5-Squared

2012-01-18T11:05:00.000-06:00

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert

Reading with work and a busy family is difficult. But the occasional audio book comes to the rescue.

I enjoyed the symbolic references and overarching acceptance of all flavors of diety by Elizabeth. I agree with her Bali Guru that we shouldn't argue over religion, but list to the other person and pray as we believe we should.

I winced a few times during some of the sharper words and scenes. All in all, I enjoyed the energy of the book and the vibrance of change in her life.

We can each come closer to our higher power by our own choice, but everyone wishes we would do it in their church.

If not for the sharpness of some words I would have given 4 starts.

Best wishes Liz.

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The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

2011-11-01T11:29:00.000-05:00

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First off, I enjoyed the narration by Paul Michael. In an audiobook, the narrator can make or break a good book for oneself.

I enjoyed DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons. I had never given much thought to conspiracies and alternative plots to world organizations until reading these books. These two books happened across the pond away from where I lived.

Upon reading The Lost Symbol I had to start thinking domestically about what I had heard about the founding fathers and what I believed to be true.

I won't bore you with scriptural citations or readings. But what I will tell you is that I agree with Robert Langdon. With all the differences in our country and the moral decay that has progressed since the founding of this great Nation. I too have Hope. Hope that the human conscience will once again prevail after a period of darkness. That the hearts of a great nation will join together in "Laus Deo".

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2011-10-29T11:02:00.002-05:00

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book has been on my 'to read' list for almost twenty years. All my Honors English friends had read it while I was reading...I don't even remember what. Though I did like this book over all, it moved a bit slowly in the beginning. I spent a lot of time wondering "OK, when does the plot start?" Once the action started, I was more engaged and didn't want to stop reading.

Throughout the book, I struggled with the sense of apathy the characters seemed to have, especially about their knowledge of Tom's affair. How could everyone just sit back and not call him out on it? How could Nick just sit there during the impromptu party at the mistress's flat? When Tom slapped Myrtle, everyone pretty much threw their hands up in a fake yawn, looked at their watches and said "Oh my, look at the time." I know, I know. It was another era.

The development of the characters was quite intriguing, though there were few of them that I would want to invite to tea. I had a hard time liking Nick as he seemed so ...soft. He had no voice. He was just there observing and going along with it all. I guess that is just what he was, the narrator. He was a neutral vehicle to watch the story unfold. Oddly enough, the character that seemed to irritate me the most was Jordan Baker. She seemed as flat and lacking in the same moral courage as Nick. I guess they were a perfect match and that similarity is what precluded a relationship between them. Their own characters were too morally...bland, I guess, to get over any hurdles and build a relationship. In the end, Nick found that the East Coast was not his speed and went home. Ya. Probably a good idea. I ended up doing the same thing. Maybe our modern day society is alright, after all.

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Dracula by Bram Stoker

2011-10-26T07:24:00.000-05:00

Dracula by Bram Stoker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If I had read this just to read it, I'm not sure how I would have felt about it. As study material, it was very interesting. Going into the book with such things in mind as the Victorian era, Romanticism, Gothic revival, Industrialism and Feminism, it was a much more significant read than it would have been otherwise. I won't take the time to analyze those elements here, except to say that I think it's worth learning just a bit about those elements before beginning the book.

I've never watched any of the Dracula films adaptations, but this story has become so entrenched in our pop culture that I couldn't help going into it with some preconceived notions. Many of which were not consistent with the book. Dracula's appearance in the movies is always smooth; hairless for the most part. In the book he is hairy all over. And though he's definitely a creepy guy, the creepiness is more subtle. He's a gentleman, well educated, and better spoken than most of the English characters in the book. His relationship to wolves is also different than I expected. His plays the master over wolves, as well as most other beasts. Though Dracula is nocturnal, the whole getting-killed-by-the-sun thing didn't get added to the legend until later. Big D appears in sunlight several times throughout the book. And the famous creepy "Good Evening" is actually "Good morning."

Van Helsing was also a bit of a surprise to me. I had no idea this character came from this book. The only previous exposure I'd had to him was the Hugh Jackman movie. Stoker's Van Helsing could not be more different from this Hollywood version. Even ignoring my preconceived notions about him, I can't help feeling a bit dissatisfied with this character. All throughout the book, I wanted some of his background to be revealed. Where did this scientific, learned man get his information and experience with vampire hunting? The book never says. In my mind, this is one of the deficiencies that keeps Dracula from being a book worthy of multiple readings.

Over all, I'd say this is definitely worth reading over, even if you don't have to do it for school. Do so with caution though. One of the things that prevented me from reading it before is that I thought it was going to be very scary. I did not find it so. At least it was not explicitly violent or sexual. However, there were several people, both in my class and in my book club, who had a hard time with it. The superstitious elements were strong and the people who were sensitive to superstitions got pretty freaked out. Others were sensitive to the implied violence, especially towards children. The sexual undertones were very subtle. I wouldn't have noticed most of them if the footnotes hadn't commented on them. I didn't think it was offensive in that respect. So read at your own risk.

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Cute and Creepy Critters for Halloween

2011-10-25T20:43:00.002-05:00

Creepy Cute Crochet: Zombies, Ninjas, Robots, and More by Christen Haden

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A friend of mine, who knows I love to crochet, found this at the library and brought it over to show me. Creepy Cute Crochet by Christian Haden has got some of the most adorable creepy critters to make for Halloween. All of the creatures have the same basic pattern to follow for the head and body, and then there are lots of embellishments and accessories to make or add to your creation. My three favorite creatures are the skeleton bride and groom, and the corporate zombie. So, if you have a knack and/or passion for crochet, this is a great little book to add to your pattern collection.

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2011-09-28T10:24:00.000-05:00

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

You know what? I really liked this book. It wasn't all phony and such. Even with all the crumby swearing, I got through it all right.

OK, enough Holden-speak.

This book was a fascinating read for me. When I first began it, I was feeling all rebellious to be reading a book with this much swearing. I usually have a very timid ear and can't handle hearing 'g-d'. I then realized it was just a kid trying to sound tough. At first I was irritated at Holden. I dismissed him as 'that guy I hated in high-school'. I was the good girl that Holden would have seen as 'phony'. I could never relate with those that didn't care what the higher-ups thought. As I continued to read, I found I understood him more and more. He was just a kid. He was extremely intelligent, but had some stuff to work out. I love how he freaked out about being a madman and couldn't understand how he could get caught up in a moment and say something crazy. He marveled that he would truly mean it at the time he said it. Ha. Been there.

All in all, I found this book much less scandalous than I feared it would be. I read a few synopses to make sure I could handle it. Sure, I'm not running to put in on my 13 yr-old's reading list, but what is so atypical or unstable about it? I understand the language was over-the-top and, of course, reading the thoughts of a 16 yr-old boy would always be disturbing, but I don't see Holden's experience as that different from my own. (With some glaring exceptions, of course!) I guess that is what surprised me in this book. Angst is angst. We all just work it out in our own way.

If you disagree with me...you are probably a phony. ;)

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The White Bone by Barbara Gowdy

2011-07-29T14:58:00.000-05:00

The White Bone by Barbara Gowdy

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I ended up not really enjoying this one. There were things I liked about it- the perspective was kind of fun. Seeing things from the elephants' points of view was an interesting change. Their mythology, their creation story, their after-life were all enjoyable. It was also fascinating to learn a bit about their family units and the hierarchy that goes along with them. What ruined the book for me though was the constant obsession with poop and sex. Granted, it's animal sex, so it's different- less offensive- than if we were talking about humans, but it was still a major and unnecessary distraction from the story. And while it's true that animals are obsessed with dung and urine and anything else that marks a strong scent, as a human, I don't care to hear about animals eating each others' poo. Maybe that's just me, though. Also, I didn't care for the ending, but I won't spoil it by going into detail.

But I have to give Gowdy props for doing something completely different.

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The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart

2011-07-17T14:08:00.000-05:00

The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Okay, let's see if I can get this right. The Edge Chronicles is a 10 book series. This juvenile fantasy gem caught me completely by surprise. I jumped in somewhat grudgingly because it wasn't the greatest time in my life to be starting a long series. But I have been richly rewarded for my sacrifice. Here, you'll find a world where the laws of physics as we know them do not apply. There are creatures you've never imagined, but the illustrations of Chris Riddell help bring them to life.

I'd like to say a little something about the genre here- yes it's unquestionably fantasy, but it is also my first introduction to steam-punk, which I had heard of before and knew roughly what it was but didn't feel too interested in. By the end of the first book, I felt that this is a fabulous introduction to the steam-punk genre. It has turned out to be thrillingly imaginative. Stewart writes in such an easy way, it feels only natural that I should love this special niche of fantasy.

I read all 10 books in numerical order, and that was fine way to do it. But now that I've done it, I can tell others that they have options. If 10 books seems a bit much all at once, then you might be interested to know that the series is really three trilogies and an extra book to tie it all up. Reading them numerically, you'll find that there is a lot of jumping around in this world's timeline. But if you want to read them chronologically, here's the order for you:

Quint's Trilogy:
The Curse of the Gloamglozer (book 4)
The Winter Knights (book 8)
Clash of the Sky Galleons (book 9)

Twig's Trilogy:
Beyond the Deepwoods (book 1, pictured above)
Stormchaser (book 2)
Midnight Over Sanctaphrax (book 3)

Rook's Trilogy:
The Last of the Sky Pirates (book 5)
Vox (book 6)
Freeglader (book7)

Nate's story and the end of our epic tale:
The Immortals

Reading them this way would allow you to take a natural break from the series (if you wanted one) before committing to reading more. Just a thought.

I really enjoyed every book in this series and highly recommend them. Bare in mind this is juvenile fiction, but it also has some pretty adult themes, such as war and political intrigue. There is a lot of fighting, and yes, killing. Personally, I would still let my child read it because it isn't terribly graphic. So add it to your to-read list. Now.

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The Tender Mercy of Roses by Anna Michaels

2011-07-14T23:17:00.000-05:00

The Tender Mercy of Roses by Anna Michaels

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I could have read this book in one sitting if my time hadn't been so limited this week. I found myself thinking about the characters and the mystery, even when I wasn't reading. Anna Michaels writes beautifully, as well. I got caught up in her use of words, which lent a southern flavoring and poetry to the story.

Although this story involves a murder mystery, I felt that it wasn't morbid at all. The rodeo setting didn't overwhelm the rest of the story. The ethereal Native American element gave it a beautiful spirituality that felt natural.

Be advised: There was some strong language, but only a little of it. It seemed like Michael used it only to help develop a clearer picture of Pony Jones' character; her masculine upbringing, her wild personality, her lack of education. That's how it struck me, anyway.

I really enjoyed it. If you don't have a problem with mild profanity, I'd definitely recommend it.

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Keesha's House by Helen Frost

2011-06-13T17:14:00.005-05:00

Imagine living in a safe place where you would have a chance to dream and then have the freedom to act in order to acheive these dreams. Many of us take this kind of place for granted. Keesha's House opened my eyes to the real hardships that many teens face in their lives. For many, it is a game of survival. A fight for the impact of doing the right thing and confusion on what that is.
Helen Frost did an amazing job in writing this book completely in sestina and sonnet poetic form. Her characters came through vividly as well as details surrounding Keesha's house where she stayed & many who knew this house as hers. Yet it was Joe's house, he, who had bought it to survive himself and then had a golden heart to help teens that were as misfortunate as he had once been. Doing what he thought best by giving them an address and a way out of their unfortunate circumstances. It's hard to believe how something as simple as an address and a comfortable place to stay can mean the whole world opening up to one misunderstood teen. This book doesn't glorify teen misbehavior but realistically shows, through unforgettable poetry, how life isn't fair for all teens and how many times judgement comes out of reactions instead of communication and interactions with teens to understand their needs.
I had picked up this book because I am interested in writing like this. I read through the poems many times in order to remember and feel how Frost had depicted everything. She is definitely a master in her craft. I would enjoy reading another selection from her in the future. She is definitely an author to watch for. I appreciated her down to earth yet classic style in writing. As well as the fact that this book, the stories of these teens and their parents, have stayed with my thoughts which means it has found a place within my heart.

My Rating: 4 stars
Hardcover: 128 pages
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (April 2, 2003)
*Michael L. Printz Honor Book (Awards)

Other insightful reviews:

Lisa the Nerd

Poetry for Children (has a video clip of Frost sharing one of her poetic works)

The Infinite Booklist

Helen Frost web page (take a look at the book trailers)

In essence this book reminded me of this famous quote:

Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Read more:
Brainy Quotes

What Would Google Do?

2011-06-07T08:31:00.001-05:00

What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I listen to Jeff regularly on the TWiG (This Week in Google) podcast with Leo Laporte. That is what lead me to read the book.

WWGD? Offered new insights to how Google sees the Internet at large. I was swept up in the ideas of customers and friends and business partners using social media. Businesses today have to embrace and change all prior thinking to evolve and live in this new Internet based economy.

Openness, transparency, full-disclosure. Don't hold back. Start an Internet conversation with someone, a friend, or a business.

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2011-06-01T00:25:00.001-05:00

The Sherlockian by Graham Moore

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In middle school, I fell in love with Sherlock Holmes stories. In high school, I tried to convert my fellow English class students to Sherlock Holmes by planning several class lessons around the stories. So when I saw this book on the "New Books" shelf at the library, I just had to check it out!
The book is actually two stories in one. The main story is about Harold, a Sherlock Holmes enthusiast, or "Sherlockian" who finds himself suddenly involved in the mystery surrounding the death of a fellow Sherlockian, Alex Cale, and a missing diary of Arthur Conan Doyle. Harold attempts to sleuth his way through the mystery as Sherlock Holmes would have.
The second story is about Conan Doyle himself, taking place during the time frame of the missing diary. Arthur also finds himself suddenly wrapped up in a murder mystery involving a possible serial killer in London. He and his best friend Bram Stoker (yes, THE Bram Stoker! I didn't know they were friends?!) set out to solve this mystery, also using the deductive methods Arthur employed in all of his Sherlock Holmes stories, which he personally detests.
If you've ever been a fan of Sherlock Holmes, this book is a very yummy yarn for you.
One favorite moment of the story for me is when Harold has come to an unsatisfying end to his sleuthing, and thinks there is nothing more to find. "Harold found himself pining not for solutions, but for questions. For more. He realized that even after all the stories he'd read, he'd been left completely unprepared for this moment – for the quiet days after the climax when the world ticked onward...What he had not read, he now realized were the moments after the endings." For some reason this part brought to mind the days after some great event. Weddings and funerals are two good examples. After all the emotion, and all the tears, and all the family and friends coming and going, the adrenaline, the memories...You get in your car and drive home and notice the traffic that is still coming and going on the highway, that never stopped even while your world stopped. And there's that hollow disconnect in your heart, and the attempts to reconnect in your brain. Your life seemed to stop with this event, so how did the world not stop with you? Moments after the endings – they're quite confounding.

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The Canterville Ghost, by Oscar WIlde

2011-05-30T22:16:00.003-05:00

The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book. I was giggling the whole time...well most of the time. (I am a chicken, and should never read anything with the word 'ghost' in the title at midnight, alone in my living room.) I loved how the Ghost chose his characters and costumes with such care. I think my favorite line of the whole book was "He selected Friday, the 17th of August, for his appearance, and spent most of that day in looking over his wardrobe, ultimately deciding in favour of a large slouched hat with a red feather, a winding-sheet frilled at the wrists and neck, and a rusty dagger." It sounded like a Mary Higgins-Clark heroine deciding what to wear before she pulls her hair into a chignon, dons a caftan, and begins to make her omelet. Delicious fun. My favorite characters of the book were the horrid little Otis Twins. Oh, they were naughty! Having little naughty boys of my own, their antics seemed quite plausible and hilarious. Oh, the Facebook statuses Mrs. Otis could post about those two! Of course, I was frustrated that the story drops off before giving you the really scary bits, but oh well. It was just so much fun. I am sure there is some piece of fan-fiction, somewhere, that speculates on Virginia's scary ordeal. :)

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2011-05-28T23:35:00.001-05:00

The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I think this book has an amazing premise. When my mom told me about the plot, I was excited. Time travel? Sweet. Unfortunately, I struggled a bit with how long it took to get to the answers. By the time the answers came, I had lost interest. In all honesty,I was off in my reading at the time, and I just might have been worried about other things. I hope the second book speaks to me a bit more. I've had it sitting on my shelf for about a year. Not in love enough to have read it yet, but also not ready to give up on this cool idea.

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2011-05-26T22:52:00.001-05:00

Matched by Ally Condie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this book. It was engaging, yet light. I was happy to let my 13 yr old read when I have maybe steered her away from some other dystopian books. Cassia seemed believable to me and I found myself watching over her back trying to see what the boogie-man was up to. As my daughter read, she would say to me "Well, I think it would be awesome to have all your food prepared for you. How cool is that!" Keep reading, honey. (Which of course would later lead to the ""Agh! Ok, Mom. I see what you mean!" floating down the hall from her room.) This book is the perfect entry-level dystopia. It was compelling enough to keep me going and thinking, but didn't haunt my dreams like a few others. I must say, I never look at that color of green without thinking of that little swatch of silk. I can't imagine a world were that is as far as ones luxuries extend. IN teh romance department, it was fun to have the two love interests and to keep switching sides of who I wanted to win. I must say I am a bit Team Xander and can't wait to find out more of the secret knowledge he has to share. Can't wait to read the next one!

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Hush, Hush

2011-05-26T19:12:00.001-05:00

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I gotta say, this book took me a while to get into. Starting out I was struck with the similarities to a few other novels. Uh, oh. We're in a biology lab again. I had read The Golden Spiral by Lisa Magnum recently, and I just couldn't stop seeing the similarities. (Never mind, Twilight!) First, the edgy bio partner with a with a penchant for unpacking every bit of the heroine's emotional baggage, like some pervy TSA attendant. Second, there is the oversexed, annoying friend who is easily manipulated to become the bait in the climax of the story. But it was intriguing. Sure, I rolled my eyes a few times. The plot seemed a bit predictable, and I generally don't like fallen angel stories. But eventually, I just decided to let go of the stuff that bothered me and sit back and enjoy the book for what it was. An ode to a 'bad boy'. I have no problem admitting that a couple of those near kisses convinced me to stick with the book. I ended up not being able to put it down. It was fun summer reading. It spoke to my inner teenage rebel and I'm alright with that. Hmmm. I wonder if Dale and I should take a continuing ed biology class. ;)

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2011-05-24T14:39:00.000-05:00

Tatiana and Alexander by Paullina Simons

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Since this book is a sequel (and I haven't read the first one) it was difficult to begin reading. The action immediately starts where the first book leaves off, in the Soviet Union during WWII. Alexander is a young officer recovering in a military hospital from some pretty bad battle wounds. For some reason he's also waiting to be arrested by the Soviet government. Tatiana is trying to make her way out of Europe and escape the war. Simons does her best to get new readers up to speed on the story, with lots of flashback moments and conversations from the first book. After reading the first third of the book I felt I was sufficiently caught up with the action.

The reason it took me a third of the book to catch up is because this book moves back and forth through time, telling three stories at once. The first is Alexander's story of how he was brought to the Soviet Union by his parents in the 1930's and how he became an officer in the Red Army. The second story is Alexander's current scenario, being arrested and charged with treason, then being assigned to lead a penal battalion in battle. The third is Tatiana's story, who hides on a cargo ship bound for New York City and gives birth to her son within days of arriving at Ellis Island.

This technique of moving back and forth through the stories almost forces the reader to become engrossed in the book. You HAVE to pay attention so you don't get lost with the narratives. It would have been a whole lot easier to follow the stories if they were told in sequence, but then it's interesting to watch all the story pieces eventually fall into place.

On the front cover is a book review quote that says, "This has everything a romance glutton could wish for.." When I first saw that, I hoped I wasn't opening a harlequin romance. This book does have probably as much sex in it as an HR, but most of these scenarios are between a newly married husband and wife, and Simons uses lots of implied references instead of explicit, graphic detail. Since much of the book follows soldiers in battle, there's also LOTS of f-bombs.

The thing I liked best about the book was how Simons explores the emotions and thoughts of Tatiana struggling with being a war widow. Simon's writing really helped me understand what it would be like to be in Tatiana's position, and I started wondering, "How would I handle this situation? How would I feel? What would I do?"

I enjoyed reading this book, but could do without the language and too-many-honeymoon scenes. Since the book recaps its prequel so well, and ends on a good note, I don't feel I need to read the rest of the books in this series.

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The Robbers and Wallenstein by Friedrich von Schiller

2011-05-23T10:41:00.000-05:00

The Robbers and Wallenstein by Friedrich von Schiller

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book contains two plays- The Robbers, and the trilogy Wallenstein.

I enjoyed The Robbers more than I thought I would. I give that one 4 stars. I think I'd describe it as the love child of the Robin Hood story and a Shakespearean tragedy. But it was very fast paced, well written (and well translated) and enjoyable to read.

Wallenstein is considered Schiller's masterpiece, but I did not enjoy it all that much. I give it two stars. This is actually three plays- Wallenstein's Camp, The Piccolomini, and Wallenstein's Death. I can sum up the three works in three words: history, politics, war. The last installment was the most enjoyable to me, probably because it was the only one with any action to it. The rest was a lot of standing around, talking about exciting things that already happened off stage.

If you have an interest in European political and military history, this might appeal to you a lot more than it did to me.

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2011-05-22T00:46:00.001-05:00

Matched by Ally Condie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first thing this book did was scream YA to me because the writing, meaning technique and style, is fairly light and simplistic. And it was a fast read. BUT, the story it tells and the questions it raises in your mind are fascinating and utterly captivating. Yes, dystopian fiction has been done, and done agan, and yet again. And yet I like this book because it takes all of those questions and ideas that our society needs to always remember, and poses them towards a younger audience, in a language and setting they can relate to. So brilliant! I feel this book is a much needed bridge, or maybe a hand of fellowship, towards younger generations to introduce them into this perspective of humanity. And I look forward to reading the sequels in this series.

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2011-05-22T00:43:00.002-05:00

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book is a good example of why I'm reluctant to read YA fiction. The underdevelopment of the characters, the crazy plot lines, it was all stuff-and-fluff.

The first thing that bothered me was how the characters focused so much on sex. Exploring sexual feelings and tension in a storyline doesn't usually bother me, except when you dwell on it for too long. I don't ever read books just for a sexual thrill. I am happy to say my life is much too fulfilling to need that. In this book, sexual tension seemed to be the ONLY reason the two main characters Nora and Patch had any interaction in the first half of the book. Shallow. And it got old and boring really fast. Nora couldn't make up her mind, even down to the last few chapters, of whether or not she wanted to be with Patch, and that was just annoying. It reminded me of Bill Cosby's classic comedic sketch of Adam and Eve - Eve teasing Adam saying, "C'm here, c'm here, c'm here.. oh gettaway, gettaway, gettaway!" and Adam following Eve around, knuckles dragging like a caveman, tongue lolling out of his mouth. That describes Nora and Patch's relationship to a T, and after the first few chapters, the pandering gets old. Move on.

The second thing that bothered me was how the various plot lines get resolved, or rather, tangled up at the end of the book. It's a mess, and makes no sense. Throughout the story, Nora is suspicious someone is following her and trying to harm her, but can't figure out who. She first discovers her flame Patch is really out to kill her. Just kidding, he doesn't really have the heart to do it. OK, so then it's school counselor-turned-dark angel who wants her dead. Oh, never mind, Patch tore out her wings. So then the REAL danger is mysterious Jules, who's relationship to the whole story is briefly and unconvincingly explained. He gets thrown into the final dramatic scene so Nora and Patch have SOME one to overcome and can say, "Hooray, we have overcome evil and can stay together." Each of these plot lines, if properly developed, may have done well in their own books, but this yarn gets so tangled up and messy, you just want to cut the string and move on.

Oh, and the title of the book - Hush, Hush - well, I have no clue how it relates to the story.

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Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

2011-05-18T12:36:00.002-05:00

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After reading Leviathan I again walked into a world of imagination created by Scott Westerfeld. The drama of a British Air Service Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) lends to the credibility of the story. I found myself wishing the story would follow a different path than the author choose. But I was never disappointed with the outcomes of the choices made by the author through the character development within the book. I voratiously await the third and final book in this series.

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffery Chaucer

2011-05-15T16:04:00.001-05:00

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When I started, I assumed that 460 pages of iambic pentameter would be overwhelming. But don't let the fact that it's written in verse turn you away from this book. At times, I did find that I needed to get away from rhythm and rhyme for a while. But when I came back, I found it was easy to get back into the story. I should also add that this edition was brilliantly translated from Middle-English to modern English. I would never have made it through in Middle-English.

I've always been wary of reading Chaucer (he's been on the banned list for a reason, right?), but I found him rather fascinating. This story is largely an exploration of human nature and how different circumstances- like social class, religion, and gender- affect it. And though some of the ideas expressed seem outdated or archaic, you have to remember that Chaucer lived in the fourteenth century. They ARE outdated and archaic. But there is truth to be found there as well.

If you've been hesitant, like me, to pick up Chaucer, here's what you may want to be aware of:

He's pretty obsessed with sex, but don't think that means he writes trashy love stories. Mostly he talks about sex in a casual, conversational way, and it's usually because he's exploring the relationships between men and women. For the most part, he's fairly tasteful about it.

BUT there are a few times when he did get pretty vulgar (not graphic, just vulgar).

In his day, it would have caused a sensation, now it would make a PG-13 rating.

View all my reviews

Darkness Spoken... by Ingeborg Bachmann

2011-05-15T15:30:00.000-05:00

Darkness Spoken: Collected Poems of Ingeborg Bachmann by Ingeborg Bachmann

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

First off, you should know that I'm not a poetry enthusiast. I appreciate poetry on a fairly superficial level. If I had a more sophisticated taste for poetry, I might be able to review more authoritatively on this collection.

That said, I enjoyed these poems for the most part. I can't claim to have truly understood some of them, but I enjoyed reading them just the same. Bachmann seems to write a lot about death, war, struggle, sorrow, and love lost. She also uses natural imagery a lot, which I found very pleasing.

Her poems on war, captivity, struggle, sorrow, etc. take on a whole new meaning when you remember that she was writing from behind the Berlin wall. One section of poetry makes me think she must have been hospitalized or something for a time, since her focus is on illness, nurses, drugs, etc. I think it would be interesting to learn a little more about her life.

A lot of these poems were very thought provoking, on their own and as a group. If you like poetry at all, I'd recommend giving this a look over.

As a side note, I'd also like to say that I LOVED that this book included the original German text next to each English translation.

Spoken to the Evening

My doubts, bitter and unappeased,
drain away in the evening's depths.
Weariness sings inside my ear.
I listen...
That's the way it was yesterday!
It's happening all over again!

I know the paths of sleep that lead to the sweetest field.
I never want to go there.
Yet I don't know where, for me, the dark lake
of torment will end.
A mirror shall lie there,
thick and clear,
and will show us,
sparkling with pain,
the underlying reasons.

View all my reviews

Playing for Pizza by John Grisham

2011-05-10T07:20:00.003-05:00

First off, I'd like to let you know that I listened to this book on Audio CD. I tell you this since I feel it may be different to experience books this way than actually reading them but it is a good way to get through the long hours of a road trip. Anyway, here's some of my thoughts as I listened to this book.
For me, this book didn't seem to be character driven since I didn't feel a huge connection to any of the characters although I didn't dislike them either. Actually, the storyline was interesting enough to sustain the desire to continue listening to the book. I wanted to find out what would happen next but at the same time I was not compelled with the main character. I enjoyed only one of the side characters namely the coach for the Parma Panthers. All others only seemed necessary to guide the book along.
Basically, this novel showcases Rick Dockery, a career third string NFL quarterback. Right away, the disappointment sets in for Rick after a game injury lands him in a hospital bed. His career seemed to have a very promising start, but all kinds of unfortunate mishaps including concussions & constant trades kept upsetting his dreams. After all, it can't be much worse than considering he just played the worst game of his career which gave him yet another concussion on his short-lived stint for the Cleveland Browns. Not only that Rick is ridiculed, targeted and credited for the loss that completely derailed playoff hopes for the franchise.
Now, he's left with his hopes dashed and pondering if he'd ever play in the NFL again, his agent out of options, suggests a little known Italian league and an escape from his many escalated troubles. After much protest because it means giving up what he'd always wanted, Rick agrees and soon he is on his way to play for the Panthers in Parma, Italy of all places.
Here in the backdrop of Italy is the overlaying sense of the story all described in terms of football and food. It is a simplistic read which provides an elusion that the reader might find enjoyable.
For my final analysis, this book isn't for everyone and it is not one of my favorites of Grisham although it is not completely uninteresting.

320 pages
Publisher: Dell; 1 edition paperback (July 22, 2008)
My rating: 3 stars

Another way of looking at this book:

Book Chase

A Year in Books

For Football fans: The true blog of Jason Johnson on what it's literally like to Play for Pizza - Really Playing for Pizza

Review: The Resurrection by H.A. Parker

2011-05-05T07:55:00.000-05:00

Synopsis (From Author):

Nothing stops Bancroft Enterprises from developing the best in scientific technology, despite the harsh competition. At the height of its power, biomedical technician Clark Ravensdale performs the nearly-impossible: raising six New Testament figures.
Though criticisms from the religious and scientific communities persist, both groups use this project as an opportunity to advance their agendas. In the midst of division, Clark shies away from discussion, hoping that the fierceness subsides and won’t deter his workaholic life. However, those mixed feelings change.
While some have characterized the disciples as primitive, others like Clark notice the abnormal behaviors and uncanny intellect. As more time is spent living with the disciples, a realization comes to mind: perhaps there is more truth to the New Testament than some thought.

Review:
The Resurrection by H.A. Parker tells a story that forces you to examine your own personal convictions regarding science and religion. As a science teacher, I can understand the almost fanatical belief held by the scientists and their goal to resurrect the disciples. The main character, Clark, has had his faith in God challenged and he clings to science as an acceptable way to process the world. At the same time, his life has become void of everything. He lives alone, has few, if any, friends and he is very devoted to his job and his enigmatic boss.

Suddenly becoming the "keeper" of the resurrected disciples, Clark quickly discovers many of their ideas about them were wrong and he is faced with the faith and religion he turned his back on for science. He also comes to realized that things are not as he believed with his boss and he wonders if they are doing the right thing.

I really enjoyed the fact there was no clear-cut answer. All the characters had to deal with the issue of their own faith and belief in the face of the Disciples. This book serves as an excellent example of what is going on in today's churches. This story explores the goals of the modern church and how so many shift focus to a corporate mindset. This story evokes deep thought into the reader's own personal ideals of religion and how the face of the church has changed.

Everyone who interacts with the Disciples find themselves changed. From the fanatical coworker Fulbright to the maniacal boss Bancroft, everyone has reactions to the Disciples. For some, their faith is reaffirmed. For others, the need to control the Disciples outweighs all.

As for the Disciples, I found them to be delightful. Quickly adjusting to being in the 21st century, they have never lost their faith in God and waste any time starting their mission of evangelizing. They grow concerned as they realize the modern world has deviated from the message of God, as they know it and the Disciples do not bite their tongue in letting everyone they have strayed from the message.

This story was so compelling. See everything through Clark's eyes really made the story so poignant. It was interesting to see his battle with himself, his religious convictions and his science beliefs. This story is such a reflection on much of the discussion between religion and science today. This story is such a reflection on much of the discussion between religion and science today. This is one you should pick up if you are ready to read and be challenged to think outside the box.

Light Gathering Poems Edited by Liz Rosenberg

2011-05-04T18:29:00.001-05:00

Beautiful selections from Dickinson, Frost, Rumi, Hughes, and other well-known (and some lesser-known) poets are compiled to extract thoughts of love, family, hope, nature from one's mind. I enjoyed Rosenberg's anthology and also the way that the poems were organized in the book. As with poetry, you don't have to read them in order but when you can they can create a unique feel that is present as a compilation all on their own.

A few of my favorite poems in this book include: Sonnet # 43 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, She Walks in Beauty by Lord Byron, Blue Butterfly Day by Robert Frost, To Jane by Percy Bysshe Shelley

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways" - Elizabeth Barrett Browning

"She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that's best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes."

—Lord Byron

Shelley's great line, "If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind? "

Other poets featured included Langston Hughes, Jane Kenyon, Rainer Maria Rilke, Christina Rossetti, Rumi, and Ruth Stone.

Review: Plain Jane: Brunettes Beware by Cristyn West

2011-04-18T13:26:00.000-05:00

Title: Plain Jane:Brunettes Beware

Author: Cristyn West

Format: Paperback and Ebook

Found at: Amazon and Smashwords

This book keep me captivated from beginning to end! The story was wonderful and repulsive at the same time. The hunt for this serial killer took so many twists and turns yet left you wondering who was more insane, the killer or the profiler on their trail!

I loved the main female character in Nicole. She was a strong and smart woman yet vulnerable in affairs of the heart. Her job is first and foremost in her mind except when it comes to dealing with her ex, Kent. He brilliant, deranged and obsessive, all the hallmarks of a top profiler. He was an ass to her and their co-workers and I cheered at the times she found her moxie and let him know how she felt. Their relationship is as intriguing as the mystery of the serial killer and I was totally satisfied with the way it played out in the end.

The serial killer was spooky and the reveal was a total surprise There were several viable suspects and the author really kept you guessing until the end. The suspense lasted the entire novel and I came away from the novel with a sense of "WOW". There is definitely a gross factor with the more visits and the "prize" that the serial killer took from it's victims. This story may bother you a little if you are a touch squeamish.

A few things I would have like to have seen was more of the back story of the characters. There was discussion in the book about previous cases and previous relationships but since this was the first book, I only know what was mentioned. It would be nice to see a prequel book showing how Nicole and Kent wound up together in the first place. I hope there will be more with these two! They work together well and it'll be interesting to see another case with them!

Review: Dead Barchetta by Kathryn Lively

2011-04-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

Title: Dead Barchetta
Author: Kathryn Lively
Format: Paperback and Ebook
Available at Amazon and Smashwords

From Amazon: “Lerxst” Johnston doesn’t have an enemy in the world…so he thinks. Armed only with a guitar and endless questions, Lerxst escapes the discomfort of his beach home and hides out in New York City to learn the true identity of his would-be assailant. Instead he learns more about himself and what he needs to do to survive the next attempt on his life. What a long, strange trip it is.

Review:

I read this one from beginning to end! The story started off with the simple question of "Why was the mysterious woman was trying to kill him?" to a bigger plot that no one saw coming until it sprang up! The story was engaging and you couldn't help but love Lerxst and the characters he meets along the way.

It had plenty of musical references and a great deal of dark humor but the book didn't bogged down at any point. Instead, it moved at a quick pace and had you looking for answers as if you were Lerxst! The characters were also wonderful. There's the grandma who grows "medical herbs", a brother that has a huge secret and the female bass player that becomes his partner in the hunt for answers. In spite of everything going on, Lerxst keeps a level head as he searches for the truth.

This was a wonderful read! I read it from beginning to end and I wouldn't mind picking up again to discover any wonderful nuances I may have missed the first time around! Music fans will also enjoy the rock references (especially for Rush) but you don't have to be a music fan to enjoy it. It's great to see an ordinary, unexpected guy be the detective for a change. Grab this one! You'll enjoy it!

Think No Evil... by Jonas Beiler

2011-04-11T08:07:00.000-05:00

Think No Evil: Inside the Story of the Amish Schoolhouse Shooting...and Beyond by Jonas Beiler

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a wonderful, quick read. This book is all about the Amish schoolhouse shooting and how the Amish community reacted to that violence with forgiveness. I thought it was very well written. The time spent on the actual events of that day was relatively little, so the tone was not morbid or upsetting. Instead, the focus was mostly on the people, both inside and outside the Amish community, and how the events impacted them emotionally. It explains a lot about Amish culture and how forgiveness is always the natural response for them because Christ is at the center of everything they do. It explores how we non-Amish can better implement forgiveness in our own lives.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone.

View all my reviews

The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

2011-04-08T09:19:00.000-05:00

The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have read a lot of mixed reviews on this book. I love the first book, as so many others did. The Name of the Wind is on my all-time-favorites list. And though I liked book two slightly less than book one, it is only slightly less. Many of the people who loved book one and were not satisfied with book two, went into this book with a lot of expectations. They hoped to have all their questions answered. But you have to keep in mind that this is epic fantasy; epic. You will not find all the answers in book two of a trilogy. There is a reason Luke did not defeat Vader in The Empire Strikes Back. Frodo did not destroy the ring in Two Towers. Instead, we are left with more questions than answers. That's what keeps us hanging on for the third installment.

I thought The Wise Man's Fear was an excellent follow-up to The Name of the Wind. I felt very satisfied at the end, but I cannot wait to read book three and would not be the least bit sad if this trilogy turned into a much longer series. It was a bit longer than it needed to be, but I didn't mind that very much. Rothfuss' writing has such a natural flow that the pages fly by without my noticing. My only disappointment in that regard is that my life didn't allow me to lock myself away and do nothing but read. However, I did manage to neglect some important things so I could have time to read.

It was funny. Rothfuss has such a great sense of humor. His blog has me cracking up pretty frequently, and this book was no different. But it was also tragic. Kvothe has quite a knack for destroying his own happiness. It was almost painful to watch his mistakes.

The frame story aspect continues to delight me. The inner story unfolds with dramatic ups and downs. The outer story tantalizes. I may be more anxious to find out what will happen in Kvothe's immediate future than I am to discover the truth about his past.

My one gripe with this story: a lot of sex. This series is partly a coming of age story. So book one was fairly clean because Kvothe was just a young kid. But he's grown up a bit now, so OBVIOUSLY he has to be an unrestrained, hormone driven, sex-fiend, right? I knew going into it that there was going to be a lot of sex, but I will say this- it wasn't as bad as I anticipated. A large portion of the sex scenes were dream-like. Some of the ideas about sex that are brought up are just ridiculous. Others I simply don't agree with. I didn't think the sex scenes were terribly graphic, but they were frequent enough to detract from my over all enjoyment of the story.

View all my reviews

Review: Fierce Dawn by Amber Scott

2011-04-04T12:49:00.000-05:00

Title: Fierce Dawn
Author: Amber Scott
Found at : Amazon
Format: E-Book

When I was sent the ARC copy, I admittedly was eager. I read Irish Moon by the author and I truly enjoyed it! I am overjoyed to say Fierce Dawn met and exceeded my expectations. It had all the elements that I really enjoy: supernatural, sexual tension and a great story!

Starting off, we meet the young Sadie Graves, who is taking care of a mentally ill mother and her little sister, Heather. Her mother is obsessed with her rambling journals and all Sadie wants is to be a normal teen. Little does she know her life is going to be anything but.

Flashing forward to adulthood, we find Sadie and her sister's positions reversed. With their mother dead, Heather has turned caretaker to the now broken Sadie. Sadie is trying to find herself again while convincing her sister and the psychiatrist she's OK. What she doesn't mention is the dreams of a gorgeous man that have been haunting her for the past 6 months. Imagine her shock to discover the man of her dreams coming to the library where she works!

It's not a coincidence that has Elijah there. Something is after Sadie and her life is getting ready to change in ways she never dreamed. He is there to protect her and try to fight the strong physical attraction that has developed between them. He keeps telling her (and himself) the attraction is not real but it sure feels like it is!

This book was so wonderful! The story is gripping and entertaining. The realization there's another world in the shadow of this one is compelling. I also LOVED the sexual tension between Elijah and Sadie as they tried to fight the strong mutual attraction between them while trying to get to the bottom of the conspiracy to destroy the human world.

I read this book in one day, it was just that good! It's up for Blog Tour De Force author Cage Match on April 18 and Bestseller For A Day on May 18, but don't wait that long! Download this now! You'll be glad you did!

The Griffin's War by K.J. Taylor

2011-03-28T18:55:00.000-05:00

The Griffin's War by K.J. Taylor

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I thought this was going to be the final book in the series, but by the ending, I think there must be at least one more. I guess I'll have to wait to learn how it all turns out.

I found this one a little disappointing to be honest. I guess I was expecting it to build off the other books more than it did. The tone and style fit with the other books for the most part, but there were a few added elements that just didn't do it for me. For instance, there's a lot more lovey-dovey stuff in this one (not sex, just mushy love), and it rubbed me the wrong way. There is plenty of action though; lots of fighting and slashing and stabbing and dying- Kill Bill style, or so I imagined it.

Still it was a decent read, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as such.

View all my reviews

Honeybee: Poems & Short Prose by Naomi Shihab Nye

2011-03-22T09:03:00.001-05:00

"Watch us humans as we enter our rooms,remove our shoes and watches, and stretch out on the bed with a single good book. It's the honey of the mind time. Light shines through our little jars."

Although, I freely admit that this book was not what I had expected, even so it has a definitive quality that shines through as I read it. I believe that this quality is transforming in nature through the various elements that were brought up throughout each poetic source shared in this book.
These poems or paragraphs are thought-provoking almost to the point of confusion for my dear brain. For this reason, I understand that this book will not be for everyone. If you do choose to read it, please acknowledge that it won't take you very long indeed. I read a few of the poems to my 12 year old daughter and she didn't feel like they made enough sense to her. Yet, poetry is that way and that's part of the beauty of it-where words can be constructed in such a way that they can be epic without the need to make sense. This is one of the things I love about poetry and words, in general.
Intrigued, I finished reading this book on my own. I found an endearing poem called "Bees Were Better." It made an observation about people as they break up and this one line I could relate to because I've done this too:

Two people broke up
across the table from me
at the library.
I could not sit at that table again
though I did not know them.

These types of observations were prevelant in this collection of 82 poems and this was one of my favorite things about it. It was honest, simple yet it didn't talk down to its readers. Instead, it left you with a bittersweet feeling of life and what it holds, even from its political views, which left me pondering about more than the nature of bees.
Most of all, it remains for me that Naomi Shihab Nye is one modern poet & author that I'd like to meet. I need to pay attention and this could be possible since she lives in San Antonio. Meeting her would truly be a gift! In her writing, one can tell how much she has yet to offer and what she has already given us is amazing! These are valuable ways of writing words that I'd like to learn how to share with the world for myself.
Let me know if any of you have met her before. I'm highly curious.

Hardcover: 176 pages
Publisher: Greenwillow (February 26, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0060853905
My rating: 3 stars

My Favorite Poems in this collection:

Bees Were Better pg. 66

There Was No Wind pg. 84

We Are Not Nothing pg. 105

More about Naomi Shihab Nye

Other views:

Teen Book Review

Bookshelf: What We're Reading

The Griffin's Flight by K.J. Taylor

2011-03-20T20:19:00.000-05:00

The Griffin's Flight by K.J. Taylor

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an excellent follow up to the first book. Arren's life has been ruined and worse, he has become something that horrifies him. But when he meets a strange girl- an outcast like himself- he begins to hope. Still, things never seem to work out for him the way he hopes they will. The more he fights against his destiny, the more he locks himself into a future he does not want.

This was a fast-paced, enjoyable read. I handed the first book to my husband just in time to get him excited to read this one. He loves the series, too. He finished book three about ten minutes before I finished this one, and now I can't wait to see what all his oo-ing and ah-ing was about.

Like the first book, this is a piece of dark fantasy that doesn't feel dark. Taylor doesn't dwell to long on the morbid or gory things. She tells it like it happened, and I like that about this book.

View all my reviews

Review - Irish Moon By Amber Scott

2011-03-16T11:58:00.000-05:00

Title: Irish Moon

Author: Amber Scott

Found At: Amazon

Format: Paperback and E-Book

Irish Moon by Amber Scott is a wonderful historical paranormal novel set in Ireland in the 1300’s.   We are introduced to Breanne, a fiery, headstrong princess who wants to live her life on her own terms.  In spite of her family’s apprehension, she is learning how use her druid powers.  After being tasked with caring for a wounded English knight the same night her mentor is mysteriously killed, the intrigue and passion bubbles to the surface and you cannot put the book down until you know what happens next.

The characters in the book really jump off the page.  Breanne is strong, smart and feisty.   She’s not willing to settle and the interactions between she and Ashlon (the knight) are wonderful.  The romance between them is hot but it’s not overly done.  The chemistry between the two is incredible and you couldn’t help but want them to be together.   I loved how noble he was and it didn’t hurt that he was hot!!   The biggest surprise and delight was the cursed cat.  He was funny but still provided wisdom and insight.  He is a great addition the cast of characters. 

The setting of the tale really made to entire story stand out.  The magic, the folklore and the romance all worked to keep the pages turning and I was engaged from the first page.  If you are a fan of historical, paranormal or just romance, this would be the story for you.

Review - Sounds Of Murder by Patricia Rockwell

2011-03-15T11:42:00.000-05:00

Title: FM For Murder
Author: Patricia Rockwell
Found At: Amazon
Format: Paperback and E-Book

Book Description: When Psychology Professor Pamela Barnes discovers her department's star researcher strangled to death in the computer lab, she's determined to find out who did it. Will an accidental recording of the murder allow Pamela to use her expertise in acoustics to identify the killer? A unique cozy mystery--set in the world of academia and high-stakes research--full of excitement, humor, and romance.

In this first book from Patrica Rockwell, we meet Dr. Pamela Barnes. I enjoyed the fact this book immediately immersed the reader into Dr. Barnes' life. The academic politics came immediately into play and when a much-disliked colleague is killed, everyone becomes a suspect. Patrica Rockwell made Pamela Barnes a delightful character. Even with her being a professor, she still was a very down to earth person. She has a loving husband (who cooks!), a tense but loving relationship with her freshman daughter, friends who are her polar opposites and a job she loves.

This book also shows the underside of the world of academia, with tenure issues, budget cutbacks and personality clashes. After discovering the body, Dr. Barnes can't help but poke around to find out who killed the researcher. The killer was never given away until the end and with so many possible suspects, the killer was truly a surprise. This was an enjoyable read and I think the series potential for this will be outstanding. Patrica Rockwell leaves you curious about what happens with Pamela Barnes next. She seems to be a magnet for trouble and I really look forward to see her next adventure.

If your interested the 2nd book of the series is called FM For Murder .

My Review for FM For Murder is HERE.

30 Pieces of Silver By Carolyn McCray

2011-03-09T18:27:00.002-06:00

Title: 30 Pieces of Silver
Author: Carolyn McCray
Available at: Smashwords and Amazon
Format: E-Book

Before I get started, let me introduce myself. I'm Karen and I'm an avid reader. This is my first post here at 5-Squared and I look forward to many more! I can also be found at www.release-notes.blogspot.com.

This grabbed me from the first page and took me on an incredible journey! I couldn't stop reading. The suspense was wonderful and the way the author wove the past and the present together were outstanding. It was one adventure after the next and you couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. It was a complex and mysterious story with engaging characters. Dr. Monroe was a smart yet brave woman and rolled with the punches along with Brandt and his team. I really expected a woman who wouldn't hold her own with the rapidly changing environment but she was side by side with the team and her quick thinking came in handy. Seeing her own beliefs change in the face of mounting evidence really made her come to life! The conflict present in Brandt with his job duties and his religious convictions provided a depth to his character. In addition, the author told an excellent biblical story and the ending left me stunned. It obvious that she really took time to make the past story as engaging as the present story. I think if you are interested in biblical history, you'd enjoy this book so much. I know that it's unlike anything I've read recently and that's good thing!!

My Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 Stars

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

2011-03-05T10:51:00.000-06:00

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was so hard to rate. It's really more like a four, but loses points because it has the F-bomb a few times. Which breaks my heart because now I can't go and tell EVERYONE I know that they MUST read this book. The F-word is a big deal to me. But that's all I'll say about that.

Aside from the above complaint, this book is BEAUTIFUL! Bender is just an artist. Everything about this story was carefully crafted, and she makes it seem so effortless. It is thought provoking, but still easy to read. It focuses on some paranormal or super natural elements, but the story is really about relationships and how we relate to the ones we know far too well.

I'm not sure I can start another book right away. This is going to haunt me for some time before I can truly put it aside and move on to something else.

So if you don't mind the occasional profane expression, pick it up. Today.
If you are very sensitive to profanity, like I am, I sadly steer you clear of this otherwise delightful read.

View all my reviews

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom by A.C. Crispin

2011-03-04T12:41:00.000-06:00

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom by A.C. Crispin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was an ARC my good friend K. Marie gave me, just for fun. This story is all about Captain Jack Sparrow before he got the Black Pearl. Okay, it's more like HOW he got the Black Pearl. If you enjoyed the movies, even remotely, you'll have fun with this.

It took me while to get through because the chapters are a bit lengthy, and I like to read in chapters if I can. Since I've been busy, it's been hard to find the time lately. But finish it, I did- enjoyably so.

FYI- This book is being published as an official Disney edition story and is marked for ages 13 and up- as it should be. The language is pretty clean, but there are some fairly suggestive love scenes that really would be inappropriate for younger children. Oh, and killing. Not too graphic though.

View all my reviews

A Raisin In the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

2011-02-27T23:10:00.005-06:00

Lorraine Hansberry (1930-1965)

What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore-
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat
Or crust and sugar over-
Like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

~Langston Hughes

One word to describe this play is simply powerful. Family is intertwined with a group of individuals. That is what we are first, an individual. Lorraine Hansberry illustrates this beautifully in her play, A Raisin in the Sun. As circumstances of family life arise and offer hardship the differing personalites handle each situation differently. Screenplays amaze me as through only words exchanged between people, I develop a sense of character of each. Not only that but I gain a feel for the emotional atmosphere and surroundings from whence they are either living in or have come from. This play lives up to that classic standard in so many ways.
As the first few lines, of Hughes' poem, graces the introductory page, it gives a feeling of resonance foreshadowing what will be read. This is one of those plays that is not only inviting to read but one that would be good to see in its LIVE theatrical version. This is a cast of entertaining characters but not only because they are lively, it is one that can be related to as well.
Struggling deeply and challenged by their meager efforts to recover financially what they do not have, the Younger's, a Chicago family, Walter, Ruth, Mama, Beneatha and Travis each pursue their own course and worry about their dreams. It's compelling to feel how heartwrenchingly real these struggles are for the Younger's. As a reader, I found I was interested in each act of the play to see how this will turn out. It felt like I was dreaming along with them and rooting for them to overcome their challenges, rise above and find a way to maintain their dreams. I wanted them to keep going and let the future come into their field of vision.
After all, considering the Younger's in comparison to the plant that they carefully attended to, a plant without sunshine is one that will not see Spring again.

160 pages
First produced in 1959
My rating: 4 stars

"a woman who has adjusted to many things in life and overcome many more, her face is full of strength. She has, we can see, wit and faith of a kind that keep her eyes lit and full of interest and expectancy. She is, in a word, a beautiful woman. Her bearing is perhaps most like the noble bearing of the women of the Hereros of Southwest Africa - rather as if she imagines that as she walks she still bears a basket or a vessel upon her head." Act 1, Scene 1, pg. 22

***

A beautiful exchange ~

Mama: (Moved, watching her happiness.) Yes, honey?

Ruth: (Looking off) Is there-is there a whole lot of sunlight?

Mama: (Understanding) Yes, child, there's a whole lot of sunlight.

(Long pause)
Act 2, Scene 2, pg. 94

***

"Sometimes you just got to know when to give up some things...and hold on to what you got." Act 3, pg. 130

"There is always something left to love. And if you ain't learned that, you ain't learned nothing." Act 3, pg. 135

***

You Tube - "A rare & unique entertainment..."

Matched by Ally Condie

2011-02-19T20:09:00.000-06:00

Matched by Ally Condie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Thanks Carrie for your great review on this book! I finished reading it today and here's my take:

I went into this book with... not LOW expectations exactly, but I certainly didn't expect to get sucked into it the way I did. I had an awful lot to do this weekend and it all got shelved so I could read. Any time I've had to put it down, I've found myself thinking about the story. I can definitely see why they'd want to make this into a movie. But I have a feeling the movie will ruin the book for me, just like Twilight. But let's not go there.

I would recommend this book for the following reasons:

It's light and fun and effortless.
It leaves me feeling hopeful in an odd sort of way.
It is squeaky, and I mean SQUEAKY, clean.

A lot of YA books seem outrageously inappropriate for teens, but I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to hand this over to a young adult.

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The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

2011-02-14T21:31:00.003-06:00

Having seen the The Last Unicorn cartoon many times as a child, I was a bit hesitant yet intrigued with this book. As a seven-year-old, many of the deeper subtexts of the plot were lost to me. My kid brain saw a creepy old dude, a gorgeous, whiny unicorn, and a riduculously terrifying Red Bull. (That bull chased me through many a nightmare through the years, most often around the time book reports and research papers were due.) Never mind the whole 'watery equine' thing. Years and years of living in the waves? I just couldn't figure out how they didn't drown!

I was excited when I heard that we would be reading this in book club. "How was the book different from the movie? Did it have a happier ending? Is that freaky vulture thing in the books? Will the magician come across as an elongated Hobbit, like he did in the movie?" These were deep questions that needed to be answered. I was excited to finally understand the work.

This book surprised me. As a grown woman with home and family I picked up on the themes of innocence lost, the burden of time, and the cost of potentials realized. They kept me looking inward throughout my time with this book. Of course, I expected and understood the theme of maidenhood , often associated with unicorns, but that was as deep as I expected to go. "Ya, ya, youth lost. OK, got it, we don't look as young, etc." But, the book went deeper than that. In her quest, the unicorn gave up a blissfully ignorant life to save her people. She carried the burden of knowledge, experience, and loss. For her family. She tried to keep the bigger picture in view, though she often lost her focus. Smendrick wanted to help her and sacrificed much for her and her quest. On the other hand he had one of his own. He sought his own magic. It seemed similar to a marriage at times. She had the big picture in mind, but struggled to keep focused. He wanted to serve her and her quest to the ends of the earth, but his ambitions came along for the ride. That isn't a bad thing necessarily, but it was always something that had to be balanced.

Molly Grue brought another facet of experience to the story. She was reconciled to who she was, but found hope of more when she saw the unicorn. As a wife and mother, one who is well along on her journey, I felt Molly's pain when she yelled "How dare you come now, when I am this." Even if you love where you are (which Molly, obviously didn't) there is always that wonder of "Did I do enough? Did I try hard enough, then? Am I as far along as I really should be?" But, she gave it all to the unicorn. She knew she would be made better, just being near her and what she represented.

All in all, I enjoyed this book so much as an adult. I can understand why it is read and loved so much. It is timeless. It is a classic, in my eyes.

Matched by Allie Condie

2011-02-07T19:35:00.002-06:00

We are reading Matched by Ally Condie in our RS book club this month. So there might be several reviews on 5-squared. I feel nervous being the first one to review it because I don't have the language skills that my other friends have. So this will be simply my thoughts.
Matched is the first book of a trilogy. I didn't know that until I finished, I could tell about 2/3 into it that there would be another. Which will be alright.
This is a dystopia novel. I looked that word up; a society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease and overcrowding.

The Society controls everything. You are sent your personal food at a specific time and place. No one is allowed to come into your home. You have only a brown set of clothes. They decide all of your activities. You are Matched at seventeen with your optimal partner. They also decide when you die. They give you a container with three tablets in it, a blue, green, and red. You are told when to take them. They are allowed to enjoy only 100 songs, 100 poems, 100 movies etc.

Cassia is a seventeen year old. She is matched on her birthday. It is an unusual match because she knows the young man. The next day, she puts the microcard with his information in the portal and sees another face also, again someone she knows.

There is a love triangle, one young man who is the strong, good guy type. The other has a mysterious past. Cassia is torn between the two.

Poetry is used often in the book, which is nice. I only like a little bit of poetry, the book actually made me interested in the pieces they talk about.

This book reminds me of Hunger Games a bit, but there isn't the violence.

I've read several other reviews about this book. Many folks complain about various things. I enjoyed it though. I look forward to the other two.

The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling

2011-01-20T21:44:00.000-06:00

The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If your only exposure to The Jungle Books is the Disney cartoon, put that story out of your head before you pick this up. Mowgli's tale here is about 90% different than Disney's portrayal.

This is actually two books- The Jungle Book and the Second Jungle Book. Each of these books, is actually a compilation of short stories. Our friend Mowgli appears in many of them. But you'll also find Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, the White Seal, and many others.

I don't usually care much for short stories, especially when there are a bunch of them together. But I didn't mind it so much this time. Some of the stories were hard to keep focussed on, but most of them were engaging and vivid. Kipling gives us some powerful descriptions- though he does tend to get a little carried away at times. Mostly, his use of language has a natural flow with a hint of poetry.

If you haven't treated yourself to this classic yet, do it soon.

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Suspense and Sensibility by Carrie Bebris

2011-01-20T10:29:00.000-06:00

Suspense and Sensibility by Carrie Bebris written in 2005, 301 pages

I so very much enjoy her Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Mystery Series, Suspense and Sensibility it her second in the series. Just like the first, Pride and Prescience, this one dabbles in the supernatural. I have read many other reviews and many do not like it. I have read North by Northanger and The Matters at Mansfield, which are the 3rd and 4th books in the series. Neither of them have anything to do with the supernatural, they are just fun mysteries. She uses characters from the original books and a quote from Jane Austen’s books for the opening of each chapter. I do enjoy them; they combine my two favorite JA and mystery.

This one is of course about the characters from Sense and Sensibility. Mr. and Mrs. Darcy take Kitty, her sister to London for the season. There she meets Mr. Harry Dashwood, son of John and Fanny Dashwood. This is a fine love story with many twists and turns. It is nice to see what possibly happened to some of our favorite characters. This novel touches on Sir Francis Dashwood, an actual living person with a very wild and inappropriate past. I liked how she combined him into this novel.

The humor, wit and affection continue between Mr. and Mrs. Darcy and I love it. Please read this series. You don’t have to read them in order, but the changes in the Darcy’s lives do go in order with the book. I am just starting Ms Debris’ last book in the series, The Intrigue at Highbury. It will be interesting to know if she returns to the supernatural or not. It doesn’t matter to me as I like it either way. I love the Darcy’s and have been having fun searching for the many fan fiction versions of their lives.
Of course this is a 5 star book in my opinion. Enjoy

Emma by Jane Austen

2011-01-20T10:22:00.002-06:00

Emma by Jane Austen
Written in 1816

I didn’t realize that I had watched a few of her movies but didn’t read all 6 of her books. I finally got to Emma this week. Of course I love Jane’s writing. I love that she describes things so well that you do feel you are living in that era. I also find that my vocabulary improves while reading one of her books.

The only draw backs I did have is that I missed more dialogue. To me, it seemed that there was not as much as usual. When there was it was several paragraphs to pages on the texture of gruel. I understand giving plenty of background for the characters but it just seemed a bit off.

At the end when the gentleman declares his love for Emma, I wish we had dialogue of her response. Also the dialogue of them telling their family and friends would have been nice.

I still loved all the characters and loved to watch the personal growth in Emma as she learns from her mistakes and listens to the wise counsel of a friend. I loved how dedicated she was to her father and her governess. Good story I give it 4 ½ stars because of the lack of dialogue. And of course I would recommend it to all

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

2011-01-11T16:07:00.000-06:00

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is definitely a modern classic. Besides being very well written, it was just plain magical. I thought Beagle's descriptive style was kind of poetic without being overly wordy or snooty. I was hoping to love it a little more than I did. I'm not sure why it didn't quite meet my expectations, but I still really enjoyed it. I would read it over and over again and recommend it to anyone.

If you've already seen the movie, it is a fairly good representation of the book. Of course you'll find some things in the pages that didn't make it onto the screen. So pick it up. It's a nice quick read, and though it's a sad story, it isn't too sad.

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North by Northanger (or Shades of Pemberley) by Carrie Bebris

2011-01-09T21:34:00.003-06:00

This is the third Mr & Mrs Darcy Mystery By Carrie Bebris Written in 2006

This is my second book by this author. She has written several that are all about the Darcy’s and a mystery that puts them in the setting and characters of one of Jane Austen’s books. I really enjoy them because it combines two of my loves JA and mystery.

I don’t want to give much away so this will be a short review. It is less than a year after Elisabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy have married. She is with child. Darcy lost his mother during childbirth so he is very overprotective and will do anything to protect Elizabeth.

They are invited to visit a friend of Darcy’s mother at Northanger Abbey, Mr Tilney. After they leave the Abbey, they find themselves in terrible legal troubles. Because of this Darcy’s aunt, Lady Catherine De Bough, must come to Pemberley and remain with them for many months. A mystery ensues making even more complications. Darcy is busy trying to find answers to the legal matter. Elizabeth has her hands full dealing with Lady Catherine who continues to not like her and does not accept her as the new mistress of Pemberley.

It is a wonderful story, well written in my opinion, of course that is just mine. I am not very qualified in literature. I am now reading my third book in the series and enjoying it also. I would give this one a 4 star

Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey

2011-01-09T21:31:00.001-06:00

This book was written in 1912, set in 1871, on the Southern border of Utah. It is a small community of what the author calls; Mormons and Gentiles. I am LDS aka Mormon, myself and the amount of reading and research I have done on the early Saints, I would say that this is not about the Church of Latter Saints of Jesus Christ, the Mormons. This appears to be a book about one of the fundamentalists offshoots of the LDS church that grew because they did not agree with LDS teachings.

The book is about Jane Withersteen, a wealthy rancher that had inherited her father’s ranch. She loves everyone and treats all with kindness and charity. The leaders of the town and her church are upset with her for caring for Gentiles, people that are not of the town’s faith. Also one of the leaders insists she marry him, she does not want to. She meets a couple non member men that are able to help her as the church leaders make all other riders and women folk leave her.The story splits to cover the two different men and what happens to them.

There is a lot of description about the area, the sage, trees, canyons and valleys. It is so nicely written, I definitely could image it.

I really feel the point of this story is to love and care for all. That some people, no matter what religion or organization, take the power of leadership and misuse it. We all are human first, then leaders and some times you must separate the church or organiztation and the person.

I am torn about this book when it comes to rating it. I would say a 3 star. I will try another Zane Grey.

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

2011-01-08T21:07:00.000-06:00

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this to my son. This is such a fun series and book #3 did not disappoint. There wasn't as much humor as in the last one, but there was a lot of action and a lot of twists to keep things interesting. It set things up really well for the next book. You don't quite get the tidy Hollywood ending, but it just makes you look forward to the next adventure. Bring it on.

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The Dark Griffin by K.J. Taylor

2011-01-08T20:29:00.001-06:00

The Dark Griffin by K.J. Taylor

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I got this as a goodreads firstreads ARC. I unreservedly give this book four stars. When I signed up to win this copy, I knew it was a gamble- fantasy usually is a bit of a gamble. But books like this are the reason I sign up for firstreads books. I got to be one of the very first to read a book that I feel sure will be disappearing off the shelves very soon.

Taylor has approached her world in some very unique ways. For instance, focusing on the griffin instead of the dragon or the unicorn or some of the more prominent mythical beasts. The griffin may make an appearance in some fantasy stories, but he doesn't usually get to be the star.

For another thing, you won't find your classic good conquers evil theme here. Right and wrong, good and bad; they all get mixed up with each other. In the end, you can't help but root for someone who is far from your traditional hero.

She explores the darker side of magic. And while you could describe some aspects of the story as morbid, it didn't feel morbid to me. I read it knowing it was getting darker and darker, but I didn't feel stained by it. I liked that.

I leave this story eager for the sequel. Write, Taylor, write!

FYI- there is some moderate profanity and mild sexuality. It does get quite gory at times, so if you're sensitive to written violence, I'd steer clear.

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2010 Reading Report

2011-01-08T16:21:00.007-06:00

It's time now for our annual 5-squared reading report! Our book numbers seem lower this year but I happen to know that this isn't an accurate count from how many books have been read by each of our authors plus our former authors as well. It's close to accurate for reviews that have been written here hoping I haven't missed any through my updates. What's important to me is that I have a place to write book reviews whether I read 15 or 25 so I'll do my best to keep up this blog.
This year between the 4 of us, we have reviewed 83 books collectively. I'm so appreciative for all of the book reviews written. Of course, our goal remains the same to read and review 25 books in one year. I think many of us read a few more than 25 books even if we didn't review them. All in all, I think we read.
As you've probably noticed, this blog is in a bit of transition, as we sadly lost some more of our authors this year. Please notice the sidebar to visit their blogs now. We miss them but understand the transitory dynamics of a group. Good Luck to each of you! To our former authors, come back if you'd ever like to again - we'd always love another review or guest post or two!
I hope that others will come forward wanting to give book blogging a try. If you or someone you know loves to read and would like to write book reviews, please have them contact Julie by sending an e-mail to jflamingo2[at]yahoo[dot]com for information regarding becoming an author on 5-squared. As already posted, we are a family friendly type environment.
As we look forward to 2011, we will continue to read and write reviews most definitely. Thanks for your time in reading, commenting and being here.

2010 Book Counts:

Queen 'Bina - 24

Carrie - 23

Lula O. - 8+

Julie - 15

Midnight's Children

2010-12-31T00:23:00.000-06:00

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had a horrible time trying to decide how to rate this book. On the one hand, any idiot can see this is the product of a master word-weaver. On the other hand, I can't say that I enjoyed it all that much.

There was a lot that was really interesting about it- the political unrest in India in the mid-twentieth century was a huge one, as well as the different major religious sects. His style is thick with Indian culture, which was a lot of fun. But the style, being very Indian, seemed kind of disjointed to me. There wasn't a very cohesive flow to the plot. It took me a good hundred pages just to get used to his style. He would often introduce a person, event or concept that wouldn't actually get to play a part in the story for another couple hundred pages or so. It was a bit confusing at times and confusion tends not to be a good motivator for me to finish the book.

As it is, I was so unmotivated to read much on a daily basis, that my time having it from the library ran out before I could finish. I don't care enough to check it out again and finish the story. He's just too wordy for me and I'd rather move on to something else now.

Would I recommend it? Ah... hm... sure. Give it a try. It's definitely different from anything I've picked up before. Be aware of some strong language and adult themes.

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Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright

2010-12-12T20:48:00.001-06:00

Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this in a couple of hours while I wasn't feeling well, just two weeks before Christmas. It loses points for sub par writing, flat and unrealistic characters, and an unbelievable yet predictable plot.

But it gains major points back again for having a wonderful message about small and simple things making a huge impact where it matters most, in the heart. This is definitely a feel-good story; great for Christmas time when life can be too busy to read anything heftier.

Over all, this was a quick, sweet, uplifting read. Go ahead and peruse it this Christmas while you wait in long lines or wait for your cookies to bake.

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On Becoming Baby Wise II by Gary Ezzo

2010-12-12T16:40:00.000-06:00

On Becoming Baby Wise II: Parenting Your Pre-Toddler Five to Fifteen Months by Gary Ezzo

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was more like 3.5 stars to me. I don't think it is as good as the first book. I love the Baby Wise concepts that are outlined in book one; that baby's needs should not supplant the marriage relationship; that baby's needs can be worked into the entire family's schedule rather than the family revolving entirely around baby; and parent directed feeding, as opposed to demand feeding, fosters good sleeping and behavior patterns. I've implemented these principles with my last two babies and they both started sleeping through the night by ten weeks of age. They were also happier and easier to manage during their waking hours. People have always been amazed at how "easy" my little ones have been.

So while I love the Baby Wise method in general, and would recommend it to anyone, I think this particular book is a little lacking. It teaches great principles for parenting your pretoddler, but it doesn't offer many examples of how to practically implement those principles. It tells us the what to do and why to do it, but not really how to do it. I understand any examples they might have given may not reflect my actual life experiences, but I really think those exmples help solidify my understanding of the priciples.

Still, it was a quick read and taught some really great parenting principles. It's definately worth picking up if you have a baby.

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Don't You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey by Margaret Peterson Haddix

2010-12-08T12:47:00.006-06:00

Since both of my daughters had read this book and have been talking about it, I thought that I should read it as well. I'm glad I did!
This book was similiar to an epistolary novel wherein it was written through a series of journal entries. Right from the beginning, I thought this was clever and I loved the sense of character that felt from the journal writer, Tish Bonner. At first, Tish wonders about completing the assignment or whether she'll even care to at all. True to her character, first, she tests the teacher of whether her journal entry will really NOT be read if she simply writes Don't Read This at the top as instructed. Soon, as she starts writing and it seems that her entries are not being read she realizes how cathartic writing becomes to her.
This is where I really identified with Tish because I feel the same way about writing. I love how it can help me process a situation going on around me. I have found I don't even have to write down it exactly - just the feelings in the form of a poem helps me deal with it.
In this sense through writing Tish deals with her concerns which seem typically adolescent. As the journal continues, you gain a sense a what is really happening which is anything but typical. This is where it tore into my heartstrings. I worried for Tish. I wanted the outcome to be better for her. I gained an insight into my daughter's eyes and why this book meant so much to them. It hit me that it meant something to me as well. I was unexpectedly amazed by this because I am so much older now than a teen which took me back to those days while at the same time it didn't feel outdated at all. I could still relate. I wanted to understand even from the point of view that I see things now in my adulthood.

Questions kept popping in my mind during my reading experience which made it feel interactive too, i.e... How can we help those in need around us when they wouldn't want us to know? Can we ever really know what someone is really dealing with in their lives? What's hidden in their tough exterior? This book was perfectly short and the ending is not unrealistic either. Most of all, I will never forget Tish and her story will haunt me. I love it when a book can do this and it is one of the reasons why I read.

Young Adult Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse (May 25, 2004)
My rating: 4 stars

Here's my daughter's take on the book: Nessa's Pen and Ink
If you can do me a favor and leave her a comment. She'll love it! They are posted by her even though it says my name. :)

Other noteworthy reviews too:

3 Evil Cousins

Social Voice

Welcome to those from Radiant Reviews! Thanks for reading today! Happy Thursday!

To Green Angel Tower, Part 2 by Tad Williams

2010-12-02T17:00:00.001-06:00

To Green Angel Tower, Part 2 by Tad Williams

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was more like a 3 1/2 for me. It stayed true to the other books in the series and I enjoyed reading it. There were a few surprises in there which I enjoyed. Unfortunately, they only lasted for a few pages. The end kind of irritated me though. It's not that I wanted it to end differently, it was just too feel-good. The darkness passes and the sun comes out again. And even though the world is pretty much wrecked, we're all so happy to be alive. Yeah. Right. Sorry, I'm just not buying that. But as I said, I enjoyed it over all, so it was worth the read to me. If you're into fantasy, I'd say you'll enojoy this series, but there are better ones out there.

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The Mansion by Henry VanDyke (I read it, too!)

2010-11-15T16:56:00.001-06:00

The Mansion by Henry Van Dyke

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a short story, very appropriate for Christmas time. It was a light and quick read with a beautiful, uplifting message. This can be downloaded for free through Project Gutenberg. I would recommend anyone read it.

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The Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter

2010-11-09T09:11:00.004-06:00

This is one of those books that I feel everyone should read at least once before they die. For one thing, it left me with a feeling that it is not long enough because I desired to read more. I enjoyed the imagery within this book of simple moments that if they are not read carefully than I knew I would miss how poignant and beautiful they really are. This is a book that is hard to describe to others how I felt after reading it because all I realized is that somehow I was different for having read it now. Even if this book isn't exactly deemed politically correct now, I feel it will remain still validly a classic because of the raw themes and perspectives it contains.
I felt this book was a great discussion for our book club and it had a lot to think about. In such a short novel, Richter masterfully presents a number of viewpoints without heavy bias one towards another. Each side is complicated and each character paints a perspective that can be understood even sympathetically. I'm glad I chose this as a book club selection because we discussed not only the basic themes of freedoms vs. civilization, imperfections in both societies, hardships of frontier life, but even more complicated themes like the value of inter-personal communications, misperceptions and the struggle for identity and loyalty.
(Below may include spoilers.)

The basic overview of this book is about two groups of people, Native American Indians and the Whites now settling on their land. This story is told through the eyes of True Son. He was born as John Butler to a white family in a frontier town. At the tender age of four, True Son is captured by the Lenni Lenape Indian tribe. He is taken in by the great warrior, Cuyloga, as his own son, given a new name of True Son and raised by the tribe for approximately ten years. He is an Indian in every sense as he can think, feel, speak, revere their Spirit and fight all as they do. This has shaped him and he is who he is now. So, it shouldn't seem such a shock, yet it did feel that way, when suddenly the Indians have to make a treaty and return all white captives to their own people. It is emotionally gripping and at times violent. Yet there is the interwoven simplistic conflict between these two groups and how Richter paints this vivid picture through True Son who struggles so deeply and individually that seems to tug at my heartstrings. His confusion and pain is real. It haunts me.
One of the most touching scenes to me is when True Son is told to put on the clothes of the white man which represents frustration and pain to him and his brother, Gordie, who makes an effort to help him by saying:

When you put these on, will you give me your Indian clothes, True Son? … Then I can be an Indian.

In the silence after this is said, an unjudgemental connection is felt between them. There is respect and compassion. Most of all, there is hope.

128 pages, 1953 - publisher · Alfred A. Knopf, My rating: 5 stars.

Other references for this book:

Blogfest Project for A Light in the Forest.

Walt's Unsung Star: Remembering James McArthur

Wikipedia

Against All Things Ending by Stephen R. Donaldson

2010-10-26T17:03:00.000-05:00

A big apology to all the Donaldson fans out there. I just really didn't like this book. I was so monumentally disappointed. I love fantasy and had heard good things about this series, so I entered to win it for a goodreads firstreads give away. A couple of gripes I had (feel free to disagree, this is only my opinion):

I jumped into the story in the third book of the third linked-series. Probably about the worst place a person could start, I know. But the book gave a pretty detailed synopsis of the preceding series and books to catch the reader up to the present story.

Maybe if I had started from the beginning I would have liked it better, but I'm inclined to think not. Just the descriptions of the previous books was a turn off to me. This is not the kind of fantasy I was hoping for. Darn. Oh well, I'll give it a try anyway.

Next, I was completely put off by Donaldson's writing style. The word "snootitude" comes to mind. Again, big apologies to people who find his style poetic and sophisticated. I found it uppish and pretentious. I recently read a reference book on writing in the legal profession that was easier to read than this epic fantasy.

I really wanted to give this one a good review, but I just can't do it. I leave this story (I confess only partly finished because I just can't take it any more!) with a measly one star and the promise to avoid Donaldson in the future.

Pride and Prescience by Carrie Bebris

2010-10-12T17:18:00.002-05:00

(or a Truth Universally Acknowledged) A Mr & Mrs Darcy Mystery

I looked up prescience;noun, knowledge of things before they exist or happen; foreknowledge; foresight.

I really enjoyed this book. It did not have the kissing and other intimacies that the other Darcy versions had. It definitely followed the Regency etiquette. I liked it because most of the original characters were represented. It starts on the double wedding of Jane and Elizabeth. This version doesn't change the originally story like the other versions.
The same banter between Darcy and Elizabeth continues which is always fun. There are several mysteries and many possible villians.
It was a book that I found so pleasurable I didn't want it to end and longed for a sequel. I recommend this book to any readers, not just Janites. This is a 4 1/2 or maybe even a 5 star.

The Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter (I read it, too!)

2010-10-12T16:54:00.000-05:00

The Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a really quick read. I actually really enjoyed it, but I only gave it three stars because the ending was so completely unsatisying. It's one of those open ended stories. It resolves one main conflict, but leaves a hundred other loose ends. If I were at all into writing fan-fic, I'd feel compelled to finish this charcter's story. If this story went to a publisher today, it would probably be rejected. That said, there was a lot that I liked as well.

The writing was top notch. Even during the narrative (note: I generally don't like much narrative), it was alive and in motion. I loved how the change in point of view changes your sympathies throughout the story. In the end, when True Son comes to sympathize in some degree with both the white man and the Indians, you would think he should be able to live peacably in either world, but just the opposite is true. During that time, sympathy was treachery, so both sides saw him as a traitor. A very sad story, made sadder in that he really had no choice in any of it.

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Impulse and Initiative by Abigail Reynolds

2010-10-08T23:15:00.001-05:00

This version of Pride and Prejudice is nicely written. It is the same author as Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy, just a different twist to the story.

After receiving Elizabeth’s refusal of marriage in Kent, Darcy follows up by coming to Longburn to court her. It is so sweet and at times comical to read the banter between the two of them. It was beautiful reading about their budding romance grow and to see the changes in both characters.

SPOILER ALERT – They end up having to get married which is a great disappointment to me. I understand that youth nowadays are in to that kind of thing so maybe this version is a lure for more teens to read Austen.

There is more of Darcy’s sister Georgianna and his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam in this version and we get to see how Darcy thinks and understand his original actions.

I enjoyed this book. I feel it is a romance novel and I usually avoid them but I was actually ok this time. There is intimacies throughout this book also but they are not as detailed as the Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy novel. I give this book a 4 star and suggest it to other Austen fans.

Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy by Abigail Reynolds

2010-10-08T22:48:00.000-05:00

The author changes the story line so Darcy kisses Elizabeth when he asks her to marry him in Kent. People see the kiss, so Elizabeth is compromised and feels she has to marry. Elizabeth marries Darcy even though she hates him.

I loved the story. . It was well written and sweet, although the romantic scenes are too intimate for me. But for those who read Romance Novels, they might be fine with it.

Except for the intimate scenes I would give this a 4 star, but with them I would drop it to a 3 star. It was fun to see the different version of the story.

Pride and prejudice and zombies Seth Grahame-Smith

2010-10-08T21:45:00.001-05:00

I hadn’t read Pride and Prejudice yet, I thought I had. So I read the original P&P at the same time I read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. It was nice to be able to see exactly where changes are made to the new story. The author stuck to the story and basically put the “zombie” parts are just tucked in here and there. At times they stick out like a sore thumb.

For 50 years England has been fighting a zombie making disease. The Bennets have sent their daughters to China to be taught how to fight. The have a dojo and spend much time practicing. The King has sworn them to the duty of fighting the Zombies. This does give a reason for why the military are posted in their town. Elizabeth and Darcy are both well trained killers and it is comical to read about their walks and then they stop to kill zombies then go right back to the stroll and conversations.

I thought of bringing cauliflower to the book club this month as this is the book we read for the month. The zombies would find fields of cauliflower and devour them, thinking them were brains. Yuk huh? The gruesome details are not that bad. Of course during the time reading it I started having nightmares from all the YA vampire books I had been reading. So I ended the book having difficulties with the yuk.

I would suggest this book for others to read, as long as they are prepared for the gore. I would give this book a 3 star. It is very comical.

You and Your A.D.D. Child... by Jody Capehart

2010-09-25T16:45:00.000-05:00

You and Your A.D.D. Child: How to Understand and Help Kids with Attention Deficit Disorder by Jody Capehart

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My son's specialist highly recommended this to us and I loved it. The tone was authoritative but not pretentious. As an unexpected bonus, it wasn't just based on steril, clinical over-my-head mumbo jumbo, made accessible for the non-PHD. This book included a spiritual approach which really gave me hope that maybe I'm not doing everything wrong after all. And it was so refreshing to hear that spritual nurturing is not only advisable but essnetial for the ADD child. It also addressed issues that I had never considered before, such as learning style and environment. But now that I know these things can have a huge impact on how an ADD child deals with the world, I hope it will be easier for me to change how I deal with him as I learn to help him cope. I would recommend it to any parent with an ADD child and to any educater.

note: since this is edition is a little older, the section on types of medications is outdated.

Still, I thought it was fabulous. Solid 5 stars.

View all my reviews

To Green Angel Tower, Part 1 by Tad Williams

2010-09-22T16:44:00.000-05:00

To Green Angel Tower, Part 1 by Tad Williams

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first book in this series was just okay- just good enough to make me curious about the rest of the story. The second was better- I was actually excited to move on to the next book (which is SO HUGE they had to split it into two parts). Part one of book three has all the throat gripping, can't-put-it-down excitment that the first two installments lack. That speaks highly of this book, but not so highly of the series in general. If a story is around 3000 pages long and it takes all the way until page 1700 to really suck the reader in, you've got too many pages, bub. The segway from part one to part two felt a little weak to me as well. You can almost hear the author saying, "Okay, I'm not sure how to make these essential details interesting. I just want to get on to the next exciting part." But then the next exciting part doesn't happen until the next book.

In spite of that, this is a four star book. I really liked it. I hope part two is at least just as good.

View all my reviews

Episodes: My Life as I See It by Blaze Ginsberg

2010-09-13T08:04:00.009-05:00

This is book is so unique! It truly is a labor of love. His mother, Debra Ginsberg, wrote an amazing prologue right from the start. In this book, don't expect to read along as any ordinary book for this is an insight into an extraordinary mind. Blaze is a real person who happens to have a creative intelligence that few of us will ever understand in our normal realm. For this is a tale, told in the form of episodes rather, from a life in the realm of a high-functioning autistic teenager going into his twenties.
At first, you must abandon how you think every day and try to place yourself watching an episode through Blaze's eyes and then you'll become enthralled with what he is letting you in to see. A whole new world will come alive, very much like watching TV, and you'll laugh, find a new perspective about teenage/early 20's life, and maybe you'll even get a little teary-eyed.
Don't be afraid to reminisce and relate it to your teenage experience which I feel is the best way to get past feeling of it being disjointed about the plot. Think Napoleon Dynamite. It is not your typical book. It's very execution is originally developed by Blaze and it is his mind that you're entering. Be realistic. Enter his mind on his terms and I think you'll enjoy this book. It's a quick read and can easily be followed through the different styles of episodes which we know everyday from TV already. Such as sydicated, season finale , and on-going as in a soap opera type episodes. Plus, there are, of course, the special features and the once a year specials, like Thanksgiving,to give you something to look forward to. Personally, I enjoyed the great cast of characters from Blaze's family, special guest star appearances and of course, the credits even down to the music. I've always liked to see what music is included whether on TV or in the movies. Most of all I liked the quotes! It was cool how he included books and other information that he was covering in his school studies much like a News segment too. In fact, a lot of these episodes reminded me in some way of human interest stories which have always been one of my favorite News features. [I know that's because my Grandpa Hatch loved them too and was quick to point them out to me and let me in on a few that would uplift me. Ones he had even written, so this book had helped me in remembering him too. Miss you, Grandpa!]
One thing I can guarantee about this book is that it is one of a kind and you won't read anything else like it. For that reason alone, it should be worth reading! Now, if you watch TV then, of course, you'll view it predictably but that's a different episode. ;)

288 pages, Publisher: Roaring Brook Press; 1 edition (September 1, 2009), My rating: 3 stars

View a different episode:

Chicken Spaghetti

VIDEO: Blaze on Blaze on tinypic

Mrs. B's Book Extravaganza!!

flamingnet young adult book blog

“Each passage functions as a minimalist gateway into his passions, dreams, fears and desires.” —Kirkus Reviews

The Queen of Cool by Cecil Castellucci

2010-09-09T09:37:00.001-05:00

Remember back in the high school days of what you thought cool was and those who were considered cool did you ever wonder about them or what they did or what problems they may have faced in life? Libby Brin is the cool girl. She has a wild character, panache and even seems courageous. Her life seems free from too much attention from parents or even teachers. She seems as if she could do or have anything in her life without major consequences.
Yet, life isn't always so carefree for her, inside of herself she is looking to be different or to feel something, anything really. She is oblivious to how cool she seems to others yet understands that she is popular. Her view of herself isn't the same as those around her and what they think of her. She has to make choices, although they didn't always seem significant enough in general, they were tough for her. A reality check comes into play a little bit for her when she is highly encouraged by a teacher to sign up for volunteering at the Zoo. This is where life gets a bit interesting for her and she meets teens from her class who are often the brunt of a lot of jokes.
I wasn't always clear what Libby was thinking or feeling even in her connection with them or how valid her loyalty was with any of her friends but there was a moment when I felt hopeful for Libby and that she might actually have a new perspective. I did find while reading the book that my own prejudices and perspectives about the high school world were tested and that's not a bad thing. I don't think this book was so stereotypical with its characters as I've heard others mention as I think it was my own view of them and what I was thinking was skewed.
Anytime, a book brings out such thought-provoking feelings and makes me think of things that are even uncomfortable for me I'd have to say I learned something and whether you think that lesson is good or bad will be up to you as much as it was up to me in this instance.
As far as minor characters go, I feel that Tina, Sheldon and Sid deserve a mention. I wonder if I was like Tina in high school and I think I wish I was but deep down I feel I wasn't as bright and confident as she was. I liked how overwhelming the odds were stacked up against her each day but that didn't stop her from being accomplishing tasks that she set out to do. I even understood her cool factor worship a little bit of Libby and her hope of what could happen for her friend too. In the end, I can still feel the sting of her disappointment. I love how well-developed these characters were and the I found myself wishing that the ending hadn't of come so fast.
Perhaps, I was feeling melancholy as I read this book because I found myself wondering where all these characters would be ten or even twenty years after high school. What would be realistic for them then? I'm sure that was just because this summer was my high school reunion which I was unable to attend (haha). :D A little bit ironic, I thought.
Overall, just a note that for me, although I'm sure it is sadly realistic for teens and what they deal with, I wouldn't recommend this book casually because this book contains use of profanity, drinking, and instances of sexual activity. I know I curiously finished it, although, maybe because I know nothing of being a teen in this type of world since I made different choices and grew up in a highly religious environment. It was interesting but personally I'm glad my life as a teen was different from Libby's.
Maybe this book wasn't my favorite or even the type I would usually read but I do like this author's personality and I like following her on Twitter. I have seen her in interviews (see what I mean in Author Mix) and I think her writing is talented. It may be a guilty pleasure but I'm still curious about reading her other books.

Young Adult, 176 pages, Candlewick; First Edition edition (February 14, 2006)
My rating: 2 stars

You don't have to take my word for it:

Neary Notes

The Hiding Spot

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The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

2010-09-07T16:40:00.001-05:00

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I just finished reading this to my son. It was a fun follow up to the first one, but I think I liked The Lightning Thief better. This one had more humor in it, anyway. My son laughed more, and there were plenty of jokes that I got, but were just a tad over his head. I'm having a lot of fun with this series. And now on to book three!

View all my reviews

Stone of Farewell by Tad Williams

2010-08-24T16:34:00.001-05:00

Stone of Farewell by Tad Williams

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked this one better than book one of the series. Williams does a good job of cliffhanging the end, especially when you consider how many different POVs there are. There were a few choices made by some key players that kind of bummed me out. But heros are best when they are falible, I guess. I'm pretty excited now to jump into part one of the conclusion, but I just started school again, so my pleasure reading time has got to be limited. Bummer.

I've heard that this is one of his lesser collections, so now I'm really excited to check out one of his more notable works.

View all my reviews

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

2010-08-16T22:52:00.003-05:00

This one gets four stars from me.

I just finished reading this one aloud to my son. We had a lot of fun with it. I'm not sure what I was expecting when I started it, but there was something about this book that caught me totally off guard. Whatever it was, it took me a couple chapters to get used to it, but then I really liked it. It might have just been the pace and the rhythm. I've been reading Harry Potter out loud for so long, and this was completely different. When you read a book aloud, the story's voice tends to get IN you in a way that it just doesn't when you read silently. This story's voice was more personal- being in first person- and more modern, I think, than I expected.
My son enjoyed it a lot, but I also found myself getting excited for reading time everyday. I want to know what happens next! I waited to see the movie, so it was all a surprise to me. A pleasant surprise. I can't wait for The Sea of Monsters.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest by Stieg Larrson

2010-08-09T12:13:00.001-05:00

Hrm. Quick overview of this lovely trilogy..

And if you've not read any of these, this probably won't make any sense. So. Sorry. In advance.

Book one -

Men definitely hate women in this one - A LOT, Nazis and big corporations are the roots of all evil - OF COURSE, who needs big boobs anyway (or I mean boobs at all), or condoms for that matter, or to be faithful to one's spouse.., and all those names..good grief. My review of this one is here.

Book two -

The giant blond dude from Rocky IV/man who feels no pain from the Brosnan (slash fake) Bond movies makes an appearance and boy is he pissed, Lisbeth is actually in this one - like she does stuff and everything (I mean everything), again with the names...holy crap....but this one by far my favorite of the three.

Book three -

Lisbeth is in the hospital and now she's pissed, duct tape cures all ills (my husband slash life partner could've told them that!), hot Amazon women are attracted to middle-aged, over-weight men, Lisbeth is still in the hospital.., ack, those names! I wanted to ram my head into the wall they were so confusing, Salander is still in the hospital..., stalkers are always skinny nerdy men, Swede's like to use the word whore a lot, giant blond freak makes an appearance at the beginning and the exact end of the book - in between I completely forgot about him, wha? Salander finally leaves the hospital?? Just in time to save the day? Not really, and the mysterious sister? She never shows...ah, come on!!

A really funny take on this series is in The New Yorker. I laughed myself silly it was so. spot. on.

3 stars

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

2010-08-05T19:38:00.007-05:00

First off, I really like the title which happens to be suited perfectly for this book. Just as the title suggests things aren't always as clear as they seem and life has a way of unraveling for Okonkwo, the main character. You could consider this book as a modern Greek tragedy. Many themes transpire within this book that are thought-provoking and I must admit it wasn't always comfortable subject matter for me to necessarily enjoy pondering. It left me with mixed feelings all the way through starting from trying to understand the culture through the eyes of the character's, mainly Okonkwo, to becoming frustrated with mis-communication amongst the different parties and wanting to understand what progress truly means or doesn't mean in the long haul.

If anything, it was a learning experience to read this book and an emotional investment that I don't think I was fully prepared for with this book. I didn't think I undervalued people or that I couldn't adapt when necessary but now I see all of this in the struggles Okonkwo has and so my perception is different now. I want to try harder to be a better person. There really is so much to take away from this classic and so much to re-evaluate. This is the type of book that re-reading in a few years will bring on a whole new vision to it, perhaps in each 1o years of life, it will change for the reader.

Also, there were things in this book that I couldn't ever understand because I just can't relate to that strong of emotion or experience. I might not be meant to. I'm not sure if I'd like to or if I could become more aware. These struggles in between change and tradition are real either within myself or in the life of Okonkwo and because of this simple thread I think this book will always be thought of as a classic. For that reason, I'd say you should read this tragic book at least once.

Quote:

Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so did his little children. Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness. It was deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious gods and of magic, the fear of the forest, and of the forces of nature, malevolent, red in tooth and claw. Okonkwo's fear was greater than these. It was not external but lay deep within himself. It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father.

Credit where credit is due: Achebe uses this opening stanza of, yes, a William Butler Yeats’s poem “The Second Coming.” Sorry, I didn't include this originally in my post and I do appreciate Hamilcar for helping me realize this. :) I love Yeat's by the way and this must be why it stood out in my memory. It is where the title of the novel is taken, as an epigraph to the novel. A nice touch, I think.

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.

209 pages, Originally published in 1958, My rating: 3 stars

Reviews from fellow 5-squared reviewers:

Amber
Trixie

Stalemate by Iris Johansen

2010-07-22T00:55:00.001-05:00

Eve Duncan, a re-occurring character, is what is called a "forensic sculptor," which means she takes a skull and sculpts over it her interpretation of the face, based upon forensic measurements and - to a great extent - intuition. She has never yet been proved wrong. However, she generally works for families of missing children or law enforcement agencies - hoping with each skull she brings home, she might find her own 7yr old daughter, Bonnie, missing and presumed dead for many years.

When she receives an offer from the infamous Luis Montalvo - who is a well-known and wealthy arms dealer in Columbia - twice she firmly declines. He has tried to get her to travel to Columbia to sculpt a skull and she refused - however, the third time he makes an offer she cannot refuse in all good conscience, and she goes - in order to save an innocent family, and also with the promise that Montalvo will help her finally find her daughter. She goes without telling her partner Joe an ex-FBI agent who follows her south. She finds Montalvo as a dangerous criminal but also someone with heart and passion. Eve ends up being key to a war between criminals.

I have read two other book from Iris Johansen, Firestorm and Pandora’s Daughter. I had another sent to me but the “bad guys” in that one were with child molesters and I couldn’t read it. All three were good reads, I really liked Firestorm though

The Art of Mending by Elizabeth Berg

2010-07-22T00:29:00.001-05:00

This book was lent to me with a stack of books, so I didn’t “pick it,” but I’m glad I had the chance to read it. I am interested in other books by this author now.

Laura Bartone, a quilt artist, and her husband Pete reconnect each evening by sharing an experience from the day and a memory from the past. (I love that) The story does the same kind of thing, mixing memories from Laura's present-day life and those of her childhood.

Laura is excited about the annual family reunion in Minnesota. When they arrive, her sister Caroline insists on a meeting of just the 3 siblings, including their brother Steve. She wants to talk about how they grew up, suggesting that she was physically and emotionally abused by their mother. Steve and Laura do not have the same memories and struggle with this concept. Caroline has always been different and overly dramatic, are they sure she is being truthful? Then their father is hospitalized. Laura tries to deal with that grief while continuing her business and raising her two teenagers. Whether she believes Caroline or not, Laura must take the time to reach out to her sister and learn ways to mend the family.

Laura says "There is an art to mending. If you're careful, the repair can actually add to the beauty of the thing, because it is testimony of its worth."

I liked this book. It dealt with some tough questions. In a family we all remember things differently. We all have hurts from the past. What if we don’t agree or can’t accept their memories, how do we push on. I liked also how the book dealt with daily living and parenting the teens too.

Silent Sea by Clive Cussler

2010-07-21T23:41:00.000-05:00

This is the 7th book in the Oregon series from Clive Cussler and Jack DuBrul. The Oregon appears to be a dilapidated freighter manned by a ragged looking crew when in reality it is a high tech and highly armed ship whose crew is known as the Corporation, and is led by Captain Juan Cabrillo, a former CIA field agent. He and the crew perform black ops for the CIA and also private security for different world leaders at handsome prices. All of the Oregon books I have read I have totally enjoyed, their ship is cool.

The story begins on Dec 7 1941 on a small island off the Washington coast. For generations a family have been searching the pit or shaft for the rumored lost pirate treasure. In the present we are off to the jungles of Argentina with the Oregon crew. The CIA have sent them to recover a satellite, Argentina is in political turmoil. Finally we end up in Antarctica where there is something mysterious and dangerous going on. The book is nonstop action. The plot is well thought out and you’ll warm to the Oregon cast of characters

Simple Genius by David Baldacci

2010-07-21T03:01:00.000-05:00

I read this book years ago and just had the opportunity to listen to it on audio with my hubby. Good read. Re-occurring characters Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, former Secret Service now turned Private Investigator’s. I have not read other books about them, but now know they are out there waiting for me.

The book starts out with two story lines, one about Michelle and her personal problems and the other about Sean and the job he has taken to pay for Michelle’s therapy. Michelle picks a fight with a really big guy on the wrong side of town. She survives physically but emotional is a wreck. Sean hires his friend Dr. Horatio Barnes to help her but she has to enter a psychiatric facility.

Wanting to keep Michelle in therapy, Sean takes a job at a highly secretive “think tank” called Babbage Town. The scientists there are very protective about their codes and quantum processors. But one of their team, Monk Turing has died and they need to know if it was murder or suicide. The installation is located across the river from the CIA’s highly classified facility known as the Farm. Monk Turing’s 11 year old daughter Viggie is emotionally and socially disabled, but she is a mathematical genius. Sean has a difficult time finding information. He is also worried about his Michelle and how much she can handle.

I liked the book, it had a bit too much technical info about codes for me but Paul loved the details. It made me want to read more of David Baldacci

True Blue by David Baldaccis

2010-07-21T02:05:00.000-05:00

I like David Baldacci. We just listened to two of his books on our trip. So I went with True Blue. It is aboubt two sisters in the Washington DC police force. Beth is the Chief of Police and Mace Perry was a police officer but has just served two years in prison because she was set up. She is one tough cookie. Too tough for me. She is bitter, angry and wants to know the truth and get revenge. I like police officer novels. But the two women are just too tough and the story has several things happen that are too far fetched for me. Mace gets out early from prison and the next day is invited by Beth to check out a murder scene. really? Mace meets an attorney there, Roy, the one who found the body and they become friends, deciding to solve the murder before the cops in order to get Mace reinstated. Mace makes some ilegal choices in her pursuit of the truth and Beth let's her do it. There is another murder, another lawyer, but Beth, the DC police and FBI are taken off the case from higher ups. Mace gets a job with a professor to work with people from the projects. Another "ya right;" Roy challenges the head of a gang on one on one basketball in stead of getting shot. The story is okay. Not a good one for Baldacci. I give it two stars

Wish You Well by David Baldacci

2010-07-21T01:15:00.004-05:00

I am a great David Baldacci fan. His books are thrillers, edge-of-your-seat who dunits, and Paul and I enjoy them. I typically go into the library and clear out a shelf of an author, just dive into a large stack of their books. This time I came away greatly surprised, because Wish You Well is nothing like his others and I love it. Baldacci interviewed his Mom and Grandmother on where and how they were raised in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia. I read it all in one setting and when I closed the book my soul felt full,complete, it felt like something I can't describe with words. As I have been thinking about it for a couple days, I still can't think of a way to describe the good feeling I had. I will say it was one of the best books I have ever read.
It is about Jack Cardinal's family, his wife Amanda, daughter Lou age 12 and her brother Oz, age 7rs. They move from New York City to the Appalachian mountains in Virginia to live with Great Grandmother Louisa. She is in her eighties and has lived on the mountain all her life. The mountain, now there is a character that fills the pages of their lives and of the book. Baldacci describes the mountain and all it "is" in such a way that you feel who have been there, that you are a part of what is living and breathing. Their whole lives depend on what they get from the land. The story is told through Lou. It's about tradegy, friends, political issues, love and of hope. Definitely about hope. I could have said much more about the book but I kept editing myself as not to tell you too much. I do hope you read it and enjoy it as much as I have. Oh, I went on Amazon and read a few of their reviews, at least three other people I read about also felt that it touched them in ways they couldn't describe. enjoy.

The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams

2010-07-20T18:21:00.004-05:00

Tad Williams is a highly acclaimed Fantasy novelist and this series: Memory, Sorrow and Thorn is considered one of the must-reads of the fantasy genre. Book One, The Dragonbone Chair, sets the stage and introduces our hero, Simon (and other key players as well). This book is part coming-of-age-story, part classic-good-verses-evil-drama, part political intrigue, with just a hint of first love. I found here, a good mix of round and flat characters. I was very interested in the events of the story. I liked it. I feel compelled to read the rest of the series to find out what happens. All that being said, I went in to this book hoping to be captivated and swept away. I was not. 700+ pages should have flown by in a week's time. It took me nearly 2 months to finish it. I'm not sure why, but it just didn't grab me. Even though I liked it, I didn't find myself wondering what would happen next whenever I had to put it down. Even though I liked it, I didn't feel any sense of urgency to get back to it as soon as I possibly could.
I'd recommend this one if you already love fantasy, but probably not if you're just getting acquainted with it. I wish I could give it 4 stars, but I have to go with 3.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

2010-07-08T09:57:00.005-05:00

Warning - Spoiler Alert: This is definately a book to be experienced so feel free to stop reading now and just go read this book and get your own first impression. No, really, I think that might be best. Smile.

***

What memories make up your life? How did you become the person you are today? Have you ever wondered about who you are or have you ever wanted to be different? What do you remember about being young?
These questions and more are what 17 year old Jenna Fox is trying to discover and understand about herself as she awakens from a year long comatose state after a horrifying accident. Since she is suffering from amnesia, everything is a different perspective. Her parents seem paranoid by worrying about a lot Jenna has yet to comprehend, her grandmother, Lily seems distant and mysteriously bitter towards her and who were her friends again? Although, Jenna has been told the basics and given DVD's of who and what she was - a dancer, a daughter, a student, a friend etc... It does not make her feel any more complete as a person. More than she even realizes, she desires to feel whole again. So, she aims to truly discover who she is from her memories that she is making from the world she knows now. Yet the old memories creep in and haunt her desire to become different or more real. It's all so confusing!
This book uncovers so much about humanity, courage, identity and friendship in this new world of Jenna's that her parents seem wrapped up in and are part of creating somehow. It didn't feel that it started out dystopian with sci-fi elements but it sure ends up that way which I thought was uniquely clever. I loved how layer by layer - slowly and poetically - it was uncovered and brought to my attention. I had to think and piece together all the details to make sense of it all. All the while, considering each question, questioning each character and their motives and wondering what I really knew at all.
In the end, I question everything. I just love it when books do this!

272 pages, Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (April 29, 2008), My rating: 4 stars

Meaning I pulled from the book:

Pg. 21: He laughs again. Why does he do that? He is more curious than I am. "You're a tough critic, Jenna Fox. I create art because I need to. It's just something in me. Like breathing."
How can a pine serpent be in him? Especially one that will not last. "This will be gone by tomorrow."

Pg. 131: I look at my hand curled in my lap, the bandage now covering the secret. The sick feeling of when I first saw it returns. In one moment, one brief glance, reality can flip. Whatever we believe can vanish. Believing in something doesn't really make it so.

Pg. 182: She pulls me close again, my head on her chest. I can hear her heartbeat. Familiar. The sound I heard in her womb. The whoosh, the beat, the flow that punctuated my beginnings in another dark place. I had no words for those sounds then, just feelings. Now I have both. I can remember it as clearly as I remember yesterday.

Pg. 192: There is not much to clean. My room is still sparse. "It is life near the bone where it is the sweetest, " I say to the walls. I amuse myself with my cleverness. I run a cloth over my desk and chair and I am done.

Popular excerpts from Amazon, sorry, I don't know the page #'s:

The dictionary says my identity should be all about being separate or distinct, and yet it feel like it is so wrapped up in others.

Are the details of our lives who we are, or is it owning those details that makes the difference?

How much can you really trust your memories - and if you lose them, can you get them back? Can you get yourself back?

Maybe that is all any life is composed of, trivia that eventually adds up to a person, and maybe I just don't have enough of it yet to be a whole one.

Other ideas about this book:

S. Krishna's books

GalleySmith

Inside Looking Out

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

2010-06-29T06:07:00.001-05:00

I didn't start this book right off after I checked it out from the library. I had really wanted to in some ways but in others, I didn't. For one reason is the subject matter is tough which deals with eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia) and through my reading I found out that there are other subjects included (cutting, ghosts) that are tough to read about in this book also. This book is an emotional investment and even though I may not want to think about subjects like these, it is real. This book was written in such a way that it made you feel, even empithetically, what Lia, the main character, was thinking. My heart was torn and breaking for her and at the same time I wanted her to make sense of all of it and find a way to overcome. It left me to wonder about how I struggle with my own irrationality but I don't always notice the tiny opportunities or people given to me that could help me along my path. They are so small and tender that it is hard to see clearly sometimes. It finally takes sheer "will" and difficult "work" to change. I have to open my eyes and regard it as merciful. It amazes me that Anderson could stir all of this thought process within me by her writing. I find that is a wonderful talent for an author. I'm glad she has shared this with the world and I look forward to reading other works of hers.
I can't say that I completely loved this book because it was not easy due to the subject matter to read but I do view that it is important. For some, it may even be helpful or at least that is my hope. I would recommend this very carefully.

I wish I had finished reading this book in time to attend my library's book group discussion on it which would have been interesting.

Check out these thoughts from the author at Amazon Videos.

288 pages, Pub: Speak (February 23, 2010), My rating: 4 stars

Memorable Quotes (spoiler alert):

"The lights flicker behind my eyes. I knew her whole world. I
knew her sleepovers and cookie sales and crushes on boybands and the time I
broke my leg riding on the back of her bike and the time I helped her paint her
room white after she painted it black without permission." pg. 95

"We sit in the middle of the cafeteria, a fish bowl crowded with minnows,
guppies, tetras, mollies, and angelfish. Sharks circle their prey.
Lesser spiny eels bump their noses against the glass, looking for the
exit. Bits of fish flakes and strings of poop dangle in the air.
Lime-green algae slicks the floor." pg. 105

"Beautiful when seen through the paper wings of out-of-season flies."
pg. 112

"The dead do walk and haunt and crawl into your bed at night. Ghosts sneak
into your head when you're not looking. Stars line up and volcanoes birth
out bits of glass that foretell the future. Poison berries make girls
stronger, but sometimes kill them. If you howl at the moon and swear on
your blood, anything you desire will be yours. Be careful what you wish
for. There's always a catch." pg. 253

"There is no magic cure, no making it all go away forever. There are
only small steps upward; an easier day, an unexpected laugh, a mirror that
doesn't matter anymore." pg. 278

Links from other readers of Wintergirls:

Lucid Conspiracy

Call of Kairos

Helen's Book Blog

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer

2010-06-25T19:23:00.001-05:00

I had pretty low expectations for this one and was pleasantly surprised. Meyer explores the darker side of her vampire world. Without getting overly morbid, she gives us a sense of what it would be like for one her Vamps who is completely controlled by the bloodlust, sees herself as more God than demon, sees us puny mortals as food, but still has a lot to learn about the clandestine world she's become a part of so very unexpectedly. Meyer does a great job of getting you to sympathize with some of the "bad guys," so that when the inevitable good-conquers-evil ending occurs, you wish she could go back and rewrite Eclipse just a little bit. It also opens up the possibility for yet another storyline in the future; one that I must say, I wouldn't be sorry to read. Three stars to Bree Tanner's story.

The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer

2010-06-25T08:28:00.001-05:00

Ah, those hazy summer days. Sitting on my porch rocking chair with my bare foot dangling lazily over the arm rest whilst I rest peacefully over the other one. So relaxed my eyelids hover within centimeters of each other..

*snort*

If only that were true. More likely scenario, I'm grabbing a few pages here and there while stuffing my face with Doritos and rubbing the skin off my sunburned nose while absentmindedly sort of watching my kids play/pretend not to drown in the neighborhood pool.

But alas, sigh, it's still the perfect time to read me some Heyer. The funniest one I've read of her's so far, this one did not disappoint. Taking place when England was at war with the soon to be United States, all the classic Heyer is included - kidnapping, mistaken identity, more kissing than usual, her favorite word, odious, among others - she has the knack for entering just the right word at just the right time. My heart swooned as always at her dashing, unaffected hero, and I laughed out loud more than once at a group of bumbling goofballs who in the end are at least as funny as Bottom and his acting troupe from A Midsummer Night's Dream, and that's saying something..

Yet again, I can't help but wonder: why aren't any of her books made into movies??

I'd be first in line if they were.
Sigh..
A great romantic comedy to read while on those cement beach sides. Just make sure a lifeguard is present lest you get distracted by those throbbing loins...
4 stars

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

2010-06-16T11:48:00.002-05:00

I just discovered Shannon Hale's "The Goose Girl" in the YA section and am amazed. Her story, based on the Grimm's fairy tale, is both magical and real, with characters who seem so alive they breathe right out of the pages. "The Goose Girl" is a book you can read for the joy of the story, and for the amazing things Hale does with it. She takes the elements of Grimms' fairy tale and weaves something entirely new
*Spoiler alert*

"She was born Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, and she did not open her eyes for three days." She is called Ani, and is next in line to be queen until her mother announces that her younger brother will claim the throne and she will be married to the prince of Bayern, a country bordering Kildenree. Ani, weak and indecisive, is on her way to the country when half her honor guard massacres all those loyal to her and try to kill her in an attempt to make Selia, her lady-in-waiting, the queen.
Ani runs, and through the kindness of a few good people, survives and ends up as a goose girl in Bayern. She must find a way to reclaim her name, though, and soon--for the prince's marraige to Selia/Anidori is fast approaching and war is on the verge of breaking loose.

Shannon Hale just one a Newbery Honor for her book Princess Academy. Which I want to read now.

Death of a Valentine by M.C. Beaton

2010-06-16T11:33:00.002-05:00

I found this one on the New Book shelf. The cover says A Hamish Macbeth Mystery so she must have others about him. . Hamish is a small village constable in Lochbuch Scotland. He is assigned a partner, Josie. Who happens to be head over heels in love with him and he doesn't know it. The book is about a death and his struggle to solve it. Also about the obsession Jose has, which is quite comical. I enjoyed this book. I liked it so much I think I will go back and get more of hers. It was a quick read also.

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

2010-06-15T21:57:00.007-05:00

"It is exquisitely trivial, a delicate bubble of fancy, and it has its
philosophy...that we should treat all the trivial things of life seriously, and all the serious things of life with sincere and studied triviality." ~Oscar
Wilde

This quote introduces this play at its beginning. Right away, this caught my attention and I found myself thinking of this philosophy as I read this play. Often I have wondered about why is it that small unimportant things invade my thoughts and at times the more important things don't seem like a very big deal? I don't know why I do this and without even realizing it because I have had times in my life when I have been serious of trivial things and almost unaware of serious things in my life without even knowing why or rationalizing it easily. Of course, the danger and the difference in doing this was that my outcome in my life usually didn't come out this brilliant and comedic. In fact, mine would be considered a tragedy. To me, this is one of the amazing things about Wilde's writing of this play. How he captured this very thing in a comedy!
In this play are intricately woven themes, i.e., the aristocracy, marriage, the literary world, English manners, women, love, religion etc..., among a cast of characters that will not easily be forgotten. Jack is the male lead in the play and Algernon is in a great supporting role and as these two characters play off each other and the women, Lady Bracknell and Gwendolen, it ends up in a comedic adventure! I love Wilde's thought-process and his portrayal of our subjectable human nature and of societal conflicts that are still generally true.

Some of my favorite lines (possible spoiler alert!):

Algernon: I really don't see anything romantic in proposing. It ... is very romantic to be in love. But there is nothing romantic about a definite proposal. Why, one may be accepted. One usually is, I believe. Then the excitement is all over. The very essence of romance is uncertainty.
~
Lady Bracknell: I am pleased to hear it. I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance.
~
Gwendolen: I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.
~
Gwendolen: If you are not too long, I will wait here for you all my life.
~
Lady Bracknell. [Pencil and note-book in hand.] I feel bound to tell you that you are not down on my list of eligible young men, although I have the same list as the dear Duchess of Bolton has. We work together, in fact. However, I am quite ready to enter your name, should your answers be what a really affectionate mother requires. Do you smoke?

Jack. Well, yes, I must admit I smoke.

Lady Bracknell. I am glad to hear it. A man should always have an occupation of some kind. There are far too many idle men in London as it is.
~
Algernon: Oh! It is absurd to have a hard and fast rule about what one should read and what one shouldn't. More than half of modern culture depends on what one shouldn't read.

Ever since I've read this play, I really do want to see a live performance. It would be a nice experience and I hope to be able to have this opportunity one day. Until then, I'll re-read this play and eventually find a copy of my own.

178 pages, My rating: 5 stars

Read these bloggers thoughts too:

No Ordinary Fool A peek into a live performance!

The Five Borough Book Review ~ 20 somethings reviewing our reads

Books and Chocolate

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

2010-06-14T15:00:00.003-05:00

Vida Winter, England's most famous and reclusive writer, is nearing the end, and before she goes she wants her amazing life story to be recorded for posterity. For this, she engages a lonely young biographer, Margaret Lea, who has a few secrets of her own. Up to this point Miss Winter has given 19 versions of her life to different biographers, all untrue. She has finally decided to tell the true story. Which is so intriguing, full of ghosts and mystery. I truly enjoyed this book.
A sentence from the book; "I still believe in stories. I still forget myself when I am in the middle of a good book."

Winter In The Morning by Janina Bauman

2010-06-14T14:52:00.002-05:00

Yet another book about a young girl. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. After forty years, the author, Janina Bauman, is ready to tell her story of her life and experiences in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust. The story begins telling what a good life Bauman has with her father as a doctor and a loving close Jewish family. Then as the story goes on the war begins and their town is transformed into a Jewish ghetto. They are forced slowly to move from place to place, within the ghetto, each one worse than the other. With her remaining family she escapes the ghetto only to find more problems along the way to freedom, but in the end everything works out. This book gives in excellent detail, Bauman's experiences of friendship, love, death, poverty, adventure, and family problems. Many of her personal diary entries are included also showing exactly how she was feeling. The story is full of adventure and feeling and it was a joy to read. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in what really went on in the Holocaust

Girl With a Pearl Earring by tracy Chevalier

2010-06-14T10:28:00.002-05:00

This is another book about a young girl. Greit lives in 1660's Holland. She becomes the maid for the the artist Jan Vemeer because of her family's misfortune. Eventually becoming the inspiration for one of his most famous paintings. It is a very sensual portrait of a 17th century Dutch household, beautifully written.
Griet is treated very poorly by everybody in the house, even the other maid. Only one or two of the many children are civil to her, yet she holds her tongue and plods through her day. The one place where she finds solace is when she is cleaning the studio for the painter. Little does she know that the solace that she finds there and the attention she gets from Johannes makes people in the house become upset. As things get increasingly out of control, Griet must make some decisions that will affect her life and her place in the household.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

2010-06-14T10:23:00.003-05:00

This is a book about a young girl living in New York. She is a latchkey child and must learn about safety as she travels around her neighborhood. She learns the joys and hardships of friendship and of that first crush. I loved it

Pandora's Daughter by Iris Johansen

2010-06-14T10:14:00.002-05:00

now I enjoyed this book. It about a woman who finds she has powers and so do others. She is fighting them and in denial. Friends are there to help her through them. And the bad guy is after her. It is adventurous, and I liked it.

The Mammoth Cheese by Sheri Holman

2010-06-14T10:04:00.002-05:00

This book is about a town. I had a hard time getting into this book because one of the families is a young couple who goes through fertility drugs then chooses to keep all 11 babies. The local pastor is the one who convinced her to keep them and now she is suffering from post pardem depression. The book delves into the moral dilema of was it the right thing to keep all eleven. Their is a young girl and her first crush and finding out who she is. HEr mother and finding out who she is and the mammoth cheese. The town chooses to deliver a huge round of cheese to the white house. The book was okay, I seem to be getting into reading books about young girls latley. Thank goodness I have a teenage boy!

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

2010-06-03T08:21:00.001-05:00

The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious.
-Albert Einstein, The World As I See It (1931)

I decided to read this book based solely on Karen's review at Books and Chocolate. She reviewed this book about 8 months ago and I've been thinking about it ever since. I was very impressed with what she said so you'll have to hop on over there to read it too. Since then this book won the Newbery Award which she predicted in her review and after it happened to win - that's when I saw this book for sale at Borders. I couldn't help it, since I usually like Newbery's, so I snatched it up. I went home and read it in just a few days and then I read it to my 11 yr. old daughter each night until we finished.
I agree with Karen that at the beginning it is very different, "puzzling" is the way she put it yet when you are about five chapters in you start realizing just how great this book is. Suddenly, it's like magic and realistically so. Just to illustrate, there were times that my very heartstrings were tugged by this book and what it was unfolding to me which came completely unexpected to me at the end when I didn't think I would feel so moved. But I was and I am.
I loved the way people, places and things were described in this book. It demanded and let you use your imagination to view this book in the way it was written. I love that! It let the characters stand in their own right and this is what was so exciting about it to me - my perceptions about them were not always right. It's what was underneath that counted which really brought to life the intensity of our own human nature. It expresses the sheer value of a human being. It gives new eyes to how the world is viewed through a child's eyes. It is the beauty of the unconditional.

Overall, it's very hard to describe and perhaps that's why I've struggled writing this review. Most of all, I want you to read it, no, even better, to experience it for yourself.

Hardcover, 208 pages
Random House Children's Books
July 14, 2009
My rating: 5 stars

Abigail Adams: A Life by Woody Holton

2010-06-01T12:16:00.004-05:00

Abigail Adams.
Doctor, therapist, teacher, entrepreneur, politician, mother, and wife, in no particular order at any particular time.
She was everything.
She was nothing.
And she knew it.

And it made me a bit sad for one main reason: in this age of the crappily short emails, texts, whatever, I thought of the lost art of letter writing. I learned an immense amount of really interesting, meaty stuff about the revolution and the people in it, specifically the women and their take on this war that affected them profoundly, because Abigail Adams was a fantastic, carefully opinionated letter writer.

If she hadn't been married to that great politician John Adams, if he hadn't been away from home as much as he was (and that was a lot, up to five years at a time - like half their married life), we wouldn't have this treasure trove of information. And it was really, really cool.

This is a good book, especially the second half when the war really picks up, how she deals with her children and family life, the rivalry between Adams and Jefferson, presidential life for wife and husband. Speaking of Mr. Adams, she rarely agreed with him. She was so feisty and opinionated for her time. An American Revolutionary heroine, a rambunctious feminist icon. The bread and butter of women's history.
4 stars

The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant

2010-05-17T16:10:00.003-05:00

I got this as an ARC from goodreads firstreads. It'll come out for purchase in August.

I think I have to give it four stars. It was a little bit morbid in theme, but I got completely sucked in after the first few chapters.

Set in recent Germany, the story is told by 11 year old Pia. As she deals with her own personal difficulties, her small town suddenly experiences a string of mysterious disappearances. In an effort to overcome her social struggles, Pia commits herself to solving the mystery. With the help of her sole friend, Stefan, and an unexpected ally, the truth is uncovered. But as so often happens in life, the perfect ending Pia envisions is not to be.

This was a quick, enjoyable read. I do recommend it.

Be advised, there is some use of profane language, but it is nearly all in German.

On Becoming Baby Wise... by Gary Ezzo

2010-05-15T16:31:00.001-05:00

On Becoming Baby Wise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep by Gary Ezzo

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this one. I'm not a huge fan of most parenting books, though I'll read them occationally when I feel like I could use a different perspective to help solve a parenting problem.

The thing I LOVE about this method is that it is centered around the idea that the marriage relationship is the heart of the family and should be given priority over all other relationships in the household. Too often, baby makes three and suddenly the original two are unnaturally distanced from each other. This is not good for anyone in the family.

The eat/wake/sleep routine and Parent Directed Feeding this book encourages has worked really well for our family in the past and though we're still in the first couple of weeks of our youngest's life, it has already made adjusting to having a new person in the family much easier. Our days are buisier, yes, but predictably so. Our nights are wakeful, yes, but predictably- and therefore, managably- so.

I would recommend EVERY new or expectant parent read this and at least consider the ideas presented here. They are presented in a friendly, unobtrusive way that lets a person off the hook if they don't happen to agree with the ideas. Definately a GoodRead.

View all my reviews

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

2010-05-14T14:10:00.000-05:00

As I read this book again, I feel it still stands as one of my favorites in the classics. To me, it's very compelling that I love this book so much when it talks about something that could be so dark and menacing with the theme of the French Revolution. Each time I read this, I am not only merely entertained but I learn a little something more about this story and its view into the vague window of humanity. So, for this book review I thought I would answer some of those questions that could be discussed in a book group which I hope will give you a sense of the book and what it is about. Even more than that I hope that you'll want to read it at least once and even if you don't like it as much as me, I hope you'll gain a new perspective for that is what so much of great literature does for me. Also, I must warn you that there are spoilers below if you haven't ever read this book before.

1. What is the author's opinion of the old ways of the French nobility? Is the narrator impartial or ally him/herself with a class, a country, a cause?
Right away, even in the very first paragraph of this novel, it grips my attention and I get a feel for the environment of the French Revolution. It is not overly gory but provides a depth of description so that you understand what is going on. I feel the conflict of the Nobility(noblesse) vs. the citizen(citoyen). The author shares her resentment of the ignorance and brutality of the lower classes which made me ponder about the nobility, who held not only held the money but the education of France. If they kill them off then where does that leave the country. Simply put it is a double-edged sword.
Here's an example:

It was to be seen every day, for those aristos were such fools! They were traitors to the people of course, all of them...Their ancestors had oppressed the people, had crushed them under the scarlet heels of their dainty buckled shoes, and now the people had become the rulers of France and crushed their former masters...

I also perceive England through the eyes of a group of Englishman and reasonably wonder if they would have dared interfere with their diplomatic relationship with French Republican government.

2. Let's talk about Sir Percy. How is point of view a crucial device in the rendering of Percy?

Cleverly, an old hag is our first introduction of the elusive Scarlet Pimpernel and then there is Sir Percy who seems to be the perfect aristocrat. He is stunning, has impecable timing, and is absolute fun to be around. For example:

A long, jovial, inane laugh broke the sudden silence which had fallen over
everyone.

'And we poor husbands, ' came in slow, affected accents from
gorgeous Sir Percy, 'we have to stand by...while they worship a demmed shadow.'

Everyone laughed-the Prince more loudly than anyone.

I do not forget him, his laughter or poems about the Scarlet Pimpernel in high society and so I am constantly reminded of this mysterious character too. It is a classic unfolding of a character transformed into the birth of a hero so differently than had been presented beforehand. This impact of using p.o.v. for the hero of this story where it leaves one wondering and questioning then becoming amazed at the reality in the end which was foreshadowed beforehand. I enjoy how the characters and the story unfolds itself. I enjoy reading about Percy with his bouyancy and all his flaws yet he is heroic in his own epic way. As mentioned in the Introduction in my copy of the book, this creative dual heroism can still be found today in the likes of Batman, Zorro, Superman to even elements as seen in the movie, The Princess Bride. Brilliantly charming, this ideal is definately part of the heroes of our dreams today.

3. At what point does Lady Blakeney become a sympathetic character? Would you consider her an unlikable character at first?

The first introduction to Lady Blakeney leaves an impression of a cavalier attitude but I feel that this is fleeting. In no time at all, her layers begin to unravel. I felt this sense at the very beginning of Chapter 12, as in this paragraph:

Marguerite suffered intensely. Though she laughed and chatted, though she was more admired, more surrounded, more f^eted than any woman there, she felt like one condemned to death, living her last day upon this earth.

I enjoy what Marguerite brings into the story, her sense of propriety and fashion, her teasing, the way she intimidates and the way the narrator wonders how Percy was able to catch her. I love the way it is described about how Percy looks at her. I love the complexity of their relationship and mystery of her thoughts. It's enveloping as their world shared together seems different from the world they are living with others around them. I felt I must continue reading in order to find out their secrets and if their relationship will survive or destruct. She is definately intriguing and complex.

4. How is the Scarlet Pimpernel flower a larger motif for the themes of the novel? Does it fit Percy as a character?

I have realized now that I seem to love books that have motif's of birds or flowers. I love when they are truly encapsuled in the story. I love how and what this simple red flower foreshadows in the story. From the first notice of this flower, it becomes a symbol for the hero throughout the book.

The Scarlet Pimpernel... is the name of a humble English wayside flower; but it is also the name chosen to hide the identity of the best and bravest man in all the world, so that he may better succeed in accomplishing the noble task he has set himself to do.

Scarlet Pimpernel is a low-growing kind of plant that is wild and flowering. Since it is bright red, it suggests that it comes from the Prime rose family. It is a constant growing flower in spite of rain or overcast conditions. This flower evokes a powerful emotional imagery and it succeeds in being a memorable emblem for the hero. It is pleasant to look at and be around yet eccentric and definately leaves a lasting impression. I do think this flower fits Percy as a character right as it sounds, don't you think?

5. Would the novel have been more satisfying with a different resolution, or does the resolution as Orczy presents it fit the tenor of the book as a whole?

It really seemed as if some potent Fate watched over that daring Scarlet Pimpernel, and his astute enemy almost felt a superstitious shudder pass through him, as he looked round at the towering cliffs, and the loneliness of this
outlying coast.

Although, I do imagine other ways this novel could have ended, overall, I enjoyed the resolution of the novel. I felt there are still unanswered questions yet a satisfactory closure. I love the romanticism and feeling of a fairy-tale like discovery between Marguerite and Percy that seem to exhibit a conciliation for them against all of the odds.

265 pages, Signet Classics 100th Anniversary Edition, My rating: 5 stars

If you're interested in art during the French Revolution look at:

1789: French Art During the Revolution, catalogue of an exhibition in New York held at Colnaghi from October 10 through November 22, 1989. Exhibition organized and catalogue edited by Alan Wintermute. Published by Colnaghi, 1989.

More views:

The Book Mole

Jane Austen's World

Book-A-Rama

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

2010-05-04T08:04:00.003-05:00

I waited until the hype died down to read Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. I usually do this with a popular series of books at times but as I have sometimes discovered, as with this book, that's not always a smart choice.

I think if you start reading The Hunger Games than you should go out immediately and continue reading through Catching Fire so it will seem like one big book. I honestly think that is the best way to read it, in this case, since it is a middle book. As with a lot of middle books from a trilogy, I find there is a lot of set up, explanation, and discovery of motives, characters and symbolism. I didn't mind it but I think if The Hunger Games were fresher in my memory than that excitement from reading it originally would have spilled over and carried me through this one. For me, this book didn't compare with the excitement I sustained through reading the first book which I devoured and didn't expect I would at all.

I still liked Catching Fire but in a different way which was more thoughtful and forseeable. I do love its cast of characters, Peeta, Gale, Katniss, Cinna, Haymitch, Effie and it did not dissapoint me there. Although, I didn't read it as fast as The Hunger Games it was engaging and I did want to continue reading it consistently. Also, I liked the conclusion better which felt more complete yet there is still enough uncertainty that is left for me to ponder about how it will unfold in the next part of this saga.

So in the end, I am looking forward to the third installment, Mockingjay(Aug. 24th), in this series. Perhaps, I won't wait this time but I may read it as soon as I can!

My favorite quote from the book without giving too much away:

"Four days in, the picturesque mountain erupts in a volcano..."

See, you've got to read this book now - it has a volcano in it!

Just fyi, I'm Team Peeta. :)

400 pages, Scholastic Press; 1st edition (September 1, 2009), My rating: 4 stars

Other juicy reviews:

Forever Young Adult

2 in 52

Girl with GlasSes