “real job”.  The second reason was that Liz cut down her socialization time to one night per month.  She needed the extra time for study.

Liz was enrolled in a class, working full-time, and taking care of her daughter.  Ashley never had to miss out on things.  Liz managed to find the money for all of the field trips and even chaperoned some.  Liz made time to help her with her homework.  They ate dinner together at the kitchen table every evening that Liz didn’t have to work.  Liz always read to Ashley at bedtime.  With all of that, Ashley even got to participate in all of the normal girl things:  Girl Scouts, cheerleading classes, dance classes, etc.  The kid never suffered because she was “the daughter of a single-mother”.

It took eight years, but Liz eventually earned a B.A. in Social Work.  She then transitioned to working full-time as a Case Worker for the Foster Care system.  The time that she had previously devoted to taking classes part-time, she now devoted to working part-time at the restaurant, in the hopes of paying off her student loans before Ashley was ready to start college.

Somehow, during all of this, Liz also managed to meet her dream man.  They are now married, own their own home, and are in the midst of their “happily ever after”.

So, let’s simplify it.  Liz was a single mom who managed to do a great job of raising her child, earned a college degree, landed her dream job, landed her dream man, and got her “happily ever after”.

Things may or may not work out for Ashley and her fiancé, I sincerely hope that they do.  But Ashley is already pregnant; the die is cast on that lot.  At this point, I will be thrilled if she does “repeat the pattern”; it’ll mean that she and her child (and hopefully her husband) will have a great life.  We don’t have to be upset that she might “repeat the pattern”, we only have to be concerned that she might not. 

Cooking with Honey

As a beekeeper, I frequently cook with honey.  Some people are leery to use honey in recipes, if they have never done so before.  I often get questions on how to use honey in place of table sugar.  Here are some tips:

1.      I use honey in place of sugar at a one to one ratio.  Just remember to reduce the liquid in a recipe by ¼ cup per cup of honey used (example:  a recipe that calls for one cup sugar and one cup milk can be made with one cup honey and ¾ cup milk).

2.     Add a pinch of baking soda to recipes that don’t require sour items (i.e. sour cream, sour milk, lemon juice) so that your honey will be less acidic.

3.     Lower your oven temperature by 25 degrees.  Honey browns at a lower temperature.

4.     Store your honey at room temperature to prevent granulation.  It keeps indefinitely, so no need to worry about spoiling, as long as you keep the container tightly covered.

5.     If your honey should granulate, don’t throw it out, it’s still good!  Simply place the container in a pan of hot water until the honey returns to a liquid.

6.     Honey is hydroscopic.  That means that it will keep foods moist.  For baked goods that need to be stored a little longer, using honey in place of sugar can maintain their freshness longer.  This is a great tip for those who ship their holiday cookies to family and friends who are far away.  Honey will ensure that the cookies arrive fresh.

Don’t own a Kindle, but would like to?  The latest generation of Kindle is available at the following links:  with WiFi only   or with WiFi and 3G.

Christy Parker is the author of three blogs:  Ruminations from and Unkempt Mind,  Learn to Crochet - In Minutes a Day,  and You Be the Editor.

For comments, questions, notes or suggestions; Mrs. Parker can be reached in the blog specific forums on the product information pages listed above or via email at unkemptruminations@comcast.net.

How to Turn Locations Into Pages

First, let’s start with an important fact; I am a HUGE Kindle fan (that’s not a fat joke).  I love just about everything about my Kindle, especially the fact that it has increased the frequency of my reading.

However, I do understand that some Kindlers (as well as potential Kindlers) have concerns about certain things.  Recently, Amazon announced that they will be adding a loan feature to the Kindle.  It should come as a software update (if I understand the announcement correctly) and will have guidelines similar to those of the Nook.  That’s one concern that I hear about a good bit from people who are trying to decide between the Kindle and the Nook.  So, hopefully the new software update will resolve that issue.

The “problem” that I would like to attempt to resolve today is that of page numbers.  The Kindle does not use page numbers; it has location numbers instead.  I believe that one theory behind this is that the Kindle has variable font sizes, and this might affect pagination.  Another theory that I have heard is that different editions of the same DTB (paper books) have different numbers of pages (example:  Hardback vs. Paperback) so page numbers are really not that relevant.  Still, many readers like to know how long a book is before reading it, so that they can estimate how long it will take to read.

After Kindling for a few months, I quickly developed the ability to gauge how long a book would take for me to read by using the location numbers.  I no longer need page numbers.  I actually prefer location numbers to pagination, but I may be in the minority here.

I often see posts on the forums, as well as receive emails and verbal questions, from people about how to manage their reading without page numbers.  For this, I have some advice.

When you wake your Kindle and go to the home page, book titles have a series of small dots under the titles.  These correspond to book length.  If you are looking for a shorter book to read because time is limited, you can simply look down your list of books for the shortest line of dots.  This will tell you the shortest book on your Kindle. 

Here’s an example of book lengths compared to dots:  I have a book that contains the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the U.S. Constitution, the Boston Port Act, as well as a Constitutional Dictionary.  This book is 1038 locations long, and my home page shows nine dots.

I also have four Bibles on my Kindle.  They include the Holy Bible: NASB version, the Holy Bible: ESV, the Holy Bible HCSB, and the Kindle Bible (WEB).  The NASB version is in the middle of the length of the four, so I will use that one for this demonstration.  The NASB Bible has 42623 locations, and on the menu page, it has 67 dots.

Mentally, I compare this to looking at a book shelf and comparing the width of the books there to select a short one.  A key difference here (and I believe that this is a difference in the Kindle’s favor) is that these dots are actually based on data in the book.  A small book on your bookshelf could simply have smaller print and smaller margins than a slightly thicker book, but you may pick the thinner book expecting (incorrectly) that it will be a quicker read.

Second, you can always convert locations to pages (and get a good estimate – not 100% accurate).  I don’t necessarily think that this is the best way to go, because I once you adjust to locations, you won’t really care about page numbers any more.  But, for those who would like to do so, I’ll give you the facts.

To start, we need to know the average number of characters per page.  I researched this pretty thoroughly.  I read it several places on the internet, and found that characters per page were listed anywhere from 1500 to 2800.  I decided to come up with my own number.  I did this by picking ten books at random (2 Hardback, 4 Mass Market Paperback, and 4 Trade Paperback) and checking ten pages in each book at random.  One-hundred pages later, and I came up with an average of 2200 characters per page (should you decide to test this theory, remember that all spaces need to be counted as characters).

A Kindle location is estimated to be about 128 characters.  Therefore:

                2200 characters per page / 128 characters per location = 17 locations per page 

Location size never varies, regardless of font.  So, if you increase the size of the font, there will still be about 17 locations per page of DTB standard print.

So, for my copy of the Constitution above:

                1038 locations / 17 locations per page = 61 pages (I could not find a comparable paper edition)

For my copy of the Holy Bible (NASB edition):

                42623 locations / 17 locations per page = 2507 pages

Now, the only comparable paper version of the NASB Bible that I could find on Amazon lists it at 2088 pages, so this estimate is obviously not accurate for extreme cases (and 42623 locations is fairly extreme).

However, when I test it on my other books, it is very close to what the paper books claim.  An example of this is the book Agatha Webb:

3352 locations / 17 locations per page = 197 (The product information lists this book at 184 pages)

Or the book Girls Like Us:  Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon…:

10112 locations / 17 locations per page = 595 pages (The Hardcover of which lists the books at 592 pages)

I hope that this helps subscribers to deal with the “page numbers vs. locations” dilemma.  

Don’t own a Kindle, but would like to?  The latest generation of Kindle is available at the following links:  with WiFi only   or with WiFi and 3G.

Christy Parker is the author of three blogs:  Ruminations from and Unkempt Mind,  Learn to Crochet - In Minutes a Day,  and You Be the Editor.

For comments, questions, notes or suggestions; Mrs. Parker can be reached in the blog specific forums on the product information pages listed above or via email at unkemptruminations@comcast.net.

Things I Love: The Kindle Community

One thing that I love about owning a Kindle is being a member of the Kindle Community.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not disparaging the Nook, Kobo, Sony, or any other brand of eReader on the market.  I don’t know much about whether or not they have strong communities available to them.

What I do know is that, as a Kindle owner, I have a huge, strong community available to me.  If you are a Kindle owner and haven’t checked out the community, you can do so here (and you don’t have to own a Kindle to be there, all are welcome).

Here are some of the things that I love about the community.  First, the Kindle Community gives readers unprecedented access to authors.  Not all authors show up there, but there are several that do.  Readers can often ask questions of authors and get actual responses (not just a form letter from a publisher).  This is really great for me as a reader.  It’s also great for me as a writer.  It means that I have the ability to hear from my readers what they like, what they want, and what they think.

Second, readers can get together by genres.  They can discuss what books they liked and what books they didn’t like.  The best part about discussing what books they didn’t like is that readers can say why they didn’t like it.  This can provide feedback for the author, but it can also guide other readers.  It also doesn’t mean that it will hurt sales; sometimes it can even help sales (I hear you thinking, “How?”  I know, I’m doing the creepy mind reading thing again).

There are many ways that complaints can help sales, but I’ll just give you an example of one.  Let’s use sex (some of you are blushing, I can tell).  Someone complains in the forums, “This would have been a good book if it weren’t for the graphic sex.”  Suddenly, lovers of graphic sex are one-clicking themselves silly (wow - that really sounded dirtier than I’d meant it to).

Or someone says, “This would have been a good book, but I would have liked to see a bit more physical contact between the romantic leads.  I found it hard to believe that these two people would have no sexual contact at all.”  And this tells readers who prefer less graphic works that this book is safe.  And they start one-clicking away (notice how much less dirty this seems when we are talking about those who don’t like graphic sex in books, weird, huh?).

The third, and possibly most important (to me), reason that I like the Kindle Community is the ability for authors to interact with each other.  Don’t get me wrong, I cherish EVERY interaction with a reader.  It’s very special to me, and even after over 20 years of writing, the glow has not faded.  But, never before have I had the ability to utilize the support of other authors who are NOT personal friends (although they often become personal friends). 

For the first 20 years of my writing career, the only writers that I had feedback from were personal friends who were also writers.  Sometimes, I worry that their opinions may be biased (even though we try to be brutally honest).  With the Kindle Community, I have had the chance to share my work with other writers who have no bias.  This allows for objective feedback, which allows for writers to improve their craft. 

This community is great for writing in the long run.  It’s great for writers (and quite exciting) but it is also great for readers.  You can expect that the quality of the books (or blogs) that you purchase will continue to improve even more over time.  An author that you enjoy now should be even more enjoyable for you as time rolls on, as they get the opportunity to understand what their readers want, and where their writing can use improvement. 

The Kindle Community is a great resource for readers and writers alike.  If you haven’t checked out the Kindle Community, I strongly encourage you to do so.

Don’t own a Kindle, but would like to?  The latest generation of Kindle is available at the following links:  with WiFi only   or with WiFi and 3G.

Christy Parker is the author of three blogs:  Ruminations from and Unkempt Mind, Learn to Crochet - In Minutes a Day, and You Be the Editor.

For comments, questions, notes or suggestions; Mrs. Parker can be reached in the blog specific forums on the product information pages listed above or via email at unkemptruminations@comcast.net.

Gluten-Free Cookies

As I've mentioned before, I have a mild wheat allergy.  The thing that I miss most frequently is dessert.  Here is a no-sugar-added recipe that I came up with for wheat-free / gluten-free butter cookies.  The almond flour gives these cookies a pleasant, nutty flavor.  I prefer Honeyville brand almond flour, but that might just be a beekeeper's subconscious reaction to the name.

1 stick of butter, softened 

3/4 c splenda 
1 egg 
1/2 t vanilla 
1 T milk 
1 1/4 c almond flour 
1/8 tsp salt 
1/4 tsp baking powder 

1.     Preheat oven to 350*. 
2.     Beat together butter and sugar until it starts to become slightly fluffy.
3.     Beat in the egg, vanilla, and cream, Mix together thoroughly. 
4.     Mix the flour, salt and baking powder together.  These can be sifted together if desired, but sifting is not necessary for these cookies.
5.     Slowly add the mixture of dry ingredients to the butter mixture.  Mix well.
6.     Drop teaspoon-sized balls of batter on an ungreased cookie sheet about one inch apart.
7.     Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, checking at 15 minutes and then every five minutes afterwards until lightly browned around the edges.


I hope that you enjoy!!!

Happy Anniversary to Me!

Yesterday was a very exciting day in the life of the Unkempt Mind.  As I mentioned in my “Crochet” blog, I have been wanting to try out bone crochet hooks.  I know that may sound barbaric to some, but rest assured that (as far as I know) no one makes bone crochet hooks any more.  They were, however, the standard for larger hooks (the standard is now aluminum).  Despite the fact that they are no longer made, there are vintage and antique bone crochet hooks available through auctions and antique sellers.

Most of the crochet patterns that I attempt nowadays are vintage patterns.  I find that there is something intrinsically educational in knowing our past, and this applies no less to crocheting than to politics.  Recently, I started to become really tempted by the bone crochet hook, and started searching for some.  I found some at an online auction.  Bone hooks aren’t cheap, but the less fancy ones were in my price range, so I bid away.  And I won!

Knowing how shipping works for me locally, I assumed that they would come yesterday.  Actually, I assumed that they would come Monday, but that was a bank holiday, so my assumptions were adjusted (after, of course, I had waited around half the day for the mail before realizing my error).  So, yesterday, I waited.  My mail lady arrived, and she had two packages for me. 

Wait, two?

I opened the one that I recognized first, and, sure enough, it was a lovely set of bone crochet hooks.  Here is a photo of the little darlings (with my chubby little hand in there to give you some idea of size):

I am really excited – and I do recognize that it says something about me that I am this excited about a bunch of old bones.  I am also a bit surprised that they are so small.  They correspond to the smaller crochet hooks (known as steel), which was less common in the vintage era.  As I understand it, what are now known as steel hooks were typically produced in steel or other metal.  So, I got some unusual bone crochet hooks at that.  I had planned on sitting right down and taking them for a test drive, but the other package waited.  It didn’t wait patiently.  It was niggling at me the entire time that I looked at my new hooks.

I had to open the other package.  Here’s what I found:

It’s a lovely Victorian era bone and sterling crochet hook.  I have not yet measured it, but it appears to be around a size “G”.  It is stamped and is hallmarked.  It is beautiful.

Here’s a picture of all of the new crochet hooks together, so that you can compare:

My spectacular husband (we’ll call him Dobby, because he’s an excellent house elf) is a subscriber to my blogs.  He read about my desire for a bone crochet hook (I wasn’t even sure that he was really reading them), and he went online and found one.  I’d seen this one, but decided that it was out of my price range.  Dobby differed in that opinion.  Happy anniversary to me!

Some Books Just Find Me

We all have our own ways of finding books to read.  Usually, I start with authors that I love.  Sometimes, I search by genre.  Occasionally, I look for a specific topic or keyword of interest.  Rarely, I purchase a book because it is all the rage; I jump on board because everyone else is doing it.  Most of the time, these methods lead me to something that I really enjoy.

The books that I find most entrancing, however, are not books that I find; they’re the books that find me.  That’s right, some books just find me.

I touched on this briefly in my review of Frankenstein.  That book, while not particularly enjoyable, found me.  I was supposed to have read it back in college.  Twice.  Unfortunately, with an over-booked schedule and two part-time jobs, I fudged a little.  That meant that I passed on this book because I needed to devote my time elsewhere.  I’m not proud of that fact, and I’ve always regretted it.  That meant that Frankenstein ended up on a list of things to read when I get time.  It has sat on that list for almost twenty years.

This summer, Frankenstein found me.  A family friend was required to read it as a summer project for his high school English class.  He knew that I had a degree in English and came to me for help.  He was concerned because it would be his first big grade for AP English, and he wanted to make sure that he didn’t tank on it.  I agreed to help him where I could (I wouldn’t do any of the actual work, but I would read the book along with him and we could discuss it), and Frankenstein again reared its ugly head.  I read it and helped him.  I was glad that I read it.  Not that I enjoyed it, I didn’t.  I didn’t like the first half at all, and the best that I can say about the second half is that it was not that bad.  But it did force me to fulfill an almost twenty-year-old goal.  So, guilt assuaged.

Another book, which I have been relentlessly plugging in the Kindle Forums, also found me.  It’s The Lodger.  That book found me on Facebook.  Well, now, it didn’t exactly send me a friend request.  A friend of mine, (from here on out we will refer to him as the professor, as he and I were goofy kids together, but he is now a professor at BU) whose opinion I respect greatly, mentioned in a status message, “I just watched the Lodger and it was amazing.”  I immediately went to imdb.com and searched for The Lodger.  Several different films came up, and a few of them were based on the book by Marie Belloc Lowndes.  I thought, Hey, someday I’ll read that.

About a month later, I received my first Kindle in the post (it was a lovely young K2, which now belongs to my husband) and was testing it out.  I wanted to see what kind of reception I got at home, as my home is known for its dead spots.  I curled up in my comfy chair and began playing around with my Kindle.  At some point, I decided to try out the search function.  The question was what to search for?  For some reason Jack the Ripper was the first thing that came to mind (yes, I know, scary thought).  And the first book that came up in the search was The Lodger.  I thought, Hunh, that’s the book the professor mentioned.  Then I thought, And it’s free.  The Lodger became my first Kindle download.

I loved the download function, and instantly became a one-click addict.  As soon as I could pull myself away from buying a ridiculous number of books (both free and paid), I began reading.  I loved it.  The book fully engrossed me, and I read it in two sittings – albeit long sittings.  I simply could not put the book down.

I had to thank him for bringing the book to me.  Our conversation went something like this:

“Hey, Professor, remember about a month ago when you mentioned watching The Lodger?  I was wondering, was that the 2009 version?  On your recommendation, I just read the book and I loved it and I’m considering watching the movie as well.”

The professor replied, “I know nothing of the book or film that you are talking about.  I was (insert embarrassed laugh here) referring to a Dr. Who episode.”

So, not only did I have the joyful experience of learning that the professor was still a goofy kid at heart, but a wonderful, now-beloved book found me.

Crystal Ball

I just wanted to let subscribers know that I have one new recipe and two new crochet patterns in the works, that I expect to have up in the next ten days or so.  I am just in the testing phase with them, I want to make sure that they are perfect for you.

I also expect at least one new book review next week, and who knows what else will cross my unkempt mind.

Review: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

I never read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a child, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it as an adult.  It varies greatly from the movie and is actually the better for it. While I like the movie and recognize it as an American classic, I found the book far more enjoyable.

I do recognize that it might be tempting to read this book to small children, but parents beware!  This book is far more violent than the movie, which is scary enough for kids. There are hundreds of creatures killed in this book, some of their deaths being a bit graphic.  Just the story of how the Tin Woodsman became made of Tin is gory enough for nightmares.  That being said, I found this a thoroughly enjoyable for an older audience.

The themes that were carried in the film are present in this book, but they are enforced even more strongly.  One of my favorite things about the movie is that each of Dorothy’s companions already possesses the traits that they desire.  This book frequently describes the Scarecrow as a fool, but this is only to highlight that he is not. Every plan that they use to survive on their journey is devised by the Scarecrow. Throughout the book, he continues to be the wisest of the four. It's one of the things that I love about the book, the fact that in it, the Scarecrow is wiser, the Tin Woodsman is more caring, and the Lion is far more courageous than their movie counterparts.

Example: When the Woodsman weeps and rusts, Baum makes a point of the fact that Dorothy and the Lion are confused, whereas the Scarecrow simply reaches for the oil can and solves the problem. These characteristics of the characters are still present in the book, even more so than the movie, they are just more subtly and sweetly done.

I enjoyed the book so much that I downloaded the first fifteen books of the series.  I highly recommend the book for all young adult and adult readers.  I would use caution for middle grade readers and younger.  The book is in the public domain can be found for free on Amazon at the links above. 

Don’t own a Kindle, but would like to?  The latest generation of Kindle is available at the following links:  with WiFi only   or with WiFi and 3G.

For comments, questions, and feedback, the author may be contacted at:  unkemptruminations@comcast.net or in the "Questions and Comments" forum at the bottom of the product information page which you can find here.

Book Report - Week Ending 10/9/10

I am a one-click addict.  I admit it.  Freely.  For some odd reason, I assume that all Kindlers are one-click addicts as well.  That being the case, I have been checking out the Top 100 (Free and Paid) and thought that readers might like an abbreviated list of what’s going on in the Kindle Top 100.

As I am all about reading, I will only discuss books (not the available games, blogs, newspapers, or magazines) and I will focus on Fiction, as that is what I prefer (as well as what tends to be the most popular in the Kindle Store).  This is simply a synthesized list of the top 10 Fiction books in the Kindle store.  I will not claim to have read all, or even any of these books, I can simply tell you what other readers are purchasing.

Top 10 Paid Fiction Books:

1.      Raising Jake – This is a story of father and son bonding over a weekend trip.  It garnered 4.5 stars out of 85 reviews.  It is available in the Kindle store for $9.60.

2.       The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest – This is the third novel in the Steig Larsson trilogy, and was rated 4.4 stars out of an impressive 710 reviews.  Kindle Store Price - $9.99.

3.       The Reversal – Harry Bosch is an extremely popular character for Michael Connelly, and Mickey Haller is one of my favorite of Connelly’s characters.  These two characters share this book.  It’s ranked 4.6 stars but with only 9 reviews thus far.  It’ll run you $14.99.

4.      The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – This first book in the Larsson trilogy has spent a whopping 707 days in the Top 100 paid, with most of those being in the top ten.  Rating – 3.8 stars from an impressive 1922 reviewers.  Its price has come down a bit, and it is available for only $6.64.

5.      The Girl Who Played with Fire – The middle child always seems to get the least attention.  This book is the second in the trilogy, and is ranked the lowest of the three, although being in the top five is still nothing to sneeze at.  It’s rated 4.2 stars from 952 reviewers and costs $7.59.

6.      Elvis and The Dearly Departed – This book is debuting in the top one hundred at an impressive ranking of number six in paid Kindle books (Scrabble also falls above it in the rankings, but we are only looking at books for this list).  I do think that it is significant that this book was available as a Kindle freebie recently, and that may account for its high numbers in the paid store, as many people would have downloaded it as a freebie.  I definitely did.  The premise sounds cute, and the book promises to be a good read, but I have not read it yet.  It is rated 4.1 stars out of 13 reviews and will set you back a mere $4.47.

7.     Freedom:  A Novel – I can’t tell you much about this book, as its product page is loaded with reviews, both from professional sources and from readers, but the page does not really have much to say in the way of book description.  I can say that this is an Oprah’s Book Club selection, but it also got some fairly bad reviews.  It got an average of 3.2 out of 5 stars in the Kindle store, and was reviewed by 253 customers.  It is also priced $12.99, and has been tagged heavily by the $9.99 boycott.

8.      Fire Dance – This book is in its second day in the top 100.  I am uncertain as to whether it was available as a Kindle Freebie previously.  It is a romance novel set in England during the Middle ages.  It received 5 out of 5 stars but from only 2 reviewers.  It is one of the two least expensive books in the top ten at only $0.99.

9.      Safe Haven – This is a Nicholas Sparks book, and I am not certain that I need say more.  I have not yet read his work (I know, it’s like I live in a plastic bubble or something), but I can say that my husband’s grandmother has excellent taste (she loves me, after all) and she is currently reading this book (via audiobook, as her vision is failing).  It has been in the top 100 for 23 days and has received 4.1 stars over 58 reviews.  It will run you $12.99.

10    Haven – Yes, I recognize the irony here.  This novel is ranked #1 in its genre, which is Sci-Fi Adventure.  It is set in the city of Haven (hence the title) and is about a future where the upper class is separated by law from the working class.  It sounds interesting and I downloaded it when it was previously available as a Kindle Freebie.  It received 3.8 stars from 4 reviewers, and is tied for the lowest priced book in the top 10 at a whopping $.0.99.

Top 10 Free Fiction Books:

1.       Only You – This book is listed as #1 in the category of Contemporary Romance and has garnered 4.6 stars from 13 reviews.

2.       Dixie Divas – This one ranks at #1 in two categories in the Kindle Store:  Humor and Mystery – Women Sleuths.  I have downloaded it myself, but have not yet read it.  It is rated 3.9 stars out of 8 reviews.

3.       On Bear Mountain – #2 in the category of Contemporary Romance, this novel involves a romance between a Georgia hillbilly girl and city boy from New York.  It averaged 4.5 stars out of 28 reviews.

4.       Outlander:  With Bonus Content – This book is listed at 2471 KB, so it’s an epic.  One description lists the DTB at over 600 pages, another at almost 900 pages.  Don’t let that deter you, though.  I didn’t.  I downloaded this freebie after checking out the description and reviews.  It is ranked #1 in Historical Fiction as well as #1 in Historical Romance.  It’s described as a “Time Travel Romance”.  I can vouch for this one.  I have not read it myself, but my mother has read it and she is hooked on the series.  She is also a woman of discriminating tastes.  This book averages 4.4 stars with 1676 reviews.

5.       To Conquer a Highlander – This is a historical romance set in 15^th century Scotland.  It ranks #2 in both the Historical Fiction category and the Historical Romance Category.  It has been reviewed by ten reviewers and received an average rating of 3.8 stars.

6.       Rain Song – I downloaded this Kindle Freebie as well.  It is rated #1 in Religious Fiction and has 35 reviews averaging 4.5 stars.

7.       Intervention – This is the first in a series entitled “The Intervention Series”.  It is ranked #2 in the category of Religious Fiction, as well as claiming to be a bit of a suspense / mystery novel.  Although I have little experience with religious fiction, I have downloaded this one as well.  I became far too tempted while describing it to you.  Religious fiction that is also a mystery / suspense and deals with the mother / daughter relationship while solving a mystery in a rehab facility?  Yup, too much for me to turn down.  Its 37 reviewers gave it an average of 4.3 stars.

8.       The 7th Victim – This one is ranked #1 in the category of Mystery / Thrillers – Suspense.  I downloaded this as well.  The Editorial Reviews state that it has a strong female lead, a compelling plot, and an intricate serial killer.  Well, now, what more can a girl want.  I had to download it.  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars by 29 reviewers.

9.       The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – I can vouch for this one.  It has four classic Holmes mysteries, two of which (Speckled Band & Bohemia) happen to be two of my all time favorite Holmes mysteries.  It received a 4.4 average review from 146 reviewers.

10.   Blue Boy – I originally passed on this one, I actually DO pass on some Kindle Freebies occasionally.  I passed on it based on the title, but when I checked out the description, I jumped the fence and ordered it.  It’s ranked #1 in the category of Literary Fiction, and received 4.3 stars from 12 reviewers.

Don’t own a Kindle, but would like to?  The latest generation of Kindle is available at the following links:  with WiFi only   or with WiFi and 3G.

For comments, questions, and feedback, the author may be contacted at:  unkemptruminations@comcast.net or in the "Questions and Comments" forum at the bottom of the product information page which you can find here.

"Frankenstein" or "The Modern Prometheus" by Mary Shelley

I know, I was supposed to have read this in college, but I didn’t.  I don’t really remember why I didn’t, but it just never happened.  There are some books like that when you are a Literature major.  When you are reading anywhere from one to three novels per week, there are some that just get left behind.  I regret them, and I frequently vow to repent by reading them when I get time.  There are tons of those things in my life-- the when I get time things.  A few of them are books.  Frankenstein was one such novel.

This book found me after being lost for over twenty years.  It became a part of my present when a teenaged friend of the family was assigned it for a summer reading project for school.  He came to me for help.  I decided that this was when I get time, because I could kill two birds with one stone.  I could help out a friend, and I could scratch one thing off of my someday list.  Win – win!

Somehow, that win turned into a loss.

This still baffles my mind.  I love horror fiction, especially classic horror fiction.  I love female authors.  I love people who are unconventional and who color outside the lines, as Shelley did simply by writing this novel.  I should love this book.

I don’t.

Let me clarify a point right up front:  I was not expecting this book to be anything like any of the many film representations of the story.  I remember that much from college.  I knew up front that this book would not be anything like the movies (although had it been like “Young Frankenstein” I’d have married this book).

What I was expecting was a thrilling horror novel with most of the suspense being internal in Victor Frankenstein.  What I got was a snooze-fest.  The novel is presented in epistle form, and I typically love epistles (there’s a phrase you don’t hear every day).  “The Color Purple” is one such example.  Frankenstein is not.  The “internal suspense” in this novel is really more Dr. Frankenstein being a whiny little girl.  He spends all of his time lamenting his mistakes but not doing anything about them until you are about 80% through the novel. 

I’m not saying that I hated the entire book.  I just hated the first 40%.  That first 40% consists of the exposition, which is ridiculously long, and Dr. Frankenstein relating his story to the letter writer.  This is really dry because, as I stated before, Frankenstein is a whiny little girl.  At the 40% point, the novel picks up.  It actually becomes entertaining.  “Did Dr. Frankenstein stop whining?” you ask.  Nope.  This is when the Creature speaks (that’s right, in the book, the Creature speaks).  From the moment that the Creature speaks (quite eloquently I might add) until he stops telling his tale, the book is absolutely riveting.  I call him the Creature because in the novel he is never named and whether or not he is actually a monster is for the reader to decide.  That’s actually one of the themes of the book.  I won’t reveal whether or not I think that he’s a monster.  I’ll let you decide that for yourself, should you choose to read it.

Just be prepared to be bored for somewhere around 1120 locations.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Frankenstein is also available in DTB format here:  Frankenstein

Don’t own a Kindle, but would like to?  The latest generation of Kindle is available at the following links:  with WiFi only   or with WiFi and 3G.

For comments, questions, and feedback, the author may be contacted at:  unkemptruminations@comcast.net