The Latest Literary Adventures of Mrs Readalot

Reading is one of my life-long passions. I have always been known as a bookworm. So let me introduce to you my bookish alter-ego...

Mrs Readalot.

Mrs Readalot would quite often rather curl up with a book than watch a movie. She often finds the movie-versions of her favourite books to be... disappointing to say the least.

For instance Mrs Readalot was dismayed by The Lovely Bones' dark movie edge. Annoyed by the dark-haired Time Traveller's Wife (she's meant to have red hair). Unimpressed by the casting of Eustace in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader (what an awful kid; he's now gotta star in the next two movies!) And where was her favourite scene from the book, the undragonning? Changed beyond recognition.

Sometimes Mrs Readalot watches a movie and enjoys it immensely... only to discover that there's a book as well! Even better!

Awwww, but sadly when she reads the book she finds that the movie version was a vast improvement.
Like the Bourne Identity. Great movie. Confusing book.
The Power of One. Inspiring Movie. Long-winded pointlessly violent novel, with none of the movie's heart.

When Mrs Readalot watched the movie Cold Mountain, it left her... cold.
She didn't care about the characters. She didn't understand the point of the story.
It was depressing. And not memorable. Mrs Readalot couldn't even recall who played the male lead until she googled some photos for this post (it was Jude Law).

A few weeks back, Mrs Readalot was browsing a friend's bookshelf (as you do) looking for some fiction to snaffle, and she spotted Cold Mountain, the book.

The kind friend recognised the symptoms of book withdrawal due to lack of available reading matter and said Mrs Readalot could borrow it. The book sat on the bedside table for a few weeks, at the bottom of the pile. I mean, Mrs Readalot didn't rate the movie, so the book would probably be a bust too, right?

Wrong.

In Mrs Readalot's Words:

The book was not flashy or dramatic... kind of slow moving but it pulls you in.

It's a simple story. A mountain man, Inman, goes to a brutal war, is injured and is trying to get home to his sweetheart. Meanwhile the sweetheart, Ada, is learning to survive on Cold Mountain.

Not a complicated plot at all. Simple but satisfying, like a hearty stew rich with characters and full of depth.

The words seemed to fall away, leaving just the pictures they paint.

This author, Charles Frazier, is natural storyteller. Cold Mountain is his first novel, but there is nothing clumsy about it. Nothing forced or overdone.

Cold Mountain, the movie? Totally Forgettable (I don't care how many Oscars Nicole + Co got).

Cold Mountain the book? Worth a read.

MRS READALOT RATES Cold Mountain: ♥♥♥♥♥


Now Mrs Readalot must do something she doesn't really want to do.
She must talk about a book she did not enjoy.

Mrs Readalot says:

I signed up to write some book reviews because when you're a bookaholic like me you need all the books you can get. Anyway I got sent this book, my first freebie... and I am sorry to say, but it was hard work.

The book is "Song of Renewal" by Emily Sue Harvey.
It's Emily's first novel. I'm sorry. I don't want to be negative, especially about somebody's first "baby". But I have to be honest, right?

I struggled to get into this book. Honestly, if I hadn't been sent it to review, I would not have finished it (thankfully it was quite a short book).

Whereas with Cold Mountain the words disappeared and left only the story, with Song of Renewal I tripped over words and phrases that seemed straight out of a thesaurus. And I struggled to relate to the characters.

Not just because I have nothing in common with lithe ballerina-mothers of 16-year-olds who can touch the back of their head with their leg, and are married to guys called Garrison.... (is that really a name?)

I mean, I have nothing  in common with Arkansas mountain men either and yet I related to Inman. The characters felt unreal, contrived, made-up.

This is just not the kind of fiction I enjoy, sorry.
It's too flowery. Too obvious. Too predictable.

I appreciated the fact that the author dedicated her book to her lost little girl; knowing this did give the story some credibility and for that reason I didn't give up on the book entirely.

But overall, just a bit cheesy for my liking.


There are probably other people out there who will enjoy this story more than I did, but this book and it's style were not for me.

MRS READALOT RATES Song of Renewal: ♥♥♥♥♥


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Poor Mrs Readalot. That was hard for her to do. Mrs Readalot doesn't like having to be brutally honest, when it might hurt someone's feelings. But when it comes to books, she knows what she likes (and what she doesn't)

Now, what Mrs Readalot really wants to read is The Red Tent. She hears it's great.

Anyone got a copy she can borrow??