For Shiny I read a shiny new book Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay. Sam, a 23 year-old orphan, has just been given the opportunity of a lifetime. She gets a grant that will allow her to attend graduate school for free but will she be able to succeed.
I saw it and was immediately drawn to it but didn’t get it right away. It was filed under Christian Fiction which initially turned me off the book. I’ve been preached at by judgmental hypocrites too many times to seek out Christianity. Fortunately it’s a very minimal element of the book.
Some characters mention being blessed or praying or saying grace but it was never the main character doing it. There were Christian undertones but I never felt hit over the head with it. It was also respectful Christianity rather than the ‘I-go-to-church-so-I’m-better-than-you attitude’ I’ve seen a lot of. The subtlety works for a mainstream audience without being preachy.
Most of the book was about Sam learning to open up and get out of her own way. She was likable but closed off because of her difficult childhood. She grows and develops well as a character. A little bit Austen, a little bit Cinderella story, Sam was consistently naive but was someone I could see being friendly with. If only I had her luck.
I’d file this under women’s fiction and say that you have to like Austen and coming of age stories to appreciate this. I honestly think calling it Christian will hurt sales. When I think of Christian fiction I expect God or Jesus or faith or praise to be on every other page and I’m not the only one. It can be appreciated by a much wider audience but will almost definitely be pigeonholed because of the label on the back.
1) Another World –
2) Learned Something –
3) Movie-Book –
4) Graphic Novel – Fanboys vs. Zombies Vol 1 by Sam Humphries
5) Dust –
6) Nonfiction –
7) Reread –
8) Shorts –
9) Fiction –
10) Shiny – Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay
11) Retelling –
12) Wild Card –
13) The End –
Music: Damaged by Love by Tom Petty
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