#1: Spotlight on....Gabriel

*The place where I continue to gush about authors, books, and characters, because the overflow won't fit into a review :D*

Anyone who knows me knows that I like to go on and on and on ad nauseum about the angel Gabriel.

For starters, who is Gabriel? Gabriel is the male lead in one of my most favorite books of all time, Archangel, written by Sharon Shinn. And he is definitely in my top three all-time favorite heroes. The best character analysis for Gabriel comes from the book itself, when his stepmother, Hannah, was describing Gabriel to Rachel, his bride-to-be, also chosen for him by the god Jovah.

"... he takes most things seriously. He can be difficult. He can be very sure of himself, so other people's opinions do not always matter to him. He thinks it's a very easy matter to separate right from wrong, good from bad, so subtleties often elude him. He is not patient. But he is - he is never less than committed to making things right. Everything he does is with the goal of bringing goodness to the world. I can't explain what I mean. There is no evil in him. That is a rare thing to say about anyone, even an angel."

What a wonderful description of a person! It struck me when I first read it, and it strikes me each time I see it.

Gabriel is not a badass - on the contrary, he can be quite uptight and all sanctimonious. But his heart is always, always, in the right place. He will do the right thing every time, even if it is unpopular, simply because it is the right thing to do.

When you read the Samaria series, you notice that there are more 'fun' characters around, and certainly more well-liked by most people (in the series): Nathan. Obadiah. And sure, once or twice they - Obadiah especially - would express outrage at the injustices going on. But that was just in passing. It is Gabriel who speaks out openly against slavery; it is he who is viscerally disturbed at the injustices in Samarian society. Not any of those 'fun' people. For that alone, I'd take the stoic Gabriel over them a thousand times any day.

His seriousness is a big part of his character, but so is his love, his strength, his leadership, his dependability, his dominance, his wisdom. And he can be funny and witty when he wants. Another thing I noticed while reading the series was that even the ones who hated him could vouch for his character. Literally the only insults you could come up with for him are about his being uptight and sanctimonious  and a bit autocratic at times. That was it. Everyone acknowledged (even if grudgingly) that he was an amazing leader, a good man, a fair man, a wise man.

Also, everyone who was close to him knew all of his faults - hell all of Samaria knew the dude's many faults- but they loved, respected and admired him. This happened without fail. Hannah did; Ariel did; Obadiah did; Nathan did; Josiah did... and finally Rachel did.

I love, love, love Gabriel. What is there not to adore about a man who does everything with the goal of goodness in mind, a man in whom there is no malice? If you disagree with me, you are just wrong! (hehe. But I am serious, lol). Gabriel is deeply flawed - and none of those noble and fake flaws you have in PNR/UF either: no possessiveness or feeling overly responsible blah, blah blah, but proper weaknesses. Yet he also has amazing strengths that outshine his weaknesses. He is not 'cool', but he has strength of character that is etched immutably in stone. Again, I'd take that over 'cool' any day! If he were real, I do think I'd marry him if only I could get past Rachel!

TGIF @ GReads #7: Most Valuable Books

TGIF is hosted over at GReads every Friday, and features many thought-provoking questions that are fun to answer.
Today's Question:

Most Valuable Book: From your personal collection of books, which ones hold the most value to you - is it signed by the author? or maybe it's your favorite story of all time? Share it with us.

Hmm. The most valuable books I have are the books I have loved enough to share with all my friends and/or the books I love enough to save/note so I can buy them for my kids. Yes, I am going to be THAT mom who makes her kids read all the books she loved when she was a kid and then demand to know what they think, haha.

• Archangel by Sharon Shinn, which was shared with me by Simone, and which I shared with all my friends.

• The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede, which was one of my earliest encounters with a dragon and a feminist princess (my kids will most def be reading these books).

• The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare- one of my earliest love stories, filled with sensible people, and a lesson in prejudice. 

• The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews - because I recommend this to everyone I know who reads UF and because of the joy I get in immersing myself in pure awesomeness

• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis - do I even need to explain this one?

• Daring to Draw Near by John White which very fundamentally changed my view of prayer.

• Prayer by Richard Foster which expanded on my changing views of Prayer

• Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton - which helped me think through my own philosophy of faith

• Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis - which showed me that Christians could be thinking people too

• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, which was one of my earliest journeys into sci-fci and fantasy, and showed me that weak people can be strong heroines too, something we seem to have forgotten nowadays.

To name a few, these are some of the treasured books in my library. There are so many more where those came from.

#1: Thinking On... Re-Reads

For me, the best part about rereads is coming back to a familiar story. And because I already know the sequence of events, there is no hurry. I can go on the journey again, taking the time to savor it, and in the process I notice new things: subtle nuances (redundant, I know), a character description I missed, someone's POV, an opinion expressed, beautiful prose, striking images - all the things I overlooked because I was s caught up in the euphoria and the drama of the plot the first time around.

I don't often reread books, but when I do, I am usually glad [unfortunately there are a few books that I don't enjoy on reread, and it makes me wonder how/why I liked them so much before].

Here are some of my favorite books to reread, and which I do often:

 Rose, Declan and the boys. Their story never fails to make me smile, and I never, ever fail to be immersed in Declan and Rose's lives. And each time I reread it, I notice something funny that I didn't notice before. I always read this one from cover to cover, and I always fall a little bit more in love with Rose and Declan every time I pick this one up.

Probably my favorite series of all time. Just being with Kate and Curran and enjoying their lives and seeing their world through their eyes is a wonderful experience I keep returning to these books over and over again. I have lost count of how many times I have read the books, especially book 4, my favorite, and the Curran POV's. 

The sheer beauty of Sharon Shinn's writing and the awesomeness of the characters make this book a treat time and again. Gabriel is one of my most favorite heroes in all of fiction. On every reread, I notice something new about him. I notice his flaws more, but I see his strengths more too. Rachel is also made of awesome. For 10 years and counting I have loved this book, and it never goes out of style each time I pick it up.

 Hawke! In all his fantabulosity.... and Sienna .... and the SnowDancer pack.... and Lucas. But mostly Hawke and his beautiful self. I love this world that Nalini Singh has created, and I love spending time with such a wonderful ensemble cast, the most wonderful of whom is Hawke!

Do you have any favorite books that you reread often? Do you reread any books at all?

Review: The Shape of Desire by Sharon Shinn

Author: Sharon Shinn
Title: The Shape of Desire
Series: Shifting Circle #1
Pages: 336
Source: Owned

For fifteen years Maria Devane has been desperately, passionately in love with Dante Romano. But despite loving him with all of her heart and soul, Maria knows that Dante can never give all of himself back-at least not all the time.
Every month, Dante shifts shape, becoming a wild animal. During those times, he wanders far and wide, leaving Maria alone. He can't choose when he shifts, the transition is often abrupt and, as he gets older, the time he spends in human form is gradually decreasing. But Maria, who loves him without hesitation, wouldn't trade their unusual relationship for anything.
Since the beginning, she has kept his secret, knowing that their love is worth the danger. But when a string of brutal attacks occur in local parks during the times when Dante is in animal form, Maria is forced to consider whether the lies she's been telling about her life have turned into lies she's telling herself...

I am a huge fan of Sharon Shinn, and have been looking forward to this book for almost a year now. Having read it, it is different from Ms. Shinn's usual work in that it is set in the real world, in present-day Missouri, and reads more like magical realism than fantasy. I enjoyed it very much, but it was different.

Maria Devane has been in love with Dante for fifteen years. Dante is a shapeshifter, and as the years have gone by, he spends more and more time in his animal shape, so that he is human only a few days a month. Maria's whole life revolves around keeping Dante's secret and she lives for the moments she can be with him in his human form.

The story is quite slow-paced, but I think that was the point. It's not an epic tale, or one filled with adventure; not a lot of things happen. It's the simple story of Maria life, her daily routine, and the brief moments of happiness she has with Dante. It's about the strain of keeping his secret, of choosing to be in a relationship, which although it makes her happy, is not entirely healthy and balanced.

In the end, we find out it's also about Dante, his motivations, and the choices he's made; the new choices he can choose to make.

The issues that arise in Maria's life around the choices she makes concerning Dante, and how she reacts to issues in the lives of the people around her provides a lot of food for thought - both for Maria and for me as a reader. There are no easy answers.

It's a slow story. But it is also a simple and heartfelt story, told with grace and stark beauty, with complex characters who have complex motivations, who make difficult choices.

I waited a year for this, and although it was not what I expected at the end of that wait, I was not disappointed at all. Of course I recommend it - it's Sharon Shinn!!

★★★★

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES:

N/A

Dying to Get this Month {April}

*At the beginning of the month I post covers of new releases I am just dying to get my hands on and why I am so excited. 

I have only a handful of favorite authors - less than 10, I think - and most series are merely okay for me, so there are not many books I just absolutely have to have as soon as they're released.*

April 3rd: The Shape of Desire.      

 I am soooo jazzed up about this book! It looks as if this one is a departure for Ms. Shinn. All of her other books have been set in fantasy worlds; Shape is set in the real world, in modern-day mid-western America. It is also about shapeshifters (woohoo!) and I am excited to see what she will do with it. Her take on shapeshifters seems unique -they spend more time in their animal forms than as humans, and they seem to be able to take on any shape they want - cats, dogs, pigs, hens, cows, etc - instead of the genre-staples tigers and bears and wolves and lions and ligons, hehe. The first chapter is available on her website, and it is fantastic. Can't wait!

April 3rd: The Dukes Perfect Wife. 

 So erm, this one is kinda weird. It is the fourth book in the Highland Pleasures series. I have only read the first book, which deals with lord Ian Mackenzie and his madness Everyone and their mama loved this book, but I was glaringly underwhelmed. The only character that really interested me was the oldest, Hart Mackenzie.  I knew I had to read his book as soon as it came out. And here it is this month! I am still debating whether to buy it or wait for the library to acquire it. Either way, it will be read by the end of the month in any case :).




And that's it for the month of April. Any thoughts? Or new releases you are looking forward to? Let me know in the comments!!

Waiting on Wednesday #5

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Jill's blog, and highlights upcoming releases were highly anticipating.





Today's WoW is for one of my FAVORITE authors in all the world, and the very first author who was on my autobuy list before I knew there was such a thing as an autobuy list. It releases on April 3rd 2012. 4 more weeks! To say I can't wait is an understatement. If she wrote it, it's going to be good.

For fifteen years Maria Devane has been desperately, passionately in love with Dante Romano. But despite loving him with all of her heart and soul, Maria knows that Dante can never give all of himself back-at least not all the time. Every month, Dante shifts shape, becoming a wild animal. During those times, he wanders far and wide, leaving Maria alone. He can't choose when he shifts, the transition is often abrupt and, as he gets older, the time he spends in human form is gradually decreasing. But Maria, who loves him without hesitation, wouldn't trade their unusual relationship for anything. Since the beginning, she has kept his secret, knowing that their love is worth the danger. But when a string of brutal attacks occur in local parks during the times when Dante is in animal form, Maria is forced to consider whether the lies she's been telling about her life have turned into lies she's telling herself...

Yayy!! And isn't the cover beautiful?! I am getting this baby in hardcover and on kindle.
Any new releases you're excited for? Leave me a comment or a link to your WoW!

Memorable Monday #4

Memorable Monday is a new meme hosted by the ladies over at Escape in a Book, and invites us to share a memorable quote from something we've read/ are reading.

Today's quote is from one of my all-time favorite books by one of my all-time favorite authors. I have no words to tell how much I love Sharon Shinn and Archangel. If you haven't read it, you should! Someday, I'll do a reread again and post a whole new review :)

This is Hannah describing Gabriel to Rachel:

"... he takes most things seriously. He can be difficult. He can be very sure of himself, so other people's opinions do not always matter to him. He thinks it's a very easy matter to separate right from wrong, good from bad, so subtleties often elude him. He is not patient. But he is - he is never less than committed to making things right. Everything he does is with the goal of bringing goodness to the world. I can't explain what I mean. There is no evil in him. That is a rare thing to say about anyone, even an angel."

How awesome is that? This quote describes Gabriel so perfectly! A man (well, he's actually an angel) with real flaws, not ersatz/minor ones. But who, when you strip everything away, is a truly good man, the kind of man you want to have your back, the kind of man you want to run your country, the kind of person you want to be at the heart of it. I know I say this a lot, but I LOVE Gabriel. he is one of the first ever heroes/main characters I fell in love with, and he has a special place of honor on my heroes-I-love shelf. Rachel too, but this post isn't about her :)

TGIF @ GReads #4: Love Stories

TGIF is a weekly meme hosted every Friday at GReads, asking reading/book-related questions which are fun to answer. This week's question is:

Love Stories: What are some of your favorite fictional love stories?

Oooh!

The very first story that comes to mind is Rachel and Gabriel's story from Archangel, by Sharon Shinn.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE their love story. I love everything about it. I love those two characters and their journey to love. It is a story about two very imperfect people learning to make the best of a 'bad' situation.  They're also very unusual characters in the world of fantasy and romance:  a very prim-and-proper and uptight angel, and a VERY stubborn-to-the-point-of-idiocy heroine. Their flaws, their strengths, their weaknesses, their (more like Rachel's) past pain...it was glorious to experience. To date, they remain two of my very favorite characters in all fiction.

Heidi by Johanna Spyri. I positively adore this story. What's special about it is that it's not about romantic love. Instead it's the story of a little orphan girl who's foisted off on her unwilling curmudgeon of a grandfather. And watching the gruff ole loner show his love for Heidi in many little ways is so sweet.  Equally sweet is the love Heidi has for her grandfather and the Swiss alps. So strong is this love that Heidi has to be returned to her darling grandfather after well-meaning "social services" separate them. I adore this tale so much that I planned on naming my daughter either Adelaide or Johanna, in honor of this book and the author who could think up such a delightful tale. But that was before I decided that darnit, I am not European, so none of my children are getting European names.

Akorfa Asiedu, veteran Ghanaian actress

My last entry is not from books. But the love stories from the old time Ghanaian movies (late 1980's, early 1990's) are some of my favorite of all time. They were awesome, and no one ever forgets them. Even today, start singing

"Sakina, O Sakina, my endless love for you will remain,
My love for you will never ever die,
O Sakina, O Sakina"

to a group of Ghanaians over 20 years old, and everyone will reply back with

"Nico, Nico, I love you from the bottom of my heart
Nico, Nico, I love you from the bottom of my heart,
O Nico, O Nico."

Nico and Sakina's forbidden love story was epic! The movie was Matters of the Heart, released way back in 1996. Unfortunately, you can't find this, or any of those movies anywhere anymore, since no one was forward-thinking enough to record them, and the movie companies that made such awesome moves are mostly defunct now.

Anyway, that's my piece. the ball is in your court now. What are some of your favorite love stories?