Springville Library Book Nook

Same story, different gods

2011-07-15T22:49:00.000-07:00

Throne of Fire is the second book in Rick Riordan's The Kane Chronicles. It follows siblings Sadie and Carter Kane as they continue their quest to keep the Egyptian god Set from destroying the world. This time, their task is to find the Book of Ra and use it to awaken the Egyptian sun god, who has 'retired' from the world, before Apophis, an Egyptian monster and the embodiment of chaos escapes from his prison and destroys the world. We get some new characters, as well as reconnecting with a few old ones like Amos, Zia and Desjardins. Students of Sadie and Carter who figure prominently in the story include Walt, a charms maker and Jas, a healer. We also get a new bad guy nicknamed Vlad the Inhaler, and a new god (I won't name him to avoid a spoiler).

While I enjoyed it, to be honest it's more of the same from Riordan. He's not doing anything new here. He's found a formula and he's sticking to it.

In Sacred Loneliness by Todd Compton

2011-07-10T15:09:00.000-07:00

I've recently developed an interest in some of the more 'sticky' spots in LDS history. This book, In Sacred Loneliness discusses each of the plural wives of Joseph Smith in their own chapter. Because of the self-contained nature of the format, it could easily be used as a reference book, a sort of encyclopedia of Joseph's polygamy. It also includes a section of pictures in the center of the book for those who might be wondering what these women looked like. Let me also say that I am not here to debate the historicity of the book, or the validity, doctrinal status or any other religious element of polygamy. I'm not saying I'm for it or against it, just that found the book intriguing.

Compton does an excellent job of summarizing the life of each woman, but since so many of the details overlap, reading the book from cover to cover is a bit of a challenge. There are only so many ways an author can say "And then the prophet was assassinated". In some ways, that was the hardest part of each chapter to read. As a believing member of the church, I felt as though I went through his death (and the wives' loss) vicariously over thirty times! I can't imagine losing my husband; for it to be in so public and violent a manner would magnify it one hundred fold.

I did learn some interesting facts, like the fact that almost every plural wife of Joseph was then sealed for time to one of the other apostles (often Brigham Young or Heber Kimball). I also thought it was interesting that some marriages were termed 'dynastic', meaning that they were intended to link families considered to be powerful in the early LDS church to Joseph in the eternities. I also learned the term 'practical polygamy' which I found quite interesting (essentially that polygamy was practiced to give women a support system; not for any romantic reason)

If you'd like to know more about polygamy as it was practiced in the earliest era of the church, this book is worth a read. Just be prepared to put it down and pick it up several times before you finish it.

2010-08-09T19:18:00.001-07:00

ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)

I guarantee that 95% of you will hate this book, and at least 70% of you will hate it enough to not finish it, but I loved it. Guess I was just in the mood for it. Here's how it breaks down:

AMAZING THINGS:

I can literally feel new wrinkles spreading across the surface of my brain when I read this guy. He's so wicked smart that there's no chance he's completely sane. His adjectives and descriptions are 100% PERFECT, and yet entirely nonsensical. After reading three chapters, it starts making sense... and that's when you realize you're probably crazy, too. And you are. We all are.

The magical realism style of the book is DELICIOUS. Sure, it's an epic tragedy following a long line of familial insanity, but that doesn't stop the people from eating dirt, coming back from the dead, spreading a plague of contagious insomnia, or enjoying a nice thunderstorm of yellow flowers. It's all presented in such a natural light that you think, "Of course. Of course he grows aquatic plants in his false teeth. Now why wouldn't he?"

This guy is the epitome of unique. Give me a single sentence, ANY SENTENCE the man has ever written, and I will recognize it. Nobody writes like him. (Also, his sentences average about 1,438 words each, so pretty much it's either him or Faulkner)

REASONS WHY MOST OF YOU WILL HATE THIS BOOK:

I have to engage every ounce of my mental ability just to understand what the *&#@ is going on! Most people who read for relaxation and entertainment will want to send Marquez hate mail.

Also, there are approximately 20 main characters and about 4 names that they all share. I realize that's probably realistic in Latino cultures of the era, but SERIOUSLY, by the time you get to the sixth character named Aureliano, you'll have to draw yourself a diagram. Not even the classic Russians suffer from as much name-confusion as this guy.

On an uber-disturbing note, Marquez has once again (as he did in Love in the Time of Cholera) written a grown man having sex with a young girl--this time at the ripe old age of 9... which is pretty much #1 on my list of "Things That Make You Go EWW!!!" He Pretty much makes Lolita look like Polyanna on the virtue chart! (Note to authors: You give ONE of your characters a unique, but disgusting characteristic and it's good writing. Give it to more than one, and we start thinking we're reading your psychological profile, ya creep!)

Bottom line - if you feel like pushing your brain to its max, read it. The man did when the Nobel after all, it's amazing. But get ready to work harder to understand something than you ever have before in your life. And may God be with you.

FAVORITE QUOTES: (coincidentally also the shortest ones in the book)

She had the rare virtue of never existing completely except at the opportune moment.

He soon acquired the forlorn look that one sees in vegetarians.

Children inherit their parents' madness.

He really had been through death, but he had returned because he could not bear the solitude.

The air was so damp that fish could have come in through the doors and swum out the windows.

He was unable to bear in his soul the crushing weight of so much past.

A person doesn't die when he should but when he can.

-Meg G.

2010-08-09T19:17:00.002-07:00

The Maze Runner by James Dashner (Audio version)

A co-worker of my husband's recommended this book to me after learning that I enjoyed "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. He also happens to be friends with the author. Although this book hasn't made my "books I must own" list yet, (as the Hunger Games books have) it was an intriguing read.

"The Maze Runner" is like "The Hunger Games" meets "Lord of the Flies" with a little bit of "Lost" mixed in. It's about a group of boys who, one by one, get dropped into the middle of a maze without any memory of who they are, where they come from or what happened to get them here. They just remember a name. The main character, who remembers the name Thomas, shows up one day in "the box" with no memory, surrounded by a group of teenage boys. These boys have created a society in which they survive together by each doing their part. Some boys are cooks, some are farmers, some slaughter the animals, and all of these groups have new terms the boys made up to describe their job occupation like Sloppers. But one elite group of boys are called "Runners". These "Runners" enter the maze daily making it back to their homestead, called "The Glade", before nightfall when the "Doors" close. The "Doors" are huge walls that move into place closing off the maze for the night where disturbing mechanical creatures called "Grievers" roam. The point of the "Runners" is to solve the maze. Each day they go out in hopes to discover the answer, and each day they return to the Glade to map out their findings. As the walls in the maze move every night, they attempt to find patterns to help them solve how to get out of the maze. If they are caught outside the "Doors" at night, they are stuck with the "Grievers" and are considered dead. Coming in contact with the "Grievers" either means death or being "stung". If you're "stung" you go through a painful process called "The Changing" where you regain some of your memories before they fade and you experience some insanity. Of course, no one has ever survived a night outside in the maze and no one has been willing to talk about what they remember after going through the "Changing". No one, until Thomas. He's different somehow and after surviving a night in the maze in hopes of saving one of the other boys who got stuck out there he eventually rises quickly through the ranks to make it as a Runner. One day after Thomas arrives ,a girl arrives in the "box" with a message that everything is about to change. Somehow she triggers "The Ending", and when the sun goes out and the "Doors" stop closing, the "Grievers" begin to pick everyone off one by one. After 2 years of searching the maze before Thomas even arrived, they have to solve the maze now or face the grievers but those who have gone through the "Changing" seem to believe that the real world is much worse than the maze they live in.

I listened to the audio version of this book. The speaker was extraordinary with his ability to give each boy, aka "Glader", a voice of his own. The author provided a very descriptive story with a lot of mystery and questions unanswered which works just fine considering "The Maze Runner" is the first of three books to come out. The end of the book leaves you wanting to know more about "what happened to the world Thomas and the other boys came from?" and of course "who built the maze and why?" I'll be looking forward to reading the future books.

-Erica S.

2010-08-09T19:17:00.001-07:00

I recently read a book called "The Water Seeker" by Kimberly Willis Holt. I chose this book simply because I wanted to read a "NEW" book & the ones I kept choosing from the Adult section all had too many swear words in them. So I went for one in the children's section.

I am glad I found this book. "The Water Seeker" is a quaint story about a father & his son. They have the ability to find water with a stick from a tree. The father leaves his son in the care of relatives after his wife dies. He searches for work. The son has many experiences and heartache while his father is away which help him to learn a lot about life.

After a time, the father comes back. More adventure and heartache is in store. It's also a story about making a trek west to find a better life & how the boy eventually becomes a man because of the choices he has to make. The book has romance, sickness, triumphs, disappointment & adventure. My favorite theme about the book is that life isn't always the way we think it will turn out. But that each change that happens to us is a growing experience!

I really enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone.

- Becky L.

2010-08-09T19:16:00.002-07:00

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This is one of my favorite books that I can read again and again. It is the timeless story of putting too much stock in one's first impressions of someone and gradually being proven wrong. This classic comedy of manners appeals to those who love a good romance without any inappropriate content. It is also fascinating from a historical perspective as one learns about life in the English countryside at the turn of the 19^th century.

-Julie B.

2010-08-09T19:16:00.001-07:00

Book Review for Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

Book Content:

This book examines instantaneous judgments we make daily, both personally and professionally. It explores the curiosity that, though years of experience, individuals can hone their instincts for those judgments, whether it be in judging the authenticity of ancient sculpture, understanding the odds in a new gambling game, articulating what would improve the taste of a new snack food, or reading the intent of an individual facing off with the police.

Sometimes those instincts are powerfully correct, but research (discussed in detail in the book) has shown that unless we spend the time to become aware and understand how and why we make such judgments, when we try to articulate the reasoning for our choices,

1) we describe reasons that would lead to different judgments than the ones we actually made, and

2) afterward our instinct becomes less accurate, following the "reasons" for choices that we articulated, rather than the (apparently more accurate) standards we had previously used.

My Opinion:

Individuals truly interested in being without racial prejudice should read chapter 3, The Warren Harding Error. It describes the measurement of our subconscious negative preconceptions, sometimes against our own race or gender, and the extraordinary effect of positive cultural role models upon those judgments. I loved learning these lessons from this book, and I am trying to have it impact the way I parent my children and the cultural influences I intentionally expose them to.

Additionally, Mr. Gladwell uses the conclusion of the book to describe how we can circumvent our own instantaneous judgments when they hinder us from the best decisions.

If you have sufficient inclination, read the entire book; otherwise just read chapter 3 and the conclusion. They are well worth your time.

-Karla H.

BookLook Review "When We Were Romans"

2010-07-31T09:10:00.000-07:00

“When We Were Romans”

The novel “When We Were Romans” by Matthew Kneale describes a family in crisis through the eyes of nine year old Lawrence. His family lives in fear that the father will return from Scotland and harm them. Lawrence’s mother hurriedly loads his little sister Jemima and a few belongings including his precious pet and they drive through the underwater chunnel to Rome.

Lawrence’s mum used to live in Rome when she was single and still has friends there where they hope to find refuge and start over. Spending a few days with each of them, the little family seems to be getting on their feet with the help of an interesting cast of characters. And then their world unravels again. Despite his efforts, our young narrator cannot save his family from itself.

There are similarities to other recent novels including “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time” which use a child as narrator. The mysterious adult world described by a precocious child is always an amusing and bewildered perspective. They cannot understand what is really happening around them which causes the reader to be equally confused at times.

One of the charming aspects of the novel is that young Lawrence assigns animals to adults as he meets them and uses the phonetic spelling of a young child. A woman who is small with dark hair and gives quick little kisses as greetings reminds him of a squirrel. She is labeled “Chintsier squirrel”. Another is “Crissy chick” since her hair is short, yellow and stands straight up. He is also fascinated by his new book describing past rulers of Rome and sums up their history in his funny misspelled childish style. “One day there was a big fire in Rome, it went on for days, and some people said Nero did it because he was emporer but nobody was sure. Thousands of famous temples and houses got burnt down and Nero went up a tower to watch, he said doesn’t it look beautiful and then he sang a long song.” His version of history is much more entertaining and simplified than a high school history text.

I suppose I would only give this book 2 out of 5 stars if I did that sort of rating. I don’t usually since it is too restrictive and often misleading in a book review. There were things I really liked about this book, and things I didn’t. It did have moments of great reading but it also had sections that didn’t quite ring true. I give it a guarded recommendation to those interested in the struggles of children and adolescents dealing with the confusion of living in a dysfunctional family.

BookLook Review "On Stranger Tides"

2010-06-01T10:41:00.000-07:00

BookLook
Debbie Balzotti
“On Stranger Tides”
Captain Jack Sparrow will soon take to the seas again and the script is based on the 1987 pirate novel, “On Stranger Tides” by award-winning fantasy author Tim Powers. Tim(oddly both writers are named Tim)Elliott, the co-writer of the first three “Pirates” movies said the story of the novel aligned with where they wanted to take the fourth film being filmed in Hawaii this summer. “We wanted to do a story about Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth, and Tim Powers wrote a book about Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth... it just turns out that to do that story you would need that book," said Elliott. Therefore, we all must read this book now since everyone else will soon be doing it.
“On Stranger Tides” is great story-telling. It’s as fast as a pirate ghost ship skimming the tops of turquoise Caribbean waves. It is also just as shallow – don’t expect too much since this is a tall tale after all. An insane British scientist brings his lovely young daughter Elizabeth to meet up with Blackbeard himself on a quest for the Fountain of Youth. John Chandagnac, a handsome young man also headed for Jamaica is forced to join the pirates and is renamed Jack Shandy. We now have another Captain Jack who is more Orlando Bloom than Johnny Depp. And we have another beautiful Elizabeth who also runs around in a white nightgown. Pirate movie images do appear in your mind as you read this book and I would wager a gold doubloon that Tim Elliott read this book before he wrote the first two movie scripts. They are just too similar.
Black magic and voodoo dominate the story and the characters. There is an abundance of sorcery and creepy creatures returning from the dead to dance around on ghostly ship decks. The addition of legendary pirates who actually existed makes the book even more interesting. Their true stories are woven into the tall tale with skillful exaggeration. It’s not a book for young readers or book clubs, but those who enjoy historical fantasy writing will be thrilled and chilled by it.
We all know the book is better than the movie, so be sure to read “On Stranger Tides” before the movie comes out in May 2011. And thank you Springville super librarian John Averett for searching for the book for months to place it on our shelves. It should be arriving soon. You may want to call the library to see if it has been added to the collection. Now everyone please check it out to prove my prediction of its inevitable popularity!

"Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" Good Choice for Book Clubs

2010-04-14T08:39:00.000-07:00

BookLook Review
Debbie Balzotti

Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover – and its title. The shimmering cover photo design has two children walking under very different umbrellas. The young girl is carrying a beautiful Japanese parasol and the boy, wearing pants that are a little too short, is hidden under a plain American style green umbrella. The title printed across the top, “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet”, called to me from the library shelf and I’m glad I listened.

Author Jamie Ford has written an impressive award winning novel. He is the great-grandson of Nevada mining pioneer Min Chung who came from China and adopted the Western name “Ford”. It’s a bit confusing to think of Ford as a Chinese American author, but his perspective helps the characters come alive for the reader. The writing is not particularly brilliant but it is so nice to find a book of historical fiction that doesn’t jar the reader with gory violent details, or coarse language that you can overlook his inexperience. It has rapidly become a best seller despite being a debut novel for Ford.

The cast of characters is unique for the 1940’s back story. Henry Lee is a 12 year old Chinese boy who befriends a young Japanese American girl Keiko at their otherwise all-white school. His other friend is an adult African American Jazz musician named Sheldon. This unlikely trio provides a unique view of the infamous round up of Japanese Americans in Seattle and their relocation to internment camps during World War II.

The story of the present day begins in 1986 as Henry watches the once beautiful Panama Hotel begin its path to renovation with a press announcement. The Panama Hotel stood as a gateway between Chinatown and Japantown in Seattle during the war years. It was boarded up and survived demolition until a buyer decided to return it to its former glory. In the basement she discovered hundreds of boxes and crates hidden by Japanese families as they were suddenly forced to leave everything behind. Henry hopes to find the belongings of his childhood friend Keiko.

The title “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” does predict the story inside. The story has a few surprises but is mostly dependable as it takes the reader between two time periods and two cultures. Life is bitter and sweet. Decisions are made which bring heartbreak and joy. Commitments are kept and broken and love and forgiveness are possible along the journey.

"Sand Sharks"

2010-04-14T08:29:00.000-07:00

After so many "creepy book" reviews by Mr. Terry, I thought you'd like a little variety to spice up your life.
Debbie Balzotti
BookLook Review
I was looking for a recorded book that wouldn’t make me blush if someone heard me listening to it. Well, “Sand Sharks” didn’t have any descriptive shower scenes, or graphic blood and gore but it was embarrassing none-the-less. If I could have put a plain brown paper wrapper around the reader’s irritating voice I would have. Driving to Salt Lake City every week, I like to listen to an audio book in the car. I can’t listen very long to NPR without my blood pressure rising and local chat causes me to talk back to the people on the radio who can’t even hear me. Books pleasantly pass the commute time and help me arrive in a good mood despite the eternal construction delays on I15 - usually.

“Sand Sharks” written by Margaret Maron (Maron, not moron) is a novel somewhere in the middle of a mystery series featuring Judge Deborah Knott. She’s an idiot. I don’t like her. And she has my name! I don’t care about her personal life lurking in the background and I really don’t care about her southern friends. Words wasted on the descriptions of everything she eats and drinks are also irritating. What made the story worse was the chirpy narrator’s voice dragging me through the ridiculous plot.

Beware the enticing description on the back of the cover. “Margaret Maron (moron) never fails to deliver electrifying tales and well-wrought characters.” I guess there’s always a first time Margaret. The story is littered with meaningless clues and concludes with a surprise killer you could never guess since the author didn’t seem sure herself who was going to be the murderer. I liked the idea of the setting being in a North Carolina beach town but found myself annoyed by the obvious name-dropping of stores and restaurants. I wonder how much advertising cash they paid out to be mentioned.

Skip this 8 disc disaster and find something better in the library audio book collection. I really appreciate our library keeping it well stocked with new selections since they are expensive to buy and rarely worth listening to again. I wanted to be fair (and optimistically hoped the book would get better) so I endured to the end. It didn’t improve. I’m sure other people will check out this narration when they read “will leave readers awash in well-laid clues” but I can’t recommend it. It may even qualify as verbal abuse.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

2010-03-21T21:25:00.000-07:00

by Seth Grahame-Smith

(New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2010)

Hardcover, 337 Pages, Historical Fiction

ISBN: 9780446563086, US$21.99

The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins? —Edgar Allan Poe

FACTS

For over 250 years, between 1607 and 1865, vampires thrived in the shadows of America. Few humans believed in them.
Abraham Lincoln was one of the gifted vampire hunters of his day, and kept a secret journal about his lifelong war against them.
Rumors of the journal’s existence have long been a favorite topic among historians and Lincoln biographers. Most dismiss it as myth.

From the Cover: Indiana, 1818. Moonlight falls through the dense woods that surround a one-room cabin, where a nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln kneels at his suffering mother’s bedside. She’s been stricken with something the old-timers call “Milk Sickness.” “My baby boy…” she whispers. Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother’s fatal affliction was actually the work if a vampire. When the truth becomes known to young Lincoln, he writes in his journal, “Henceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion. I shall become a master of mind and body. And this mastery shall have but one purpose…” Gifted with his legendary height, strength, and skill with an ax, Abe sets out on a path of vengeance that will lead him all the way to the White House. While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving the Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years. Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time—all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War and uncovering the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.

My Review: So, when I learned back in October that Quirk books would (1) be publishing a prequel to their wildly successful Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and that (2) it would not be penned by PPZ scribe Seth Grahame-Smith, I was very disappointed. However, I then learned in November that it was because Grahame-Smith was writing his own book: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and I think that Grahame-Smith made the right decision. For, as fun as the PPZ prequel was (and I think Grahame-Smith would have made it better than Hockensmith managed) had Grahame-Smith decided to reenter Austen’s zombified universe, the world would have been denied the raucous history-rewriting adventure that is Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

I think that what I enjoyed most about this book was Grahame-Smith’s devotion to the central conceit: chiefly, that vampires have been a part of America’s history, to the point that all of the major events of America’s birth are directly attributable to vampire influence. Grahame-Smith even goes so far as to rewrite his own history to fit the events of the novel, writing himself into the Abraham Lincoln-vampire timeline. My only “complaint” (for lack of a better word) about this total commitment to “historical accuracy” is that I wish Grahame-Smith had taken it the final step and made the whole book look like a work of nonfiction complete with an index and faux-Works Cited/Bibliography page. I think that would have gone a long way further down the road to making this seem even more real than it already does.

That aside, however, the book is an amazing read: unputdownable even. I blasted through it in about three days and thoroughly enjoyed ever minute of it, which at this point (now that my Winter Quarter is over) is the best thing I could ask of a book. What’s more, though, is this is not a brainless book. In fact, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a surprisingly smart book. There is a lot of interesting things going on in the book with race and class (as represented by the vampires).

I used the word “raucous” earlier to describe ALVH and I really cannot come up with a better description than that. This is a raucous adventure book that has a lot of fun with its central idea and even manages to serve up some surprises. The ending caught me completely off guard, and there are a number of fun cameos within its pages. When it comes to the strange and weird, Seth Grahame-Smith does it better than anyone I have come across in a very long time … and he certainly enjoys doing it, which translates into a joy for the Reader to pick up.

Make no bones about it, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a page-turner that will keep you up and reading into the early hours of the morning … begging for more. I eagerly await Grahame-Smith’s next project…

Under the Dome (Audio)

2010-03-10T03:44:00.000-08:00

by Stephen King

read by Raúl Esparza

with an Afterword by The Author

(New York: Simon & Schuster Audio, 2009)

MP3 Audiobook, 2.88 GB, 34.4 Hours, Fiction

ISBN: 9780743597302, US$75.00

From the Cover: On an otherwise normal, beautiful day, the town of Chester’s Mill, Maine is suddenly and inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world in Under the Dome, Stephen King’s biggest, most riveting novel since The Stand.

My Review: So, I feel like I am in an abusive relationship with Stephen King.

When we first started our relationship together, he was wonderful. He never failed to disappoint, he was intriguing, he had interesting things to say, I enjoyed spending time with him, and even lost track of time when we were together. Then, after fifteen or twenty years of being together, the relationship started to get a little stale, and often we had to fall back on the “good times” we used to have together, and I started looking at other people, even enjoyed spending time with other people. Then, things got violent. He would promise me something new and exciting and I would, like a fool, keep coming back in spite of the fact that I kept getting hurt. However, I kept telling myself that maybe this time it would be different. This time would be more like the early days of our relationship. Yet, in spite of all that I was hurt time and time again, some times painfully hurt. Then, just when I was about to give up entirely on our relationship and begin divorce proceedings, he came to me one more time and told me he was sorry about everything he had done over the last decade or so, and that he really had changed, and look … I can make it just like the old days. Without daring to hope for much, I started to believe what he was telling me and I went crawling back; expecting to be hurt at every turn, but daring to hope that he really had changed.

I think he has … but we’ll get to that in a minute.

After the stinker that was Duma Key and the disappointment that was Just After Sunset I had almost decided that I was going to stick with King’s earlier stuff (i.e. pre-2000) and then the hype surrounding Under the Dome started and I began to believe again … mostly because this was a retooling (and updating) of material that he had started and stopped in the late 70s and early 80s. I got the hardcover from my parents for Christmas and was able to get my hands on the audiobook and decided that that would be a much easier way in which to get through this book (given that I had readings for two classes to do as well as prep and readings for an English 101 class I was teaching and picking up King’s largest book to date (1,074) just didn’t seem feasible).

There is a lot to say about this book and I’ll try to get to it all, but we’ll see. I scrupulously (maybe even neurotically) stayed away from any and all reviews of the book in order to experience it on my own and form my own opinions of it (this was hard to do since I subscribe to a number of not just book blogs but also blogs that are concerned with the horror industry) and as of this writing, I still have not read any outside reviews of the book.

First and foremost, I will unconditionally say that this is the best Stephen King novel in at least the last four or five years (since Cell). Why? Well, since King’s accident in 1999 there has been a change in the tone of King’s novels. Dreamcatcher, From a Buick 8, Lisey’s Story, Duma Key … they’re all much different than, say, The Shining, It, The Stand. They are much more intimate novels, and I don’t know that I can explain it any better than that. They don’t seem as encompassing in their scope as some of King’s prior novels did (the exceptions to that rule are, perhaps, the last three novels in The Dark Tower series). With Under the Dome, though, some of that scope is brought back. This is a much bigger novel than any King has produced recently, not only in length, but also in scope. This is a novel on a par with The Stand and It. (Though as such, it suffers from some of the same problems that those larger novels do) and shows off King’s real talent for creating characters.

Second, this is a long book. That may be the understatement of the year, but I think it still warrants saying. In print it is 1,074 pages long, and in audio it is 34.4 hours long. It takes a major commitment to sit down and read or listen to Under the Dome. It took me 45 days to through it. Often I had to roll back the time on my iPod to remind myself what was going on if it there had been some time between listening sessions. I imagine that reading the book would present some of the same problems, though I would imagine that it would be (1) easier to backtrack in the print edition and (2) the fact that there is not only a map in the front of the book but also a Dramatis Personae list of a kind. (Though, I will say that when I was done with the audiobook and looked at the map in the front of the book, my vision of the geography of Chester’s Mill was much different than that of the map’s, and I’m not even sure that the map’s conforms entirely to King’s descriptions, in that it seems that on the map things are much closer together than they are in the book.)

Third, and this holds true for many of King’s longer books (especially It and The Stand), the build-up in the book is much more exciting than the denouement and conclusion. The set-up to Under the Dome is absolutely brilliant, and King constructs some very interesting inter-personal dynamics as things start to unravel (Second Selectman “Big Jim” Rennie is a good (if somewhat stereotypical) villain (if there was any sort of cosmic justice, he’d be played by the late-J.T. Walsh in any sort of film adaptation of the book)) but when the novel takes 900 pages to set up and only 100 to get out … it was bound to be somewhat disappointing. When the explanation for the dome arrived, I felt quite let down and it seemed more like an original Star Trek episode-like explanation (with Shatner and Nimoy and the rest) than something from Stephen King. But that kind of deus ex machina is what happens in The Stand and It and so I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything different from a novel of similar length, but I was kind of hoping … I was also a little disappointed in the finale of “Big Jim” Rennie’s character. I was hoping for something a little more dramatic, once again, there is a lot of set up but very little pay-off, though one might be able to read a certain amount of karmic intervention in what happens to Rennie.

Fourth. While I miss having the late-Frank Muller growl his way through Under the Dome, and would have thought that either Campbell Scott or Ron McLarty would have been the choice to narrate this tale. I have to admit though, that Raúl Esparza (a new audio Reader to me) does an excellent job of bringing King’s words to life. My one nitpick with his reading though, is that all the children under the age of ten in the book sound like their noses are stuffed up.

What it boils down to is that if King’s next books (he has talked about an eighth Dark Tower book The Wind Through the Keyhole, writing a sequel to The Shining titled Doctor Sleep, a collection of novellas (coming out November 2010) Full Dark, no Stars, and a third part to The Talisman-Black House series) are anything like Under the Dome, I think that I’m prepared take him back, even though he’s hurt me in the past. With Under the Dome he’s promised he won’t hurt me any more.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls

2010-03-10T03:42:00.000-08:00

by Steve Hockensmith

illustrations by Patrick Arrasmith

(Philadelphia: Quirk Books, 2010)

Trade Paperback, 287 Pages, Fiction

ISBN: 9781594744549, US$12.95

From the Cover: Readers will witness the birth of a heroine in Dawn of the Dreadfuls—a thrilling prequel set four years before the horrific events of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. As our story opens, the Bennet sisters are enjoying a peaceful life in the English countryside. They idle away the days reading, gardening, and daydreaming about future husbands—until a funeral at the local parish goes strangely and horribly awry. Suddenly corpses are springing from the soft earth—and only one family can stop them. As the bodies pile up, we watch Elizabeth Bennet evolve from a naïve young teenager into a savage slayer of the undead. Along the way, two men vie for her affections: Master Hawksworth is the powerful warrior who trains her to kill, while thoughtful Dr. Keckilpenny seeks to conquer the walking dead using science instead of strength. Will either man win the prize of Elizabeth’s heart? Or will their hearts be feasted upon by hordes of marauding zombies? Complete with romance, action, comedy, and an army of shambling corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls will have Jane Austen rolling in her grave—and just might inspire her to crawl out of it!

My Review: Okay, when I first heard about Quirk Books was going to be releasing a prequel to their breakaway success Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (my review is HERE) I was of two minds. This is what I said when I first heard of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls:

Now, I don’t know how I feel about this one, because up until this point, Quirk Classics has had a winning formula: you take a “stuffy” classic novel and put something unexpected in it, hence Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. Now, though, they’re mixing it up and creating a new text out of something that didn’t exist before. To the best of my knowledge, there was no prequel to Pride and Prejudice and so I’m somewhat dubious as to how effective this particular one will be. I would have preferred Wuthering Heights and Werewolves or Mansfield Park and Monsters or Persuasion and Poltergeists personally.

After reading Dawn … I don’t know that I am ready to back away from that statement. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t like Dawn of the Dreadfuls, it just means that I need to reassess my position vis-à-vis what this book is.

It is not a strict mash-up in the way that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies or Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters (reviewed HERE) were or like what I expect Android Karenina will be. This is a whole new animal and a number of times as I was reading I had to remind myself that this is not a mash-up.

Now, before we go any further, I need to mention that the copy of the book I got was an ARC that Quirk Books sent to me as part of their “All-Out-Worldwide-Zombie-Blog-Explosion-2010” wherein bloggers all over the interwebs are posting advanced reviews of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls on March 3, 2010.

That said and all that legal mumbo-jumbo out of the way … I loved this book for what it was. This is a really fun read. What Hockensmith has done a really good job of recreating Jane Austen’s style as well as recreating the feel of its predecessor. I bring this up because that was one of my chief concerns regarding this book was “Would it sound like an Austen novel?” Because that was the point of both Zombies and Sea Monsters: they simultaneously spoofed and honored Austen’s novels. They amplified Austen’s social comedies, heightening the absurdities of Austen’s time (class differences, social manners, etc.) with the inclusion of zombies or sea serpents.

I was worried that Dawn of the Dreadfuls, as a completely original novel, would not achieve the same level of pastiche and satire. As I said, above, my fears have been laid to rest (no pun intended) on that fact because Hockensmith does manage to do what Grahame-Smith and Winters accomplished before him.

In fact, Dawn of the Dreadfuls reminds me a lot of Simon Pegg’s 2004 self-described “Rom-Zom-Com” Shaun of the Dead. Much in the way that Shaun employs the conventions of zombie and horror films at the same time that it satirizes them and satirizing the conventions of a comedy of manners, Dawn of the Dreadfuls does that with not just zombie conventions, but the conventions of the Jane Austen-esque social comedy as well. Yes Dreadfuls is a zombie novel. And yes Dreadfuls is, technically speaking, a horror novel, but really, at the heart of it, Dreadfuls is a romantic comedy setting Elizabeth Bennet up in a series of pas de deux relationships (occurring in and amongst beheadings, dismemberings and devourings) that set the stage for her personality and quirks in Pride and Prejudice (and Zombies).

Now, for as much as I enjoyed the book—and I do always love a good and bloody horror story—I did have some issues with Dreadfuls.

First and foremost, the story that Hockensmith sets up in Dawn of the Dreadfuls is one that would benefit best from a sense of danger or peril for our main characters, i.e. the Bennet sisters. However, knowing that Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia all show up not just Pride and Prejudice but Pride and Prejudice and Zombies along with their father and mother, and that Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Wickham are all in the future of the Bennet sisters … there was no sense of any kind of anxiety when any of the girls are in peril during the final third of the book. This is, admittedly, a problem with any prequel and not just Dreadfuls and one which, for all of Hockensmith’s other accomplishments in the book, he is unable to overcome. There absolutely is no sense of urgency and anxiety surrounding our heroines. Certainly secondary characters are in peril, but since none of them are as strongly created as the Bennets, it is hard to make any kind of connection to Master Hawksworth, Dr. Keckilpenny, Captain Cannon and Lord Lumpley and so when they are imperiled by the hordes of undead, I had a hard time caring about them.

Perhaps this speaks to Hockensmith’s abilities to create believable and sympathetic characters since the best characters in the book are in fact Austen’s creations and everyone else are cardboard cutout characters from various horror stories. And don’t even get me started on the character of Lord Lumpley—one of the most repulsive characters I have ever had the displeasure of running across in literature, to the point that when (at the risk of spoiling) he meets his inevitable end (though from an unexpected source, I will give Hockensmith that) I was just glad that he was out of the way and I didn’t have to endure his presence in the novel any more. He really is an unpleasant and distasteful character, and not even in the good You-Love-to-Hate-Them way … he is repulsive in every sense of the word.

I was also disappointed in the character of Master Hawksworth, but I’m not sure how I could discuss the problems I had with him without giving away any major plot points, so I will leave it in the realm of generalities and say that what I found so objectionable was what Hockensmith considered a tragic flaw in Hawksworth’s character was obviously a convenient way in which to remove the character from the action at a key moment. I felt it was beneath the character and insulting to my intelligence as a Reader.

However, all of these flaws that I found with the book do not diminish the overall affect of the book and the enjoyment I had in reading it. This is a really fun romp of a book, all things considered, and while I received my copy free of charge, I was ready to shell out the cover price for the book, and at the end of the day, I would not have felt cheated of my $12.95 had I needed to pay, and neither should you. This book is well worth the price of admission. (And be sure to stick around for the great post-credits-esque cameo at the end of the novel. A lot of fun in that Ferris-Bueller-walking-down-the-hall-and-shooing-the-audience-out-of-the-theater-kind-of-way.)

Now, I should mention that the book is not available in stores for another two weeks. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls will be available for purchase on Wednesday, March 24, 2010. (The link in the ISBN in the header of this post will take you to Amazon’s page for DoD where you can pre-order.) However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the gooey, bloody zombie goodness in the meantime. First of all, get thee a copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies if you haven’t already. This is definitely a situation where a knowledge of the “original” (using that word loosely) adds to the experience of the sequel/prequel.

Second: you can find Dawn of the Dreadfuls online at Quirk’s page for the book HERE

(Yes, I’m shilling shamelessly for Quirk Books, but hey, free advance review copies of good books make whores of us all.)

Until next time…

Watchmen

2010-03-10T03:40:00.001-08:00

by Alan Moore

illustrated by Dave Gibbons

(New York: DC Comics, 1987)

Trade Paperback, 416 Pages, Graphic Novel

ISBN: 9780930289232, US$19.99

From the Cover: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes. Who watches the Watchmen? Someone does. Someone who’s trying to kill them all, one by one. Time’s running out for the Watchmen…

My Review: So, I’ve been avoiding doing any actual work the last two days. I have two papers to write and had papers to grade, but I just haven’t been “feelin’ it” lately, so I pulled Watchmen off of the library shelf in the front room Sunday afternoon (I had checked it out on a whim on our Saturday trip to the library) and have been reading to, as I said, avoid doing any real work.

In my misspent youth, I was into comic books. I was a Marvel reader. I enjoyed the exploits of Gambit, Wolverine, the Punisher and Ghost Rider, little knowing that a lot of what I liked about those characters—their moral ambiguity, their personal character flaws, their equivocation—owed so very much to what Alan Moore penned in the mid-1980s. The Comedian, Rorschach, Nite Owl, Ozymandias are all direct influences on the characters that have come after them (and even some that have come before). Really from what I understand of the comic book/superhero world (of which I only have a casual knowledge of), it was the immense popularity of Moore’s Watchmen and Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns (which, incidentally came out the same year as Watchmen) that changed the way the public viewed their superheroes.

All this aside though, as a burgeoning literary critic and academic-in-embryo, Watchmen fascinates me on a literary level. This is a plot and story that is easily the equal of the best Cold War-era writers, such as Philip Roth and Don DeLillo. As some one who has been working to make the case that Stephen King is not only worthy of critical inquiry but can sustain it, far be it from me to dismiss Watchmen because it is “just a comic book.” That statement oversimplifies a very snobbish literary world view and causes one to overlook the fact that while, yes, this is “just a comic book” it is a comic book unlike any comic book before it … and after it for that matter. There have been many pretenders to Watchmen’s throne, but all have fallen short (if that doesn’t sound too pretentious). The cultural critique and insightful Cold War commentary that Moore has created in this format is nothing short of amazing. I don’t mean that to sound patronizing either, I’m not saying “Oh, look at what the comic book writer was able to do. You deserve a gold star.” No, what I am saying is that Moore took a format that was relatively simplistic and black-and-white in terms of its politics (as well as being deeply conservative) and turned it into something that was insightful, biting, relevant in its immediacy and even revolutionary (if that’s not too loaded a term for you).

Add to all of this the fact that Moore does this in the mid- to late-80s and it is nothing short of astounding. That Moore is able to do what he has done in Watchmen from within the Cold War rather than from without (i.e. at a distance of time) in terms of social commentary and critique makes Watchmen worthy of anyone’s attention, setting aside that it has a kick ass story; the story, in my mind is secondary to the critique.

Before I go (it is nearly 3:00 a.m. on the West Coast as I write this and I have to be up and teach English 101 at 8:30) I want to say that I think Watchmen has taken some unfair hits in the last decade (it’s weird to think that 2000 has been a decade ago) as tired and predictable from mainstream critics and especially in the run up to and in the wake of the 2009 film. What one has to remember, especially as the release of Watchmen fades into the fog of the last 24 years, is that Watchmen was existential and morally ambiguous and ambivalent before many of the other comics were. Yes, there was The Punisher, and Wolverine, but they still operated on a level of “good,” “justice” and “right.” In Watchmen, what’s “good” and “just” and “right” isn’t always obvious, and these are concepts that are often contradictory in Moore’s universe, and as such, it all makes for a much more interesting and complex story.

Shutter Island (Audio)

2010-03-10T03:39:00.000-08:00

by Dennis Lehane

read by Tom Stechshulte

(Prince Frederick: Recorded Books, LLC, 2003)

MP3 Audiobook, 881.9 MB, 9.6 Hours, Fiction

ISBN: 9780061906282, US$19.99

From the Cover: Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane looms like a fortress on Shutter Island. As a massive hurricane swirls toward the island, U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels arrives with his new partner, Chuck Aule, to track down an escaped patient—a murderess who may hold the key to what really happens in the locked wards and laboratories. But as Teddy digs deeper into the workings of the hospital, nothing is as it seems…

My Review: I have had this book on my To-Be-Read List for quite some time now, but had never gotten around to it. Then, Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio decided to turn Lehane’s book into a film, and I knew I had better get on the horn and read (so to speak) before I had the plot’s twists and turns spoiled for me by some careless movie reviewer or movie goer. It was a rough road, but I scrupulously avoided any and all discussions of the film and potential plot spoilers as I worked my way through Shutter Island and in the end, it was very much worth it because I was genuinely taken along for the twisting ride that Lehane has created and enjoyed every minute of it, trying to work out the mysteries of Ashecliffe for myself.

Now, any real discussion of the plot of Shutter Island is going to run the risk of spoilers, but I will do my level best not to spoil anything for those who have not either already read the book or seen the movie. It will be difficult however, since there are, by my count, four major Sixth Sense-style rug-pulling plot twists that make the Reader/Listener completely reevaluate their understanding of what has been going on. I hope that that is as plot-spoiler-y as it gets, but no promises.

As much as I tried to avoid any exposure to the plot, a few things leaked through here and there, so I had a general sense from the beginning that nothing was as it seemed that knew to be wary of any and all characters that waltzed across the page, including that of Teddy Daniels (whose view and perspective frames the story (even though it is not told in the first person)), however, when the revelations started coming it was fast and furious and, as I said above, absolutely enjoyable. Though, I do have one bit of the plot that didn’t work for me, given what the eventual outcome of the plot. Being as vague as possible, I felt that the woman in the cave is never satisfactorily explained by the penultimate twist. What she reveals and what she represents flies doesn’t exactly contradict the end, but neither is it supported by the end, and so I’m left to wonder what the point of including her in the story at all does, other than to deepen the ominous atmosphere and sense of paranoia that Lehane is seeking to create.

I will say that one of the key factors in enjoying this book was the Reader. Tom Stechshulte is one of the best Readers that I have come across, and I will definitely be on the look out for more audiobooks that he reads. His gravelly bass voice is ideal for the noir sensibilities that Lehane injects into Shutter Island and what he does with the text by way of performance is sublime.

I think that Lehane himself summed it up best when he said that he was deliberately channeling the Brontë sisters when he wrote Shutter Island. That Romantic/Victorian influence is quite clear (possibly with a little Poe thrown in for good measure) and all one would have to do is replace Ashecliffe with Bedlam and U.S. Marshalls with … oh … I dunno, a Revolutionary-Era Redcoat, or (if we’re going the Poe route) an ex-Union soldier (though if we are going the Poe route (with a side trip into Ambrose Bierce) Federal Marshalls have been around since the 1780s, so…). Anyway, the point of all of that was that in spite of all of its post-WWII and Cold War-era and film noir/B-movie trappings, Shutter Island is, at its heart, a novel deeply steeped in the tradition of the Romantic and Victorian eras.

I cannot recommend this audiobook highly enough, and if you haven’t yet had it all spoiled for you, get your hands on Shutter Island right away, and even if you have seen the movie and do know all the twists and turns, I would still say that you will enjoy Shutter Island in much the same way that, say, The Sixth Sense holds up to a second viewing because now, you’re in the know (and, from what I understand, there are some key plot points in the movie that does not get satisfactorily explained (the anagrams, for instance) that are explained in the book’s dénouement, so that ought to be worth the price of admission right there).

"The Madonnas of Leningrad" - another book club book bag choice

2010-01-12T18:03:00.000-08:00

This is a big heads up for book clubs. It is a great book BUT there is an explicit "sex scene" so don't choose it for your book club without asking them first, and/or reading it first.

BookLook January 21
“The Madonnas of Leningrad”

The painful lament of 82 year old Marina’s husband strikes a chord with all of us who have seen a loved one develop Alzheimer’s disease – also known as the long goodbye. "She is leaving him, not all at once, which would be painful enough, but in a wrenching succession of separations. One moment she is here, and then she is gone again, and each journey takes her a little farther from his reach. He cannot follow her, and he wonders where she goes when she leaves."

Marina goes back in her memory to Leningrad during the German siege. As a young woman she was a docent at the Hermitage Museum before the war. She then spent 90 months of cold and hunger in the cellar of the museum during the famous siege of her city. After crating and hiding the famous paintings, statues and thousands of irreplaceable treasures, the museum staff and their families took shelter under the museum – all 2,000 of them. The frames were left on the walls as symbols of hope that the paintings would soon return. But the weeks stretched into months and many died from starvation. One of the elderly attendants at the museum teaches Marina how to build a “memory palace” to keep an accurate catalog of the missing treasures. As she wanders between the empty cavernous galleries, the vacant frames are filled by her memories of title, artist, color and composition.

One of the most poignant scenes occurs as spring arrives in Leningrad and Marina takes a group of young military cadets on a tour of the bare, dripping Hermitage Museum. As she passionately describes each glowing painting from her memory palace, a wondrous thing happens to the little tour group. Everyone can see the paintings through her eyes as she sketches on the blank walls. And then we are back to the present, and Marina’s tragic Alzheimer’s locks the door to the museum forever.

The author Debra Dean takes the reader between Marina’s present-day confusion at her granddaughter’s wedding in the Northwest, and her clear memories of the terrible winter of 1941 in Russia. It is a love story about Marina and her family and Marina and the art of the Hermitage Museum. My only complaint was that it was a little too short, and I was left wanting more of the story of the Leningrad siege. It is a great debut novel with the caution that there is one scene of intimacy between Marina and her fiancé that is explicit. Skip that passage if you want to and still enjoy a very well-written book.

"Peace like a River" A Book From the library Book Club Bag

2009-12-29T09:50:00.000-08:00

BookLook December 31

Debbie Balzotti

“Peace like a River”

The first book of the year for book club is a very important selection. The pressure can be intense but I have a solution – a New Year’s resolution solution. Resolve to use the library’s book club kits. Our book club chose to read “Peace like a River” by Leif Enger from the library’s list of book club kits. Each canvas bag contains several paperback copies of the title and may be checked out for 5 weeks by one of the club members. It is a great gift to the book club community. Just stop by the reference desk or go online to reserve the book your group would like to read without the worry about availability. Maybe that person (every club has one who doesn’t read the book) making the New Year’s resolution to read one book this year will do it if you put the book into their reluctant hands? Now you have two resolutions on track for the New Year!

“Peace like a River” was published in 2001 and was a best seller on all the lists including the New York Times. It continues to be a popular novel almost ten years later. Not quite a classic, but getting close to that status. It is a beautifully written novel filled with unforgettable characters. The story is narrated by eleven-year-old Reuben Land. Reuben brought miracles to his little family from the moment of his birth in 1951. When Doctor Nokes gave up trying to get Reuben’s tiny lungs to fill with air, the baby’s father rushed across the room, smacked the doctor to the floor, snatched up the still, grey child and commanded him to breathe. “Mother cried out, Dad turned back to me, a clay child wrapped in a canvas coat, and said in a normal voice, “Reuben Land, in the name of the living god I am telling you to breathe.”

When tragedy strikes the small Midwestern family, they begin a journey in an Airstream trailer that reminds the reader of early western cowboy tales. The oldest son Davy at only age sixteen has been convicted of murder. When he escapes from jail his father, brother and little sister head out to find him shadowed by “the putrid fed” who is convinced that the family will find Davy and then he can arrest him. The adventure has a mystical quality since it is described by an eleven-year-old boy who still believes in fairy tale endings and biblical miracles.

I hope our book club chooses more titles from the library kits. The books are selected by the librarians to provide good reading and good discussion. “Peace like a River” was the perfect choice to start off twelve months of great literature for 2010.

Christmas List - don't put it on your list

2009-12-26T14:16:00.000-08:00

BookLook December

Debbie Balzotti

“The Christmas List”

Richard Paul Evans has discovered something very important. There is a recipe for Christmas books. You may think that the recipe you have for your granny’s sugar cookies is priceless, but if you had the recipe for best selling Christmas books you would really have something valuable. Evan’s first sugary treat was delicious. “The Christmas Box” was something new with an inspirational message for all readers. We ate it up. Unfortunately, “The Christmas List” tastes a little too similar to his other books and we were hoping for something more.

The main character of this little book, and it is a little book with lots of blank space on the pages, is based on Scrooge. Dickens introduced us to the idea that a pathetic miser could be redeemed and we love his story. In this updated version, James Kier reads his own obituary in the newspaper and is naturally alarmed. I had a similar experience a couple of years ago when my BookLook column was placed on the obit page. With the book title “Left to Tell” and my picture the same size as the gentleman’s obituary printed right next to me, it was a bit unsettling.

Now, back to the story. Kier tries to make amends for a life focused on money but discovers that every damaged relationship cannot be mended. Some mistakes can be fixed, but some come with unalterable consequences. It is a sad but true lesson. Fortunately, having lots of money seems to help make things up to people though. Buying someone a house, giving a big pay raise to an employee, or paying for something your son wants will get you some forgiveness. Is this part of the lesson Evans wants us to learn? I think his message of “good will toward men” is a good one and we do need reminders about what is important.

We can read “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens every year and enjoy the experience. “The Christmas List” is a once read then re-gifted book. I know there are many fans of Richard Paul Evans (the Utah author with three names) so I can make someone very happy if I put it in a basket with a batch of granny’s delicious sugar cookies to sweeten the read.

2009-10-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

Now is your chance to join a book club! Check out this month's fun, wholesome book club meetings. Sign up and check out now at the reference desk!

For moms and daughters, this month's selection is "Esperanza Rising" by Pam Munoz Ryan. We will be meeting on Thursday, November 12th at 7PM.

For adults, check out the Books and Bites club on Tuesday, November 17th @ 12Noon. We are reading "The Leanin' Dog" by K.A. Nuzum.

All Creatures Great and Small

2009-10-24T14:03:00.000-07:00

I'd put it off for as long as I could remember. I knew that they all came highly recommended. There was just one major drawback--I don't really like animals much. I have been known to like one here and another there, but in general? No, I can't say that I care to read all about them. But in the back of my mind the books were always waiting for me, waiting for me to give them a chance.

From the first sentence I was hooked. I'm always interested where I find extraordinary writing, but I confess I hadn't expected to find in in a country veterinarian from Yorkshire. I was amazed to find myself devouring accounts of bovine obstetrics, canine broken bones, and various disgusting diseases, but devour it I did. The masterful descriptions on the idyllic scenery, the amazing recoveries, and the endearing stories of colorful characters. . .

It's often amazed me that the people of whom I have a less than stellar first impression turn out being my very best friends--almost without fail. It shouldn't surprise me that these books are now the main source of entertainment in our home these days. I feel like I've made friends with history.

All Creatures Great and Small
All Things Bright and Beautiful
All Things Wise and Wonderful
The Lord God Made Them All
Every Living Thing

The Spellman Files

2009-10-14T01:54:00.000-07:00

by Lisa Lutz

-The Spellman Series, Book One-

(New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007)

Hardcover, 358 Pages, Fiction

ISBN: 9781416532392, US$25.00

From the Cover: Meet Isabel “Izzy” Spellman, private investigator. This twenty-eight-year-old may have a checkered past littered with romantic mistakes, excessive drinking, and creative vandalism; she may be addicted to Get Smart reruns and prefer entering homes through windows rather than doors—but the upshot is she’s good at her job as a licensed private investigator with her family’s firm, Spellman Investigations. Invading people’s privacy comes naturally to Izzy. In fact, it comes naturally to all the Spellmans. If only they could leave their work at the office. To be a Spellman is to snoop on a Spellman; tail a Spellman; dig up dirt on, blackmail, and wiretap a Spellman. Part Nancy Drew, part Dirty Harry, Izzy walks an indistinguishable line between Spellman family member and Spellman employee. Duties include: completing assignments from the bosses, a.k.a. Mom and Dad (preferably without scrutiny); appeasing her chronically perfect lawyer brother (often under duress); setting an example for her fourteen-year-old sister, Rae (who’s become addicted to “recreational surveillance”); and tracking down her uncle (who randomly disappears on benders dubbed “Lost Weekends”). But when Izzy’s parents hire Rae to follow her (for the purpose of ascertaining the identity of Izzy’s new boyfriend), Izzy snaps and decides that the only way she will ever be normal is if she gets out of the family business. But there’s a hitch: she must take one last job before they’ll let her go—a fifteen-year-old, ice-cold missing person case. She accepts, only to experience a disappearance far closer to home, which becomes the most important case of her life.

My Review: So, as I’ve said twice now on my blog, I belong to a discussion board book thread where The Spellman Files all of a sudden became all the rage, and rather than get run over by the bandwagon I decided to jump on … and I’m glad I did.

I think I had more fun reading this book than any other book so far this year. What Lutz has done in The Spellman Files is create a cast of some of the quirkiest characters this side of Elmore Leonard and infused it with a tongue-in-cheek sensibility that makes it a pure delight to read.

If pressed, I’d have to say that my favorite aspect of the novel was either Lutz’s protagonist, Izzy and all of her strangely and simultaneously dysfunctional and completely rational approaches to family and friends and dating and employment; that, or Izzy’s little sister Rae who is easily of the greatest teenage characters not currently enrolled in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (though one can only imagine the problems Rae would give Argus Filch and Severus Snape as she prowled the castle’s corridors after hours). Rae’s “this is what ‘normal’ people do” approach to everything from extorting money out of relatives and conducting surveillance on both relatives and complete strangers is so over-the-top and absolutely ridiculous making it a brilliant parody of such beloved childhood literary characters as Harriet the Spy, Encyclopedia Brown and Nancy Drew. I loved every minute of it.

I do have to wonder, though, if Lutz’s approach to Izzy’s character isn’t a little reductive at times. Perhaps it is just the literary grad student in me coming out to strongly but it gave me pause that Lutz constructs such a strong character as Izzy and then reduces her quest for happiness and fulfillment to something as simple as finding a boyfriend to settle down with. That seems counterproductive to me, but perhaps I am over analyzing. Once it’s turned on, the literary critic is hard to turn off.

Over all, though, this was a lot of fun to read, and—as I said at the outset—I am glad I jumped on the bandwagon rather than letting it run me over, because I would have missed out. So, come on, jump on the bandwagon, have some of the Kool Aid (it’s delicious) and check out The Spellman Files, you won’t be disappointed.

Darwinia: A Novel of a Very Different Twentieth Century

2009-09-08T00:22:00.000-07:00

by Robert Charles Wilson

(New York: Tor Books, 1998)

Paperback, 372 Pages, Fiction

ISBN: 9780812566628, US$6.99

From the Cover: In 1912, history was changed by the Miracle, when the old world of Europe was replaced by Darwinia, a strange land of nightmarish jungle and antediluvian monsters. To some, the Miracle is an act of divine retribution; to others, it is an opportunity to carve out a new empire. Leaving an America now ruled by religious fundamentalists, young Guilford Law travels to Darwinia on a mission of discovery that will take him further than he can possibly imagine … to a shattering revelation about mankind’s destiny in the universe.

My Review: I’ve had this book on my shelves and in my TBR pile for about two years now, and it was only now, as we were moving from Utah to Washington State so I could attend grad school, that I could find the time to sit down and read it. What first drew me to Wilson’s novel was the synopsis from the back of the book (as transcribed above). I mean, really … who could resist a literary come on like that? I was hooked even before I had read a single page.

What I found within the pages of Darwinia was a novel that was much deeper and more in the realm of true science fiction than I had expected. Wilson executes a classic (and very subtle) bait-and-switch with the plot, and by the time the Reader realizes what is going on in the story, it is too late and they are drawn deep into the plot and invested heavily in the characters … especially that of Guilford Law.

I’ll try not to say too much about the plot because to do so would be to flirt with spoilers, so rather than do that, I’ll just leave you to discover the plot twists on your own.

I will say, though, that it was not what I expected and that is not necessarily a good thing. I am all for being surprised by a book, but I went into Darwinia with certain expectations, namely a kind of steampunk-ish adventure with strange creatures on a new continent that suddenly appears overnight, and for about half of the novel, that is what I got. Then, however, Wilson throws a hanging left turn into unadulterated science fiction that comes out of nowhere, and while I admire what he did (and I’ll say this: the plot twist he throws is brilliant and unlike anything I have seen in a long time), it took me a while to adjust my expectations to what Wilson had written. It was, to say the least, a hard thing to do.

That aside, though, Wilson has created an incredible alternate Twentieth-Century in Darwinia and in terms of character, he is an absolute genius. Guilford Law is one of the most believable and realistic fictional characters that I have encountered in a very long time. I was completely captivated by the situation(s) into which Wilson threw Law and then had him work his way out of. It takes quite a bit of effort to keep reminding yourself that this is in fact a fictional book, and that Guilford Law does not exist, and that is just about as high a compliment that I can think to give any one author.

All in all, Darwinia is a fascinating read, but when you go in, make sure to check your expectations at the door. Otherwise, like me, you may find yourself left high and dry halfway through the book and needing to reassess what you thought the novel was going to be about, because believe you me, no matter what you think Darwinia is about … you’re going to be wrong and Wilson will surprise you.

2009-08-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

'salem's Lot (Audio)

2009-08-28T14:06:00.001-07:00

by Stephen King

read by Ron McLarty

(New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2004)

MP3 Audiobook, 868.2 MB, 17½ Hours, Fiction

ISBN: 9780743536967, US$59.95

From the Cover: A dark wind is blowing into Jerusalem’s Lot, Maine, in the guise of antique furniture dealers R.T. Straker and Kurt Barlow. Novelist Benjamin Mears has returned to the village near Portland to exorcise his childhood demons. Immediately, townspeople begin suffering from strange flu symptoms, or disappearing altogether. Mears and local high school teacher Matt Burke understand the peril the town faces. Soon they’re joined by an artist, a doctor, an alcoholic priest, and an 11-year old boy, forming a modern-day team of vampire hunters.

My Original Review: 11/22/2005 – 08:50:00 PM

My Redux Review: Stephen King’s ‘salem’s Lot is a story that holds a lot nostalgia and fond memories for me. It was one of the first novels I ever owned, it was the first Stephen King story I ever read at the tender age of eleven (with the blessing of my Mother though—looking back—I have no idea what she was thinking when she okayed that, I don’t think I’d let my son read it when he turns eleven), and it is one that even now never fails to induce chills and thrills. I have even used it to make arguments for my ever-evolving academic paper on passive-sexism in Stephen King’s The Shining (showing how ‘salem’s Lot is a kind of “run up” to what he does in The Shining).

I find so much about ‘salem’s Lot to be so very fascinating, that it is difficult to know where to start. Well, perhaps it is best to start with something small. This time through the book I was struck by just how dated ‘salem’s Lot is. It really is a relic from the early- to mid-1970s when it was written. So much of the novel is so outdated that I found myself wondering just how well Mssrs. Barlow and Straker would fair if they were to plunk down in Jerusalem’s Lot in an era of cell phones and the internet. This is addressed, somewhat, in the 2004 TV miniseries which is, all things considered, not a bad adaptation, given the problems of updating such material. Still, as I said, I am struck at just how dated the book is.

Another “theme” of the novel (for lack of a better word) that I have been dealing with (mostly because it jives with my paper on Stephen King) is just how passively sexist the works of Stephen King are, and ‘salem’s Lot is no exception. In fact, it is a pretty good example of what I am talking about. Two characters come to mind as I have run this through my mind: Susan Norton, of course, and Bonnie Sawyer. Susan is, to all appearances, a pretty “liberated” and “strong” female figure, holding her own with man and vampire alike, and yet, looking a little deeper she is a “shackled” character; very one-dimensional when compared to the male characters in the novel. She plays little more than the role of girlfriend and tragic victim. Susan makes some very poor decision in the course of the novel (the kind that would have you shouting DON’T GO DOWN THERE to the screen if this were a movie) and as a result of these decisions (and, I would argue, due to King’s indifference to his female characters) she pays the price.

The same could be said for the character of Bonnie Sawyer, a bit player in the overall drama, but one that King keeps coming back to. She is the “Jezebel” character type; the “wanton woman” who is having an affair with a younger man, but when they are caught by her husband, she is literally beaten into submission and—as King puts it—raped by her husband regularly, until their end comes in the final third of the book. I bring up their characters because they both are women who initially seem liberated and in control of their destinies, but ultimately are brought down by their inability to listen to the male authorities in their lives (in the case of Susan it is Matt Burke and Ben Mears and even the teenage Mark Petrie whom she ignores, and for Bonnie, of course, it is her husband whom she disobeys) and as a result they are brought to ruin.

This passive-sexism (as I’ve chosen to call it) and assertion of male dominance (culminating in the staking of the vampiric Susan (which Freud would undoubtedly call “phallic” and a violent sexual act in and of itself, a rape of a kind) and the beating and raping of Bonnie Sawyer) really show King’s true colors as a closet-conservative in spite of all his trappings and claims of open-mindedness and liberalism. He falls back on the conservative world view whenever a female comes into the pages of his novels (they are usually either a milquetoast hausfrau or a wanton jezebel) that bucks the male authority structure and have to be either saved or dispatched (in the case of Susan, they come to one and the same). It is true of Susan Norton and Bonnie Sawyer in ‘salem’s Lot, it is true of Wendy Torrance in The Shining, it is true of Rose Daniels in Rose Madder, it is true of Emily in “The Gingerbread Girl” and it is true of Lisey Landon in Lisey’s Story.

But enough theorizing. In spite of these “flaws” (for lack of a better word) I still think that ‘salem’s Lot is one of Stephen King’s finest, and is certainly in the Top 5 of my favorite King books. King has crafted a very believable world in ‘salem’s Lot, one that is described as Peyton Place meets Dracula, and I think that that is a pretty fair assessment. It is hard to imagine which the greater evil in the township is: the external force of Barlow and his vampirism, or the internal forces of the town and its small-town insularism. King has stated in interviews that ‘salem’s Lot was written at a time of great social and political upheaval: the Ellsberg break-in, Nixon’s tapes and enemies’ list, Liddy and the CIA, Watergate, the invasive federal investigations of war protestors, Vietnam … and so it is no wonder that these feelings of paranoia bled over (no pun intended) into ‘salem’s Lot and informed the novel; paranoia of vampires, paranoia of outsiders, paranoia of the unknown, paranoia of the future … it’s all there in the pages, and makes for one hell of an atmospheric novel.

Atmospheric and arguably one of the scariest of King’s tales (his early ones are so much better than his later). I’ve mentioned it in my prior review of this audiobook, but the scenes with Mike Ryerson in Matt Burke’s house (both times) and then the scene with Marjorie Glick’s body in the mortuary are some of the scariest scenes that have even been penned. They never fail to give me the chills (and this time around, it didn’t help that I was listening to the Marjorie Glick scene as I was taking a late night walk to clear my head after a stressful day and as a thunderstorm passed overhead, I have to admit that I looked over my shoulder more than once as I walked the storm-darkened streets).

Also, what makes this such a great audiobook is Ron McLarty’s reading. If you have never experienced a book read by Ron McLarty you need to, and ‘salem’s Lot is as good a place as any to start. It is amazing how much the story comes to life in McLarty’s capable hands. It really brings an already great book to an even more sublime level.

You don’t have to be a Stephen King fan to enjoy ‘salem’s Lot, and since vampires are very much in vogue right now, take the time to listen to (or read) a real vampire story. Yes, it borrows heavily from Dracula (with Matt Burke playing Van Helsing, Susan playing Lucy Westenra and Mina Harker, Dr. Cody as Dr. Seward, Ben Mears playing Arthur Holmwood and Jonathan Harker, Straker as Renfield and, of course, Barlow as the Count) but I would say that that is intentional, since the idea behind ‘salem’s Lot was what would happen if Count Dracula came to America and settled not in New York City (where, in King’s words, he’d “be killed by a taxi cab like, Margaret Mitchell in Atlanta”) but in rural, small-town Maine.

It is a question that I think King has answered well. As I said, in spite of its “flaws” ‘salem’s Lot is a stellar novel and one that every vampire groupie needs to have under their belt, and if you’re going to try it, why not pick up the audio edition, since Ron McLarty’s reading is nothing short of amazing.

Indiana Jones and the Seven Veils

2009-08-27T14:28:00.001-07:00

by Rob MacGregor
-Indiana Jones Series, Book 3-
(New York: Bantam Books, 1991)
Paperback, 291 Pages, Fiction
ISBN: 9780553293340, US$4.99

ABCD Rating: BACKLIST

From the Cover: Having barely survived a hair-raising archaeological dig in Tikal, Guatemala, Indiana Jones has returned to New York just in time to get caught up in a controversy. The mysterious writings of Colonel Percy Fawcett, a missing British explorer, have turned up, and what they describe could revolutionize history—and make or break several scientific reputations, for Percy paints a tantalizing picture of a lost city in the Brasilian jungle and a mythical red-headed race who may be the descendents of ancient Celtic Druids. … No one loves mystery or adventure more than Indiana Jones. So with his trusty bullwhip in hand and the lovely Deirdre Campbell firmly in tow, he sets out for the wilds of the Amazon. But Indy has more enemies than he knows, including a bunch of hard-nosed thugs and a cannibalistic Indian tribe who are out to make him instant history. And if he survives what they throw his way, there’s still the fabled city itself … where the inhabitants practice the magic of the “seven veils” and no one leaves alive!

My Review: I first heard about this book when I was listening to David Grann read his book The Lost City of Z. In Z, Grann mentions the impact that Colonel Fawcett has had on popular culture, including—most notably—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World and Indiana Jones. Grann mentioned that in 1991, Indy was able to “meet” his progenitor in Rob MacGregor’s novel Indiana Jones and the Seven Veils, in which a reluctant Indy is pressed into finding Colonel Fawcett and the Lost City of Z by Marcus Brody. Adventure ensues. I was captivated by the story of Colonel Fawcett, one that reads like a great Hollywood cliffhanger serial, and with the possibility of Indiana Jones thrown in for good measure, it was all too good to pass up, so I order a copy of The Seven Veils and now, here we are.

That is not to say that I did not have some trepidation as I picked the book up and started to read. It is, after all, based on a film character, and often novels like this fall flat … being but poor imitations of their silver screen counterparts, with the film novelization being one of the worst types of books to be written. However, The Seven Veils starts off with typical Indy flair … on a dig in a booby-trapped temple in Guatemala where Indy soon finds himself surrounded by incompetent superiors, grave robbers, and a damsel in distress. From there he is catapulted into the hunt for Colonel Fawcett, and the action is pretty much non-stop.

With a few exceptions, the book has a fairly blistering pace that compels the Reader to want to read “just one more page.” MacGregor does a fine job of making Indy and Marcus (the only two characters from the films to make appearances) similar enough to their film counterparts while making the characters his own; make no mistake, that is a fine line to walk, and one that has sunk better authors than MacGregor. Also, there are some great additions to the cast, most notably Deirdre Campbell who is every bit as spunky and resourceful as Karen Allen’s Marion Ravenwood (from Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull).

For the most part I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is every bit as exciting and engaging and thrilling as any of the Indiana Jones films. There were a few aspects, in particular the book seems to become a completely new story once Indy and Deirdre find Colonel Fawcett and the Lost City, more supernatural and “spacey,” like Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, that I did not like—I prefer my Indy to be a little more historical (like the Ark of the Covenant, the Cult of Kali and the Holy Grail) and a little less New Age-y (like crystal skulls and lost Atlanteans) but, as I said, on the whole, this is a delightful adventure novel and a lot of fun; perfect for the end of summer as I get ready to head back to the world of academia.

Also, as one last endorsement for this book: Indiana Jones and the Seven Veils is book three in a twelve book series that predates the films (so, coming before Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) and I fully intend to get my hands on the remaining eleven. It is a fun book, and looks like it will be a fun series.

And with that, I leave you with this in parting:

Dead Until Dark

2009-08-23T21:08:00.000-07:00

by Charlaine Harris

-Southern Vampire Mysteries Series, Book 1-

(New York: Penguin Books, 2001)

Paperback, 292 Pages, Fiction

ISBN: 9780441008537, US$7.99

“I’d been waiting for the vampire for years when he walked into the bar.” (1)

From the Cover: Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She’s quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn’t get out much. Not because she’s not pretty. She is. It’s just that, well, Sookie has this sort of “disability.” She can read minds. And that doesn’t make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill. He’s tall, dark, handsome—and Sookie can’t hear a word he’s thinking. He’s exactly the type of guy she’s been waiting for all her life. … But Bill has a disability of his own: He’s a vampire with a bad reputation. He hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, all suspected of—big surprise—murder. And when one of Sookie’s coworkers is killed, she fears she’s next. …

My Review: I’m not sure exactly what compelled me to pick up Harris’ novel. Curiosity, more likely than not, and the fact that after reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma I needed brain candy, and boy-howdy is Dead Until Dark brain candy.

There is not much here. The plot is pretty simplistic (I had actually pegged the villain of the piece about a third of the way into the book) and there were no real surprises. Harris is a mediocre writer at best that has managed to tap into the current literary vogue: vampire porn. What’s more is that it took Stephenie Meyer’s teenage version of Harris’ story to bring Harris’ novels into the limelight. Dead Until Dark was written a full four years before Twilight and yet Harris has not hit the mainstream, to the best of my knowledge, until recently. I guess the HBO series True Blood, which is based on Harris’ books, can also be attributed to bringing Harris into the limelight, but even that getting green-lighted at HBO can probably be attributed to Meyer’s success.

Perhaps it is the fact that, deep down, this is in fact a bodice ripper meant to fulfill the fantasies of frustrated housewives, but the book did nothing for me. Sookie was annoying, Bill dull, and the conflict—vampire “coming out of the coffin” and all that that implies—was so anticlimactic that I was able to blow right through the book without much resistance. Really, though, it was with the character of Vampire Bill that I had the most problems.

When I was in New Orleans this last April for the annual PCA/ACA conference, I attended one session that was devoted to vampires. I was curious to see what the academic community made of the recent surge in popularity of vampires in the popular culture. What I wasn’t prepared for was the lengths to which people went to bring a scholarly approach to Harris and Meyer, and in all honesty … none of it was convincing. I left in the lull after the second presenter finished and before the third began. That was all I could take.

Most of the talk centered on the idea of the “Bad Boy,” and how popular the “Bad Boy” was in pop culture. In particular the “Bad Boy” as represented by Edward Cullen, Vampire Bill and Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The general consensus was that Edward was not a “Bad Boy” and that Vampire Bill and Spike better represented the allure to women of the untamed rebel. After reading Dead Until Dark, I do not get that argument. Listening to these presenters speak, I was expecting Vampire Bill to be some kind of mix between Spike and Dracula, with a little bit of Robert Downey, Jr. thrown in for good measure. What I did not expect was a vampire who wants to “mainstream,” drink faux-blood, has problems with contractors and runs for public office. Is this the “Bad Boy” image I’ve heard so much about? The only “Bad Boy” aspect of Bill seems to be that he bites Sookie on the neck and sucks her blood in the throes of sex, other than that, he is a pretty bland character, described in only the most generic of terms: dark hair, pale, shining skin, brooding eyes … fangs. Oh, and apparently, sex with a vampire is supposed to be spectacular, and Bill is apparently the Don Juan of vampires.

The fact of his vampirism is secondary to the fact that he is impossibly perfect for Sookie, take it away and he is no different than the myriad of other studs in similar romance novels that sweep the unassuming heroine off her feet and into the bed. The only difference is that Bill cannot show his face during the day, and even then, most of the action in any given romance novel happens at night anyway. (And even then, Harris’ novel is pretty mediocre in the sex department as well … lots of candle-lit hot tubs because, *gasp* Vampire Bill has a thing for warm water. Yawn.)

All this just illustrates the point I made above: Harris is a mediocre writer at best. I had no emotional investment in the characters and when the climax of the action comes midway through—with what I guess is supposed to be a shocking death—I was so uninterested in the characters that I did not care at all, Harris didn’t make me care about the characters, and so I didn’t care for her story, and so I was unmoved by the emotion. There is a subplot—though maybe B-Story is a better term—about someone killing women who get sexually involved with vampires but when the revelation comes it too is so anticlimactic (as I said I guessed, rightly, who was doing it very early on) and so formulaic as to be uninteresting.

Apparently there are nine books in the series with a tenth on the way in October 2009 and an eleventh in May 2010, but I think I will be taking my leave of Sookie and Bill and all the rest of the denizens of Bon Temps, Louisiana, here and not continue on any further. There are just too many better books out there to be wasting my (and your) precious reading time with this series for which I had some high expectations.

My friend over at reading by publight also reviewed Dead Until Dark, and much more charitably than I, I might add, and has gone on to review further installments in the Southern Vampire Mystery series.

Book Look Review "First Family"

2009-08-22T13:31:00.000-07:00

“First Family”

Sean King and Michelle Maxwell team up again in David Baldacci’s latest novel. I reserved it at the library, and only had to wait in line a week before my email message arrived that it was ready and waiting. I love this library service and it has saved me lots of money over the years since I like to read a new hardcover release once in awhile. Amazon has somehow managed to survive without me despite the bad economy. I do purchase books, but I am very choosy about what gets shelf space at my house. Since another book will have to leave, the new book must be deserving of that place. Would “First Family” make the cut?

This book is a good summer read. It’s typical Baldacci with national political intrigue and personal drama. The plot has enough twists and turns to keep you interested all the way along. The main characters are familiar from other books, and the new characters are well sketched. The lovely first lady Jane Cox employs the private investigator team to find her kidnapped niece Willa. The twelve year old has been violently abducted with no apparent motive but Jane tells King and Maxwell she suspects there must be a tie to the presidency. Various branches of government agencies are also hunting for the kidnappers but the first lady has more reason to trust King with his Secret Service background and his past discretion.

The chief villain, Sam Quarry is a sympathetic psychopath descended from a long line of crazy southerners. Quarry has an odd household of characters and a convenient decrepit old plantation available for his base of operations. Baldacci keeps us guessing about Quarry’s motive while giving us insight into his careful plotting and planning. The side story about Michelle Maxwell’s mother’s death and her visit home doesn’t connect with the main plot but it does provide another bit of mystery for the reader and more insight into Michelle’s often odd behavior. It tends to slow the building suspense sometimes and was a bit distracting to me.

Would I buy this book and put it on my shelf? No, but I enjoyed reading it and it was definitely an entertaining novel worth my time if not my money and shelf space. Baldacci continues to be one of my favorite vacation authors, and “First Family” was worth checking out as a new release from the library.

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

2009-08-21T04:33:00.000-07:00

by Michael Pollan

(New York: Penguin Books, 2006)

Trade Paperback, 450 Pages, Nonfiction

ISBN: 9780143038580, US$16.00

From the Cover: Today, buffeted by one food fad after another, America is suffering from what can only be described as a national eating disorder. Will it be fast food tonight, or something organic? Or perhaps something we grew ourselves? The question of what to have for dinner has confronted us since man discovered fire. But as Michael Pollan explains in this revolutionary book, how we answer it now, at the dawn of the twenty-first century, may determine our survival as a species. Packed with profound surprises, The Omnivore’s Dilemma is changing the way Americans think about the politics, perils, and pleasures of eating.

My Review: About a month and a half ago, I received a pretty hefty package from the writing program director at Western Washington University (I’ll be attending the grad school there in the English department and teaching Composition 101 to freshmen while getting my Master’s). Upon opening the package, I was delighted to discover that I had received a copy of Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma which, under the Western Reads program, all incoming freshmen at WWU will receive a copy of, and which I—as a teaching assistant—will be using as a text in Comp 101. I dove in almost immediately, but because of one thing or another I was unable to fully devote my attention to the book (which I needed to finish before Comp Camp begins at WWU on September 14th) until recently. So, with yellow highlighter in hand I jumped in with both feet.

t was slow going, but only because since I’ll be teaching this book, I wanted to make sure I was thorough about it. The writing director sent this in an email sometime after mailing out the books and I used it as a sort of guide for going through the book:

As I get ready for the fall, I find myself thinking more about imagination rooted in reading before the act of writing. If you examine the Introduction to The Omnivore’s Dilemma, you’ll see Michael Pollan framing his book in terms of a genuine intellectual problem: what should we have for dinner? He researches and analyzes an ordinary concern to reveal a complexity that typically remains unnoticed. Pollan thus provides a useful intellectual model for the kinds of complex problems we aim to teach our students to imagine and pursue in English 101. Much of what we do in the teaching of writing addresses how we get ready to write, as well as what to do once we have written. Since academic writing usually begins in learning to “make a reading,” one central task we face as teachers is to help students to reconstruct the rhetorical problems that lead the author to write in the first place.

So it was with this idea that I was reading Omnivore. This is not to say that I didn’t read it for my own edification and to help me make better informed decision about how and what I eat as I strive for better health (physical, mental and spiritual), I did … but the idea of how Pollan goes about making his argument is something that I found fascinating, because as is stated in the book’s introduction and as the director emphasized, Pollan’s book stems from a very simple question: What to have for dinner?

Pollan goes about answering this question in three ways: by tracing the industrial food chain, the organic food chain and the forager’s food chain. He very methodically traces the way food reaches our tables through these three ways and points out the advantages and disadvantages to each path, usually centering on fossil fuel usage, price, environmental impact, ethical considerations (such as animal abuse, health, working conditions, etc.), as well as the relative transparencies of each chain. In this way, Pollan is able to make comparisons between the three food chains and present the Reader with all the information that he or she needs to make their own decisions regarding how and what to eat.

I found the most interesting aspect of the book to be that Pollan does not take sides in the debate. He manages to maintain a modicum of journalistic objectivity when discussing the problems and virtues of each food chain, and in spite of his bias toward one or the other of the three, he avoids pontificating and condemning and simply presents the facts as he saw them in the fields and lets the Reader make the ultimate decision and become responsible for their own food choices. This is not to say that Pollan does not have a somewhat defeatist view of the American food culture (such as it is), he does, in some ways, one might consider The Omnivore’s Dilemma to be a jeremiad of sorts, but the book is not all “doom and gloom and fire and brimstone.” The Omnivore’s Dilemma is not a polemic against industrial/processed food or a soapbox from which Pollan harangues the masses about the virtues of organic, beyond-organic, pastoral eating or even foraging that one so often sees in books of this type. Pollan is ever the journalist at heart and presents the facts and then stands back. It really is a stellar piece of writing looking at it from this angle; Pollan, in my mind, manages to pull off the ultimate academic/journalistic writing trick: to write a first person piece and then manage to remove oneself from the writing. Pollan does it, and it is a beautiful thing. What this rhetorical trick manages to do is make the Reader trust Pollan and lends considerable credibility to Pollan’s arguments.

On a more personal note, I learned a lot not only about how and what we eat in America’s food culture, but about how and what I eat personally. Knowledge is a two-edged sword, and Pollan certainly presents knowledge in spades! It has made me a much more aware consumer. One who takes a lot more time in the supermarket than before reading Pollan’s book. I am now a shopper who reads labels a lot more closely than before (you’d be surprised how much corn is hidden in any given product). I also feel a lot guiltier for going through the drive-thru or into the supermarket, especially the big box stores. This change has been in the works, slowly, for a long time for me, though, and Pollan’s book is just one more theses nailed to the proverbial door in my global consciousness. Slow food, local food, natural food … these are all part of a change that I and my wife have been slowly implementing in our family. Eating more consciously. Avoiding processed foods. Trying to buy products that don’t contain high fructose corn syrup or red 40. Growing a garden and using our own produce. Trying to make dinner rather than just heat it up or pull it out of the bag. We’re not perfect but we’re trying to live more healthily and eat more consciously.

Pollan makes the point in the book again and again that food should not just be something we eat, but something we also think, and that is a philosophy that I am more than willing to embrace. It’s taken nearly ten years to break myself of a lot of bad consumer habits, and I’m not 100% there yet, and I’m not even sure it’s 100% possible just given the pure fact of living in America (buying a book, for example, often is an exercise in subsidizing commodity corn since the glossy book covers are made using commodity corn products), but I am willing to try. I have taken the information that Pollan presents and made some conscious decisions about what to do with that information in my life, and it all involves not just eating food, but thinking food.

Other than the fact that I took my time going through Pollan’s book, in every way is this book satisfying: it is well-written, funny at times, sobering at others, informative, discusses an interesting topic, objective and to “preachy.” In short, The Omnivore’s Dilemma has everything I look for in a nonfiction book, and something that every American needs to read. If it doesn’t make you change the way you eat, then at least it will make you more aware about the consequences of the choices you make in regards to food, no matter which food chain you choose to follow: industrial, organic or forager’s.

This review can also be found at Bryan’s Book Blog.

"Killer Keepsakes" by Jane K. Cleland

2009-08-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

The book I read was called "Killer Keepsakes" and it was written by Jane K. Cleland. It started out slow, but about halfway through it got intense and was hard to put down. I think a person who knows more about antiques would understand it better because there was a lot of talk about antiques.

"Andy Catlett: Early Travels" by Wendell Berry

2009-08-13T09:30:00.000-07:00

It is December of 1943 and Andy Catlett is woken by his father in the middle of the night, or so it seems. Andy, who is nine years old, lives in Hargrave. He is going to visit both sets of grandparents, who live 10 miles away in Port William, during the Christmas holidays. What makes this visit so exciting is that he is going to go on the bus by himself. He feels like it is his first step into manhood.

As Andy visits his grandparents, spending a few days at each home, we are given a glimpse of their lifestyles that contrast greatly with our own. Andy lives in a time when the way of life centers around a "sun-powered" world. There are horses, mule teams, or one travels on foot. It is a time that moves more slowly and allows your eyes to come to rest. It is a time of household economy, home production, and diligent thrift. It is an economy directly founded on the land, on the power of the sun, and on thrift and skill. The people are competent to take care of themselves.

Andy is living in a time where the old ways are in retreat and modern life is coming to the forefront. He shares stories of neighbors and friends and events that give one a taste of life in that time period. It seems to be a time where family, community, and respect for the land are commonplace. It is refreshing to see through Andy's eyes and participate with him in the adventure of being at his grandparents, alone.

Our modern world has much to give us in ease and comfort and speed. We move through life so quickly and miss out on the sense of community that was stronger then. The story speculates that we may be less resourceful than the people living in 1943. I really enjoyed reading about Andy and his way of life. I am grateful to my parents for instilling in me some of the small town life that Andy enjoyed. I highly recommend this book particularly for those that would enjoy a connection with their ancestors and for a glimpse of their lives in a time much different than our own.

"Daughter of the Flames" by Zoe Marriot

2009-08-13T09:27:00.000-07:00

Zahira is the sole survivor of the royal house of Ruan. Her parents and siblings are killed in a fire. Zahira escapes because her nanny gave her life to bring her to the safe haven of religious sanctuary.

Zahira, now known as Zira, grows from child to young woman not knowing her true identity. This knowledge is thrust upon her when th temple is attacked. King Abheron destroys anyone and anything who challenges his authority. Zira learns of her past and begins the quest to free her people from the rule of the unbalanced Abheron.

I enjoyed reading "Daughter of the Flames." I loved Zahira as the heroine. I found her to be a well developed character. The book was full of action as well as romance.

Chalice, by Robin McKinley

2009-08-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

The book "Chalice" was very hard to understand at the beginning, but soon it became clear. It has adventure and romance that packs an awe-inspriring desire to keep reading.

"Finger Lickin' Fifteen" not so finger lickin' good

2009-08-07T16:17:00.000-07:00

Book Look

Debbie Balzotti

“Finger Lickin’ Fifteen” A Stephanie Plum Mystery

The newest Stephanie Plum mystery by Janet Evanovich is a little better than some and a little worse than others in this now very long series. It has a solid place on the best seller lists for summer reading. I read Fifteen up at Lake Geneva in Wisconsin - just down the shore from Margy Layton whose family also has a summer home on this wonderful lake – small world! The lake house book shelves are filled with classic literature. Well, ok that’s a stretch unless you consider novels by Evanovich, Dick Francis, and Clive Cussler to be classics. But on vacation, one must read a little each day to vacate the mind and “Finger Lickin’ Fifteen” was a great little vacuum. My brain was suctioned so vacation vacant that it took until the end to figure out that there was a fifteen in the title because it’s the fifteenth book in the series, not because someone had fifteen fingers.

Stephanie Plum is a feisty half Italian, half Hungarian bail bondsman from New Jersey who bumbles her way to success. In this installment she is solving the murder of the rib sauce king while bringing in her usual criminals who skip their court appearances. When Lulu, the too-large-for spandex secretary witnesses a murder, the fun begins. Somehow she involves Stephanie, despite her apartment being destroyed (again) and wrecking her car (again) and not one but two Porches belonging to Ranger. The killers are actually more bumbling than her crazy team, which is hard to accomplish. Thanks to a hilarious supporting continuing cast which stars Grandma Mazur and Lula they bring in the crooks. Oh, did I spoil the ending for you? Since Ms. Plum always gets her man you shouldn’t be surprised.

There is a strong language caution here and Grandma Mazur is not at all like my grandmother. She is a little too entertained by the neighborhood flasher and tends to make me cringe a little with her conversations and observations. Fifteen is a stand-alone but again would be difficult to read without a couple of previous books in the series to explain the characters and their relationships to each other.

I bet Margy read something way more classic down the lake at Rainbow Point. I bet she actually improved her mind while up at Lake Geneva. I sure hope not, since she’s already way ahead in the well-read race and now I’ll have to read the Iliad, just to catch up with her before next summer.

Ingo

2009-08-05T17:35:00.000-07:00

A deep secret holds fascination for Sapphire and her brother Conor. The Sea, Ingo, the deep, can claim your life--not in death, but in the capture of your heart.

Their father has disappeared, and two of the Mer have appeared. It's going to change their lives forever. Sapphy and Conor have the gift of being able to enter Ingo and live. Why, they don't know exactly, but they do know it's a current they can't resist. It's in their blood--but how?

Helen Dunmore uses masterful storytelling to reel you in to her beautiful blue world. The characters are challenged in ways that make your mind swim with curiosity. There's an old myth, and old woman, and old memories. How will young Sapphy and Conor find where they truly belong?

Ingo won't tell you.

That's why there are The Tide Knot and The Deep.

Darwin Slept Here: Discovery, Adventure, and Swimming Iguanas in Charles Darwin's South America

2009-07-31T13:31:00.000-07:00

by Eric Simons

(Woodstock: The Overlook Press, 2009)

Hardcover, 258 Pages, Nonfiction

ISBN: 9781590202203, US$24.00

“There’s a danger in labeling someone a genius; it makes them inaccessible. Darwin the Genius is beyond the reach of sympathy. But Darwin the person—the one who stood and watched the sunset over this same river, the one who would happily join in with Josh and I in skipping rocks—well, he was a lot like us. He was us. His career-crowning idea of evolution by natural selection is a triumph of human achievement that sprang from the perfectly achievable endeavors of careful observation, meticulous note-taking, and joyous, boundless curiosity” (224).

From the Cover: One snowy day in Ushuaia, Argentina, the self-proclaimed “southernmost city in the world,” writer Eric Simons picked up a copy of Charles Darwin’s The Voyage of the Beagle. Simons had just hiked the mountains overlooking Beagle Channel, and he found himself engrossed in Darwin’s account. Like Simons, Darwin was in his mid-twenties when he traveled to the continent. Simons followed Darwin further into South America—to stand where Darwin had stood and to explore the histories, legends and people that had fascinated him two centuries before. Simons trekked to as many of the locations Darwin wrote about as he could find to see if he could see these places through Darwin’s eyes, and to learn what South Americans know about Darwin. 2009 is a double-anniversary year for Darwin: the 200th anniversary of his birth in February, and the 150th anniversary of publication of The Origin of Species. Darwin Slept Here is an innovative and thrilling new look at a familiar subject from a compelling new writer to watch.

My Review: A week or two ago I was helping my brother move furniture in anticipation of their coming baby. While we were taking a break he threw a book in my lap and said “This book made me feel like a loser.” I raised an eyebrow and my brother continued: “I went to high school with Ricky. We were in journalism together. He’s got a published book on Darwin. I’m in school for the second time.” (We’ll leave off the fact that it made me feel like even more of a loser, since I have finally gotten my Bachelor’s degree after fourteen years of higher education.) I asked my brother if I could borrow it, since I was near finishing the book I was reading at the time, and as soon as my plate was cleared, I dug into Darwin Slept Here.

Now, after having finished this book, I come away from it with mixed feelings: I have a new respect and admiration for Darwin the man (not that I ever didn’t respect him, but he was always a “distant” historical and literary figure) but I’m not sure what to think of the author. It’s hard to separate the two of these ideas, since for Simons Darwin is—for whatever reason—inextricably linked in his (Simon’s) mind with himself, but I will do my best to separate the “idea” of the book and the “execution” of the book.

After my brother tossed the book into my lap, I flipped open to the introduction (enticingly titled “Introduction: The World’s Most Famous Iguana Hurler”) and read the following:

Evolution had done the thing right. The marine iguana of the Galapagos Islands swam well. Dined well. Lounged well. It basked in the sun, it munched seaweed, it strutted out for an occasional constitution-improving swim, all until one cloudless, sweltering September afternoon in 1835, when a young man stepped ashore and ruined everything.

Charles Darwin had not yet conceived of the theory of evolution by natural selection. Five months shy of his twenty-seventh birthday, tall and thin and already distinctively heavy-browed, he had not yet acquired a reputation as a scientist, had not yet published a celebrated travelogue about South America (or an influential treatise on tropical corals), and had not yet had a species of ostrich named after him. His visit to the Galapagos came at the tail end of a five-year trip around the world, and it did not act on him as one of those Sistine-Chapel-ceiling, hand-meets-hand kind of moments. But Darwin was in the midst of a travel-induced transformation, combining his childhood love of exploration and biology with an increasingly sophisticated ability to catalogue nature. When he published The Origin of Species twenty-four years later, it was notable for the meticulous observational detail Darwin used to support his theory. For someone who delighted in scientific inquiry, the reptilian megafauna swarming the Galapagos was a scaly, ugly, crawling—and terrific—learning opportunity.

Darwin spent one day studying tortoises, chasing them, riding them, and upending them to see if they could right themselves. He spent another day with the marine iguanas, and it was not a good day to be a member of the lizard kingdom. He cut up the iguanas to see what they were eating (seaweed), and in his journal, he disparaged their color (“dirty black”), their disposition (“stupid and sluggish”), and their looks (“hideous”). He and a co-conspirator tied one animal to a rock and dropped it off their boat, the Beagle, to see what would happen (“when, an hour afterwards, he drew up the line it was quite active”). He also noticed that some of the iguanas seemed to like the water, and he wondered: How well did they swim?

On the morning that Darwin chose to answer this question, it became evident that in one way, at least, evolution had failed the iguana: It had given it no recourse at all for dealing with thrill-seeking British naturalists. Darwin strode across the craggy rocks toward a napping “imp of darkness,” cornered it, snatched it by the tail, and hurled it into a pool left by the receding tide. The iguana, no doubt wondering what had gone wrong on a day that had started so pleasantly, swam straight back to its sunning rock.

Charles Darwin was a scientist at heart, and a good scientist always repeats his experiment. As the aggrieved beast climbed dripping from the pool, Darwin jumped forward again, clasped the iguana firmly in hand, and drew back. And then, in the name of science, discovery, and swimming iguanas, he hurled it into the sea. (11-13)

You can probably see why I was intrigued. The rest of the book plays out in much the same vein: with Darwin iguana hurling, discovering of a new species of ostrich through eating the poor creature, señorita-watching in Buenos Aires, travelling gaucho-style in the Argentinean pampas, experiencing the Concepción Earthquake of 1835, touring the gold mines of Chile and, in one of the more surreal moments, Simons attends a performance of what can only be described as a Monty Python-esque musical (appropriately titled “The Adventure of the Beagle”—El espectáculo del fin del mundo) in Tierra del Fuego which chronicles the Beagle’s expedition, as well the return of three native Fuegians (oddly named by the English who had traded for them, and this is true, York Minister, James Button and Fuegia Basket (there was a fourth who died shortly after arrival in England who had been saddled with the name Boat Memory)) to their home.

Aside from the iguana hurling, I found the story of Simons’ time in Tierra del Fuego and his attendance at El espectáculo del fin del mundo to be the most amusing portion of his travelogue. The musical, as Simons describes it, is nothing short of ridiculous (in a good sense) and, as I mentioned above, sounds like a Monty Python version of events. For example, here are some of the lyrics to the songs, as Simons provides. The sailors on the Beagle sing by way of prologue: “We’ll fight the roaring seas / We shall face no defeat / All across the Seven Seas / The Beagle will succeed” and later on, Darwin sings “There’s no way to go on / And there’s no turning back / Nowhere to run / Nowhere to hide / I’m torn inside” (136-137). Oh, and did I mention that Simons reports that there is “a twenty-foot-tall dancing sloth fossil that sang to Darwin that ‘you can try to deny what your eyes meet … but think you fool, don’t be a mule … I am as real as these bones’” (137)? Well, there is. (Also, according to Simons there is a strange homoerotic overtone between the actor playing the Beagle’s captain and one of the native Fuegians, which—to both Simons and me—seems an oddly placed interpretation.) It would almost be worth travelling to Tierra del Fuego just to see El espectáculo del fin del mundo!

Simons’ enthusiasm for his subject cannot be denied. He drags often reluctant friends across the South American continent in search of historical sites that Darwin visited during his time on the Beagle, accosting locals, travel bureaus, museum proprietors and once strolling right up to the gates of the largest gold mine in Chile and asking—unannounced and without any sort of introduction or recommendation—if he and his friend can look around, since that is what Darwin did: visited mines in Chile. He badgers locals about Darwin, most of whom could care less about the naturalist and often didn’t even know that Darwin had even visited their sleepy little corner of the world in the Nineteenth-Century. It is here that I found the distinction between Simons’ “idea” or “subject” and Simons’ “execution” to wear a little thin.

Simons repeatedly comes across as taking the stance that Darwin is immutable, infallible and utterly correct and that anyone who does not believe in Darwin’s Theory of Evolution (especially those who believe in the Biblical account of Creation) are backwards bumpkins who are living in the Dark Ages (not his words, but certainly his sentiment). As someone who does believe in a Creator, but also believes that evolution, natural selection and a Creator are not mutually exclusive ideas Simons stance comes off as condescending at best and antagonistic and belligerent at worst. Simons states that he has no use for evangelism at all and when he does meet up with missionaries at one point (on a penguin viewing boat tour in Port Desire, Argentina) he spends his time avoiding them, rather than engaging with them about Darwin and his interests (I know that this probably would have worked since the missionaries in question were from my own Church and are—for the most part—open to discussion as we believe, as I stated above that evolution, natural selection and a Creator are not mutually exclusive ideas.)

All too often, however, Simons’ fanatic devotion to Darwin plays out in a way that seems quasi-religious in its own, rather ironic, way, and this gets in the way of Simons’ ultimate point that The Origin of Species overshadows The Voyage of the Beagle; that Darwin is too often seen as the white-bearded evolutionist that his later work in life presented him as, and we almost always overlook the fact that Darwin’s voyage on the Beagle was that of an enthusiastic and curious twenty-something who liked to throw iguanas into the sea, ride with gauchos and crawl over every mountain and hill he could get his hands on (as well as ogle the señoritas in Buenos Aires). Darwin was a man of science, yes, but he was also a human being who loved life, was curious about the world around him and had an insatiable desire to learn.

This is the Darwin that we all need to get to know and love, and in spite of the shortcomings and/or biases of Simons as an author, the book, overall, manages to present a wonderful picture the formative experiences of a young man cut loose in South America to learn and explore and who goes on to change the face of science as we know it, as well as the devotion and obsession of another young man, nearly a century-and-a-half later who goes in search of his idol across the vast backdrop of South America. It is a good read, maybe even a great read, and one I would recommend—with some reservations, as mentioned above—and a great book to read in this year that is the bicentennial celebration of Darwin’s birth as well as sesquicentennial celebration of the publication of The Origin of Species. (The website for Darwin Slept Here can be found HERE.)

This review can also be found at Bryan’s Book Blog.

The Warrior Heir Series by Cinda Williams Chima

2009-07-30T15:18:00.000-07:00

From www.cindachima.com:

The Warrior Heir

One March day, Jack Swift, a high school student in a small college town, forgets to take the medicine he’s taken daily since he was an infant. There ensues a cascade of events that puts him in mortal danger.

Jack discovers he carries a secret within him that has made him a target of the ruthless wizards of the Red and White Rose. Jack is a Warrior Heir, the last of a dying breed, sought after by the Roses to fight in the tournaments that are used to allocate power among the Wizard Houses. Unknown to him, Jack has lived all his life surrounded by members of the Magical Guilds: wizards, enchanters, soothsayers, and sorcerers. They are determined to save him from the Roses.

With the aid of his aunt, a beautiful enchanter, Jack desperately tries to acquire the skills that might save his life. Jack and his friends, Will and Fitch, unearth a magical sword from a cemetery and fight off the wizards who would take it from them. Jack begins training with the dark and dangerous Leander Hastings, a wizard with a mysterious past.

Meanwhile, Jack is torn between his attraction to Ellen Stephenson, a new student at Trinity High School, and Leesha Middleton, his former girlfriend, who decides she wants him back.

Discovered and besieged by treachery at home, he flees to the Lake District of England. There he is confronted by the greatest challenge of all.

The Wizard Heir

Sixteen year old wizard Seph McCauley has spent the past 3 years bouncing from one exclusive private school to another. Orphaned as a baby, Seph was raised by Genevieve LeClerc, the sorcerer owner of a Toronto bed and breakfast. LeClerc tried to protect Seph from the treacherous world of wizardry by keeping him away from others of his kind.

But now LeClerc is dead, leaving Seph on his own and without the training he needs to control his growing power. He prowls the illegal clubs of Toronto’s warehouse district, plagued by magical accidents that are increasing in frequency and severity. Worse, he’s beginning to realize that the stories he’s been told about his parents’ life and death are fabrications—that the people he most trusted have been lying to him.

After causing a tragic fire at an after-hours party, Seph is sent to the Havens, a secluded boys’ school on the coast of Maine. At first, it seems like the answer to his prayers. Gregory Leicester, the headmaster, promises to train Seph in magic and enroll him in the mysterious order of wizards known as the Alumni. But the dream quickly turns into a nightmare as Seph learns there is a price to be paid for knowledge.

Everyone around him is keeping secrets: Jason Haley, a fellow student who’s been told to stay away from Seph; the enchanter Linda Downey, who knew his parents; the rogue wizard Leander Hastings, and the warriors Jack Swift and Ellen Stephenson. Seph finds himself at the center of a war that he may not survive.

The Dragon Heir

For centuries, wizards have avoided making war on each other for fear of waking the legendary dragon that sleeps at Raven’s Ghyll. But it is a new age. The patriarch Nicodemus Snowbeard is rapidly failing. The Wizard Houses of the Red and White Rose have united against Claude D’Orsay, Master of Games and keeper of the Dragonhold. D’Orsay and his sadistic son Devereaux seem poised to seize control of all of the magical guilds. But everything changes during a raid on the Ghyll, when the magical stone called the Dragonheart is stolen. It is rumored to be both a deadly weapon and the source of power for all the magical guilds.

In Britain and in Trinity, Jason Haley battles his own demons as he seeks revenge against those who murdered his father. Seph McCauley assumes more and more responsibility as he struggles to keep the Roses at bay. The warriors Jack Swift and Ellen Stephenson train for a battle that they hope never comes, while their Anaweir friends Will and Fitch contribute their technical knowledge to the defense of the Sanctuary.

Over Seph’s objections, the moody and mysterious Madison Moss has gone home to the hills she loves and hates. She sees in the coming battle the destruction of everything she cares about. But it is becoming increasingly clear that Madison may hold the key to the survival of the Sanctuary at Trinity, if the Weirguilds can win her support before she’s found and taken by the other side.

Our Review: The Warrior Heir Series:

"I read all day; eating was a burden, I had no desire for food; sleep was a burden when the night came, for I preferred reading to sleep." (G.B.H.) A series that is similar to both the Harry Potter series and the Fablehaven series, yet also comparable to Lord of the Rings. Tom Clancy couldn't have done better!! Cinda Williams Chima creates a series that holds its own. It is intriguing for both the male and female gender and suitable for young teens and older. Once you start reading these, you'll be addicted and become a lazy couch potato. At the end, however, you'll go into your dad's workshop, fashion a sword and armor and attempt to relieve the vivid fantasy in your backyard. For our young single female readers, your heart will become entwined in the story as you wish you can have this kind of fantasy become a reality. Each book holds a new twist that you do not expect that satisfies, unknowingly, your reader's curiosity. So this is what you need to do when all is said and done, come to the library and check them out! If you don't want to wait long to read a good series, than it is definitely worth purchasing for your home library!! Enjoy!

2009-07-30T11:01:00.001-07:00

North and SouthBy Elizabeth Gaskell

This novel, written by Elizabeth Gaskell, deals with the Hale family, in particular, the daughter, Margaret. The Hales have moved from the southern part of England, from their longtime home at Helstone to Milton, a northern industrial city. The northern ways are very different for the Hale family. They are used the slower, more gentile lifestyle of their beloved Helstone, and Milton and it's focus on trade and industry are prove bewildering and at times overpowering. The town is separated into two groups, the masters who owe the cotton mills and the poor laborers. Margaret Hale finds herself between both groups when her family is befriended by a mill owner, John Thornton. and she befriends the family of Nicholas Higgins, a laborer and union leader. The plight of both groups is examined as the city heads into unrest with a strike.
This story deals with many topics. It examines familiar topics of pride and prejudice, and love and romance. It also deals with groups of people learning to communicate and compromise. The romantic relationship between Margaret and John Thornton is tried and tested through out the novel. In the end, Margaret has changed and compromised and realized that she has come to love the North, while realizing that her perceptions of the South have also changed.
The discussions of business, economy and politics seem relevent even in our modern day world, since Elizabeth Gaskell wrote "North and South" in 1855.
Sarah Ferrin

2009-07-30T11:00:00.001-07:00

I read FOUND by Margaret Peterson Haddix
FOUND is the first book in the Missing Series.
Jonah and Chip never hung around together until they learn they have something in common, being adopted. When they receive mysterious letters and their parents do not have a lot of information about where they came from. Jonah and Chip go looking for answers by themselves. What they find makes wonder if they should wish they could return to being normal thirteen-year-old boys playing basketball in the driveway.
I have read many science fiction/fantasy/mystery books. Lot of the books I have read you can guess what is going to happen. With FOUND that is not the case.FOUND is an exciting book to read Margaret Haddix keeps you in suspense. Just when you think you have it figured out she takes you by surprise. I am excited to see what mystery She has next for us.The second book in the Missing Series is SENT it should come this fall Aug/Sept.
Annie

2009-07-29T15:11:00.001-07:00

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, the first book in the series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is a fun and educational journey for most of the family. Although it is classified as a young adult novel, my husband and I (in our 30s) as well as our seven year old son thoroughly enjoyed it. This story tells of our young hero, Percy Jackson, who has ADHD and dyslexia and has never lasted more than one year at any school. He soon comes to find out that this is because his father is one of the Greek gods, who are still alive and well and producing half-blood children. If I were to tell much more, it would spoil the plot. I encourage you to read this humorous and exciting tale of friendship and learning to believe in oneself. There is some violence (mostly fighting monsters) but none of it was graphic; I would consider it a PG rating. I also enjoyed teaching my son about Greek mythology as we encountered different gods and monsters throughout the book. Submitted by Julia Beckham

2009-07-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

Cross my Heart and Hope to Spy – Ally Carter

This young adult novel by Ally Carter is a delightful, fun read. Cammie Morgan attends a school that on the outside seems like a 200 year old mansion. Inside, however, is a maze of twists, turns and rooms that unveils as a school to train future spies. Classes aren’t just geography and world cultures, but also classes in Covert Operations with surprise “pop quizzes.” While she has been attending this school for a while, her life is turned upside-down when this all-girls school suddenly has the unthinkable happen. Fifteen boys are invited to attend the school. Suddenly, Cammie has to figure out how to maintain her spy appearance with boys who may be better spies than she is. This is the second book in the series and continues to follow the same sort of twists and turns as the first book, I’d Tell You I Love You, But then I’d Have to Kill You.
-- Eric Ferrin

The Woods by Harlan Coben

2009-07-28T17:44:00.000-07:00

"Twenty years ago, four teenagers at summer camp walked into the woods at night. Two were found murdered, and the others were never seen again. Four families had their lives changed forever. Now, two decades later, they are about to change again."

Summertime is mystery time for me. One of life's greatest pleasures for me is sitting on my porch with an intriguing, fast-paced mystery while watching my kids play all day long. Harlan Coben's The Woods fits the bill perfectly. This novel explores the relationship between the past and present and how our actions can have an explosive impact on our future. It also delves into the complex relationships between family members and how the secrets that are kept to guard one another against pain can bring about even more pain.

Harlan Coben is one of my favorite authors for summertime reading when I need a book that doesn't necessarily require too much thought, effort, or emotion on my part. His novels are entertaining, if somewhat formulaic, and are perfect for a fun, fast read.

2009-07-28T16:17:00.000-07:00

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
review by Dona Gay

Brilliant! Death is the narrator and a major player in this book about World War II. Zusak does an amazing job of exposing his characters one layer at a time. He circles around his plot and characters, drawing the reader in closer and closer. He forges relationships for the reader with all of the characters, even very minor ones. The main character is Liesel. She is a young German girl who is sent to live with foster parents when her mother can no longer care for her. The narrator relates some of her experiences as she grows up during the war. He also allows us to see snatches of other people's lives. It is a work of art.
There is a lot of swearing in the book that would have typically put me off but it fits here in the midst of a war and a world gone mad. I loved this book. I used to buy books willy nilly but now I seldom buy them. This, however, is a book I want on my shelf. I want my children to read it. I want my siblings to read it. I want my friends to read it. I am thinking of stealing it in honor of the book thief. Do you know any reclusive mayor's wives with grand libraries that would be okay with me stealing this book? (That wasn't a spoiler it was a tease to get you to want to read this book.)Oh, by the way, there is more than one book thief. See if you can figure out who the other one is.(less)

The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch

2009-07-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

Joseph Delaney's "The Last Apprentice" series is an import from England, and it is clear why it is gaining international recognition. Book One, The Revenge of the Witch, has instant appeal for the young adult audience it was written for, not to mention the slightly older age classification I belong to. It is easy to read in terms of pacing and flow. It quickly gets the reader to the excitement and horror of the book. Based on an old "spook" teaching a young seventh son of a seventh son to "protect ordinary folk from ghouls, boggarts, and all manner of wicked beasties" The Revenge of the Witch has its fair share of the occult. While based on age-old horrors, it never-the-less has a fresh twist and keeps the reader guessing. As an anti-hero book, it does a good job helping the younger reader define for his or her self what is really good and what is really bad. I would recommend this for any reader that is no longer afraid of the dark.

The Crimson Thread

2009-07-20T18:54:00.001-07:00

The "Once Upon a Time" collection is a perfectly delightful way to rediscover the old Grimm, Andersen, and Perrault tales. I must confess that Rumpelstiltskin has to be among my least favorite. However, I had read a number of the others in the collection and I do enjoy sewing, so I was still excited to read this book.

I had every reason to be intrigued. The Crimson Thread is a fascinating re-imagining of the old story. For the author to set the story during Irish immigration at the end of the nineteenth century is a brave beginning. In a world where there only seems to be harsh reality, there is a sense still of the mystical. One hardly expects to find magic in a New York City tenement, and textile factories are hardly palaces of tyrant kings. But heroines are similar the world over--they're mostly ordinary people coping with extraordinary situations. It makes sense that in America there is more to a poor person on the street than meets the eye. And that is the essence of the story of Rumpelstiltskin, only this version has a great deal more warp and weave to it.

All the stories in this collection can be found under the call number YA Once.

2009-07-16T09:27:00.003-07:00

When I was looking for a fast, thought provoking read, I came across this book on the New Book display. It looked interesting and so I picked it up. I leisurely started to read it, and found that I could not put it down. It made me think about freedom and what we give when we love someone. It also helped me to look into how easy it is to misunderstand people. The book is refreshing and enchanting. It is a book that grips you because you can identify with this young faery's dilemas and curiosity. I would definitely recommend this book.

2009-07-16T09:27:00.001-07:00

The Graveyard by Neil Gaiman From Inside the Cover: Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy --- an ancient Indigo Man beneath the hill, a gateway to a desert leading to an abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack --- who has already killed Bod's family.... My Review: I read this book because it is a Newbery Award-Winning Book and because of it's intriguing storyline about a boy who grows up in a graveyard. It's a story unlike any other where the dead raise the living and protect him from the outside world. The main character Bod learns skills that no normal boy would learning including Fading, Dreamwalking, Haunting and Fear. He learns history from the dead and eventually longs to leave the graveyard and have some contact with the outside world. His ventures outside of the graveyard get him into trouble and cause him to use his skills from the graveyard. While he very clearly does not fit in the world because of his experiences, he must learn of the world so that he can one day be apart of it, but not until after he overcomes the threat to his life. This is an oddly intriguing story. Neil Gaiman has a way of pulling you into the story, making you wonder where he could possibly take Bod next. The illustrations that are only found at the beginning and/or end of the chapters are haunting and curious. There is plenty of mystery surrounding the events and characters to make you wonder and keep reading in order to find answers. It's an enjoyable read, with a pace that keeps your attention. I recommend this book to those who are looking for something a little different. It's a short read, being only eight chapters long, that expands your imagination outside the norm. It takes a strange but entertaining look at the basic storyline of "The Jungle Book" where a boy is raised by a group that is not his own people, but instead of animals, it's the dead.

2009-07-16T09:26:00.001-07:00

I am not a horror reader, but at BYU's science fiction symposium, I heard Dan Wells read from his new book, I Am Not a Serial Killer. The main character charmed me in disturbing ways: John Wayne Cleaver is a 15-year-old mortician, and a diagnosed sociopath...but he's trying very hard NOT to become a serial killer. It's kind of the ultimate application of all those rules about YA fiction: main character has to be a teenager, has to be relatable, has to be somehow different, all at the same time. In the part Dan read, John's getting bullied at the school dance. Relatable, right? He scares the bullies away by describing just how indifferent he feels to them as living human beings, and just how interesting he thinks it would be to take them apart and see what they look like inside. But he also manages to creep out the cute girl who almost asked him to dance. See? Charming. Creepy. Disturbing.
Then a real, live serial killer comes to the kid's town, and it's up to John to outwit the killer while holding onto his own sanity.
You don't want to give this book to your precocious preteen reader. My kids—even the full-on teenager—were intrigued by the title while seeming to know they needed to leave this one alone. But even if you don't usually like to read about murder, guts, autopsies, and seriously disturbed individuals, you might be disturbed to find that you really enjoy this book.

This review is also at Lee Ann Setzer's blog, Look Under Things:lookunderthings.blogspot.com

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

2009-07-10T13:45:00.000-07:00

by Judi Barrett

illustrated by Ron Barrett

(New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1978)

Hardcover, 32 Pages, Children’s

ISBN: 9780689306471, US$16.95

From the Cover: The tiny town of Chewandswallow was very much like any other tiny town except for its weather which came three times a day, at breakfast lunch and dinner. But it never rained rain and it never snowed snow and it never blew just wind. It rained things like soup and juice. It snowed things like mashed potatoes. And sometimes the wind blew in storms of hamburgers. Life for the townspeople was delicious until the weather took a turn for the worse. The food got larger and larger and so did the portions. Chewandswallow was plagued by damaging floods and storms of huge food. The town was a mess and the people feared for their lives. Something had to be done, and in a hurry.

My Review: This “Blast from the Past” came to my attention again when, a couple of weeks ago, I saw the trailer for the animated film adaptation online. After remembering Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, the next time we went to the library, I made sure to check it out so I could read it to my son and daughter.

My son loved it. My daughter … well, she’s one, so it’ll take some time for her to appreciate it. But, as I said, my son loved it. He liked the drawings and the wacky idea that hamburgers and juice and spaghetti fall from the sky. (He’s sitting next to me looking at it and laughing and calling it “silly” as I type this review. SCORE!) For my part, this is a book that is filled with nostalgia. I remember this book from my childhood, and I loved the whimsical premise, and, like my son, I thoroughly enjoyed Ron Barrett’s great illustrations. They are absolutely marvelous, and looking at them from the perspective of nearly three decades, they almost seem to have a MAD Magazine-like quality to them.

They are also quite memorable. The drawings of the giant pancake on the school, the pea soup fog, the roofless restaurant, or the lady with the stroller running from a giant donut—to name just a few—are images that have stayed with me since my childhood, and I am thrilled to be able to share it with my children.

As for the film adaptation, I am torn. Independent of the book, it looks like a lot of fun (and the fact that it stars Anna Farris, Bruce Campbell, Bill Hader and Mr. T is a big plus). However, taken together with the book, it looks like a disappointment on two levels: (1) it explains why Chewandswallow has the weather it does. That was part of the original charm of the book, that it was unexplained and just taken as fact. And (2) the makers have departed from Barrett’s illustrative style creating a more cartoony look for the film, which is just the biggest disappointment I could think of.

So, in my opinion, skip taking your kids to the film, and read them the book instead. They’ll thank you for it, I promise.

The Road

2009-07-10T00:52:00.000-07:00

by Cormac McCarthy

(New York: Vintage Books, 2006)

Trade Paperback, 287 Pages, Fiction

ISBN: 9780307387899, US$14.95

From the Cover: A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don’t know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other. The Road is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, “each the other’s world entire,” are sustained by love. Awesome in the totality of its vision, it is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation.

My Review: I have had this book on my shelf for three years now and each and every month for those three years I took this book off of the shelf and said “This month, I’m going to read The Road” and each time I put it back on the shelf and said “Not yet. I’m not ready to read this.” Let me explain: this book came out shortly before my son was born, and I got it after he was born, and as a new father, I just couldn’t bring myself to read a book in which, as the back of the book says: “A father and his son walk alone through burned America.” It cut just a little too close to the bone, so to speak.

That all changed when, within the course of twenty-four hours both my brother (a recent father himself) and my father told me I needed to read it. I expressed my reservations about the subject matter of the book, and they both said that I needed to read it in spite of those concerns. So, when I finished The Ayatollah Begs to Differ I finally picked up The Road and dug right in. Forty-eight hours later I was done with the book.

I will say this … it was a very raw and emotional forty-eight hours. It was a forty-eight hours in which I hugged my son more, and in which I was depleted emotionally and physically. Cormac McCarthy’s book is, as I have said, a very raw read, and one which was both very hard to get through and which I simply could not put it down. McCarthy’s prose is extremely sparse—reminiscent of that of Ernest Hemingway in fact—and holds back no punches. His decision to eschew quotation marks and apostrophes (turning can’t and won’t, for example, into cant and wont) are decisions that I usually detest, however, in McCarthy’s hands, it only added to the overall atmosphere of total breakdown and the loss of control that the book exudes.

That feeling, of what one father does in the face of the collapse of not only society but of the natural world took so much out of me in the reading of it. No names are ever given in the book, the characters are only ever “The Man” and “The Boy,” or “Son” and “Papa” or any such permutations of those pronouns, and this invites, demands even, that the Reader, especially a father such as myself places himself and his son into the book, my and my son’s faces on McCarthy’s characters, our voices in their mouths. The emotional connection that this creates with the characters in the book is a connection that is very very visceral.

When the man says to his son “My job is to take care of you. I was appointed to do that by God. I will kill anyone who touches you. Do you understand?” (77), I found myself making the same mental promise to my son. Every success and failure that the man and the boy experienced is a success and a failure that I experienced vicariously. By the time I had, in the moment, reached the end of the book, I was so emotionally drained by the 287-page trek that I had taken through McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic landscape, I didn’t really care that the ending seemed contrived or “too easy an out,” a deus ex machina as it were.

Even looking back on the book, I can forgive McCarthy (a father himself, who was inspired to write The Road while travelling with his son) the story’s end because of the rest of the book. The devastatingly real characters, the truly hellacious situation into which the man and the boy are thrown, the completely accurate and heartbreaking depiction of a desperate father, all of these aspects of The Road not only allow me to forgive McCarthy’s ending but also embrace the ending as in a book about hope that has very little hope, the ending makes me, as a father, feel much better about myself in the role of “the man” and my son in the role of “the boy.”

I know I have used the words “raw” and “emotional” a lot in this review, but those are the best words to describe The Road which is, without a doubt, one of the best—and most difficult—books I have read to date.

For another review, check out reading by pub light.

There will be a film adaptation of McCarthy’s book released this coming October (October 16th, to be exact), directed by Joe Hillcoat, and starring Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, and Robert Duvall.

The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science: 64 Daring Experiments for Young Scientists

2009-07-09T23:09:00.000-07:00

by Sean Connolly

(New York: Workman Publishing Company, Inc., 2008)

Hardcover, 208 Pages, Nonfiction

ISBN: 9780761150206, US$12.95

STAND BACK! GENIUS AT WORK!

ENCASE your little brother in a giant soap bubble.

DROP Mentos into a bottle of diet soda, and stand back as a geyser erupts.

LAUNCH a rocket made from a film canister.

From the Cover: Here are 64 amazing experiments that snap, crackle, pop, ooze, crash, boom, and stink. Giant air cannons. Home-made lightning. Marshmallows on steroids. Matchbox microphones. There’s even an introduction to alchemy. (Not sure what that is? Think “medieval wizard.”) None of these experiments require special training, and all use stuff found in the kitchen or garden shed. You’d be irresponsible not to try them.

ATTENTION, PARENTS: Yes, your kids may need your help with a few experiments. And yes, sometimes it may get a tad messy. But it’s not pure mayhem. The balloon rocket whizzing through the garden? It demonstrates Newton’s Third Law of Motion. That chunk of potato launched across the kitchen from a tube? Welcome to Boyle’s Law. EVERY EXPERIMENT DEMONSTRATES REAL SCIENCE, at its most memorable.

My Review: The word “FUN” doesn’t begin to describe this book, but perhaps I should give a little background. I apologize in advance to those who know me in real life, as this may be repetitive. As parents, my wife and I have made certain decisions regarding the type of parents that we want to be. These decisions are ones that most people would describe as “crunchy” and include not vaccinating our children, not circumcising our son, extended breastfeeding, cloth diapering, co-sleeping, and homeschooling through such methods as Montessori, Waldorf and Unschooling.

Under unschooling, we follow our son’s lead. If, as we did recently, he shows an interest in crocodiles, then we get crocodile books and videos from the library and read through them and learn all about crocodiles. We do science experiments at home and that’s where Connolly’s book comes into the picture.

The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science is a book that is perfect for this kind of education. Connolly’s experiments are fun and exciting, easy to follow and even better, each one comes with a “Scientific Excuse” (as Connolly terms it) that links each experiment to the scientific principle that allows it to occur, making each one of these experiments the perfect learning opportunity.

Whether it is something as “old school” as dropping Mentos into diet cola or as exotic as making a self-propelled Viking funeral boat or causing a CFL bulb to light up using only a balloon and a head of hair, Connolly has put together a wonderful collection of fun and exciting scientific experiments for the homeschooler and backyard mad scientist alike, and I know that we will definitely be including Connolly’s experiments and explanations into our son and daughter’s homeschooling curriculum.

The Composer is Dead

2009-06-27T11:42:00.000-07:00

by Lemony Snicket

illustrated by Carson Ellis

read by The Author

with music composed by Nathaniel Stookey

(New York: HarperCollins, 2009)
Hardcover, 36 Pages, Children’s Fiction

MP3 Audiobook, 56.5 MB, 30 Minutes, Fiction

ISBN: 9780061236273, US$17.99

The composer is dead. “Composer” is a word which here means “a person who sits in a room, muttering and humming and figuring out what notes the orchestra is going to play.” This is called composing. But last night, the Composer was not muttering. He was not humming. He was not moving, or even breathing.

This is called decomposing.

From the Cover: There’s dreadful news from the symphony hall—the composer is dead! If you have ever heard an orchestra play, then you know that musicians are most certainly guilty of something. Where exactly were the violins on the night in question? Did anyone see the harp? Is the trumpet protesting a bit too boisterously? In this perplexing murder mystery, everyone seems to have a motive, everyone has an alibi, and nearly everyone is a musical instrument. But the composer is still dead. Perhaps you can solve the crime yourself. Join the Inspector as he interrogates all the unusual suspects. Then listen to the accompanying audio recording featuring Lemony Snicket and the music of Nathaniel Stookey performed by the San Francisco Symphony. Hear for yourself exactly what took place on that fateful, well-orchestrated evening.

My Review: I have to admit that I love Lemony Snicket. The man’s writing is simply wonderful, I loved A Series of Unfortunate Events (in spite of my misgivings about the final book in the series) and The Composer is Dead is no exception to that love of Snicket’s writing.

This is a delightful book that walks the Reader through the orchestra pit—on the premise that the composer is dead, and the Inspector is investigating that death and questioning all of the orchestra’s various sections. Along the way to the conclusion (this is C.S.I.: Orchestra Pit or maybe Law & Order: Orchestral Investigation) the Reader (ideally parent and child together) learn all about the various jobs of the instruments in the orchestra, what they do and how they sound. It’s learning, but it’s fun!

Even better, the book comes with a CD which includes a reading of The Composer is Dead by Lemony Snicket himself accompanied by the Nathaniel Stookey and the San Francisco Symphony. Usually, a reading by Lemony Snicket (a.k.a. Daniel Handler) is something dreadful, a word which here means that Daniel Handler is a poor performer and his readings sound overly scripted and stilted and are not pleasurable to listen to in the least. However, Handler has obviously been working on his reading out loud skills as his performance of The Composer is Dead is top notch and quite enjoyable (or perhaps it is the fact that he is not following in the footsteps of Tim Curry as he was in the A Series of Unfortunate Events).

In fact, my only complaint about the book is that Brett Helquist, the illustrator for A Series of Unfortunate Events, did not illustrate this book, because while Carson Ellis’ illustrations are nice, they lack the whimsy and sheer beauty of Helquist’s for the exploits of the Baudelaire orphans.

All-in-all I have to highly recommend this book to any and all comers. This is a very fun book to read through, especially with the youngsters in your life, and would make a wonderful bedtime story. Or, bring the book and CD along with you in the car during a trip and enjoy a wonderful half hour together with a great book and some wonderful music.

This review also available at Bryan's Book Blog

Shakespeare's Kitchen: Renaissance Recipes for the Contemporary Cook

2009-06-27T11:38:00.000-07:00

by Francine Segan

(New York: Random House, 2003)

Hardcover, 272 Pages, Cookbook

ISBN: 9780375509179, US$35.00

“Now, good digestion wait on appetite, And health on both!”

(Macbeth, III, iv, 39-40)

From the Cover: Francine Segan introduces contemporary cooks to the foods of William Shakespeare’s world with recipes updated from classic Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century cookbooks. Her easy-to-prepare adaptations shatter the myth that the Bard’s primary fare was boiled mutton. In fact, Shakespeare and his contemporaries dined on salads of fresh herbs and vegetables; fish, fowl, and meats of all kinds; and delicate broths. Dried Plums with Wine and Ginger-Zest Crostini, Winter Salad with Raisin and Caper Vinaigrette, and Lobster with Pistachio Stuffing and Seville Orange Butter are just a few of the delicious, aromatic, and gorgeous dishes that will surprise and delight. Segan’s delicate and careful renditions of these recipes have been thoroughly tested to ensure no-fail, standout results. The tantalizing Renaissance recipes in Shakespeare’s Kitchen are enhanced with food-related quotes from the Bard, delightful morsels of culinary history, interesting facts on the customs and social etiquette of Shakespeare’s time, and the texts of the original recipes, complete with antiquated spellings and eccentric directions. Fifty color images by award-winning food photographer Tim Turner span the centuries with both old-world and contemporary treatments. Patrick O’Connell provides an enticing Foreword to this edible history from which food lovers and Shakespeare enthusiasts alike will derive nourishment. Want something new for dinner? Try something four hundred years old.

My Review: Two aspects of my personality have converged to make this book an inevitability for me: (1) I am a Shakespeare nerd and (2) I am a foodie. So, when I saw it on the shelf at my local library as I was browsing cookbooks, I had to pick it up.

This is a simply marvelous book. I sat down and read through it one night as the kids were going to sleep and I could not put it down. I kept waking my wife up to read her various recipes. She may have been put out with me, but she was also interested, tired as she was, because I spite of it all, these recipes are both delicious and fascinating in their flavor combinations, and as an added bonus, Segan has included in certain instances the original recipes for these Elizabethan dishes, and these are absolutely delightful to read. Take, for example, the following period recipe for “Courage” Tart, which Segan states refers to sexual prowess and was a recipe for an aphrodisiac:

Take two Quinces and two or three Burre rootes, and a potaton, and pare your Potaton and scrape your rootes and put them into a quart of wine, and let them boyle till they be tender, and put in an ounce of Dates, and when they be boyled tender, draw them through a Strainer, Wine and all, and then putte in the yolkes of eight Egges, and the brains of three or foure cocke Sparrowes, and Straine them into the other and a little Rose water, and seeth them all with Sugar, Synamon and Ginger, and Cloves and Mace, and put in a little Sweete butter, and set it upon a chafingdish of coles, betweene two platter, and so let it boyle till it be something bigge. —The Good Wuswifes Jewell, 1587 (215)

Isn’t that great? Quince tarts with sparrow’s brains. Of course, Segan omits the brains from her contemporary version of the recipe. I also love the actual text of the 1587 recipe. The language is so beautiful, isn’t it? Is it just me?

Anyway, this is a great cookbook with lots of fun and tasty-sounding recipes, as well as a lot of fun history, commentary and plenty of original recipes—all in the vein of “Courage” Tart. Segan also includes an appropriate Shakespearean quote with each recipe, as well as a little color commentary. It really is a book that is a lot of fun to read through, and one that is perfect kitchen addition for the Shakespearean fan, foodie, or both in your life, or just for yourself if that Shakespearean fan/foodie is you. It really is a treat to look through, and perhaps it can give you some inspiration for your Shakespearean birthday celebration this next April the 26th … The Bard of Avon will be 446 in 2010, and perhaps you and your guests would like to celebrate with some of “Queen Elizabeth’s Fine Cake,” Banbury Cake, Sweet Beets in Puff Pastry with Crème Fraîche and Ginger, or maybe even some “Courage” Tarts. Let me know if you try them with the sparrow brains.

This review also available at Bryan's Book Blog

Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible

2009-06-23T04:03:00.000-07:00

by David Plotz

read by The Author

(Newark: Audible, Inc., 2009)

MP3 Audiobook, 145.1 MB, 10.5 Hours, Nonfiction

ISBN: N/A, US$24.95

“Whoa, good Bible.” —Captain Malcolm Reynolds, Firefly episode 6, “Our Mrs. Reynolds”

From the Cover: Like many Jews and Christians, David Plotz long assumed he knew what was in the Bible. He read parts of it as a child in Hebrew school, and then attended a Christian high school where he studied the Old and New Testaments. Many of the highlights stuck with him—Adam and Eve, Cain versus Abel, Jacob versus Esau, Jonah versus whale, forty days and nights, ten plagues and Commandments, twelve Tribes and Apostles, Red Sea walked under, Galilee walked on, bush into fire, rock into water, water into wine. And, of course, he absorbed from all around him other bits of the Bible—from stories he heard in churches and synagogues, in movies and on television, from his parents and teachers. But it wasn’t until he picked up a Bible at a cousin’s bat mitzvah—and became engrossed and horrified by a lesser-known story in Genesis—that he couldn’t put it down. At a time when wars are fought over scriptural interpretation, when the influence of religion on American politics has never been greater, when many Americans still believe in the Bible’s literal truth, it has never been more important to get to know the Bible. Good Book is what happens when a regular guy—an average Job—actually reads the book on which his religion, his culture, and his world are based. Along the way, he grapples with the most profound theological questions: How many Commandments do we actually need? Does God prefer obedience or good deeds? And the most unexpected ones: Why are so many women in the Bible prostitutes? Why does God love bald men so much? Is Samson really that stupid? Good Book is an irreverent, enthralling journey through the world’s most important work of literature.

My Review: It should come as no surprise, to those who know me at least, that I read and listen to Slate.com. One of the podcasts that I subscribe to is the Slate Political Gabfest, in which David Plotz, who is also the editor of Slate participates. It was through the Gabfest that I was first introduced to Plotz’s book—Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible—and it was as a loyal listener of the Gabfest that I was “rewarded” with a free download of Good Book from Audible.com (the Gabfest’s sponsor).

Needless to say I jumped at the chance to download an audio book for free, though this can often be a crapshoot. However, in this instance I was well rewarded. David Plotz’s Good Book is one of the best books that I have read/listened to this year. Hands down. To set it up, Plotz—a Jew—was at a family member’s bat mitzvah and bored and so picked up a copy of the Torah and opening up to a random passage, started reading. What he came across was the story of Dinah, daughter of Jacob/Israel. If you do not know the story, it is in Genesis 34. If you do know the story, then you can understand why Plotz would be shocked and dismayed at reading the story and wondering why he had never heard it before. It was, in Plotz’s experience conveniently left out of both the Hebrew school he attended and the Episcopalian school he attended. It was then that the seed of Good Book was planted. Plotz began to wonder what other stories in the Bible he did not know were in there, and so, he started reading and began chronicling his discoveries and reactions at Blogging the Bible, from there, it turned into Good Book.

(One caveat up front, as a Jew, Plotz skips the New Testament and reads only the Torah or Old Testament, so when he says “Bible,” he means the Hebrew Bible.)

Anyway, what I liked most about Good Book was Plotz’s openness to the stories and messages in the Old Testament. Much of what is in there is very different from the Sunday School versions we are all taught (which are often “cleaned-up” for young ears) and which we think we know. Plotz approaches the Bible as something in which he doesn’t really believe, but which he respects and which he can understand why people treat it the way they do. He is respectful of other’s beliefs in the Biblical stories, even if those beliefs are not his own. I bring this up and emphasize it because I find it very agreeable. At about the same time I started listening to Good Book, Bill Maher’s Religulous arrived in our mailbox via Netflix. Unlike Plotz, who approaches religion from a standpoint of respectful skepticism, Maher’s supposed documentary and inquiry into religious beliefs across the world is not respectful in the least. Maher comes at religion from a stance of complete disbelief ad disrespect. There is no courteousness in Maher’s approach. He treats all those in every religion he “investigates” as insane and stupid for their beliefs. We turned it off after about 20 minutes.

Back to Plotz. In spite of my own belief in God and the stories in the Old Testament, I found Plotz’s experiences with and commentary on his reading of the Old Testament to be enlightening, fascinating and refreshing. Just for my own background, I am LDS (Mormon) and, as a Sunday School/Gospel Doctrine teacher have taught the Old Testament at least three times over, so I guess you might say I am relatively knowledgeable about the Bible and Old Testament. So, to hear Plotz’s take on these 39 books was, as I said, refreshing, because unlike a lot of other books about the Old Testament, Plotz came to it as a complete neophyte. By his own admission, his past experience with the Torah was very limited, and so when he decided to read the Bible from cover to cover, he eschewed all Biblical commentary and extraneous reading and decided to take the Old Testament on, mano-a-mano. Good Book contains only Plotz’s and his Bible and his own personal reactions to and thought on the stories he is reading.

It was a fascinating listen, especially since it is Plotz himself who reads the audio edition, and really, would you want anyone else reading such a personal book? Plotz has a friendly and likeable style that greatly adds to the engrossing tale he is telling as he goes chapter by chapter through the books of the Old Testament.

His style is made all the more likeable due to the “every man” reaction he has to the stories he is relating. In describing Biblical stories, figures, events, and laws, Plotz endlessly makes references to pop culture and modern life, including (in no particular order): 9½ Weeks, Abercrombie & Fitch, The A.C.L.U., Adam Smith, After-School Specials, All About Eve, Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Bar Scene, Big Brother, Bob Dylan, The Branch Davidians, Brokeback Mountain, Bugsy Siegel, The Byrds, Casablanca, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Cinderella, Cold Fusion, The Congressional Medal of Honor, Cormac McCarthy, C.S.I., David Koresh, Divorce Lawyers, Doctors Without Borders, Donald Trump, Edgar Allan Poe, Entourage, Ernest Hemingway, Flowers in the Attic, Frat Rushes, Freddy Krueger, The Gap, George Orwell, The Godfather, Gone with the Wind, Good Cop-Bad Cop, Grifting, Hippies, How To Win Friends and Influence People, Hustler Magazine, Jack Nicholson, Jane Austen, Judge Dredd, The Justice League, K-Rations, A Knight’s Tale, Last Tango in Paris, Law & Order: SVU, The Life of Brian, The Lifetime Network, “The Lottery,” Macrobiotic Diet, Madame Bovary, The Madness of King George, Maoist Economics, Married, with Children, Martha Stewart, Mata Hari, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, Midnight Cowboy, Michael Jackson, Miss Manners, The Miss Universe Pageant, Monty Python, Morgan Freeman, Muhammad Ali, The New Yorker, Nixon’s Historic Visit to China, Oprah Winfrey, Penélope Cruz, Penthouse Forum, P.E.T.A., Pete Seeger, Pimp My Ride, Pol Pot, Portrait of a Lover, Pretty Woman, Project Runway, Pro-Wrestling, Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Real Estate Deals (Crooked and Otherwise), Restraining Orders, Rogaine, Salma Hayek, The Saw Franchise, Self-Help Books, Shirley Jackson, Soap Operas, Sports Talk Radio, Stage Moms, Stephen King, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Supreme Court Justice David Souter, Three Dog Night, The Three Stooges, Total Home Makeover, Ty Pennington, Viagra, William Shakespeare, Woody Allen, The X-Men, “Yo Momma” Jokes, Yuppies, and in what is quite possibly my favorite statement in the book, Plotz refers to Ezekiel as “the Groovy Whole-Grain Hippie Prophet,” and, even more amazingly, he makes it all work and seem natural to the stories of the Bible.

Another fun aspect of Good Book is Plotz’s Appendix, which contains Useful, and Not-So-Useful Bible Lists:

The Bible’s 12 Best Pick-Up Lines
The 11 Best Miracles in the Bible and 1 Very Lame One
The Bible’s 13 Most Spectacular Murders
The Bible’s 9 Best Parties
10 Bible Prostitutes
11 Biblical Heroes You Don’t Want to Be Named After
9 Truly Hellacious Biblical Punishments
The Bible’s 8 Trippiest and Most Important Dreams
9 Weird Biblical Laws
The Bible’s 6 Most Important Business Deals
6 Abuses of Animals Rights in the Bible
The Bible’s 10 Most Important Meals

These are pretty self-explanatory lists and actually a lot of good-natured fun with the Bible.

My only complaint in all of what Plotz has to say about the Bible was his over use of the word “feckless” (which, according to dictionary.com, is defined as: “1. ineffective; incompetent; futile 2. having no sense of responsibility; indifferent; lazy”) in describing at least five Bible personages that I can think of off the top of my head, and there is possibly more that I can’t remember. It is not because it was in any way offensive to the person, or my personal belief about them, they were all apt descriptions of these people, it was just an overexposure to the word that I took a dislike to. Kind of like Céline Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” … it was alright the first time you heard it at the end of Titanic, but after it played on the radio ad nauseum you were sick of it, and it grated every time you heard it. That’s the way it was with the word “feckless” in Good Book.

Other than that one, little nitpick, I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent listening to Good Book, and I found the conclusions that Plotz makes upon finishing his reading of the Bible to be very inspiring and thought-provoking, coming as they do from a starting place of disbelief and no faith and even skepticism. It made me rethink my belief in the Old Testament and the stories it tells, not in a bad way, but in a way that challenges my faith and makes me want to strengthen my own conclusions about God and the Old Testament’s teachings, moral and otherwise, and those things I took on “blind faith” and what I thought the Biblical story was saying and teaching.

I don’t care whether you’re religious or not, skeptic, atheist or believer, whether your belief is Christian, Jewish or Whatever … Good Book, at the risk of a cliché, has something for everyone, and I guarantee you’ll enjoy the journey of one man’s quest to read “every single word of the Bible.” (And for a real treat, you have to try it out on Audio. Plotz’s intimate reading is a wonderful experience.)

This review can also be found at Bryan's Book Blog.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance—Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!

2009-04-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

(Philadelphia: Quirk Books, 2009)

Trade Paperback, 319 Pages, Fiction

ISBN: 9781594743344, US$12.95

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.”

From the Cover: So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton—and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she’s soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers—and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield. Can Elizabeth vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you’d actually want to read.

My Review: Well … here we are … Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. One of the most hotly anticipated books of the Spring. It took me nearly a week to get my hot little hands on this book. It was sold out at the three local bookstores here, and it was not until Wednesday as I was on my way to New Orleans for an academic conference and I stopped at the Borders in the Houston International Airport that I was able to finally pick up this book! Imagine. I started reading immediately as I waited for my connection to the Big Easy and finished the book Saturday just as the plane was touching down in Salt Lake City. If it had not been for the conference (which was enlightening and engrossing) and all the time I spent in various sessions.

Now, before I get on to my reaction to the book, I need to make one thing clear: I have never read the original Pride and Prejudice. I never had any intention of reading it for pleasure, as they say, and probably would have only picked it up if I had been assigned it in a British Lit class. Now, however, after having read P&P&Z and discussing it with a friend (who has read P&P) I am curious to read it to see what Grahame-Smith left in, what he took out, what he altered and what he added, though, as my friend warned me, I probably won’t find Austen’s novel half as interesting as I found Grahame-Smith’s version.

And, with that said, let’s get on with my thoughts. This is, without a doubt, one of the most fun and funniest novels that I have read in a very long time. Grahame-Smith’s sensibilities (if you’ll forgive the pun) for what is absurd and ridiculous in the context of Austen’s novel (and yet—given the circumstances which he thrusts upon Austen’s England—they are not devices that are improbable) are absolutely wonderful. I don’t want to give away too many of the surprises that Grahame-Smith has in store for the Reader, but I have to say that what he does with Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s arguments and Elizabeth and Lady Catherine’s verbal sparring is absolutely brilliant, and nothing short of beautiful farce.

Then there are the zombies … hordes and hordes of zombies, or, as they are called in the novel, unmentionables (or at other times, Satan’s legions). Of necessity zombies bring an element of extreme violence. Now, when I say “extreme violence” I mean extreme violence … the disemboweling-someone-with-a-sword-and-then-strangling-them-to-death-with-their-own-large-intestine-extreme-kind-of-violence, and that’s just one example. As violent as this novel is, it doesn’t overpower the sheer farcical brilliance that Grahame-Smith has created by mixing a comedy of manners with The Night of the Living Dead.

I could not get enough of this book … the novelty of what Grahame-Smith has created is nothing short of pure enjoyment! Whether you’re an Austen Fan, a Zombie Fan, neither or both, you really need to pick up Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I think I can honestly say you will not be sorry; this book has something for everyone.

I recently read that based on the success of P&P&Z, Grahame-Smith has signed a two book deal the first of which (no release date has been given yet) will be Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Killer which will be a fictional biography of ol’ Honest Abe with, you guessed it, vampires. What could be better than that? There is also an article, HERE, which discusses the success of P&P&Z and how Quirk Books has been inundated with other classic novel-zombie mash-ups such as A Farewell to Arms and Legs, The Corpse of Monte Cristo and As I Lay Bleeding. Honestly, a zombie novel written in either the style of Hemingway or Faulkner would be one I would like to see.

There is also, as with “real” books of this kind, a set of questions for Book Group Discussions. They are hilarious. You can find them HERE. Also, apparently the Hollywood studios are in a bidding war to see who gets to bring Elizabeth Bennett, Zombie Slayer, to the silver screen.

Oh. And did I mention that there are ninjas in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies? Well … there are. Lots of them.

Book Look Review "A Girl Named Zippy"

2009-03-25T09:01:00.000-07:00

“A Girl Named Zippy”

There is something oddly comforting reading about peculiar, dysfunctional families. I find it makes me feel a whole lot better about my own attempts at parenting. Well, at least I didn’t do that! Haven Kimmel, nicknamed Zippy, introduces us to her family and neighbors described with the affectionate bewilderment of young girl. Her childhood memoir is set in the small town of Moorland Indiana during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.

Nicknamed Zippy by her father for her resemblance to a frantic circus monkey, this little girl was anything but typical. She did not speak until age three, and then her first words were: “I’ll make a deal with you.” (Her father was trying to convince her that it was time to give up carrying around the pink plastic bottle.) There may be a little exaggeration in this autobiography but it makes the story much more entertaining.

Her family consisted of a gambling, drinking, loveable father, a sit-on-the-couch mother, a seldom appearing big brother and an exasperated teen-age sister. Eccentric neighbors and peculiar young friends complete the cast of comical characters appearing in Zippy’s childhood play. In one scene, the next door neighbor complains about the Haven’s dogs barking. One night Zippy’s father rounds up a yard full of hunting dogs from his gambling buddies and proceeds to parade a caged raccoon through the canine crowd for several hours. This caused such a terrible howling and baying that the neighbor complaints ended. In another scene she describes one of her religious experiences when she absolutely saw a vision of Jesus outside in the treetops during an Ouija board activity.

Kimmel’s childhood was filled with loving neglect. She made frequent visits to the emergency room for the stitches and sprains that resulted from her imaginative escapades. She was rarely supervised and seldom instructed or cautioned. Her sunny description of a bedroom floor littered with dirty clothes and even a long-dead mummified pet rat in a cage should be horrifying to the reader. Somehow, since Zippy doesn’t care we just read on impressed with her optimism and resilience.

If you need a little parenting self-esteem boost choose a book like “A Girl Named Zippy”. At least you didn’t gamble away your child’s one and only savings bond. You for sure didn’t allow your daughter to go without washing her hair for weeks at a time. But hopefully you loved your children completely and they knew it as certainly as Zippy did.

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

2009-03-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

Piscul Draculi: A lone Transylvanian castle. A family of motherless sisters. A portal to another reality. Three serious wishes. And a frog that only has a voice and eyes for Jenica.

Every night there's a full moon the girls don their finery and step into a world of moonlight revelry taking every precaution to keep themselves safe at their clandestine balls. But danger soon strikes just not from the quarter they expect. Although thwarted love, enchantment, and the mysterious people of the night threaten their safety, the real threats come from their father's failing health, the tragic death of their uncle, the escalating control of their cousin, and their failing finances.

A fairy tale to crown them all, Wildwood Dancing is a tale of mystery, loyalty, enchantment, and true love. Not only struggling with the usual adolescent qualms and dramas, each unique sister must cope with struggles that no one can tell them how to deal with. Blatant sexism and discrimination against the capabilities of young women tells them that they're in over their heads, but what they've learned in the other realm tells them that they're the only ones that can calm the war between the realms.

They learn that families must stick together to help one another, but even the best of loving intentions can be misunderstood. Loving communication and genuine understanding are all that can combat the discord that threatens both the worlds the sisters love.

Book Look Review "The Story of Lucy Gault"

2009-03-12T08:04:00.000-07:00

Book Look

Debbie Balzotti

“The Story of Lucy Gault”

March is a time to read Irish and suffer. Read Irish? I’ve read Hemmingway; I’ve read Chekhov, what do you mean Irish? No one knows poverty and pain like an Irishman, not even those freezing cold Russians (sorry Dostoyevsky). It seems like centuries of oppression, famine and poverty produce an artist capable of taking us beyond the realm of ordinary hunger, ordinary love, and ordinary life. If you want to read about love, put down the romance novel and learn from a man who can reach down inside you and tug at the tender places. No one writes love and pain like an Irishman!

William Trevor has produced a novel with grace and style employing a scarcity of words to engage our mind and heart. Unlike many authors from the Isles, he resists the urge to write with flourishing adjectives but rather captures us with his sparse prose. “The Story of Lucy Gault” is a lovely, tragic tale written by an extraordinary Irish author.

Trevor begins the story of Lucy when she is a small eight year old child. The year is 1921 and the Irish countryside is in a state of political unrest. Lucy’s family home is a large estate by the sea near a small village called Enniseala. Her father’s family had owned Lahardane in County Cork for several generations but her mother was a Protestant Englishwoman and her father had served in the British army.

When three local young men crept up in the night with petrol cans to set his home on fire, Lucy’s father fired a warning shot which accidentally injured one of the intruders. Despite her father’s attempts, there can be no peace made between the religious and political enemies. As landowners and Protestants they had become a target for violence in their own country.

During the fearful preparations to leave their beloved home, Lucy runs away. Her naïve attempt to force her parents to stay brings tragic consequences for everyone involved. Lucy is lost. Everything is lost – her family, her childhood, her future. The guilt and punishments seem out of proportion to the crimes and mistakes. As the years pass love and forgiveness emerge, but it has been at such a terrible cost.

The long civil war in Ireland has ended in our time. With the exception of a few details, the peace agreements seem to have stopped the violence that caused so many to live in fear or leave their homes. William Trevor has written the heartbreaking fictional story of Lucy Gault. In many ways her story is Ireland’s story. We mourn the tale of Lucy and what she and her country have lost over many years, but we have hope for their redemption.

Chalice

2009-03-09T18:27:00.000-07:00

In a land where everything should be bound together, everything is torn apart, and those who were sworn to protect it have abandoned responsibility and become corrupt and blind. The checks and balances run unchecked and everything is in imbalance. What do you do when you are one of those called to put it all right? How do you learn without anyone to teach you? Where do you even start?

In the tradition of fantasy books since Tolkien Chalice is a study in rising to the occasion despite seemingly impossible odds. The seemingly endless supply of creativity that Robin McKinley displays in creating the lands and people in all her novels has been drawn on in new and unexpected ways for her newest novel. Unlike some other fantasy novels, the characters inhabit an incredibly believable land and have a very earth-oriented magic that binds them together.

It's not a land of dragons or deserts or whimsical fairy tale. Mirasol is a simple beekeeper, but Willowlands, her beloved home, is a troubled place. The Master's family is feuding and the governing body is ripped apart in a tragic accident. The exile must return to claim the mastership or all will be chaos. . .

True to form, McKinley's characters are full, lovable (or hatable), and full of spirit. Click here to read an excerpt.

"Flipped"

2009-03-03T08:23:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Book Look "Flipped"

"Flipped"
Writers of Young Adult fiction often produce books that even Old Adults can enjoy. Like me. Wendelin Van Draanen is the author of “Flipped” which I enjoyed reading aloud to Mr. Gibson’s sixth grade class at Art City Elementary. I have included a couple of their comments, which I think will persuade you to read this book much more effectively than I could. They are a discerning audience with strong opinions about the books they like and don’t like.

Payton wrote: “Flipped is a very good book and it has a very good meaning. The Loskis are a normal family that just moved in and they move in right across the street from the Bakes and they are a little bit different. But in the end they work out their differences.” She understands one of the great messages of the novel. Once you get to know your neighbors things can get worked out.

In the story Bryce Loski moves into Julianna Baker’s neighborhood during the second grade. The entertaining and realistic dialogue switches between chapters to give young readers the view from both main characters. Juli speaks in phrases like: “The first day I met Bryce Loski, I flipped. Honestly, one look at him and I became a lunatic.” Bryce of course doesn’t feel the same way about her. He thinks she is a pest and as the years go by he even calls her weird. The book continues until eighth grade when some things change.

Hannah understands why Bryce would feel this way. She writes: “Juli Baker is stubborn and a show off. She won’t leave Bryce alone.” That is good character description. Short, clear and explains motivation. I think she may be onto something when it comes to attracting young men - heads up mom and dad.

Not everyone in the class enjoyed the first couple of chapters. Dylan didn’t like the book but did appreciate the writing. (I told you they were discerning). “I didn’t really like how the book started. It’s not like a lot of kids would run into a nice new neighbor’s house all
muddy. It’s not a book I would usually read and it doesn’t catch my attention. The book uses ok comparisons like when the author compared fighting against his sister like a fish taking bait.” Dylan may be more into fishing, than reading a relationship book at this stage of his life. I think his parents may be encouraging this attitude.

Brandon crossed out some of his initial thoughts, as every writer must be able to edit. He was able to condense his comments well. “I like the book because it uses good words and it is believable.” Burke is our last selected critic and he recommends reading “Flipped” in one sentence. “It was extremely descriptive and a total page turner.” Burke must read book reviews in his spare time because he has the language down pat. There you have it, in the words of sixth graders, most of them flipped for “Flipped”.

The Grapes of Wrath: Steinbeck Centennial Edition

2009-02-24T17:59:00.001-08:00

by John Steinbeck

(New York: Penguin Books, 2002)

Trade Paperback, 455 Pages, Historical Fiction

ISBN: 9780142000663, US$17.00

From the Cover: The Grapes of Wrath is a landmark of American literature. A portrait of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless, of one man’s fierce reaction to injustice, and of one woman’s stoical strength, the novel captures the horrors of the Great Depression and probes into the very nature of equality and justice in America. Although it follows the movement of hundreds of thousands of men and women and the transformation of an entire nation, The Grapes of Wrath is also the story of one Oklahoma family, the Joads, who are driven off their homestead and forced to travel west to the promised land of California. Out of their trials and their repeated collisions against the hard realities of an America divided into Haves and Have-Nots evolves a drama that is intensely human yet majestic in its scale and moral vision, elemental yet plain-spoken, tragic but ultimately stirring in its human dignity. First published in 1939, The Grapes of Wrath summed up its era in the way that Uncle Tom’s Cabin summed up the years of slavery before the Civil War. Sensitive to fascist and communist criticism, Steinbeck insisted that “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” be printed in its entirety in the first edition of the book—which takes its title from the first verse: “He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored.” At once a naturalistic epic, captivity narrative, road novel, and transcendental gospel, Steinbeck’s fictional chronicle of the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s is perhaps the most American of American Classics.

My Review: As of right now, having read The Pearl, The Grapes of Wrath and being someway into East of Eden, I am not quite sure how I feel about John Steinbeck; in regards to him as an author, in regards to him as a storyteller, and in regards to him as an Eminent Author (as the professor of my class claims). This is not to take anything away from those who like Steinbeck, or feel that he is a Great American Author … I am, shall we say, unconvinced of it. Not that there isn’t something to the works of John Steinbeck. After all, if I can argue—and, if I do say so myself, argue successfully—that Stephen King is worthy of critical inquiry (and have been able to write to separate papers to that effect) then I am not ready to completely write-off Steinbeck yet. I am just unconvinced. (I feel the same about J.D. Salinger and The Catcher in the Rye, but that’s a discussion for another day.)

As for The Grapes of Wrath, some would call this the Great American Novel. That what Steinbeck has done is create a novel that so embodies the true American Experience that it should be taught at all levels, and in spite of what I have stated in my opening paragraph, I would tend to agree with those people to a certain extent. I don’t know that The Grapes of Wrath is The Great American Novel. I’m not even sure that it embodies the American Experience, but should it be taught? Definitely. To high school students and to college students.

If nothing else, The Grapes of Wrath is a fascinating meditation on philosophy (social, political and economic) that uses the Great Depression and the Okie Migration as its backdrop. Is it a communist novel, as some alleged? Possibly. Is it a novel that advocates socialism? More than likely? Does any of that matter? Not really, because at its heart, what The Grapes of Wrath does is humanize a segment of the American population that was being increasingly dehumanized and shows that these are the proverbial OTHERS, but instead are our fellow human beings, human beings that deserve human considerations. That deserve dignity, respect and compassion; things that Steinbeck, in his travels with the Dust Bowl migrants, found were routinely denied these people.

Does that make Steinbeck a communist? Does it make him a socialist? No, it makes him a human being who cares about other human beings, and that is something that is just as lacking today, in 2009, as it was in 1939 when Steinbeck wrote the novel. It is no wonder the reaction that Steinbeck received upon its publication, people who act inhumanly do not like to be shown as acting inhumanly, and even though the novel is seventy years old, it is—to trot out the cliché—just as timely today as it was in the 30s and 40s. The treatment of the migrants is not too far from the treatment that migrant farm workers receive today on farms and towns and cities across the United States, but especially in the West.

Imagine a novel that is written that shows how migrant workers are denied their basic human rights. They are forced to live on the side of the road, in a field or in cramped housing quarters that are less than primitive and don’t even have the basic hygienic necessities, they (and their children) often go hungry, work for a pittance doing hard, back-breaking labor, all so that people in San Francisco, or Seattle, or Los Angeles, or New York can eat a fresh apple, or have fresh asparagus or lettuce on their dinner table. Imagine that these workers, when they go into town to buy the necessities of life, are dealt badly with, cheated, taken advantage of because they have nothing and so, are desperate. Imagine that if they try to organize, or demand that they be treated as fellow human beings, are beaten, rounded up, imprisoned, deported. Now imagine that the author of the novel pointed the finger of blame not only at the farmers, not only at the banks, or the government, but also at you, the Reader, implicating you in the inhumane treatment of these people because you not only benefit from their labor but you also do nothing to ease their burden. Imagine the public outcry that would arise from such a novel, and not necessarily outcry for the better. People don’t like it pointed out that they are acting inhumanely, and will often act to suppress any indication that they are to blame.

These conditions are not just in the past. This is not just something that happened to “Okies.” We are witnessing similar conditions and similar treatment of migrant workers in our country today. The use of so-called “illegal immigrants” to cut asparagus or work in factories or build houses is decried publically, they are labeled a threat to the “American Way of Life” and yet, no one wants to give up their lettuce or cheap clothes or their McMansion (all made possible through the labor of “illegal immigrants”) or even to replace these people in the workforce. We are quite content to eat our apples and oranges and potatoes, just as long as someone else puts the sweat into the harvest effort, who cares if they are paid pennies on the dollar for the work?

The problem is that we, as Americans, obviously haven’t learned the lessons of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl and the treatment of the migrants—as shown in The Grapes of Wrath—because we are making many of the same mistakes here and now, that were being made then.

I first read this novel in high school (my junior year, American literature), and I have to say that it didn’t speak to me. Sure, I “got” what the story and message was, and I even wrote a paper on it (“The Christian Allegory as Contained in The Grapes of Wrath”) but it wasn’t immediate to my life, there and then. However, in the intervening sixteen years, I have changed as a person, not the least of which is having become a Husband and Father and Head of Household; the Provider (though to give my wife her due, she does pull in more per month than I do, I’m more of a figurehead, but the concerns are there). In high school I did not identify with any one character, however, this time around, I found myself identifying more and more with the character of Ma Joad. She was the one, the pragmatic leader who does what needs to be done so that her family will survive; so that Ruthie and Winfield have water to drink when they are thirsty and food to eat when they are hungry. She is a caring and soulful woman thrown into the worst of circumstances, which are out of her control, and forced to make hard decisions. I can relate to this as, I imagine, can any parent who cares more than a little about their children. One of the worst things in the world is to hear my three-year-old son say that his tummy hurts because he is hungry, it tears at my heartstrings. Yet, all I have to do is walk in to the kitchen and ask him if he wants a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or some noodles. I can’t imagine the heartbreak and fear that would arise if the choice wasn’t there. If, as the Joads (and hundreds of thousands of displaced migrants), there was absolutely nothing to offer; if I couldn’t go to the tap and give my one-year-old daughter a cup of cold water to drink when she is thirsty.

Add to this parental response to the novel that there really couldn’t not have been a more relevant time in my life to be reading The Grapes of Wrath, given the current economic climate, that the emotional impact of the novel is almost overwhelming. It is one thing to read about the Joads and their neighbors being forced off their land and out of their homes by heartless banks when the economy is booming. It is another thing entirely to read about such things when home foreclosures are at an all time high and the unemployment rate is higher than its been in I don’t know how many years.

This is what I wrote on that in the front of my book during a class discussion: With the current economic climate (for the sake of argument, let’s just use 2008-2009 as the years for the current Recession) we are now closer to The Grapes of Wrath than we have been since it was written in 1939, during the Great Depression and the events that it describes. Like the Roaring 20s which ended with the Stock Market Crash in 1929, the “Boom 90s” came to an end with the credit and mortgage crises in the early 2000s. Even though it was written seventy years ago (as I have noted earlier) it is a novel that is still very relevant and very current. Though we haven’t had a “Dust Bowl” (knockonwood) we have had some recent natural disasters that underscore the fragility of our economy and infrastructure, and while they have not necessarily decimated farmland like in the 30s, they have crippled the production of our natural resources; Hurricane Katrina, for example, and the flooding of New Orleans and the destruction of offshore oilrigs along the Gulf Coast.

The message of The Grapes of Wrath is one of compassion and understanding. It is a novel that forces us to ask the question of ourselves: What would I give up to help someone else? All too often we either do not ask ourselves this question, and when we do, often we find that we do not like the answer that we give and what it says about ourselves. We teach and talk about The Grapes of Wrath and John Steinbeck and his concept of “WE” instead of “I” … but all too often, we don’t live that message.

The Grapes of Wrath is a novel that turns the mirror onto the reader and forces them to ask the hard questions and to give the even harder answers. It is a novel that, now more than ever, we all should read and take to heart. If not, we will come out of the current economic crisis, but will we be better for it on the other side?

This review can also be found at Bryan’s Book Blog

"The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society"

2009-01-06T10:46:00.001-08:00

Book Look Column 1-8-09

by Debbie Balzotti

“The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society”

Since the newspaper gods have been choosing odd headline fillers to top my column recently, I decided to stop this disturbing trend by reviewing a book with a very long title.
Actually I decided to read and review The Guernsey Literary etc. (shortened here for review purposes) several weeks ago since so many people have recommended it. The idea to use it as a misleading headline blockade just popped into my head today. Think it will work?

The Guernsey Literary etc. is written with warmth and humor by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. The story is set in 1946 London as it emerges from the Second World War. The main character is the witty Juliet Ashton, who wrote a popular newspaper column, “Izzy Bickerstaff Goes to War”. Following its success as a newly published book, she is looking for a fresh writing project. Juliet receives a letter from Dawsey Adams of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands occupied by the Germans during the war. Dawsey introduces Juliet to other members of the book club on Guernsey, by way of correspondence. Her writer’s pen begins to twitch with curiosity. And she is a wee bit interested in the fascinating Mr. Adams as well.

Through the letters we learn that during the war, a group of friends caught out after curfew, spontaneously invented a literary society. Although they had been sharing an illegal pork dinner, they create an alibi to keep them out of jail. The Guernsey Characters, and they are characters, are brave and humorous. Their love of life and literature make us wish they would write letters to us too.

I really enjoyed this heartwarming book. It took some time to get into the rhythm of the letters and to keep the characters straight, but it was worth it. I kind of missed these quirky lit lovers when I finished the book – that’s how you know it was a good read. I am also guessing that a sequel will soon follow. I hope so.

Book Look Review "In the Time of the Butterflies"

2009-01-03T15:06:00.000-08:00

“In the Time of the Butterflies”
Book by Julia Alvarez
Review by Debbie Balzotti

There were four courageous Mirabal sisters - Patria, Minerva, Maria Teresa, and Dede. They lived in a family under the rule of the brutal Dominican dictator Trujillo. They were known as Las Mariposas, “The Butterflies,” and three of them were murdered. That is the true part of the story.

The author Julia Alvarez then weaves fact and fiction to create a novel that you cannot put down. Using the memories of the surviving sister, Alvarez draws us into the world of The Dominican Republic in 1950. The citizens are at first enamored with their dictator and most submit to his rule. Similar to other countries under the rule of dictators, Trujillo rules with a malicious and capricious hand. As the corruption of his regime becomes more evident, young students begin to protest. The students are imprisoned and murdered as a lesson to others. But like all people, the desire for freedom is greater than the fear of even death and the revolutionary activities escalate.

In the beginning of the story the young Mirabal sisters live a sheltered life in the countryside where their father has a farm and a successful store. When the girls are allowed to attend a convent boarding school they are exposed to the ideas of young revolutionaries. Soon a couple of the sisters are caught up in their dangerous activities, and even marry these young men. Family members are arrested and imprisoned and eventually some lose their lives for the cause of freedom.

Each chapter changes voice between the sisters, which gives the reader an opportunity to view the historical events through the eyes of different ages and personalities. Occasionally, the surviving sister brings us back to the present and what has happened to the Mirabel family.

November 25th, the day of the women’s’ murders, is observed in many Latin American countries as the “International Day against Violence towards Women”. The sisters who died long ago have become martyrs to rally others in our time. There is hope that their story will stop the violence that victimizes women in all countries still today.

Book Look Review "Grace" by Debbie Balzotti

2008-12-05T16:43:00.000-08:00

“Grace”
A New Christmas Gift Book by Richard Paul Evans

Any book by Richard Paul Evans is not a good Christmas choice for the cynical or Grinchical in your gift giving circle of family and friends. It is perfect for those who feel that the worth of a book is measured by the tears shed. Yes mom, I am referring to your famous phrase, “I really got my money’s worth”. I am somewhere in the middle of these two groups. I resent obvious emotional manipulation by an author, but I cannot help crying anyway. I see it coming, I have been alerted by the description on the back, but I read it anyway. I confess I am a sentimental sucker at times. Go ahead and read “Grace”. Just admit you are a sap - especially at Christmas.

“Grace” opens with an abbreviated version of “The Little Match Girl” by Hans Christian Andersen. I hated this classic story because it tormented me. Stories, fictional or real, about the suffering and abuse of children really upset me. I almost stopped reading “Grace” after the introduction, but knowing I had this review hanging over my head, I persevered. Evans must have known about my hesitation because although the story is poignant it is not traumatic. I appreciated his sensitive approach to the painful reality of child abuse and teenage runaways.

The year is 1962. The Welch family has recently moved from southern California to a rundown house in Utah due to their father’s disability. Eric, a shy fourteen year old, “with acne and a bad hair cut”, notices Grace searching for food in the dumpster behind the restaurant where he works. This kind hearted Samaritan takes her home and hides her in his clubhouse. Eric explains how the experience of these few weeks changes his life forever and determines his later career path.

You will see the tragedy coming but the story is worth the tears. Have a box of Kleenex beside you and plan on staying up late to finish this short Richard Paul Evans novel.
I am giving this book to my mom for Christmas – she will definitely get her money’s worth from this one. Merry Christmas, I love you mom.

Book Look Review "The Sister"

2008-11-17T13:50:00.000-08:00

Book Look

Debbie Balzotti

“The Sister”

When someone recommends a book and says it is a clean read, what does that mean exactly? Is it squeaky clean, or spick-and-span, or clean as a whistle, or cleaner than my teenage son’s bedroom floor? There are many websites that rate book content for language, violence and sexual references. One of the sites I use is ratedreads.com. There are not many selections there but I like the rating system using N for none, M for mild, and Mo for moderate. There are two separate files for books that are Off the Charts and Dirt. I chose “The Sister” by Poppy Adams from the website to read and review it this week.

It is the story of two sisters who reunite in their crumbling childhood mansion after fifty years. The adventurous Vivien left home to live in London as a teenager and never returned home. The reclusive Ginny was left behind to carry on her father’s research on moths. As the women reunite, Ginny remembers her happy childhood with her sister and wonders why they have been apart so long. “There’s rarely a sole cause for the separation of lives. It’s a sequence of events, an inexorable chain reaction where each small link is fundamental, like a snake of upended dominoes. And I’ve been thinking that the very first one, the one you push to start it all off, must have been when Vivi slipped off our bell tower and nearly died, fifty-nine years ago.”

Vivien disturbs the tranquility of Ginny’s orderly life, and we soon sense that Ginny may be more than eccentric. She is obsessed with time to the point she must wear two watches, determined to keep her bed sheets so neat she must pin them in place and unable to tolerate the presence of even her own sister. The suspense builds as we wonder how many of the past family tragedies accidents were really accidental and if there is another one yet to come.

“The Sister” was rated as a clean read. It did have the Mo rating which alerts the reader that there is some language to be aware of. It is definitely an adult fiction selection. There is also the caution that there is “mild” discussion of a sexual scene. I would rate it cleaner than a teenage boy’s bedroom floor but definitely not squeaky clean.

The Wednesday Wars, by Gary Schmidt (YA Schmidt)

2008-11-03T15:56:00.000-08:00

The Wednesday Wars, by Gary Schmidt, is my favorite of all the books I've read this year. If you have ever had a teacher who changed your life, this is a must read. It also has a lot of true to life stories of being a teenager!

This book is the fictional story of a teenage boy named Holling Hoodhood, who is growing up in the middle of the Vietnam War. He has a terrible start to the school year because he can't get along with his teacher, Mrs. Baker. But, by the end of the year, they grow close and Mrs. Baker teaches him some valuable lessons. Through his experiences with Shakespeare and his first girlfriend, Holling learns a lot about life.

This book was nominated for a Beehive Book Award (the best kids' books in Utah), which you can check out and vote on now at the library!

Kabul Beauty School, by Deborah Rodriguez

2008-10-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

Kabul Beauty School : an American woman goes behind the veil, by Deborah Rodriguez

This true story is about a woman, Deborah Rodriguez, who goes over to Afghanistan as an aid worker. She ends up starting the first beauty school in Kabul, and goes from nothing, to great sucess. The book is heart-wrenching and uplifting all at once. This is an absolute must-read!

No Talking, by Andrew Clements (JI Clements)

2008-10-30T14:46:00.000-07:00

No Talking, by Andrew Clements, is about a boy named Dave who decides he is going to stop talking. He does this after reading about Ghandi's days of silence, which helped clear his mind. The experiment snowballs to become a boys vs. girls contest among the entire 5th grade class. It is hilarious, but also extremely interesting. Appropriate for all ages. I loved it!

This book was nominated for a Beehive Book Award (the best kids' books in Utah), which you can check out and vote on now at the library!

Rules, by Cynthia Lord (JI Lord)

2008-10-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

Rules, by Cynthia Lord, is an incredibly touching story about a young girl, Catherine, and her little brother, David, who has Autism. It is from Catherine's point of view, and offers an interesting perspective on disabilities. This book is not only thought-provoking, it is uplifting and funny as well. This would make an excellent read for parents and children, or for a book club. I definitely recommend it.

This book was nominated for a Beehive Book Award (the best kids' books in Utah), which you can check out and vote on now at the library!

Clementine, by Sara Pennypacker (JI, Pennypacker)

2008-10-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

Clementine, by Sara Pennypacker, is a very fun read for intermediate readers. It is about a little girl and her adventures, most of which are disastrous but hysterical. Clementine is called "the hard child" in comparison to her mild-mannered little brother. She is spunky, and you can't help but love her for all of her crazy mishaps.

This book was nominated for a Beehive Book Award (the best kids' books in Utah), which you can check out and vote on now at the library!

Frankenstein is Scary - but no library book reviews is scarier!

2008-10-17T13:39:00.000-07:00

Book Look

Debbie Balzotti

“Frankenstein”

I enjoyed an illustrated version of the old classic “Frankenstein” as part of Monster Book Fest for October. That’s right; there is an illustrated edition at the library which is really terrific. It is part of the Whole Story series of classics that bring some of these best-loved tales to life with annotations on each page. The text is complete and unabridged but the illustration, maps and photographs explain the culture and customs to those of us reading about 1818 in 2008. Understanding the context of the era greatly enriches the reading of a classic and I plan to seek out more from this series.

Mary Shelley wrote “Frankenstein” when she was only eighteen years old. One rainy night around the fireplace while vacationing on Lake Geneva Switzerland with artists and authors, Mary and the other guests were challenged to write a ghost story. Following a conversation about whether inanimate objects could be brought to life, she had a dream about a young scientist who creates a monster. I don’t know what this group was drinking that evening, but Mary’s nightmare soon became ours for the next 200 years.

Young Master Frankenstein, our mentally unstable and emotionally tortured lead character, has a burning passion to use electricity unwisely. Since little was known about this powerful element of nature it does seem unwise to monkey around with it – especially while still a college student. Like all young men of this age group Frank just went ahead without much planning ahead and gathered dead body parts. After connecting the limbs and ligaments, (I am picturing the ads for the “Body Worlds” exhibit currently on display in Salt Lake City) he zapped the very tall, really ugly human has-been with electricity. Oops - a gigantic mistake. What does he do about it? Frankenstein runs away in horror and has a mental breakdown for a few months while the creature roams about the Swiss countryside.

Of course the miserable creature with no name follows Frank and after several months of murder and mayhem, asks him to create a mate for him. You guessed it – Bride of Frankenstein. The creature is lonely. He wants to be happy and he knows the story of Adam and Eve now so he asks his creator for the same deal.

Mary Shelley has written a monster story that holds up through time. The enduring theme of loneliness and the need for love for all creatures creates pity in her readers. The more powerful theme, that is still current and newsworthy today, is man’s desire to dominate nature through scientific experimentation. Is cloning a good idea? Should we be manipulating DNA? Frankenstein would advise: “Seek happiness in tranquility and avoid ambition, even if it be only the apparently innocent one of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries.”

Gossamer by Lois Lowry

2008-08-15T18:43:00.001-07:00

"Are we a kind of dog?" Littlest One asked suddenly.

"Shhh."

They crept through the bedroom, out into the dark hall.

"May I talk now?"

"Oh, all right. Very quietly, though."

"I asked if we are a kind of dog."

Littlest One, whose name was sometimes shortened affectionately to simply Littlest, was working on this night with Fastidious, the one who had been designated her teacher. Littlest was very small, new to the work, energetic and curious. Fastidious was tired, impatient and had a headache. She sniffed in exasperation.

"Whatever makes you ask such a thing? The other learners never ask questions like that."

"That's because they don't take the time to think about things. I'm a thinker. Right now, I'm thinking about whether I am a kind of dog."

Lowry is possibly one of the most prolific children's authors of the 20th and 21st century with a varied collection of titles (approximately 30 books have been published since her first in 1977 and she continues to write for children and adults today although she is in her 70's). One of her more recent entries, Gossamer is written in a vein similar to The Giver, Gathering Blue, and Messenger, her linked novels about an un-named dystopian world (which could easily be a future Earth similar to the one described in Z for Zacharia or Orson Scott Card's Ender series). Gossamer is not an addition to the dystopian cannon, although it is similar in tone; what I would call one of her 'serious' novels.

The central characters of Gossamer are not human, although they have many human characteristics (including shadows) and are an un-seen part of the human world, serving a very interesting function; the giving of dreams. Through the eyes and work of these dream givers, we meet and learn about the three human characters in the story called simple 'the woman', 'the boy' and 'the young woman'. We also discover Toby, the dog, who belongs to 'the woman' and through her caring for him, "the boy."

The human story is a difficult one, revealed in bits and pieces through the night-time visits of Littlest, Fastidious and Strapping, the dream-giver assigned to 'the young woman'. Each night, the dream-givers creep through their assigned home, bestowing dreams made of the 'fragments' they collect from objects in the house. Their nightly work is to remind and soothe, they are gentle creatures and their bestowals are the kind of dreams associated with our happiest memories. The Heap, as their family of dream-givers is called, exists under strict guidelines, works and moves about only at night and sleeps during the daylight hours. Their leader is 'Most Ancient' and they are named for their most obvious character trait or place in the community upon the end of their training. Through their visits, we learn also of the 'Sinisteeds', the dream-givers which have become 'turned' and give, instead of pleasant dreams, the stuff of nightmares. They are in every way the anti-thesis of the Heap, traveling in angry groups called "Hordes" and thundering about, rather than the soft traveling the 'Heap' call 'flutters'.

The physical beings of the dream-givers serves as a metaphor for their growth and learning. Littlest begins as a wisp, transparent and barely visible and ends the story having become 'transluscent', not completely solid as the other members of the Heap are, but on her way to it, filled in. When, ever curious, she asks with what she is filled, Most Ancient tells her, with "Everything that [she is] a part of. [Her] own story fills [her]" Her growth throughout the story parallels the growth of the boy "John" as he moves from petulant, combative behavior to realization of the love he feels from (and eventually returns to) the woman, the dog, Toby and finally, the 'young woman', who we learn is his mother, as they are allowed to begin the reunite with as the story draws to a close.

10 Stars

This review is also posted on Mrs. Boman's Book Banter

Notes from a Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick

2008-08-15T18:34:00.000-07:00

Synopsis: Alex Gregory is a mess. Just about everything that can be wrong in his life is. His dad has left his mom for his third grade teacher, his mom is dating again (and stressed about it!) and his best friend is a beautiful karate chopping 'pixie' with issues of her own(her own broken home, complete with an 'idiotic' step-dad and a newly pregnant mom). And then comes the accident. Being sentenced to 'human service' for running over a lawn gnome while drunk is the best thing that could happen to Alex, although he doesn't realize it at the time. This brilliant second novel by Jordan Sonnenblick (the author of Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie) indicates the arrival of a brilliant new talent. I hope he stays on the scene for a very long time.

Mrs. Boman says: Issue novels like this one can be pedantic and hard to slog through. This one is FAR from the typical issue novel. Sonnenblick takes on several difficult topics (death, divorce, drunk driving, blended families) and masterfully blends them into a moving tale of one teenagers journey from anger to hope. I am looking forward to his next work Zen and the Art of Faking it (and I'll be catching up by reading his first one Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie). As for the much discussed use of the word 'goober' instead of something more 'realistic', I say, I totally believed that Laurie would say goober, but maybe I'm sheltered and naive. I do after all, live in Utah. My personal opinion is that the fact that Laurie used the word goober added a new dimension to her 'gothic-pixie' mystique. She's a confused kid who resorted to language that would make her point but not make her look like a weak-minded profanity spouting idiot. Sure, I know kids that use that kind of language, even here in Utah...and not all people who use profanity are idiots. But in this case, Laurie didn't need profanity to make her point! ("You are a bonehead. You are a complete goober. You are worse than a goober. You're like. . . an assistant goober! You're a dork, a half-wit. You're a ...a...a dork-wit!") Brilliant!!!

A 10 star book if ever there was one.

This book is also reviewed at Mrs. Boman's Book Banter

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

2008-08-15T18:25:00.000-07:00

Synopsis: When a school field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art goes horribly wrong, Percy Jackson is informed that he will no longer be welcome at Yancy Academy, his sixth school in six years. Injured and confused by a conversation he over-hears between his favorite teacher Mr. Brunner and his best friend Grover Underwood, the only people he has grown attached to, Percy dreads saying goodbye. He's saved from the painful process by what seems to be chance: Mr. Brunner unthinkingly insults him while trying to explain that his exit is for the best, and Grover is on the same bus to Manhattan. What happens along the way home only adds to Percy's confusion when the bus breaks down and he and Grover witness a strange trio of ladies knitting a giant pair of socks. We quickly learn that Percy seems to be a good kid, but also has an unfortunate knack for getting into impossible situations. A childhood rife with inexplicable escapes(a snake in his cot at daycare, a stalker in a black trench coat on the playground) has been capped by this recent encounter(an attack by what Mr. Brunner called "The Kindly Ones") and his mom is worried.

Having returned home for the summer, a trip to he and his mother's favorite summer vacation spot goes horribly wrong and Percy finds himself on the top of a hill in New Jersey, face to face with a monster straight out of Greek mythology. This first book of Percy Jackson and the Olympians introduces us to everyman(soon to be hero) Perseus "Percy" Jackson, his best friend, Grover Underwood and Camp Half-Blood, last refuge for the children of the gods most of us think of as ancient Greek and no longer around. The narrative moves quickly from one crisis to another with only a few short stops along the way to remind us about the Greek mythology we studied and forgot in school. A classic hero's quest with a contemporary twist.

With chapter titles like "I accidentally vaporize my pre-Algebra teacher" and "We get advice from a poodle", the tale of Percy Jackson's journey to discover his father's identity and complete his first quest is filled with irreverent humor, an entertaining and constantly morphing cast of characters contemporized straight out of Ancient Greek mythology and battle sequences that leave a famous U.S. landmark smoking and Los Angeles in flames. While you never doubt that Percy will succeed in his quest, Riordan does make you wonder whether he'll be missing a few limbs or sporting some very interesting scars. I especially love the way "Smelly Gabe" is disposed of! 8 stars (out of 10)

This review is also posted on Mrs. Boman's Book Banter

Know Your Power: A Message to America's Daughters

2008-08-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

by Nancy Pelosi with Amy Hill Hearth

(New York: Doubleday, 2008)

Hardcover, 180 Pages, Nonfiction

ISBN: 9780385525862, US$23.95

“Never losing faith, we waited through the many years of struggle to achieve our rights. But women weren’t just waiting; women were working. Never losing faith, we worked to redeem the promise of America, that all men and women are created equal. For our daughters and our granddaughters today we have broken the marble ceiling. For our daughters and our granddaughters now the sky is the limit.”

—Nancy Pelosi, after being sworn in as Speaker of the House

From the Cover: When Nancy Pelosi became the first woman Speaker of the House, she made history. She gaveled the House to order that day on behalf of all of America’s children and said, “We have made history, now let us make progress.” Now she continues to inspire women everywhere in this thought-provoking collection of wise words—her own and those of the important people who played pivotal roles in her journey. In these pages, she encourages mothers and grandmothers, daughters and granddaughters to never lose faith, to speak out and make their voices heard, to focus on what matters most and follow their dreams wherever they may lead. Perhaps the Speaker says it best herself in the Preface: “I find it humbling and deeply moving when women and girls approach me, looking for insight and advice. If women can learn from me, in the same way I learned from the women who came before me, it will make the honor of being Speaker of the House even more meaningful.” This is a truly special book to share with all the women you know. It is a keepsake to turn to again and again, whenever you need to be reminded that anything is possible when you know your power.

My Review: A week or two ago Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was the guest on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. She spoke about politics (as can be expected) but she also plugged her new book, Know Your Power: A Message to America’s Daughters. I was intrigued by the title since I have a daughter, and seeing as this was a book written by the most powerful woman in America … I figured it was something that I should read. Surprisingly (he said, the words dripping with sarcasm) I did not have to put the book on hold at the local library. (It’s one of the few perks living in one of the most Redly Conservative counties in the nation that there is no waiting list for books such as this.)

Pelosi’s book is one part biography and one part political manifesto and honestly neither is very effective. Pelosi’s writing is pedantic at best and she Name Drops like nobody’s business. Every page contains five or six names that she throws out for no good reason other than to show who she knows and while Pelosi’s rise from housewife to Speaker of the House is a fascinating story … for the most part, the telling is dry. There is no spark here … and while I consider myself fairly liberal and am all for making a principled political stand, refusing to rent an otherwise perfect home in San Francisco while you, your husband and four children are living with your mother-in-law just because the owners of the home are leaving to work in Nixon’s administration … that sort of fanaticism (for lack of a better word) falls flat, especially when later in the book Pelosi claims that she is first and foremost a mother; the early story of the Nixon-house negates this claim of motherhood first.

However, all that being said, the final third of this book (titled “Know Your Power”) is where Pelosi shines. Her tale of becoming Speaker of the House, her stands against the excesses of both Bush Administrations and her message to the rising generation of women and girls is what every parent of a daughter and woman needs to read. Pelosi makes an authoritative call to power for women and girls everywhere. Really, if you are interested in reading Know Your Power, skip the first 119 pages and read the final section of the novel. This is where the heart of Pelosi’s message and the real power of her pleas lay. (Though the whole novel is a very quick read … it took me under 24 hours to get through it, so if you wanted to slog through the first two thirds, it wouldn’t take that long anyway.)

Despite the book’s initial flaws, by the end Pelosi is a powerful writer, an inspirational leader and—even more rare—an apparently honest politician. She is a woman and leader who deserves our respect and is one who, in eight years, I could see myself voting for if she chooses to run for President of the United States (after Barack Obama becomes President, of course). Hillary Clinton I had problems with; Nancy Pelosi is someone I could get behind as I have gotten behind Obama and Know Your Power shows why.

The Daily Show: Nancy Pelosi (July 28, 2008)

This review can also be found at Bryan’s Book Blog

Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana

2008-08-13T06:21:00.000-07:00

by Anne Rice

-Christ the Lord Series, Book 2-

(New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008)

Hardcover, 242 Pages, Fiction

ISBN: 9781400043521, US$25.95

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God.

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

…

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

—The Gospel According to John 1:1-5, 10

From the Cover: Anne Rice’s second book in her hugely ambitious and courageous life of Christ begins during his last winter before his baptism in the Jordan and concludes with the miracle at Cana. It is a novel in which we see Jesus—he is called Yeshua bar Joseph—during a winter of no rain, endless dust, and talk of trouble in Judea. Legends of a Virgin birth have long surrounded Yeshua, yet for decades he has lived as one among many who come to the synagogue on the Sabbath. All who know and love him find themselves waiting for some sign of the path he will eventually take. And at last we see him emerge from his baptism to confront his destiny—and the Devil. We see what happens when he takes the water of six great limestone jars, transforms it into cool red wine, is recognized as the Anointed One, and urged to call all Israel to take up arms against Rome and follow him as the prophets have foretold. As with Out of Egypt, the opening novel, The Road to Cana is based on the Gospels and on the most respected New Testament scholarship. The book’s power derives from the profound feeling its author brings to the writing and the way in which she summons up the presence of Jesus.

My Review: I picked up my first Anne Rice novel some time in high school. It was Interview with the Vampire. No surprise there, really. It was, is and probably always will be her most popular novel. I went on from there to the rest of The Vampire Chronicles and The Lives of the Mayfair Witches and also into some of the periphery novels. Then, just about three years ago, I picked up Rice’s Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt.

I was skeptical at first, but Rice soon pulled me into her chronicle of the life of Christ. I had heard rumors that she was planning to write a trilogy, I was intrigued, though I heard nothing further about it and assumed that she had decided not to write the remaining novels. Then, about a month ago, someone on a message board I belong to posted a review of The Road to Cana and I was taken by surprise. I had not heard a thing about Cana’s release. I immediately put it on hold at my local library and anxiously waited. It took nearly a month for me to get my hot little hands on the book but when I did … it only took 24 hours to plow my way through it.

Anne Rice’s Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana is a marvelous novel. Rice has done a wonderful job of recreating Ancient Palestine and the Jewish community, culture and way of life that existed at the time. Rice has taken a very large risk in writing from a first person point-of-view—having Christ tell His own story—because the Jesus that she has created is one that is very human, and that could step on more than a few toes. (Anyone remember a little novel called The Da Vinci-something-or-other and the flap that book created?) However, where Anne Rice succeeds (and Dan Brown fails) is that Rice is respectful of the personage (both historical and religious) of Jesus Christ as well as His divinity and role to many (including Rice herself and Your Faithful Reviewer) as Redeemer and Savior of the World.

Cana presents a Christ that both accepts and is wary of His role as the Messiah. Rice’s prose is poignant and, at times, heartbreaking as her Christ makes the decisions that put Him on the road to the Jordan River, His baptism at the hands of His cousin John, His temptation in the desert and, finally, the calling of the first disciples as well as His first miracle and beginning of His ministry at the wedding at Cana. Even more so than Out of Egypt, Cana reminds me strongly of Nikos Kazantzakis’s The Last Temptation of Christ, chiefly because of the humanity that Rice’s Christ evinces.

As I said with Out of Egypt, this is fiction that “transcends story and instead qualifies as an act of faith.” The Road to Cana is a Must-Read for anyone who believes in Jesus Christ.

This review can also be found at Bryan’s Book Blog