Category: Book Reviews

Warning: The book reviewed in this post may contain triggers for victims of abusive childhoods and relationships, as well as sufferers of depression, a fear of flying, and weight issues. This book is also heavily and overtly influenced by the Christian belief. Please proceed with caution if any of the above may cause offense or trauma to you.

I want to start this post by mentioning once again that I’m not Christian. I am agnostic with mixed beliefs. As such, I do not share most of the religious views expressed in this book. I am not trying to push Christianity on anyone, nor am I trying to discourage any of my readers from the Christian faith if that is what they believe. However, in my efforts to become a well-rounded person, I am going down yet another new road. Today I’m reviewing A Love Story: How God Pursued and Found Me, An Impossibly True Story by Samantha Ryan Chandler.

As with the sex in Watson’s Blackmail, I recognize that religion is generally not a comfortable topic to discuss. Nevertheless, religion is part of the human experience and we cannot avoid it, perhaps especially in literature.

Readers of all religious backgrounds visit this blog. I expect that everyone will conduct themselves maturely, intellectually, and respectfully in any discussion of this book. Any trolling or bullying of this blog’s contributors or other readers will result in disciplinary action against the offending parties.

That being said, I very rarely read books like this one. Part inspiration, part self-help, and part religious memoir, I have yet to encounter another narrative like it.

In this memoir, Chandler writes about her experiences growing up in a place she calls “Nowhere, Louisiana,” her adult years, and her bumpy path towards God. She details her traumatic childhood, her dynamic relationships with family and friends, and religious exploration which took her all over the world. All the while she conveys her painful life lessons in the hopes that she can help readers find their way.

This book is hopeful and uplifting for Christians and non-Christians alike. It starts rather slowly and, for the first few sections, my attention drifted in and out. The first few sections seem loosely connected. She admits throughout the narrative that she wrote the book for herself–or, rather, God wrote it through her for her benefit–but I still felt, as a writer and a reader, that the information about her childhood and experiences with her family could have been presented in a more reader-friendly manner.

Chandler best caught my attention when she relayed her childhood experiences in Louisiana with her family. The story of her mother tugged at my heartstrings. My heart went out for her mother even as I condemned and was horrified by her violent acts against her husband and daughter. More noteworthy is the narrative voice Chandler assumes during these sections. She becomes a Southern writer with a unique voice, although still reminiscent of other female Southern writers such as Flannery O’Connor. I couldn’t help but be reminded of my own Southern relatives.

By the time that Chandler starts discussing her wonderful work with sick children, she has fully captured my attention. She then moves into the true heart of her story: her divorce from her third husband, whom she calls “Darth Vader.” In my opinion, Darth Vader should be offended by that comparison.

Her storytelling had me tangled in the narrative of her divorce until the very end. I wanted to make sure that she got a satisfying ending, and I was not disappointed. The sections added after she had already started the publication process provided much-needed closure for me as a reader, having several loose ends tied.

The most important part of Chandler’s book, however, is the main lesson behind it. Her writing is, as the title implies, aimed at Christians and convincing them to trust in God even in the darkness. Still, I think that non-Christians can find a lesson here as well. If nothing else, Chandler conveys the message that everything happens for a reason. Even our worst nightmares, the darkest part of our lives, happen to make us stronger and mold us into the people we’re meant to be. I think that anyone could benefit from being reminded of that.

I can understand if you don’t want to read this book because of all the Christian references. I had my reservations as well. However, I still think it’s worth reading. In a time when so many “Christians” use scripture to condemn people, Chandler uses it to lift people out of despair. If nothing else, I suggest reading this book to remind yourself that everyone has trials and low points in their lives; the important thing is that we choose to see life through and come out of the turmoil stronger and wiser.

You can read Chandler’s book for free on Kindle Unlimited, or for $3.49 as a regular Kindle user, as well as it being available as a hardcover and paperback on Amazon. Also check out her website for more information on her writings as a Christian author.

Have any suggestions for books I should review? Any that I should read to broaden my horizons? Drop a line in the comments or contact me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com.

 

Warning: The book reviewed in this post contains X-rated content. Please proceed only if you are 18 years of age or older and if you do not object to controversial/explicit writing. Thank you.

I’m taking a new path for this review and turning to a self-published author, Anna James Watson, and her book Blackmail. Be advised that Blackmail is erotica, so there are many “steamy” scenes. I trust that people reading this post beyond the warning are adults, so please conduct yourselves as such in the comments. Sex isn’t always the most comfortable topic but it’s a prominent part of the human experience. As such, we can’t avoid it and we should assess erotica as literature, as we would any other genre.

That being said, I’m not a regular reader of erotica. I do, however, try to read widely and this novel caught my eye. I’m happy it did; the book is much better than I had expected.

Blackmail is the first novel in Watson’s The Skeleton Key series. It illustrates the affair among three Yale students: undergraduate students Mia and Tristan and their TA, a philosophy graduate student named Julian. As the title implies, Mia is pulled into Tristan and Julian’s unconventional relationship due to Tristan’s need to blackmail her. As they try to continue life as though nothing has happened, their social circles become more thoroughly intertwined through mutual acquaintances, the philosophy club Y.U.P.S., and a society called The Skeleton Key. What follows is a whirlwind of secrets, internal struggles, emotional upheaval, and, of course, sex.

When I read erotica, I’m looking for more than just smut. I want characters that feel like real people, evolve and change throughout the narrative, and have real emotions and real social dynamics. I want the book to say more than “these attractive people had a lot of sex, often unconventional sex in unconventional places.”

The first several pages of this book are, admittedly, smut-heavy. Mia, Tristan, and Julian also start as rather stereotypical characters: the smart girl who normally doesn’t do this sort of thing, the rich pretty-boy who can’t afford people finding out about his “extracurricular activities,” and the mysterious romantic. I would’ve preferred to see more character development before the erotic side of the novel began, but I suppose in this genre it’s best to start those scenes early. Nevertheless, you see glimmers of real people with desires, limits, goals, and concerns right from the beginning.

The initial “steamy” scene is very well-written and sets the bar high for the rest of the novel. That aspect is consistently engaging and enthralling throughout the narrative, something best read behind closed doors and which I’m embarrassed to admit I really enjoyed. From the sweetly romantic love-making between Mia and Julian to the battle for dominance Mia has with Tristan, these scenes provide the perfect balance between sensuality and tension.

I’m most intrigued by the kind of relationship explored, i.e. MMF. When we encounter books, movies, or TV shows about polysexual/polyamorous/polygamous relationships, they’re most often one man and multiple women. So long as everyone involved is of age and consents, I have no issues with this sort of relationship. Still, the prevalence of MFF over MMF–I can’t even think of another example of MMF without more detailed research–suggests a disproportionate representation of unconventional relationships. It’s refreshing to see the exploration of more types of nontraditional relationships.

Mia may be the main character but, for me, Tristan and Julian’s relationship steals the show. Watson shows the issues of them privately accepting their identities–Julian is pansexual and Tristan is bisexual–while still trying to keep the wrong people from discovering them. Watson heightens the tension by investigating the strengths and struggles Mia adds to their love life and the strains that Tristan’s obsession with The Skeleton Key puts on them. I despise rich pretty-boys and yet I worried for Tristan and his relationship with Julian, as well as felt annoyed by how Tristan approached their joint relationship with Mia. Tristan and Julian put me through an emotional roller coaster, something I didn’t necessarily expect from erotica.

With the introduction of Y.U.P.S. this book becomes erotica for the intellectual. The philosophical debate may not be accessible to everyone. I had to re-read it a couple times to get a good grasp on it. Regardless, I find it exhilarating, as much as (if not more than) the sex scenes. The back-and-forth and Watson’s mastery of altering pace adds tension and excitement to a topic in which some readers might not have interest.

This book is intelligent on multiple levels. One of these levels involves Tristan’s and Julian’s names. The name “Tristan” is most famous for the Arthurian romance Tristan and Isolde. “Julian” derives from “Julius”, as does the name of a very famous character in romance fiction: Juliet. I could write an entire essay analyzing the use of those names alone. Of course, not all of the names in this book are that creative. Mia’s last name, Winters, is rather plain. Tristan’s surname, Masters, is almost too much considering his need for dominance and his social station. Still, these names do not detract from the brilliance behind the naming of the two leading males.

The intelligence of the novel seeps into the subtext. I could go on and on about how this book plays with Sedgwick’s homoerotic triangle and the utilization of a secret society to complement the main characters’ secret relationships. However, such analysis would take too long and is best left to future posts. My main point is that this book is an intelligent erotica, a niche which is often left unfulfilled. As an intellectual, I’m very pleased to see someone address the hyper-sexual potential hiding beneath every smart person, even if that person is unaware of it or isn’t sexually active.

I could say so much more but I’d rather give you a chance to read the book yourself and start a discussion in the comments section. You can get an electronic copy of the book for free on Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited or for $2.99 through Amazon’s regular Kindle store. Also remember to check out Watson’s website for information on The Skeleton Key series and to access her blog.

Do you know of a little-known, up-and-coming, and/or indie writer you think deserves more attention? Let me know in the comments below or drop me a line at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com.