Tempted: A House of Night Novel

He gave me his cocky grin. “Hey, I like it. Makes me think I’m in bed with a bad little Catholic schoolgirl from one of those twisted all-girl prep schools. Want to tell me about naked pillow fights you and your roommates used to have?” (p 110)

At the conclusion of Hunted, Zoey and her circle drove the fallen immortal Kalona and High Priestess Neferet from their ice-covered town. Tempted picks up right there and spans the next few days. The title refers, I believe, to the numerous times Zoey is tempted by Kalona to join with him. There is also an over arcing theme of free will and the temptation evil presents.

Stevie Rae’s story arc was my favorite. She stumbles across an injured Raven Mocker and her decision to save his life rather than finish him off will have consequences sure to play a major role in the future.

The series’ most irksome quality is that so little truly happens. While the books are slim as it is, so much text is wasted on inane musings and unnecessary description that I feel cheated when finished. Arg! Another year before we reach (I hope) the conclusion.

[Via http://nicolepoliti.wordpress.com]

The Eternal Kiss: 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire

The Eternal Kiss: 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire by various authors
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Publication Date: July 27th 2009
Buy it from: Book Depository (free shipping worldwide!)
Gold star (4/5 stars)

Synopsis: Supernatural forces and desires come alive in these thirteen vampire tales. Like love, the adventures are never safe and hungers never die. And chances are taken. If you are seduced by the mystery of the heart, beating for a destiny unknown, you will helplessly follow the characters’ in this collection—longing for one to call their own.

This collection of original tales comes from some of the hottest, most popular, and best-selling YA writers, including: Holly Black, Libba Bray, Melissa De La Cruz, Cassandra Clare, Rachel Caine, Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie, Cecil Castellucci, Kelley Armstrong, Maria V. Snyder, Sarah Rees Brennan, Lili St. Crow, Karen Mahoney and Dina James.

Review: There are many stories in here, some were great while some were not of my liking. I shall review only the ones I really liked and one or two others which I found ‘ok’. Overall the book was enjoyable enough.

Sword Point by Maria V. Snyder: At first, I found the tense used in the story a little weird but eventually I got used to it. The story itself was really good! It’s basically about a girl Ava who was invited to an exclusive training academy for fencing. She meets a karate trainer who was creepy at first and soon discover strange things in the Academy. (4/5 stars)

The Thirteenth Step by Libba Bray: Lauren takes up a job to work as an assistant in Angelus House, a safe house for troubled teens and addicts. But there is more to the Angelus House than meets the eye. Very well-paced, enjoyed it.(4.5/5 stars)

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black: It started out slow but the more I read, the more I loved it! The ending was genius! The story is about a girl fighting to not become a vampire after she is bitten. But when she discovers her boyfriend and her friend went to Coldtown to become vampires, she must make a decision. To stay human or not. (4/5 stars)

All Hallows by Rachel Caine: This is a story part of The Morganville Vampires series, which I am planning on reading. After reading All Hallows, I am pretty sure I will like The Morganville Vampires series. The story is about a girl Eve who dates a vampire. But their night is ruined when he disappears and Eve and her friends have to save him. (4/5 stars)

Wet Teeth by Cecil Castellucci: Initially, I was really grossed out by the descriptions of the MC describing the veins. But after a while, I focused more on the romance which was nicely done. It’s about a vampire meeting a girl who makes him feel more alive than he’s ever felt since becoming a vampire. Did not see the ending coming. (4/5 stars)

Other Boys by Cassandra Clare: It was a nice story, slightly predictable. It’s about a boy Colin who claims he is a vampire and Jennifer, the main character, is attracted to him. Despite the predictability, I like Clare’s writing. (4/5 stars)

Kat by Kelley Armstrong: Kat is set in the same world as the characters from Armstrong’s Darkest Powers series which I loved. The main character, Kat, is a teenage girl on the run with her vampire foster mum, Marguerite. This story was no doubt fantastic but I have a minor problem. I did not understand the ending, so what was Kat’s Supernatural power at first. How did she end up being a vampire? (3.5/5 stars)

Undead is Very Hot Right Now by Sarah Brennan: Several people said this story was funny but frankly I did not like it as much as The Demon’s Lexicon. It was okay, not terrible, not fantastic. The humour was sarcastic sometimes. An interesting take about a vampire being part of a boy band. (3/5 stars)

Passing by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié: Skipped the first few pages. I found this story boring. Basically about a vampire hunter falling in love with a vampire. She belongs to an Academy for vampire hunters. Nothing special about this story. (2/5 stars)

[Via http://readthisbook.wordpress.com]

Great Books About Scotland -- A St. Andrew's Day Celebration

The Scots — who gave us classics that range from Treasure Island to James Boswell’s Life of Samuel Johnson — celebrate their heritage on St. Andrew’s Day, Nov. 30, the feast day of the patron saint of Scotland. Here, in its honor, are some of my favorite books about the land of my maternal ancestors:

The Crofter and the Laird (FSG, 1992), by John McPhee. More than three decades ago, McPhee moved with his wife and four young daughters to a small island in the inner Hebrides, just off the Scottish mainland, which had fewer than 200 residents. He tells the story of that visit to the land of his ancestors in The Crofter and the Laird, a fascinating of study of a place that refracts the history of Colonsay through his family’s experiences. The book is especially noteworthy for its portrait of changing relations between crofters or tenant farmers and their English laird (then, a glorified landlord who owned the island) long before the establishment of a Scottish Parliament. McPhee won a Pulitzer Prize for Annals of the Former World. First published in 1969.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (HarperPerennial, 2009), by Muriel Spark. This great novella is a brilliant psychological study of female power as deployed by a teacher at an Edinburgh girls’ school in the early 1930s. The 1969 movie version had a memorable star turn by Maggie Smith but didn’t capture the most remarkable aspect of the book: It is a masterpiece of tone. Spark neither sentimentalizes nor demonizes her heroine, but describes her with the kind of cool detachment rarely found in novels about the sexually overheated world of girls’ and boys’ schools.  First published in 1961.

The Thirty-Nine Steps (Oxford University Press, 2009),by John Buchan. This slender, classic spy thriller is the first of Buchan’s five novels about Richard Hannay, a 37-year-old Scottish-born engineer who became a prototype for generations of adventurous patriots. In The Thirty-Nine Steps Hannary shelters a spy who has learned of a secret German plan to invade England and, when the man is murdered, flees to the Scotland, where he hopes to lie low amid remote glens and moors. He soon finds himself hunted both by the British police who consider him a suspect and by the Germans who have killed the spy. After being spotted from an airplane, Hannay tries to elude his pursuers by adopting disguises and traveling by foot, bicycle and train through Scotland. This story is better known today for its movie version by Alfred Hitchcock. But Hitchcock changed so much of the plot that no matter often you’ve seen the film, you can enjoy the book. First published in 1915.

Other good books about Scotland include Israel Shenker’s In the Footsteps of Johnson and Boswell : A Modern Day Journey through Scotland, a re-tracing of one of the most famous literary excursions in history, and the two books that inspired it: Samuel Johnson’s Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland and James Boswell’s A Tour to the Hebrides. You can find them together in one edition.

A fine golf book for serious readers (as opposed to serious picture-gazers) is A Season in Dornoch: Golf and Life in the Scottish Highlands, the journalist Lorne Rubenstein’s account of a summer of playing on the Royal Dornoch Golf Course. And Liza Campbell writes of her life as the daughter of a Thane of Cawdor in A Charmed Life: Growing Up in Macbeth’s Castle, a memoir that offers a stars-without-makeup view of 20th-century Scottish aristocrats. Campbell’s book isn’t perfect, but the British class system is dissolving fast enough that her story may be one of the last of its kind.

You can also follow Jan Harayda on Twitter (@janiceharayda) www.Twitter.com/janiceharayda, where you’ll find others’ favorite books on Scotland by reading her home page or searching Twitter for the hashtag #scots.

© 2009 Janice Harayda. All rights reserved.

[Via http://oneminutebookreviews.wordpress.com]

Treasure Island Review

It Begins: “Squire Trelawney, Dr. Livesey, and the rest of these gentlemen having asked me to write down the whole particulars about Treasure Island, from the beginning to the end, keeping nothing back but the bearings of the island, and that only because there is still treasure not yet lifted, I take up my pen in the year of grace 17– and go back to the time when my father kept the “Admiral Benbow” inn and the brown old seaman with the sabre cut first took up his lodging under our roof.”

And it Ends with: “The bar silver and the arms still lie, for all that I know, where Flint buried them; and certainly they shall lie there for me. Oxen and wainropes would not bring be back again to that accursed island; and the worst dreams that ever I have are when I hear the surf booming about its coasts or start upright in bed with the sharp voice of Captain Flint still ringing in my ears: “Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!”

It is 191 pages and it took me 16 days.

I would recommend this book to every male I know. And females can read it too. I emphasized the ‘male’ audience because Stevenson himself said he wrote the tale for boys.  The ideal audience for this book, in my humble opinion, would be boys 14 and older. That is only because some of the paragraphs seem to throw me off of what is happening. At these times you need to read with faith, because 3 sentences down the page it’ll all make sense.

What I got out of this book is a lot of enjoyment and an increased suspicion of all men with a wooden leg. It is a great story and a classic for a reason. I also love the way it is written. The sentences describe more than the words they are made of… similar to the words ’splash’ and ‘goo’. Treasure Island has everything that makes a great tale great: adventure, a goal, good versus evil, death, lots of different characters, excitement, deception, battles, and an underlying morality. This book also gives me a proper basis to judge all of the pirate stories and TV shows that I grew up on. I fully agree that this is a book that every man should read. And I’ll probably read it again.

[Via http://jakereads.com]

How mind acquired knowledge?

How mind acquired knowledge? (Nov. 25, 2009)

Berkeley, the British philosopher of the 19th century, insists that we cannot directly comprehend objects with just our senses: our senses are causally linked to phenomena that are affected by the objects. In this case, the “existence of objects” becomes problematic if we try to insert a third transmission factor between the subject and the object to account for our comprehension. The traditional reflection that we need a speculative concept-based system of thinking to mediate between object and subject has been disrupted by physical sciences.

By the by, the conviction that transformations of our senses lead to comprehending brute matters relied on a double proof: first, the impossibility of acquiring knowledge by the sole speculative thinking and second, empirical research enhanced our knowledge base.

Hume, another British philosopher, claimed that causal relations, among other concepts considered essential, cannot be understood from matters that are offered to our senses.  According to Hume, the sensed brute matter is our only source of knowledge and thus, it modifies our understanding but never leads us to formulating laws: “empirical knowledge is never certain”. Hume warned against indulging into metaphysical concept (as the true opposite to objectivity); this word “metaphysic” aroused this erroneous fear that got the subsequent contemporary philosophers rattled and wrote thousand of obscure pages just to sounding objective. This anxious fear of extending metaphysical notions prompted philosophers into describing objects as equivalent to their qualities or characteristics, thus, evaluating relations is equivalent to evaluating qualities.

Consequently, contemporary philosophers reached this understanding that sure and stable knowledge has to be founded on reasoning such as it is done in geometry and the principle of causality. The paradox, said Einstein, is that we learned that most reasoning systems do not necessarily generate certainty in any field of science or that are intimately necessary for our knowledge development.

Bertrand Russell in his “Inquiry into meaning and truth” stated: “We all start with the realism that objects are what they appear: grass is green, snow is cold, and stone is hard. Then physics teaches us that color, heat, or hardness are different in quality or characteristics of what we might have experienced. The observer is in fact registering the impressions of the grass, snow, or stone. When science attempts to be objective it sinks, against its will, into subjectivity. Thus, naïf realism leads to physics, physics then demonstrates that realism is false. Logically false, and thus false.”

To avoid their concepts being labeled “metaphysical” then Scientists have been formulating boundaries or axioms to their concepts; for example, in order for a concept not to degenerate into metaphysic then first, enough numbers of propositions must be linked to the sensed world and second, the conceptual system must have essential functions of re-arranging, organizing, and synthesizing the sensed “reality”. A system expresses a game of logical symbols ruled by logical arbitrary given propositions.

Einstein is not bothered at all by the term metaphysic; he does not mind accepting an object as an independent concept in spatial-temporal structures. As he views it, it is unavoidable bypassing metaphysical concepts and thus, there should be no need to be apprehensive of a concept being considered metaphysical. Einstein thinks that concepts are logically creations of the mind, that it cannot be due to inductive reasoning from the sensed experiences. For example, prime numbers are considered invention of the mind. Yes, that concepts are extracted from the sensed brute matters is a reasonable contention, what is wrong is to exclude all concepts not considered to be related to the sensed world as metaphysical concepts.

What is so fishy about contemporary philosophy is that they avoid dwelling on the processes of hundreds of thousands of years that was necessary for human brain to acquire the necessary associations and images of objects and expressions, of metaphors, and then abstract analogies. It is my contention that reasoning methods of induction, deduction, and logical systems of rules are but organizations and descriptions of mental processes of the brain and memories for retrieving and recalling stored information. I believe that the neo-cortex has been undergoing specialized connected areas for expert specialized and restricted disciplines for work or labor divisions. General knowledge is going down the drain that will result in man destruction and moral oblivion.

[Via http://adonis49.wordpress.com]

Physics of the Impossible

One hundred years ago, scientists would have said that lasers, televisions, and the atomic bomb were beyond the realm of physical possibility. In Physics of the Impossible, Dr. Michio Kaku–a renowned theoretical physicist, bestselling author, futurist, and popularizer of science–explores to what extent the technologies and devices of science fiction that are deemed equally impossible today might well become commonplace in the future.

He uses the world of science fiction to explore the fundamentals and limits of the laws of physics as we know them today. He ranks the impossible technologies by category–Class I, II, and III–depending on when they might be achieved, within the next century, millennia, or perhaps never.

CLASS I impossiblities includes force fields, invisibility, phasers and death stars, teleportation, telepathy, psychokinesis, robots, extraterrestrials and UFOs, starships, and antimatter and anti-universe. CLASS II impossiblities includes time travel and parallel universes. CLASS III impossiblities includes perpetual motion machines and precognition.

The link below is his lecture at WGBH and Museum of Science in Boston. It is a summary of his texbook. So enjoy yourself and impress yourself with his exploration!!!

Physics of the Impossible Lecture at WGBH and Museum of Science, Boston.

[Via http://phannsophearin.wordpress.com]

Book Review: BlackOut - A Riley Covington Thriller

Blackout by Jason Elam

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Blackout (A Riley Covington Thriller)
Thriller is indeed accurate.
This is my first book by these authors to read. I do not think that it will be my last.
Riley Covington is a pro football player. He is also a hero. A former member of the US Armed Forces, and an expert in various terrorist weapons, Covington is in great demand.
Covington is also a Christian. That means that all the he does is influenced by his commitment to Jesus.
Covington is inexplicably traded away from the team that he loves to play on. He is moved to Washington only to find that he is not wanted by that team’s owner. He learns, however, that the government is behind his move, and that they have a need for him.
Covington is to seek to prevent another terrorist attack that could lead to a blackout of the whole nation. In the midst of all of this, he is torn between his feelings for two very different women.
What will the outcome of all of this be?
One thing is for sure, the outcome is that I desire to read more books about Riley Covington.

Thanks to Christy Wong of Tyndale for this advance reader copy of Blackout.

View all my reviews >>

[Via http://pastoralmusings.com]

book

my friend emily grace wrote this:

i read this really good series called “uglies” by scott westerfeld. dont think the name is weird cause this book has some serious action and drama. i couldnt put any of them down!! (thers 4 btw) any one who like adventure, action, drama, and a tiny bit of romance should read this AMAZING series. Tally will have to make several choices depending on her life and others….read to find out!!

[Via http://aylas98.wordpress.com]

Book Review: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (2008)

The formula for Malcolm Gladwell’s three best-selling non-fiction works is simple:  amusing anecdotes plus a little science equal some “interesting” ideas about how we could fix something.  In Blink he looked at a variety of seemingly disconnected things like taste tests and military war games to show how gut reactions can be better used and trained to take advantage of their accuracy.

Outliers seeks to answer questions about why some people are successful.  The answers that Gladwell finds are neither earth-shaking, nor really all that “interesting.”  The anecdotes, however, are, and it’s Gladwell’s ability as a story-teller that still makes the book worth reading. 

In short, Gladwell argues that success is shaped by opportunity and legacy. This means that an uncontrollable factor such as when or where you were born could be a more controlling influence over the likelihood of an individual succeeding as factors like genetics or hard work and responsibility.  Gladwell does not deny the influence of these other factors, noting that they are, in fact, necessary.  Only that hard work alone does not necessarily account for why some succeed and some fail.

Gladwell leads this into a discussion about what can be done for schools to help students experience success.  Among the ideas he advocates:

Re-grouping classes based on birth month.  Gladwell shows how the younger students in a class are wrongly judged on their abilities because of their development.  He recommends a 3-4 month grouping so the gap between youngest and oldest isn’t as pronounced. 

Using the Asian system of numbers.  Gladwell believes the American number system  is counter-intuitive and that the Asian system fosters a greater ability to calculate individually. 

Adopting year-round school.  According to stats that Gladwell produces, most schools work.  It’s the summer break that skews what progress is made when reading and math scores are broken down along socioeconomic lines.  The lower brackets lose reading gains over the summer and actually make greater strides during the school year.  Were the school calendar to reflect a more natural work calendar (or an Asian calendar) these gains would be maintained.

Adopting Asian-type school days.  Looking at the TIMSS test Gladwell shows how you can predict the outcome of the test based on the number of questions students leave blank on the pre-test questionnaire.  It’s amazing but true.  This gets attributed to attention span and the way school days break down.  Asian schools have longer bells, allowing for more time on individual problems, while typical American students give up after 30 seconds-2 minutes.  Gladwell’s theory is that if American students were better at persisting (something he imaginatively attributes to rice paddy farming v. American-style farming) we would improve our ability to score highly on these tests. 

In the end, it’s hard to say much more about Gladwell than “that’s interesting.”  It’s not science, it’s not research, it’s a loose connection of anecdotes.  Taken together, he seems to advocate Asian schools and Asian culture for producing academic success as measured by standardized tests.  Why we should use such tests to measure what a successful student is or care about their results is not, however, addressed here.  He leaves that for the academics.

See Gladwell on Charlie Rose (12/19/08 ) here.

[Via http://dustyhum.wordpress.com]

He Knows Too Much...

The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy
by Bill Simmons
702 pp

Why it’s a five: “Simmons delicately researched the history professional basketball in all its aspects. Between his in-depth descriptions and pop-culture comparisons, this book is enjoyable for even the most casual of fans.” — Upper Deck Underdogs

When the National Basketball Association is viewed today, it is looked at with a spiteful eye. The most apparent things visible to fans are the players’ ludicrous tattoos, massive (and sometimes undeserving) contracts, and the poor attitudes so often displayed and chronicled by the national media. Bill Simmons, most famously known for his Page 2 column on ESPN.com, is determined to prove that the league was once much more than a proverbial circus.

Simmons not only diligently researched for the preparation of this book, his life alone proved to provide a cornucopia of basketball knowledge. As the son of a season ticket holder for the Boston Celtics, some of Simmons’ greatest childhood recollections came in the seats of the late Boston Garden. He recalls being in the crowd to see some of the game’s greatest names, as well as some lesser-known players who deserve to be recognized more often.

Several pages of this book are dedicated to the always-enjoyable “what-if game.” Simmons delves into the realm of possibility and asks, then immediately answers some of the NBA’s greatest questions. He asks how the league would have differed if certain situations played out differently, and reflects back on some of the league’s most dreaded memories, such as the day superstar-to-be Len Bias died of a cocaine overdose.

Most of this book, however, tells of Simmons’ “Player Pyramid” Hall of Fame concept. He claims that the current National Basketball Association Hall of Fame should be “blown up and started all over,” and then states how he would do it, which includes a method of not inducting people annually, but only when truly deserving players, coaches, or front office members are eligible. The Player Pyramid ranks the best ninety-six players in league history, and places them on different levels within the Hall, which, most notably, is “The Pantheon.”

The Book of Basketball is an enjoyable read for the casual fan just as it is pleasing for the die hard. Simmons does not disappoint as he details nearly every notable moment in the league history, and further describes them with his signature footnotes. This book is a must-read for any sports fan, pop culture extremist, or Simmons follower.

– Matt Shanley

[Via http://upperdeckunderdogs.com]

What a Week!

Just when I thought things were all going smoothly my 2 brain cells skiddledaddle out the back door!

Edward Woodward died at the beginning of the week but Gareth must have know intuitively because he’d done a review on The Wicker Man DVD!

Also put up 3 reviews – assigned ‘The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets‘ Nest’ to Gareth when it should have been Ann, and then forgot to publish Joel Osteen’s brilliant new book ‘It’s Your Time’ having sent the link to the publishers. Managed to get Franklin correct though!

Last but not least we didn’t get the hardback of Dan Brown’s ‘The Lost Symbol’ but we did get the audio book to review – Gareth did the listening and thoroughly enjoyed Paul Michael’s rendition of it.

It must be the weather – all that rain – although thankfully not like Cumbria – that must have been so shocking to suddenly have 8 feet of water rushing into through your town! Reminds me of Florence back in the 69 when they had flood waters that went upto 9 + feet – it was extra ordinary to see the line mark on the building and church walls!

Confessions of a Shopoholic by Sophie Kinsella

Title:  Confessions of a Shopaholic

Author:  Sophie Kinsella

Paperback:  350 pages

ISBN:  0440241413

On Monday morning I wake early, feeling rather hollow inside.  My gaze flits to the pile of unopened carrier bags in the corner of my room and then quickly flits away again.  I know I spent too much money on Saturday.  I know I shouldn’t have bought two pairs of boots.  I know I shouldn’t have bought that purple dress.  In all, I spent… Actually, I don’t want to think about how much I spent.  Think about something else, quick, I instruct myself.  Something else.  Anything’ll do.

I’m well aware that at the back of my mind, thumping quietly like a drumbeat, are the twin horrors of Guilt and Panic.

Guilt Guilt Guilt Guilt.

Panic Panic Panic Panic.

If I let them, they’d swoop in and take over.  I’d feel completely paralyzed with misery and fear.  So the trick I’ve learned is simply not to listen.  My mind is very well trained like that.

-Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella, page 154

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella lends a comedic voice to an all-to-real problem plaguing many today.  It’s a story told by the main character, Rebecca Bloomwood, as she struggles to gain control of her shopping addiction.  From the private thoughts and justifications, like the item’s on sale so buying two saves more, to the terror when seeing the credit card bills in the mail.  At times I heard a few of my own thought processes echoed in Bex, lol.

Miss Bloomwood tries to get her spending under control, even going so far as to work through a self help book… unfortunately, though, she ends up spending a lot more money than she did without the book, as well as stinking up the apartment with the smell of defeat and bad curry.  Her father offers the advice that she has two choices:  Cut back or make more money.  Obviously cutting back was a bust, so she tries the MMM approach.  Her short-lived career in retail ends in disaster when she learns the hard way that hiding clothing from the customer will get you fired.  She also finds that she is NOT the craftiest person and the “make money at home” thing isn’t for her.  Nor can she force herself to fall in love with a millionaire, no matter how much her friend might want it.  It would seem that she is destined to retreat to her parents and regress from adulthood, and even there she can’t escape her incompetence.

Can this shopaholic make it?

Just then the post plops through the door, and I go to pick it up.  There’s a handwritten letter for Suze and a postcard from the Maldives.  And for me, there are two ominous-looking window envelopes.  One from VISA, one from Endwich Bank.

For a moment, my heart stands still.  Why another letter from the bank?  And VISA.  What do they want?  Can’t they just leave me alone?

-p. 155

For the most part, I enjoyed this book.  It was funny and truthful.  The scene in the store with the customer wanting the pair of pants Becky had been planning to buy after her first day of work had me rolling.  And the romantic tension between Luke and her is quite delicious.  I did, however, find her mildly annoying after awhile.  Honestly, there were points toward the end where I was yelling at the book, “For goodness sake!  Just tell the truth!”  For shopping is not Rebecca Bloomwood’s only vice, lying seems to be her native tongue.  Sometimes, she even lies for no apparent reason.

All in all Confessions of a Shopaholic is a bit of fluff that can be a quick escape from the more serious books, and I’ve been holding off on watching the movie until I’ve finished the book.  I suspect this will be one of those examples where the movie is better than the book…. then again, after watching a trailer for it, I realized NONE of the movie is what I had remembered the trailers before the book (I thought Amy Adams played Rebecca and Chris Noth Luke Brandon!), nor is it very much at all like the book.  Ah, well!  I give Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella 3 out of 5 stars.

An Apple a Day by Dr. Joseph Schwarcz

Click to find at a library near you!

Should I really have a glass of red wine a day? What is all this I keep hearing about antioxidants? How exactly does coffee affect my body?

Dr. Schwarcz, in his book An Apple a Day: The Myths, Misconceptions, and Truths About the Foods We Eat, attempts objectively evaluate the truth behind the latest trends in nutrition. When possible, he cites scientific studies, and other times he introduces his own opinion, which he seems to present as fact as well.

This is a concise, quick reference on many key nutritional buzzwords. For those interested in health and diet, but not thoroughly up to date, Schwarcz has created a useful guide. He presents no new information here, but does effectively summarize on many popular topics regarding the foods we eat.

Book Review: Thirsty **Win a FREE Copy**

Title: Thirsty

Author: Tracey Bateman

Publisher’s Synopsis: There’s no place like home, they say.
“Hello, I’m Nina Parker…and I’m an alcoholic.”
For Nina, it’s not the weighty admission but the first steps toward recovery that prove most difficult. She must face her ex-husband, Hunt, with little hope of making amends, and try to rebuild a relationship with her angry teenage daughter, Meagan. Hardest of all, she is forced to return to Abbey Hills, Missouri, the hometown she abruptly abandoned nearly two decades earlier–and her unexpected arrival in the sleepy Ozark town catches the attention of someone–or something–igniting a two-hundred-fifty-year-old desire that rages like a wildfire.

Unaware of the darkness stalking her, Nina is confronted with a series of events that threaten to unhinge her sobriety. Her daughter wants to spend time with the parents Nina left behind. A terrifying event that has haunted Nina for almost twenty years begins to surface. And an alluring neighbor initiates an unusual friendship with Nina, but is Markus truly a kindred spirit or a man guarding dangerous secrets?

As everything she loves hangs in the balance, will Nina’s feeble grasp on her demons be broken, leaving her powerless against the thirst? The battle between redemption and obsession unfold to its startling, unforgettable end.

 

When I got the invitation to review a vampire book for Multnomah, well let’s just say I was intrigued.  There are a couple of things you should know.

 

1.  The only vampire fiction I’ve ever read was the Twilight Saga.

2.  I don’t intend to make a habit of reading vampire fiction.  It’s just not my thing, and from what I understand, most isn’t of the ‘don’t murder humans’ variety.  I’m not going to start rooting for creatures that kill people.  Sorry.  Not happening.  That’s a little like fish cheering on the guy with the hook in the water.

 

So, with that in mind, I opened this book with a bit of trepidation.  Had I made the right decision?  Was it fair to the publisher to review a book that I knew I probably wouldn’t purchase?  Or, was I possibly a needed balance in a world that is a bit obsessed with the whole genre right now?

 

First of all, true vampire aficionados will not like her take on the whole vampire thing.  It leans more toward Meyer and less toward Dracula (at least from what I understand Dracula to be about.  I haven’t read it so this is just my possibly wrong understanding).  Unlike Meyer, the vampire(s) of Bateman’s book are born that way (more Harry Potterish than Meyerish) and you get a stronger sense of danger even though you (like Meyer) do trust him.

 

Now, before I get blasted for comparing everything to Meyer as if she is the standard of the vampire genre when it’s been around for years and she’s pretty much created her own world (which I personally think is the appeal) please remember, she is all I  have to compare it to.  I haven’t read any other and don’t intend to.  So, when I compare to Meyer it is only becuase that’s the only thing I can compare to– sorry vampire die hards… if you even read this blog.  (Kind of doubt that).

 

The best part of this book was that while it is technically a “vampire novel”, two-thirds of it has nothing to do with the vampire(s) at all.  It has a plot, standing alone, and it’s a good one.  I loved how Ms. Bateman really worked hard to let us see into the heart of the main female character and see her flaws for the raw ugliness that they were, and the virtues that her own sin-filled life hadn’t completely stamped out.

 

I loved that it didn’t have a “neat and tidy” ending, and yet it was still satisfying.  There was no “happily ever after” so to speak but there was a promise of a real life for real people and in a way that made me stand up and cheer.

 

There were so many layers to this plot that it’s hard to write about without giving away too much of it.  I will say, I think this is the kind of book that those who avoid vampire novels will enjoy anyway because of how it is written and how that part of the plot is dealt with.  I also think that Meyer fans won’t see it as a “copycat” and would enjoy it.  As for those who loved the original genre before the advent of Twilight, well, my guess is that this wouldn’t offend their vampirish sensibilities either.  Somehow Ms. Bateman has managed to bridge her novel very nicely– probably because she didn’t glamorize vampirism in any way and because she did show one to be a semi-sympathetic character.  It is hard to balance, but she did it well.

 

Multnomah gave me a copy to review and I’m passing it along to share the ‘thirst’.  Sorry, couldn’t resist.  Just post a comment and you’ll be entered.

 

Now I’m curious… can anyone tell me what the appeal of vampire novels is?  I understand the appeal of Twilight as a specific set of books.  What I don’t understand is the appeal of the genre itself.  Anyone care to enlighten me?

Ender's Game: Lost Childhood

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Tor Science Fiction

Ender Wiggin is just your average six-year old boy, the youngest of three siblings. Average, other than the fact that he’s a budding military genius, taken from his home on Earth and shipped off to be trained in Battle School in space. The human race has been fighting a war against an alien species that attacked the Earth a hundred years ago. They’re called Buggers, for the obvious reason that they look like giant insects. After a fluke victory during the first war, the military has been desperately searching for the next great leader. They hope they’ve found him in Ender. Ender will suffer through five years of grueling training as the men in charge manipulate him and the children he trains with in order to turn him into the best strategist the world has ever seen.

As Ender struggles to survive and thrive in Battle School, his older brother and sister back on Earth are going through their own crucible. Peter Wiggin, the eldest, is a cruel and sadistic boy with grandiose but entirely plausible ideas of ruling the world. Valentine Wiggin is the middle child, protector and defender of Ender and buffer to Peter, trying to keep him from taking out his frustrations and manipulations on the innocents around him. All three kids are scarily smart and intensely calculating; each move they make, each word they utter is analyzed unto the nth degree. Between the three Wiggin children, the world is in for a hell of a ride. But they just might manage to save the human race in the course of all their machinations.

The title Ender’s Game refers to so much more than the mock battles he learns to fight in the Battle School. He is both pawn and player, manipulated by the military men around him, but also trying his best to fight back any way he can. He is very much aware that they are playing with his life, even at the beginning of the story when he is still a child. Although Ender is still very young when the story ends, he stops being a child very early on.

The story asks many questions of us: How far will we go to turn a child into a killer? How much manipulation and isolation can one boy handle for the sake of humankind? Is the price of survival too high? Is the complete and utter destruction of another race really what it takes to ensure our continuation? Is the only true path to power through the means of manipulation and deception?

There are few easy answers in this book. What Ender, Valentine, and Peter endure and engender because of who they are and what they can would be too much for most normal children. But it is very clear that they are in no way normal children. This book is not about childhood. It is about the loss of one, two, or three childhoods for the good of many. Ender is the butt of the worst of the training, but every boy and girl he fights beside and against is a victim of necessity.

Ender, in himself, is not a killer. He has been forced into situations that cause him to defend himself, but on his own, he is a sweet and caring boy. Forces outside of his control cause the literal weight of the world to descend on his small shoulders. Card manages to portray him as very human and very real, even as Ender is pushed above and beyond the edge of human endurance. The people in charge of his life are all bad; many of them care deeply for Ender. But because of the threat of the Buggers, they can stop at nothing to create the ultimate defender. Valentine is also seen as a good sister and a kind person, as she is coldly manipulated both by the military and Peter. Peter is the real bad guy, but he’s bad in such a way that can’t be stopped or proven, but must be endured. He is a megalomaniac in the truest sense, convinced he is the only one that can prevent war between the countries of Earth after the Buggers are defeated. It’s very unfortunate that he might be proven right. In the end, even the Buggers are proved not to be all bad, but merely guilty of misunderstanding the structure of the human race.

The characters and settings within Ender’s Game are compelling. This is a true classic of science fiction. You have space battles, weightless fights, an alien species, and truly genius characters. You also have examples of the best and worst of humanity. There are strong and weak male and female characters, although the boys vastly outnumber the girls in Battle School. Valentine manages to stand out even against her two brothers, though, and she is a genuinely interesting character in her own right.

There are some mixed feelings in the Speculative Fiction community about Orson Scott Card’s works because of some of opinions he has expressed in regards to the gay and lesbian community. Because of those opinions, I can’t honestly endorse buying Ender’s Game, because I feel that the author does not deserve to be supported by the very people he admits to loathing. But sometimes a story reaches beyond petty feelings, and in this case, Ender’s Game is one of those stories. So go to your nearest library or used bookstore and get this book. It’s absolutely worth reading, regardless of the author.

Wild Blue Under by Judi Fennell

Wild Blue Under
Judi Fennell
Sourcebooks, Inc.
November, 2009
ISBN#:9781402224270

Rod Tritone is all set to take over the Mer kingdom when his father retires, until the ruling council tells him he has to marry first. The council gives him legs for the duration of his mission, as well as his future queen’s address and phone number. 

She’s Valerie Dumere, the daughter of a Mer father and a human mother who raised her in landlocked Kansas. When devastatingly handsome Rod Tritone shows up and tries to tell her about the kingdom under the sea, not only does she think he’s crazy, she’s determined that’s the last place she’d ever want to go. 

Then a vicious squad of seagulls tries to stop the Mer Prince from inheriting his throne and Val finds out about her true nature. Now she has to make the choice of a lifetime—stay on land, or follow Rod to his underwater world…

The following is an excerpt from Wild Blue Under by Judi Fennell. Meet Maybelle and Adele, two busybody sparrows who give Neighborhood Watch a whole new meaning and who play an important role in the story without ever even meeting Rod and Valerie. 

       Tap, tap, tap.

       “Should we tell him, Maybelle?” The two sparrows shared their breakfast, huddled beneath Adele’s weathervane in hopes of both avoiding the nasty weather that was rolling in with the clouds and finding out why that herring gull was back, this time tapping the outside of Valerie’s window.

       “No. I don’t think so.”

       “But it’s her window.”

       “I know.”

       “But then she’ll find out we can talk.”

       Maybelle closed her eyes as a particularly blustery wind kicked up. “No—she’ll find out he can talk.”

       “I don’t understand you, Maybelle.”

       Tap, tap, tap.

       “Do you remember Foghorn, Adele? My third mate?”

       “The one with the big—”

       “Uh huh.” Maybelle’s shudder had nothing to do with the weather. “Don’t remind me. The day he lost that tail feather was the happiest day of my life.”

       “But what does that have to do with Valerie?”

       “Well, Foggy always thought he knew what was best. The best place for bread crumbs, the right park bench for Fiddle Faddle…” The sparrows paused a moment to remember the lovely, buttery taste of their favorite treat. “The fastest way to cross Grove Street, where to get the plumpest sunflower seeds… everything. That male was an authority on everything.”

       “I still don’t see—”

       “Pay attention, Adele! Foggy thought he knew what was best and would never consider anything else, least of all what a female had to say or what she ought to know.”

       Tap, tap, tap.

       “Those two males over there aren’t planning to tell her the truth.”

       Adele gasped. “That sunflowers don’t really grow in your stomach if you eat the seeds in their shells?”

       Maybelle rolled her eyes. “No. Not that. They’re not going to tell her she’s a Mer.”

       “How do you know? You can’t possibly hear anything. The air cooler is on, and they’ve shut all the windows.”

       “Oh… well… I might have overheard—”

       “Maybelle Merriweather!” Adele’s high-pitched chirp soared an octave. “You did not go over there and eavesdrop!”

       “No, actually, I eave-sat. And a good thing, too, or we’d be telling Mr. Flying High there that he’s beaking up the wrong window, and she won’t learn the truth.”

       “This wouldn’t have anything to do with that gull telling you to mind your own business when you followed him yesterday, would it?”

       Maybelle fluffed her feathers, then set to preening them. Honestly, it was so blustery today, what with the wind tossing up all sorts of particles. And she’d just groomed herself…

“Of course not, Adele. And he didn’t tell me to mind my own business. He said it wasn’t any of my business. Which, of course, is wrong since this is my street and we don’t want any riffraff moving in.”

       She glared at the big, hulking gull. “Males! They think they’re the gods’ gift to females. And now he’s got The Heir treating Valerie as if she were a featherhead…” Maybelle tsk’d. “No. We girls need to stick together, and she deserves to know what she’s getting into.”

What people are saying about Wild Blue Under: 

“Fennell returns with another underwater adventure, her second story about the Tritone brothers. She’s proving herself to be a solid storyteller, and this tale is an enjoyable and pleasant read.” --Devon Paige, RT BookReviews Magazine.com 

“Wild Blue Under” is the second book of author, Judi Fennell’s Mer Trilogy, and the first of hers I have read and definitely won’t be the last! This book was such a fun, delightful read.” --Jaime, Revenge of the Book Nerds

“Bubbly fun! Judi Fennell whips together talking birds, princely peril and a sexy Mer man in this sparkling ‘under the sea’ tale.” –Virginia Kantra, USA Today best-selling author 

About The Author:

Judi Fennell has had her nose in a book and her head in some celestial realm all her life, including those early years when her mom would exhort her to “get outside!” instead of watching Bewitched or I Dream of Jeannie on television. So she did–right into Dad’s hammock with her Nancy Drew books. 

These days she’s more likely to have her nose in her laptop and her head (and the rest of her body) at her favorite bookstore, but she’s still reading, whether it be her latest manuscript or friends’ books. 

A three-time finalist in online contests, Judi has enjoyed the reader feedback she’s received and would love to hear what you think about her Mer series. Check out her website at www.JudiFennell.com for excerpts, reviews and fun pictures from reader and writer conferences, and the chance to “dive in” to her stories.

Book Reviews: Two Menage Romances

Well, I haven’t been much tempted by the recent books at Siren, or elsewhere, but this week I found 2 I thought might be worth it.  All I can say is, MEH!

• Title: Claiming Their Dream Weaver
• Author: Cooper McKenzie
• Type: Erotic contemporary romance
• Genre: Ménage with a paranormal edge
• Sub-genre: Fated mates
• My Grade: C- (2.6*)
• Rating: xxx
• Length: Novella at 26,000 words for $4.50
• Where Available: as an ebook at Siren publishing (link for convenience only)
• FTC Disclosure: purchased ebook on line

Claiming Their Dream Weaver is rather short novella that’s long on sex and short on substance, but there is a modest storyline to hold it together.  Suz Bowen Black has an unusual heritage, she’s a Dream Weaver, something she never understood or  fully believed, But her great-grandmother Ruth is dying and she’s been called back to New Bern, North Carolina.  Suz left New Bern behind years ago, pregnant and married.  Divorced from an abusive husband who beat her till she lost their child, she went through wild period searching for an orgasm, but never found one.

Waiting for her at Ruth’s house were the MacKenzie twins, Penn and Liam.  Suz had ‘claimed’ them when she was a little girl.  When Suz was 18, she asked them to take her virginity and the twins, who had promised their father not to claim her till she was the Dream Weaver, turned her down, but made her promise them all her future orgasms.  After years in the SAS, they came to New Bern to help Ruth and wait for Suz to come back, but she never did.  Now they make things right and claim their Dream Weaver.

The story was too short for any depth or substance, but it has enough that to make it interesting.  Its soap opera worthy plot plays out quickly over a very compressed time frame and reading time is very short.  Not worth $4.50.

************************************************************************************************************

• Title: Table for Three
• Author: Missy Martine
• Type: Erotic contemporary romance
• Genre: Ménage; Older woman younger men
• Sub-genre: Wounded dove and twin brothers who share
• My Grade: C- (2.7*)
• Rating: xxx
• Length: Novel at 76,000 words for $6.50
• Where Available: as an ebook at Siren publishing (link for convenience only)
• FTC Disclosure: purchased ebook on line

This role reversal May-December ménage romance has some very good story elements and some very weak ones.  Cassandra ‘Cass’ Abernathy is woman in hiding and recovering from an abusive marriage.  Her now ex-husband, Eric, is getting out of jail and she’s still so afraid of him she’s hidden herself away as best she can.  When a lawyer tries to contact her, she is very cautious.  She has her best friend call him to see what he wants, meets him well away from her residence, and is very reluctant to believe his claim that she’s the sole heir of an uncle she never knew.  Cass was raised in the foster care system and never knew anything at all about her family, least of all any living relative, one that never contacted her.

I have several problems here with the plot, my biggest being the dangling of having Eric come after Cass, but his never appearing, the very fast ‘courtship’ period – measure on a clock, not a calendar – and Cass’s fast acceptance of two strangers as her lovers.  All that aside, what drove me crazy was the changing point of view that made scenes ‘replay’ from one character to another.  As a writing device, this is tricky to pull off well and it can get annoying fast.  It also led to some very strange places where one chapter ended and another began.  I liked the older woman/younger men, thought Cass developed well as a character, but the time compression of the story arc of  just a few days really stretched believability to the breaking point.  The conniving lawyer adds a bit of interest, but past the very good setup, the story starts to skim the surface of the characters and falls into a rather predictable ménage.  I found that disappointing and was hoping for more developed story.  I also didn’t care for the dangling plot line of the legal secretary who wants the twins calling Cass’s ex-husband to let him know where she was.  Neither her actions or what happens with the ex-husband get resolved.  If this was to be the first of a series, the ending didn’t indicate that.

Table for Three was a slightly below average read.  It had a strong beginning, average middle and annoying ending with unresolved issues.  The story arc time line just wasn’t believable.  Was it worth $6.50?  I don’t think so.

Thomas: The Other Gospel by Nicholas Perrin [2]

I have just finished reading Nicholas Perrin’s article “Thomas: The Fifth Gospel” (JETS 49/1 [March 2006] 67-80) as well as the preface and Introduction chapter (one) in his book Thomas: The Other Gospel. Perrin is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College Graduate School. He completed his PhD at Marquette University and his dissertation evolved into Thomas and Tatian: The Relationship between the Gospel of Thomas and the Diatessaron (SBL, 2002).

Perrin gives a few reasons for writing this newest book which I will be reviewing, chapter-by-chapter, here. First, he felt that “there needs to be a scholarly yet accessible treatment of what researchers have been saying lately about The Gospel of Thomas. Second, “in North American discussions there is an unsettling homogeneity within Thomas scholarship. Third, he wants to avoid the basic question asked of Thomas–”When was this gospel written?”–in favor of fresh angles that will challenge the monopoly view of many scholars that Thomas is a first century document, maybe even earlier than the Synoptic gospels. 1

In his introduction Nicholas Perrin gives a brief history of the discovery of the Coptic Gospel of Thomas in Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in 1945 (also discovered was the Gospel of Judas).2 Then he proceeds to explain a bit about Thomas. It is a document that contains 114 sayings (logion) mostly attributed to Jesus. Since it is a “sayings” gospel there has been some comparisons to the hypothetical “Q” document. This has led to much speculation regarding the possibility that Thomas is earlier than the Synoptics and that the Synoptics developed tradition around those sayings that are found in a rawer form in Thomas.

Before the Coptic version of Thomas had been discovered there were a few Greek manuscripts that post-Nag Hammadi were recognized to correspond to Thomas. Those documents were found in Oxyrhynchus, Egypt. The fragments are named after this location and include P. Oxy 1, 654, and 655.

P. Oxy 1 corresponds to Thomas 26-33 and 77a. P. Oxy 654 corresponds to 1-7. P. Oxy 655 corresponds to 24, 36-39. According to Perrin, “The Oxyrhynchus fragments are particularly useful in that they provide a terminus ad quem for the dating of The Gospel of Thomas: the first copy could not have been written any later than the first few decades of the third century (200-20 CE). 3

Hippolytus of Rome, Origen of Alexandria, and Eusebius of Caesarea all reference or refer to Thomas. Hippolytus wrote in the second or third decade of the third century. Origen wrote these words sometime around this same time. Eusebius claimed that this was one of the heretical writings circulating which means it was likely well accepted by some groups. 4

Since the sayings are supposed to be quotations of Jesus of Nazareth the document cannot be any earlier than 30 CE. “This leaves us with a rather broad window: c. 30 – c. 210 CE.” 5 There are many differing opinions on where Thomas originates along this timeline.

There is much debate over whether Thomas can be said to be reliant upon the Synoptics, the Synoptics upon Thomas, or two parallel traditions that are not interdependent. Also, there are some questions related to whether or not the 114 sayings were written at once or whether the sayings just kept collecting over time. If at once, when, by whom, and so forth? If over time what are the earlier sayings? How does this shape our understanding of early Christianity?

Most Thomas scholars agree that the provenance of Thomas was Edessa (modern Urfa, Turkey). Many think the original text was written in Greek (Perrin argues for Syriac). 6

Is Thomas a “sayings” document? Perrin argues, “It is not entirely accurate to call the Gospel of Thomas a ’sayings collection’. There are sayings, indeed, but alongside these are a number of miniature scenes and dialogues. 7

Also, there are many who suggest Thomas is Gnostic. Perrin disagrees. He writes,

While I agree that ‘Gnostic’ and ‘Gnosticism’ makes for a pretty unwieldy rug under which to sweep all those sects that are not ostensibly proto-orthodox, the term has its place, at least if defined accurately enough. All the same, I disagree with those who say that the Gospel of Thomas is Gnostic. To be sure, the sayings gospel shares many elements with purported Gnostic texts (elements of anti-Judaism, hatred of the body, secret knowledge, etc.), but there is no hint that Thomas’ Creator God is the same sadistic deity or pompous idiot that we meet in the Gnostic materials. Lacking these features, Thomas must be judged to be non-Gnostic. 8

So this is a bit of a sweeping summary of the groundwork laid down by Perrin. I will discuss the end of chapter one in my next post, but for now I will let this all too long post come to a much needed end!

______________________________

[1] Thomas: The Other Gospels, Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2007. vii.

[2] Ibid. 1-2.

[3] Ibid. 8.

[4] Ibid. 8-9.

[5] Ibid. 9.

[6] Ibid. 12.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid. 13.

Helpful Resources for Sex Education

 

For children:

The Princess and the Kiss: A Story of God’s Gift of Purity – Jennie Bishop

The Squire and the Scroll  – Jennie Bishop

What is God’s Design for My Body (The Miracle of Creation Series) by Susan Horner

The Story of Me (God’s Design for Sex) by Stan Jones, Brenna B. Jones and Joel Spector

Before I Was Born (God’s Design for Sex) by Carolyn Nystrom and Sandra Speidel (designed for parents to read to their children at ages 5 through (Bev S recommends that you read it first and tell about it to your preschoolers.  Some pages are more detailed than you might wish to share with a small child.)

For Teens:

Wild about You – Angela Thomas

Before You Meet Prince Charming by Sarah Mally

Facing the Facts:  The Truth About Sex and You (God’s Design for Sex Series) by Stan Jones and Brenna B. Jones

Every Young Woman’s Battle: Guarding Your Mind, Heart and body in a Sex-Saturated World (The Every Man Series) by Shannon Ethridge, Stephen Arteburn, and Josh McDowell

Every Young Man’s Battle: Practical Help in the Fight for Sexual Purity (The Every Man Series) by Stephen Arteburn, Fred Stoeker and Mike Yorkey

For Parents:

How and When to Tell Your Kids about Sex – Brenna B. Jones and Stanton Jones

Age of Opportunity:  A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens – Paul David Tripp

Parenting Teens With Love and Logic – Foster Cline and Jim Fay

 

I found that most of these books are available on Amazon.com and usually there are used books available.

 

 

LIAR

Wow. What? Wow.

Wait, what?

Yeah. That’s my reaction to this book. It’s not about what you think it’s about. Or is it? The beauty of LIAR is that every single person who reads it will have a completely different interpretation of what’s going on and what is true and what’s not. Larbalestier created a piece that is artful in its storytelling. Micah is the ultimate untrustworthy narrator. Even though you know Micah is a liar, you want to believe she’s telling you the truth. Maybe she is. Maybe she’s not. This book takes you through so many twists and turns that you really want to believe in, but you’re not sure you can. And even though Micah is a HUGE liar, we still like her. She’s entertaining. She’s creative. She’s slightly conniving.
So if you haven’t read LIAR, go read it now. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever read before, I promise.

THE REACH by Nate Kenyon

(Possible spoilers ahead. Not really but you can’t say I didn’t warn you.)

In the basement of the Wasserman Children’s Psychiatric Facility a secret is hidden; her name is Sarah Voorsanger. She is a very special girl, how special and how far her caregivers will push her is something psych student Jess Chambers will find out with devastating results.

“The Reach” is Nate Kenyon’s second offering from the powerhouse horror publisher Leisure Books. Leisure has revitalized the paperback horror industry and one of the ways they’ve done that is by bringing in new voices into the fold, Nate Kenyon’s writing is a shining example of why horror readers should be rejoicing. With “The Reach”, Kenyon pays tribute to Stephen King’s “Firestarter” while at the same time distinguishing himself from the earlier work with his own unique voice. And Sarah is no Charlie (though almost as if to wink at the reader, Kenyon names a secondary female character Charlie). Where as King’s loveable little girl is easy to identify with and get close to Kenyon’s is isolated for the first part of the book, showing how hard it can be for children left to a financially burdened and hardened psychiatric system.

Jess Chambers is brought in by a professor at her school to help connect with Sarah. Through Jess’s interaction with her academic mentor, the enigmatic Professor Jean Shelley, and her new patient we find out that the young student has a past rife with mental illnesses (alcoholic mother) and disabilities (autistic younger brother) that have pushed her to work harder at everything she does. Jess is a character Kenyon makes the reader care about but she also functions as a tool for the writer to express some loose views on the treatment of the mentally handicapped as well as an in-depth knowledge of psychiatry as it relates to the paranormal. On the flipside of the coin he gives the reader Dr. Evan Wasserman, head of the facility and Sarah’s primary psychiatrist/caregiver/enemy, who “diagnosed” Sarah as having a schizophreniform psychotic disorder. Wasserman is a man we can hate — until he is exposed as the victim of misplaced love and an unfortunate pawn in the grand corporate scheme of things that come to pass.

There are just over a handful of characters involved in what quickly reveals itself to be a tightly woven mystery that Jess must navigate herself through if she has any hope of saving Sarah from having her growing power exploited by corporations and self-motivated medical professionals. At times the journey is emotional, making the reader’s eyes water and at other times disturbing to read the depths of human darkness. Kenyon knows how to keep a balance between character and setting that brings on a chilling atmosphere, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat and afraid to put the book down. With each page I needed to know what happens next. I was horrified to find myself no different than Sarah’s enemies, wanting to see her push those powers to their limits. And when the suspense came to its climax with a scene befitting a Hollywood action blockbuster Sarah’s “reach” still touched me in the midst of chaos and destruction.

So far Nate Kenyon has not produced a work I wouldn’t recommend and “The Reach” is no exception. Read it if you’re looking for a story that reminds you of King’s older works but own it because the characters and the writing will make you want to read it again and again.

Book of Poetry Review: Randall Horton

The Lingua Franca of Ninth Street, a book of poetry by Randall Horton (who we interviewed), is something unlike any poetry book I’ve ever come across before. It’s more real than walking outside and people-watching for hours. It’s more honest than a 3-year-old boy and more enchanting than a Disney movie. It’s something else.

Randall Horton’s book deals with issues of life, of crime, of hate, and of love. It’s got a lot of deep, meaningful work that makes you stop and think for a minute before turning the page. Yeah. It’s one of those. There are also a hardy handful of poems that are full of good humor, and those are the little rays of sunlight needling through the clouds. This book is sure to get the reader feeling and thinking. And, really, what other point to literature is there?

- C.J.

Book review

The Paris Review Interviews: v. 1 by Philip Gourevitch

Interviews with writers such as Truman Capote, T.S. Eliot, Jorge Luis Borges, Saul Bellow, Kurt Vonnegut and many many more.
As this is not a novel it is perhaps not necessary to start at the beginning and read through to the end, but I did so nevertheless, utterly enthralled by the intimate view of the writing process. What most writers have in common: they are usually readers too, they seem often to know the beginning of a story and the end, and have to wrestle with the middle, and most of them seem to need a routine, structure and discipline.
However what is remarkable is the individuality of the process and attitude to what they are doing, some taking it so so seriously, others astonished at being taken seriously. I found the section on Robert Gottlieb particularly informative for the insight it gives you into the publishing business, and I think my very favourite writer was Kurt Vonnegut: he was so down to earth, so not full of s**t, so moving and so so funny: not his favourite jokes, which were execrable, but his idea to reverse the lack of dependable readers: “I propose that every person out of work be required to submit a book report before he or she gets his or her welfare check.” That made me hoot with laughter!

"Women Discipling Women" edited by Elyse Fitzpatrick to be released next year

I was corresponding with Dr. Laura Hendrickson last week (I sent her an email in part to tip her off to an interesting conversation at SharperIron about nouthetic counseling, Jay Adams, and matters concerning mental illness/”brain disease”–see here for her excellent contribution) and she, in turn, tipped me off regarding the new book, “Women Discipling Women,” in which Laura will have a chapter.  The book will be authored by various individuals in connection with the Master’s College, with Martha Peace and Elyse Fitzpatrick.  Here is the scoop (shared by permission):

My understanding is that Harvest House is shooting for a release date to coincide with the annual Women Discipling Women conference, which will be held at John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church on July 16-17, 2010. … I do hope they make it..because the WDW audience is very enthusiastic, so it would be a great venue to kick off the book release.

I’ve been promised a review copy–I’m excited already to receive it!

Laura has a fine resource available entitled “Will Medicine Stop the Pain?” (which came highly recommended to me by Dr. Greg Mazak at BJU) that I have cited elsewhere on this blog, and will plug again here.    This book offers great insight regarding depression and anxiety.  This is timely information dealt with in a balanced, biblical manner.  Needful stuff, especially for Christian counselors.

When the new book is out, I’ll be sure and let you know.

Living Dead Girl: A (sort of) Chick Lit Wednesday Review

Once upon a time Alice was a little girl who disappeared. Once upon a time her name was not Alice. Once upon a time Alice was just like you. But that was a long time ago. Before Alice knew how lucky she was before she became a living dead girl in Elizabeth Scott’s Living Dead Girl (2009).

Five years ago Alice was taken by a man named Ray. Five years ago Alice was not Alice. She was ten years old and could still be the little girl Ray wanted in his home. In his bed. But now Alice is fifteen. She knows Ray is ready to release her, the same way he released the first Alice, and she longs for that moment when everything will end. But first Alice has to find her replacement, something Alice readily agrees to if it means Ray will finally let her go.

Despite how cold and calculating as Alice has had to become, the search is not easy. Could it be that Alice isn’t willing to be Alice anymore?

This is a haunting, grim, miserable little story. At 170 pages it is a fast read which is good because if readers stop too long to think about what is really happening to Alice it becomes too devastating to bear. That said, the actual writing of the story is much less traumatic than I would have expected.

Living Dead Girl has received a lot of accolades as a great book for teen readers (reluctant or otherwise). I don’t really get it myself and find it a hard one to pitch simply because it’s such a depressing book. Alice has been so irreparably broken by the time we meet that it is nearly impossible to harbor any hopes for her; her situation is hopeless.

Nonetheless, Scott’s writing is compelling and Living Dead Girl offers a uniquely accurate insight into what it really means to be a victim too afraid to speak out.

Possible Pairings: Before I Die by Jenny Downham, Push by Sapphire, Missing Abby by Lee Weatherly

The two most powerful regional powers: Turkey and Iran

The two most powerful regional powers: Turkey and Iran; (Nov. 10, 2009)

Turkey is the 16th ranked economy and Iran the 17th with the understanding that Turkey has no oil or gas production while Iran is the second exporter of oil and the second in world’s reserve.  Turkey has a population of 70 million while Iran is about 60 million.  Iran is much larger than Turkey in superficies but they are big enough to be considered self sufficient and independent nations.  Turkey is the turnpike for most of oil and gas pipelines originating in Russia, Iran, and central Asia and converging to Europe.  Russia has borders with both nations that dictated their foreign policies.  Both countries have over 7 States on their borders. Both nations share the Kurdish problem for self-autonomy: The Kurds are about over 20 millions and live in inaccessible mountain chains and high plateaus; they overflow to vast regions in East Turkey and West Iran. Turkey is mostly Moslem Sunnis and Iran Moslem Chiaa since the 18th century. Since antiquity, Turkey influence reached to the Euphrates River while Iran to the Tigers River; both large rivers take sources in Turkey and cross Iraq. The good news is that these two most powerful regional powers have many interests in common that dwarf any petty political divergences; they are the cornerstone for a new economic and strategic alliance in the Middle East.

 

Brief history:  Throughout antiquity till our modern days three main empires dominated the landscape of the Middle East. Turkey, Iran, and Egypt were vast economic and political empires the advent of Islam. Turkey and Iran managed to enjoy a semi-continuous existence of empires but Egypt had large vacuums of many centuries in between empires since the Pharaohs. Egypt enjoyed special status during the Greek, Roman, Arab, and Ottoman empires and was a world apart as wheat basket and the most advanced in civilization. Turkey and Iran could benefit from stable “national” entities but Egypt experienced foreign leaders as kings or sultans and relied on foreign officers to lead its armies, the latest dynasty was from Albania with Muhammad Ali.

The three empires are currently mostly Moslems and they were in general lenient with the minority religious sects.  The three empires have vast lands, rich in water, and have currently about the same number of population of about 70 millions and increasing at high rates. The Iranian empires relied on Afghanistan’s and the central Asian’s tribes for their armies.  As the frequent Mogul raids descended on Persia its armies went on the defensive. The Turkish and Ottoman empires relied on the Caucasus tribes from current Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia States, and also from Albania and Romania.

As Russia started to expand southward and occupied many of these regions then Turkey curtailed most of its vast military campaigns and went on the defensive.  The Caucasus triangle of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia is still a hot spot for domination among Russia, Turkey, and to a lesser extent Iran, especially with the oil and gas pipelines that pass through them.  My post “Cursed Cities: Cars” would shed detailed historical accounts on that tragic triangle.

 

Modern Status:

 

In around 1920’s two military dictators ruled over Iran and Turkey.  Rida “shah” in Iran and “Attaturk” in Turkey were attempting to modernize their infrastructure and civil administrations by emulating the European examples.  Attaturk went as far as changing the Turkish alphabet to Latin.  Both dictators confronted the religious clerics for establishing secular States with unequal long term successes.  Iran has reverted to religious oligarchy after Khomeini came to power.

While Iran was historically more lenient with its minorities it appears that Turkey is practically taking steps to outpacing Iran in that advantage; for example, Turkey is translating the Koran into the ethnic languages such as Kurdish.  Women in Turkey are prominent in businesses such as Goler Sabanji; 9% of women are represented in the Parliament.  In Iran, Shireen Abadi is Nobel laureate for defending women’s rights; Iranian women represent only 3% in the Parliament though they constitute 65% in universities.

In the 70’s, Iran was flush with oil revenue while Turkey was struggling to establish an industrial infrastructure. It appears that in the long term oil is definitely a curse for emerging nations because wealth is not invested on the human potentials and stable modern political structure.

In 2008, foreign investment in Turkey was 14 billions dollars and increasing while it amounted to just one billion in Iran.  Turkey has expanded its representation in Africa by opening 12 new Embassies and 20 new consulates.

Nisreen Ozaimy is from Iran by origin and fled to Turkey; when her family lived in Turkey it was impressed by the confidence that the Turks valued their various ethnic nationalities; they had this implicit feeling that Turkey is in fact a bridge between East and West.  The Turks managed to blend harmoniously the secular and religious inclinations.  Turkey is a member of NATO and has a chance to joining the European Union.  Turkey is out of its 60 years hibernation and is currently very active in Middle East Affairs.  Turkey is on excellent terms with Syria: they recently opened their borders to enter without visas and are conducting joint military maneuvers.  Turkey is about to reach a peace agreement with the Kurdish opposition movement.  Iran is struggling to be incorporated in the world community and the nuclear issue is poisoning its relations with the western nations.

 

Note:  this is a revised and updated version of my post “Turkey and Iran: Same and Different (April 25, 2009)”

Magic in the Blood: Daddy's Back

Magic in the Blood by Devon Monk
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Roc; 1 edition (May 5, 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-0451462671

Picking up where Magic to the Bone left off, we meet up with Allie Beckstrom just as she’s recovering from her last adventure in Devon Monk’s first book. For Allie, magic is still pulling a double whammy on her, making her pay in pain and memory. Because of this, Allie does not remember much of the events that happened in Magic to the Bone, including her relationship with the mysterious Zayvion Jones. She also doesn’t remember the investigation of her father’s death or the events that led up to her strange set of magical tattoos. Thanks to her friend Nora, though, she’s gotten the gist of past events.

When her father’s ghost begins haunting her, however, Allie begins to wish magic could be directed to take specific and very unpleasant memories. Daniel Beckstrom was a manipulative bastard while alive and death apparently hasn’t changed him much. He’s riding Allie to investigate the disappearance of some dangerous new technology that Beckstrom Enterprises developed. Meanwhile, MERC, the magical arm of the police department, wants Allie’s help in tracking down a serial kidnapper who’s been stealing young women with the aid of magic.

On top of all of this madness, Trager, a man Allie helped put away years ago for dealing in illegal blood magic has gotten out and is looking for revenge. He’ll use any means necessary, including her fellow Hounds, to get back at Allie for what she did to him. Add to this a creepy new twist in Allie’s magic that is causing ghostly people to attack her, and you’ve got a recipe for either disaster or a great book.

One of the best parts about this book, though, is the relationship between Allie and Zayvion. He’s not out to be her knight in shining armor, although he’s helped her out of more than a few tight spots. He wants her to learn to control her magic and her life, and many times goes out of his way to help her understand what’s going on. The romance between them doesn’t detract from the book, and it’s not even the main focus, but it adds some nice background music to a thrilling story.

Allie continues to grow and change as a character. After living for years with her head in the sand about how her city really runs, she’s finally started to take a look around. What she sees isn’t all bad, but it’s in no way all good either. People are using magic in ways that are dangerous and even deadly and Allie is out to stop them any way she can. As she does her job as a Hound, she also starts to take responsibility for the life she ran away from. Reconnecting with her stepmother Violet is one part of this, but she also starts to realize she has more friends to call on then she ever knew.

My favorite side character in the storyline barely shows up for twenty or so pages, but he’s quite memorable. Grant Rhines runs Allie’s favorite coffee shop, Get Mugged, with a friendly and casual style. He’s a big, tall, and handsome guy who just happens to be gay. Grant is quick to come to Allie’s aid, asks few questions of her, and stands up for her when she needs it. I honestly hope we see more of this very warm character, because he’s a breath of fresh air compared to many of the thugs Allie ends up meeting.

Magic in the Blood is great sequel. It develops the characters and the storyline, and answers some questions that were raised in the first book. Too often, authors think being mysterious and close-mouthed about what’s really going on in their created worlds leads to repeat sales. In my case, it just annoys me when you get so few clues about the behind the scenes action. Monk does a good job of revealing answers to older questions, while bringing to light new questions. The complexity of her world continues to grow along with her characters, and that’s absolutely a good thing. This is one urban fantasy that’s headed in the right direction.

Since this book is part of a series, it’s generally a good idea to read the first book and then go down the list. But I think the author does a good job of giving enough background without info-dumping so that you could conceivably pick up the second or third book and just read.

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Check out Devon Monk’s website or follow her on Twitter @DevonMonk

Broken Foot Redux

I’m having trouble believing it myself: I’ve broken my foot, not only for the second time, but at the same time of year–right before the holidays. And it’s the same foot. This time I sprained my ankle pretty badly, too, but the bottom line is, I’m back in a boot cast and my foot HURTS! Thank goodness it’s not snowy and icy outside the way it was last year–not yet anyway.

This time they gave me crutches and they’re letting me walk on the heel of my foot a little. Last time I couldn’t put any weight on my foot at all for the first couple of weeks. But it was a different doctor this time, so that may account for the different instructions. Whatever the reason, I’m grateful that I can get around to some extent.

I’m taking this a lot better than I did last time, I guess because I know what to expect. I’m going to enjoy not having to go to work at all, even though it will hurt our budget. And it’s kind of nice to have an excuse for not doing anything around the house for a while. One of the things that was stressing me out was the feeling that I have to get my act together about cleaning and inviting people over. Now I can put that off for awhile.

It’s funny how quickly we forget the lessons we learn! Last time I was so happy to be out of the cast and off the walker that I swore I was never going to take being able to do things for granted again. But it didn’t take me long to fall into the same pattern of wasting my time. Acting like I have all the time in the world. You’d think at my age I’d know better!

Anyway, one thing I have a lot more time for is writing so I’ll probably be posting here more often. That’s assuming that I have anything to say. What am I going to write about: sitting on the couch all day?  Taking a lot of naps? I can do a lot of reading, so maybe I can write book reports. Wouldn’t that be fun?

My Reading List (and some Book Reviews)

I enjoyed and recommend the books reviewed below. This is not a paid review and no one affiliated with any of these books, or Amazon has ever heard of me, as far as I know. I link to Amazon.com, but I am not endorsing Amazon in any way.

Boneman’s Daughters by Ted Dekker. A thriller about a serial killer who abducts young women and kills them by breaking their bones but not their skin. The protagonist, Ryan, must rescue his daughter from the serial killer before it’s too late. Creepy, compelling, and not too graphic. (I don’t do graphic).

Carolyn Hart’s Death on Demand series. My mother introduced me to these cozy mysteries* and I was hooked. Especially appealing, the hero, Annie (nearly Anna) who is short and feisty like you know who.

I’ve read the following titles (crossed off) in the past four months. (List copied from Carolyn Hart’s website.) I highly recommend these books. Ms. Hart is an excellent writer, her stories keep the reader entertained and guessing right up to the end. Her characters are three-dimensional and believable.

• Death on Demand, 1987
• Design for Murder, 1988
• Something Wicked, 1988
• Honeymoon With Murder, 1989
• A Little Class on Murder, 1989
• Deadly Valentine, 1990
• The Christie Caper, 1991
• Southern Ghost, 1992
• Mint Julep Murder, 1995
• Yankee Doodle Dead, 1998
• White Elephant Dead, 1999
• Sugarplum Dead, 2000
• April Fool Dead, 2002
• Engaged to Die, 2003
• Murder Walks the Plank, 2004
• Death of the Party, 2005
• Dead Days of Summer, 2006
• Death Walked In, March 25, 2008
• Dare to Die, 2009

* Cozy mystery:a subgenre of crime fiction whereby sex and violence are downplayed or treated humourously. (Wikipedia)

I interrupted my reading of the Death on Demand series to read some books that were recommended by literary blogs I read.

The Widow’s Season by Laura Brodie. A captivating story about a new widow who sees her (dead) husband three weeks after he died and must decide whether he is a ghost or not. It’s a mystery, and the author does an excellent job of keeping the suspense while the widow puzzles out whether her husband is alive or not.

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff. A factual account of the early Mormon church intertwined with a murder mystery in a FLDS compound.

The history was interesting and didn’t paint the early Mormon settlers in a poor light. The history portion of the book drew from Anne Eliza Young’s (one of Brigham Young’s later wives) book titled Wife No. 19, biographies about early Mormon church members, including Brigham Young, and letters to or from the same people.

The present-day mystery introduces readers to the lurid practices of the FLDS church, including child brides and lost boys. Lost boys are boys who are excommunicated from the FLDS church. The author keeps the reader from guessing what really happened right through the end.

The author also has resources on his website that support his story and give the readers more information about the FLDS community.

What books have you read lately? What books would you recommend? (No paid advertisements, please.)

Song of Ice and Fire Series (Book 2)

Now that I’m sitting down to write this I’m having trouble remembering all of the ins and outs of this particular book (perhaps that’s a testament to the book’s quality itself). What I most remember are the chapters involving Tyrion Lannister (brother to Jaime and Cersei).

-Tyrion has taken over as the Hand of the King in this book and seems to be a capable administrator. He spins intrigue against his sister. This particular plot approaches Shakespearean levels of treachery and double dealing and is therefore well worth the reader’s time.

The book does drag on a little bit as it follows Sansa and Arya. While informative they are both repetitive storylines that are almost twin stories. Both sisters (while they take very different journeys physically) prove to continually find themselves at the mercy of powerful adults. The experience is not unlike reading two Charles Dickens stories at the same time.

However, the other stories (Daenerys in the east and Davos w/King Stannis, oh and Jon on the Wall) are all ably told. If anything, these books have too many plots that intersect and become entangled. I can’t count how many times I’ve sat and groaned as yet another Arya chapter began.

Don’t get me wrong, all of the characters seem pretty well drawn in this series there’s just too many of them to care about them all equally.

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

Lilo, a third grader in Mrs. Lavoie’s class, has been reading this series since the beginning of second grade, and she wants to share her opinions with CPS:

In the books in A Series of Unfortunate Events, three children learn their house has burned down and they will never see their parents again.  They are sent off to live with their awful uncle named Count Olaf.  Count Olaf tries to get his hands on their fortune about thirteen times (there are 13 books!).  But in scheme after scheme, the Baudelaire orphans seem to get out of his traps, and Count Olaf seems to escape just in time.  The Baudelaire orphans travel all around the world from the top of mountains to the deep dark sea.  The more places they go, the more mysteries they find, especially mysteries about VFD.  If you want to know what VFD is, READ THE BOOKS!

Book Review - The Longest Trip Home by John Grogan

John Grogan, journalist and author of the beloved Marley & Me has struck gold again with his second memoir The Longest Trip Home.  I fell in love with The Longest Trip Home within a matter of pages, and it wasn’t because I am a sucker for memoirs.  I loved it simply because it hit home for me; it was relatable, both funny and sad, and most importantly, it is about family and how hard it is to be a part of one.  I could gush and go on and on, but let me say this – when I cry for a full hour during the last chapters of a book and I feel good about it, then I know that book came into my life for a certain reason.  It isn’t important for me to share my reasons with you today, but I will say that I enjoy reading all types of books, and sometimes it feels great to have a good cry about someone else’s life for a change. 

I wanted to read this book because Mr. Grogan and I both grew up in Michigan, just miles apart from one another.  I hadn’t read Marley & Me or seen the film, but I knew almost everyone else on the planet adored his first memoir, so I took a chance as I figured he had to be a good writer.  (He was.)  When I began to read the book, I found out how similar we were, as we each screwed up in high school and even graduated from the same college.  What I didn’t expect was that while we had very different families, ethnicities, parenting styles, and even pets, we both struggled with our religion (Catholicism) and we each tried to please our family at a time when no one else was “being good.”  Even though I was raised in my poor white trash hood a decade later, we still had the same problems.  

The Longest Trip Home reveals the Grogan family duality, as his parent’s home was filled with religious shrines, crosses and Madonnas, and John’s secret and separate world included home grown marijuana plants, tormented older neighbors and even bad altar boy shenanigans including getting liquored up on communion wine.  His father was a man of faith and community and he always helped others, while John sold underground newspapers and terrorized his old man neighbor.  John was like any typical teenage boy who had very atypical parents.  No matter what he did it was wrong to someone else.

John Grogan grew apart from his parents when he let go of his Catholic faith.  As with any family, it is hard when your parents, wife, children and siblings differ from you.  Thankfully for John he was able to come to his own conclusions about religion, while maintaining the peace between his not-so-religious wife and his very devout mother.  Every man is pulled in the opposite direction when it comes to both the ladies in their lives, but in John’s case, his wife had no interest in Catholicism and his mother was so religious that she performed secret emergency baby baptisms, and somehow he managed to stay connected to both.

My favorite line in the book was near the end, when John was reflecting back on the day he and his father sailed for the last time.  Mr. Grogan’s father gave him the secret of life when he was giving him the sailing tips - “Small corrections” and ”Life is all about small, continuous corrections.”  I just found those lines to be so true.  What happens next showed John how unpredictable life can be and before he knew it, the boat had capsized, and later, he finds himself in the middle of the circle of life, never an easy place to be in.

You can find John Grogan’s website here, and his blog here.  Read both, he is an interesting man and has a lot to offer to his fans.  Before I forget, I already went out and grabbed a copy of Marley & Me, and I’m nearly finished with it.  As of right now I like The Longest Trip Home more than Marley & Me, so if you loved his first book, you have got to go out and pick up his second book now!

*Many thanks to the ladies over at TLC Book Tours who not only introduced me to this wonderful author, but who once again gave me the honor of being a book tour host for them.

Book Review: <em>Snow</em> by Orhan Pamuk

Around The World For a Good Book selection for: Turkey

Author: Orhan Pamuk
Title: Snow
Publication Info: Vintage (2005)
ISBN: 0375706860

Summary/Review:

I found this book very challenging and it took me a long time to read it (and even longer to write about it) so this review may not do the novel justice. Snow is about an expatriate poet name Ka who returns to Turkey from Germany ostensibly to write about young Islamic women in the provincial city of Kars who are committing suicide in protest of the secular state’s rules against wearing the veil.  His ulterior motive is to reunite with Ipek, a beautiful woman he’s longed for over many years who is recently divorced.  In his time in Kars, the city is isolated by a snow storm and a military coup is staged to round up political Islamists.  Ka finds himself in the midst of much political maneuvering and finds himself inspired to write a cycle of poems ending a long dry spell.

There are flashes of humor in the book such as a newspaper publisher who writes stories before they happen (and is often correct) and the the theatricality of political movements is satirized by having an acting company stage the coup during a theater performance.  Much of this book though is fairly bleak, with a lot of emptiness, misunderstanding, intrigue, violence, and torture.  The symbol of the snow is exploited to make the reader feel trapped as well in the claustrophobic microcosm of Turkish politics and religion. People in this book never really speak or act like people would in real life but instead are often symbolic representations of particular point of view, probably one of the factors the made this a book to read slowly.

Pamuk also kicks the reader in the gut.  SPOILER ALERT: Midway through the book Ka finally realizes happiness by making love with Ipek.  The very next chapter flashes forward four years to Ka – alone and miserable – being murdered in Frankfurt.  Reading the rest of the book knowing that there’s not a shred of hope for Ka is all the more challenging. END SPOILER

I found this book an interesting means of learning about the complex nature of modern Turkey.  I appreciate Pamuk’s literary style, but I can’t say I “enjoyed” the book as much as I was unsettled by it.

Favorite Passages:

“The issue is the same for all real poets.  If you’ve been happy too long, you become banal.  By the same token, if you’ve been unhappy for a long time, you lose your poetic powers. . . .  Happiness and poetry can only coexist for the briefest time.  Afterward either happiness coarsens the poet or the poem is so true it destroys his happiness.” – p. 127

 

Rating: ***1/2

Jew Wishes On: Hunting Eichmann

Hunting Eichmann, by Neal Bascomb, is quite the intriguing thriller, and a non-fictional work that is brilliantly narrated.

In recounting the historical facts that led up to the capture of Eichmann, Bascomb left no detail or event untouched. His research is more than extremely thorough, and through his own travels to unearth anything and everything regarding the capture, including documents, interviews, articles, archives, etc., he has fashioned a narration that reads like a spy novel.

In fact, Hunting Eichmann is infused with spy material that will leave you amazed and astounded. From CIA records to Mossad agents, from worldwide indiffference to the Nazi underground in Argentina, to the El Al flight, the trial, the sentence and execution, and so much more, the historical information is incredible. I was totally engrossed in the book from page one. A thriller it is in every aspect.

How Eichmann was tracked, and how the plan to capture him was plotted is an amazing feat, and Bascomb reveals it all to the reader, without mincing words or leaving out clues. The fortitude, energy and extreme planning that it took to finally get Eichmann in Israeli hands, is basically the same fortitude, energy and planning used by Bascomb to convey the entire story to the reader.

There were many who thought it would never happen, and understandably so. There were the skeptics, those who thought that the issues should just die out, but there were those who felt that there needed to be justice, and justice there was. Bascomb demonstrates the journey to justice with intense clarity, through his brilliant writing and unending research.

Bascomb has done a great service in authoring Hunting Eichmann. He has brought to the forefront the incredible circumstances that led to Eichmann’s capture. Not only that, he has done it with extreme illumination through the vivid images he presents us. a href=”http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/catalog/titledetail.cfm?titleNumber=694153″>Hunting Eichmann is invaluable as an educational and historical documentation of Eichmann’s capture and execution. Neal Bascomb should be applauded for his incredible efforts, brilliant writing, and perseverance to convey the entire process, from day one through the finale. It is historical writing at its finest. It is story that doesn’t soon leave the reader
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© Copyright 2007 – All Rights Reserved – No permission is given or allowed to reuse my photography, book reviews, writings, or my poetry in any form/format without my express written consent/permission.

Monday November 2, 2009 – 15th of Cheshvan, 5770