Pages Turning Day In Day Out

The Scarlet Pimpernel

2012-01-25T19:23:00.000-08:00

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

I was finding Julius Caesar very tedious so I had to digress a moment and read my book club book.

The Scarlet Pimpernel is set during the French Revolution. He is a masked person (not literally but he does wear a disguise) who is a person of heroic legend in England and villainous legend in France.

He and an anonymous band of young men conspire to save the lives of many innocent nobility who are slated for the guillotine. They manage to steal the people away out from under the noses of Robespierre and his men of the French Provisional Government. Then, perhaps from hubris, a note is sent to the French powers that be advising them of who has just been stolen away and saved from certain death.

Along with this story of adventure and daring, is a love story of sorts. A young French woman, Marguerite St. Just has recently married a wealthy Englishman, Percy Blakenley, Bart. She is known to be the smartest woman in Europe and he is known to be a simple fop who loves fashion, cards and a laugh. Marguerite does not respect her husband and he, in turn, does not seem to respect her. Once they both learn more about each other though, things may change.

This was a fun read. It was a bit tedious at the beginning because I thought Lady Blakenley to be a shallow and snippy woman who clearly wasn't seeing what was in front of her eyes. As I got into the story more, I was able to more enjoy the intrigue that twisted through the story from a variety of corners.

I recommend this book. Now, on to finish Julius Caesar!

Romeo and Juliet

2012-01-09T15:12:00.000-08:00

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Since the list of works from the Authors card game was a bit overwhelming, I wasn't sure where to begin. I decided to list them in chronological order of publication date. This means, I'll get all the Shakespeare taken care of first thing. I've read them all before especially Romeo and Juliet plus I've seen them performed and seen a couple movie productions of the books. I decided to pay attention to what I have either forgotten or just never noticed before.

First, Juliet's nurse had a daughter, Susan, the same age as Juliet. Susan died but it isn't specific when that happened. Nurse had also had a husband who was around in Juliet's youth but has since died. The only reason this is really important is that Nurse seems extremely protective of Juliet. More mothering than Lady Capulet for certain. It is quite possible that after the death of Susan, Nurse poured more of herself into her duties as Nurse.

Second, Mercutio, Paris and Prince are all related. Mercutio seems like the quintessential playboy while Paris has always seemed like a dweeb. Perhaps it is the various portrayals that I have seen but he seems like such a suck-up with the Capulets in trying to marry Juliet who doesn't even know what he looks like. Prince is just all about duty. If they were the three little pigs, Mercutio would be the straw-building pig because he'd be too busy partying and brawling for anything else. Paris would be the stick-builder because he'd try to do the right thing but would be lame about it. Prince would definitely be the responsible brick-builder.

Third, Paris dies. It makes sense that he dies since it's a tragedy. It is also tidy for the story because now there isn't an extra suitor left hanging. I suppose Shakespeare could have married him off to Rosaline but then it wouldn't have been as tragic.

Fourth, Romeo's mother, Lady Montague, dies. News of her death is not reported until the scene at the tomb. She apparently dies of grief over the news of Romeo's banishment. Good thing she didn't stick around for the gruesome scene in the tomb. I'm surprised that Lady Capulet doesn't die of the shock of seeing her dead daughter now really dead and bloody too. She doesn't seem like a terribly sensible woman.

I really enjoy the plays on words and the fast banter that Shakespeare gives his characters. It makes the story more entertaining although I find myself needing to read out loud in order to get the full effect of the language. The silly, romantic behavior of the teenagers is mildly annoying but I suppose that's the way the world looks when you are 14. I don't think my memory does the age justice.

End of Year Wrap-Up

2011-12-31T11:21:00.000-08:00

So it looks like I read 81 books this past year. That seems a bit excessive to most people except that a few were re-reads (which go faster) and many were young adult novels and series'. Most of it was light and fluffy and fun.

I have a new goal for next year.

When I was young, my family would often play a card game called Authors. It is essentially the same as Go Fish with a literary twist. There are 13 Authors represented and each one has four cards. Each card represents one of their books, usually the more famous or popular ones. These means there are 52 books (in a few cases, poems) represented. These authors and books were considered to be "the classics." Many I have read as required reading in high school or college but I haven't read them all.

I have decided to try to read them all. A daunting task considering that I will still read my book club books and probably a junk book or two for reprieve. I doubt that I'll get them all read this year but I'll give it a go and see how far I get.

Here's the list:

James Fenimore Cooper

The Deerslayer, The Last of the Mohicans, The Spy, The Pathfinder

Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Scarlet Letter, House of the Seven Gables, Twice-Told Tales, The Wonder Book

Sir Walter Scott

The Talisman, Ivanhoe, Kenilworth, The Lady of the Lake

Washington Irving

Rip Van Winkle, Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Alhambra, Tales of a Traveler

Louisa May Alcott

Little Men, Little Women, Eight Cousins, An Old-Fashioned Girl

Edgar Allan Poe

Fall of the House of Usher, God Bug, The Raven, Annabel Lee

Henry W Longfellow

Courtship of Miles Standish, Song of Hiawatha, The Village Blacksmith, Evangeline

William Makepeace Thackeray

Henry Esmond, Vanity Fair, The Virginians, Pendennis

Mark Twain

Huckleberry Finn, The Prince and the Pauper, The Mysterious Stranger, Tom Sawyer

Alfred Lord Tennyson

Crossing the Bar, Idylls of the King, Charge of the Light Brigade, The Brook

William Shakespeare

Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest

Robert Louis Stevenson

Treasure Island, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, A Child's Garden of Verses, Kidnapped

Charles Dickens

The Pickwick Papers, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol

Wish me luck! Have a safe and happy New Year's eve!

City of Thieves

2011-12-31T11:01:00.000-08:00

City of Thieves by David Benioff

This book takes place during World War II in Leningrad during the "seige of Leningrad". Our narrator and main character is alleged to be the author's grandfather, Lev Beniov. The author visits his grandparents in Florida and asks them for their stories of the seige. His grandmother won't talk about it but his grandfather tells his story. When the grandson asks for more details to fill in the gaps, his grandfather tells him, "make it up, you're a writer"

Lev is seventeen and not old enough to join the army. After his mother and sister are evacuated to the country, Lev remains behind in Leningrad. He and his friends are on fire watch duty when they spot a paratrooper falling from the sky. With the hope of food, specifically chocolate, they decide to break curfew and run into the street where the body lay. The teens don't find chocolate but brandy or schnapps and Lev procures a knife. When the police arrive, all escape but Lev.

After surviving the night in the prison known as The Crosses, Lev and his cell mate, Kolya are taken to the NKVD headquarters in Leningrad. Kolya is a soldier in the Red Army who was picked up for desertion. Lev is being held for looting. The general of the NKVD charges them with a task: bring him a dozen eggs for his daughter's wedding cake. If they do not, they will be found and shot. If they do, they will get first class ration cards.

This book is the tale of two young men who become friends as they make their way through food deficient Leningrad and out into the countryside. They have to get by both the Red Army as well as the German Army in their quest.

This was a very good book I highly recommend it.

Clockwork Prince

2011-12-24T11:33:00.000-08:00

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

This is Book 2 of the Infernal Devices series and it picks up right where Clockwork Angel ended.

It is a fun fast read that is young adult fiction.

I may just stop and wait for all the books to be written in this and the "modern" series The Mortal Instruments. Then, I can start at the beginning and read them all in succession. Maybe not.

The frustrating aspect of these books is that the teen characters are so characteristically teen that I want to slap them up side the head. I just keep thinking, "if they'd only just say what they mean/feel, this could be resolved immediately." But, of course, that doesn't happen in teenager world and it would make the books much shorter to boot.

The Worst Hard Time

2011-12-19T21:04:00.000-08:00

The Worst Hard Time - The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dustbowl by Timothy Egan

This is a non-fiction account following about a dozen families through the "dirty thirties" and beyond. This book was very interesting and extremely readable considering the amount of factual information that was given.

I had never really understood the enormity of what has been termed "the dustbowl". I read The Grapes of Wrath but that didn't even scratch the surface of explaining exactly what life was like in the Great Plains region. It really gave me perspective on what we need in life during this holiday season.

I highly recommend this book!

The Eleventh Plague

2011-12-05T08:02:00.000-08:00

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch

This is another post-apocalyptic young adult novel. In this scenario, the US declared war with China. The US sent nukes to China and China returned the favor with a biological weapon, P11H3. In the end, everyone just called it P11 or the Eleventh Plague. A souped-up strain of the flu swept through the US, Mexico and Canada. Beyond that, no one really knew because the country had collapsed. The lack of staff caused the entire infrastructure to collapse. People tried barricading themselves in their homes in a reverse quarantine but they ended up being barricaded in a tomb.

Twenty years after it all went down, a few people are still struggling to survive. A fifteen year old boy, Stephen has been traveling with his family as scavengers his entire life. Now, only he and his father survive. The question Stephen asks is, "will everything be the same?" Will they survive, will they keep going the way they always have? The idea of change is a frightening one for Stephen because there has been only one way he has ever known, his grandfather's way. His grandfather is gone now but will their way of life be gone too?

I liked this book. I thought it offered a good representation of how people would evolve in such a scenario. There are, of course, the predators as well as the people who keep moving in order to stay safe. There are also those who strive for a life that is safe without having to be on the move or on the run. The big question is whether Stephen and the friends he finds along the way allow the people that destroyed to world to keep on running the world or whether they will force a change.

The Way of the Warrior

2011-12-05T07:48:00.000-08:00

The Way of the Warrior by Chris Bradford

This is book 1 of the Young Samurai series.

The year is 1611, Jack Fletcher is a young English boy who is sailing toward the Japans with his father, the pilot, and a crew on a trade ship. Until now, only the Portuguese have known the route but Jack's father claims to have knowledge of the way in his rutter, a navigational diary of sorts that apparently others would kill for.

After the ship becomes damaged and waylaid in a bay off the coast, it is attacked by ninja. The next morning, Jack finds himself orphaned and shipwrecked in Japan. He knows nothing of the language or customs save one thing, if you see a samurai, bow low. This bit of knowledge saves him in a tense situation. After that, he tries to begin learning everyday words to help him communicate. Soon after, the leader of the Samurai adopts him into his family and with the help of a Portuguese priest, Jack learns the language of his captors turned saviors.

This book talks about karate and the training of the samurai but also covers the values of this training. Loyalty, honesty, courage are all inspected in different ways in this book. While Jack never forgets the little sister he left behind in England and wonders about her fate, he stays focused on the task at hand. The task placed before him is to complete samurai training at a school in Kyoto. He also must figure out who has hired the ninja assassin to kill him and steal his father's rutter.

The Son of Neptune

2011-12-05T07:41:00.001-08:00

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

Book 2 of the Heroes of Olympus series

Percy Jackson is back! Only, he doesn't remember anything about himself except his name and a vague memory of Annabeth. After spending time on the west coast with a pack of wolves, he arrives at a camp for demi-gods. He knows this is where he belongs but it doesn't feel quite right. He quickly falls in with a pair of mis-fits who are fairly new to the camp. Soon, they are tasked by the God of War to take on a quest.

As the quest continues, Percy's memory slowly comes back as the horrors of what is to come unfold before them. These three unlikely heroes must join with others to save the world - again.

I am looking forward to the next installment in this series.

The Lost Hero

2011-12-05T07:31:00.000-08:00

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

This is book 1 in the Heroes of Olympus series. This series picks up where the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series left off.

In this series we meet three teenagers who are at a Wilderness Camp for Wayward Youth. They are visiting the Grand Canyon visitors center at the south rim on the Havasupai Indian Reservation. One of the kids claims to have no memory of who he is or anything else for that matter. His two best friends claim to have months of memories together with him. Their strange and very grumpy counselor also has no idea who this kid is but suspects that he is the "special package" that the counselor has been waiting for.

In this book, we realize that there is more than one camp for the demi-gods of Olympus. The mystery and adventure is wrapped up in the revelations since the amnesiac hero, Jason, slowly unravels the mystery of himself while on a life-threatening quest with his friends, Piper and Leo.

This is a great addition/continuation of the Olympians series. Again, I think this is a wonderful way to get today's kids interested in the mythology of old.

The Water Wars

2011-11-27T08:23:00.000-08:00

The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher

This is another young adult novel. The setting is the US in the future stretching from the mid-west up to the Canadian border and over to the Eastern sea-board. The polar ice caps have melted, aquifers have been poisoned by man or seawater and fresh water is at a premium.

The very few control the water and who gets it. The general public is kept in a sort of slave state by being fed a steady diet of propaganda and bad water that keeps them alive for a time but kills them before they grow old.

A young girl meets a boy who doesn't seem to believe in the propaganda. He doesn't have to go to school and learn about weather, water and the war over the water. He is rich. He has a gasoline powered car and body guards and fresh, clean water - lots of it.

The girl and her brother become friends with this strange boy. When he disappears, they decide they must rescue him. They head out on a great adventure full of danger as well as knowledge of the truth of the world and who controls it and how.

This was a pretty good book although the environmental message felt like it was being crammed down my throat. I keep looking for a book that gives us that great environmental message without feeling like it's so obvious. Being young adult fiction, the heroes are inevitably teen-agers. This time, at least, they are aided by a couple of unlikely adults along the way.

Perhaps it's because I have been reading so many books that are part of a series, but this book (as well as other non-series books) have felt like they ended a little too quickly and neatly. It's the feeling I get with some foreign films where it just ends and you think "they must have run out of money and decided to just end it there." It felt like the author said, "I'm almost out of paper and I don't want to have to run to the store for more so I'll just wrap it up in the next 10 pages."

City of Shadows

2011-11-27T08:15:00.000-08:00

City of Shadows by Ariana Franklin

This is a historical novel that begins in 1920 Berlin. It tells the story of a Russian Jewess who immigrated after being attacked in the Pogroms in Russia. It also tells the tale of last Czar and his family and their fate. It tells about the rise of a young politician in Germany named Hitler and how he helped to save the Germans from the poverty and starvation that followed World War I. It tells the story of an ordinary German who turned out to be an extraordinary man.

I really enjoyed this book. Ariana Franklin does a great job weaving a fictional story with factual people. She has done a great job of it with her Mistress of the Art of Death series and continues with this book.

If you are interested in reading more about that time in history, I recommend this book. It gives a good and grim account of life in Germany during that era and the hope that was brought with the rise of the Nazi party, for some. It also makes it easy to see how taking the easy road with one's government can be turning your back on what is right and true.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns

2011-11-18T13:19:00.001-08:00

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

This is another selection of young adult fiction. It's possible that there will be a second book but, unlike most young adult fiction these days, it's not obviously set up to be a whole series.

This was about a 16 year old princess who was fat and considered herself to be pretty useless (and she was at first). On her 16th birthday, she is married to the King of the country next to hers and she has no idea why and didn't see him until he lifter her veil after the "I do's" of the wedding ceremony were over.

Elisa is one of those teenage girls in books that drive me crazy. She is clueless about what is going on around her and she doesn't really care at first. Admittedly some of her ignorance is purposeful because of her countries religious beliefs. But she really doesn't start pressing for more information and asserting herself until it is almost too late.

Elisa is a bearer. This means, on her naming day, a beam of sunlight shone on her and a blue jewel was embeded, by God, in her navel. The jewel is alive and warm and pulsing. It pulses more and heats up when she prays. Elisa is supposed to do something great but she has no clue as to what it will be or when the opportunity will arise.

Elisa figures it all out just in the nick of time, of course and disaster is averted. I felt like the author could have done just a little bit more in developing the background of the religion in the book. Everyone seems to be driven by their religious beliefs but I really didn't feel like there was enough depth in the explanations.

This book was okay but even if there is a sequel, I don't think I'll be reading it.

Blood on the Tracks

2011-11-18T13:13:00.000-08:00

Blood on the Tracks by Cecilia Holland

This was a Kindle single so I have no idea if it is available in publication anywhere else.

This was a short novella about the Great Uprising that took place in 1877. This was a protest of the railroad workers and the general public against the owners of the railroad and, most specifically, their reduction of wages by 10% as well as increasing the workload of the brakemen by making most freight lines double headers (twice the cars as normal with no extra staff).

There were quite a few parallels with regards to the state of the economy in 1877 and the current economy in 2011. Also, the seeming disregard for the rights and well-being of the workers by the corporate heads seems about the same.

This was a quick and interesting read about a situation in our history that I had never heard of before.

The Book Thief

2011-11-10T07:20:00.000-08:00

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I could say that this book made me cry. That wouldn't be quite accurate. The last 30 minutes of reading, I was sobbing. The words were literally swimming through my tears. Maybe I just don't cry enough in life and then I am inundated by the un-felled tears in the few times that something strikes me simultaneously so beautiful and so sad at the same time.

This book is the story of a young girl living in Germany. It takes place during the years just before World War II and the early years of the war itself. It is the tale of a young girl who is just living a young girl's life during that time. The story is of her life with her foster parents. It begins with her mother and brother and they are traveling on a train toward her new foster home. This young girl becomes the book thief.

The narrator of the story is death. The story without this narrator would be a good one. With the perspective offered by the narrator, it becomes a great story. Death often offers tidbits of information regarding his role in a certain city at a certain time. Death offers commentary on the Fuhrer and his minions. Death's perspective of the fate and ultimate death of humans is one of detachment and offers beauty and brutality together.

The visuals in the book are wonderful. People and the weather are described in ways that are easy to imagine in my mind. The author is not verbose using excessive adjectives. Rather, he describes people and the weather just as a young girl, the book thief, would describe them. It is childlike but effective and lovely.

After this book, I think I need to take a book break for a bit. This is one of those books that needs to simmer for a day or so before I can start something new. I highly recommend this book.

P.S. I just had an awful thought. I was thinking that someone out there will think that this would make a great movie. It won't. The movie industry will not be able to pull it off. Please don't make a movie of this book, you will not be able to do it justice and the movie will suck.

The Hangman's Daughter

2011-11-08T12:55:00.000-08:00

The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch

This is a Historical Novel based on a family of ancestors of the authors'. The Kuisls were one of Bavaria's leading dynasties of executioners. Potzsch has done research on the history of his family, the practices of executioners during the 1600's and specifically the history in Schongau where his ancestors lived and worked.

This is a good mystery story in itself but also a really fascinating look at life in a small Bavarian town during that time. The ignorance and "witch hysteria" that existed then made my skin crawl. The idea that the patricians of the town would prefer to burn an innocent woman to placate the public rather than investigating the truth was infuriating but not surprising.

So much regarding the social mores of this era makes my blood boil but it is great to be reminded of how many freedoms we truly enjoy.

I highly recommend this book.

Clockwork Angel

2011-11-08T12:51:00.001-08:00

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

This is book 1 of the Infernal Devices series which is a prequel to the Mortal Instruments series.

Set about 100 years ago, we have the same types of characters (some are the same). There are ShadowHunters, vampires, warlocks and demons. The story seems more intense than the Mortal Instruments books though.

Even though the main characters are underage ShadowHunters (same) and there is the beginnings of a teen romance (same), it seems more intense because technology of the world is not the same and so the heroes seem more endangered.

The next book to be published within the two series is the second book of the Infernal Devices series. I'll be reading that and then contemplate the next Mortal Instruments book that is scheduled to be available this next spring.

City of Fallen Angels

2011-11-08T12:47:00.000-08:00

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

This is book 4 of the Mortal Instruments series.

When reading these books I am reminded of how frustrating teenagers are. I think back to myself during my teen years and compare my non-communicative self to the non-communicative characters and realize Clare has accurately depicted teenagers.

The harrowing saga continues and Clary and Jace still can't seem to just say what they think and/or feel. Neither can any of the other teen characters. Again, the adults are practically non-existent in the adventures. I have to think that if my child had been in such harrowing and life-threatening situations, I would keep a tighter rein for awhile but that just isn't conducive to the plot.

City of Wind

2011-11-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

City of Wind by Pierdomenico Baccalario

This is Book 3 in the Century series. Book 4 has been written in Italian but doesn't appear to have been translated into English as yet.

The adventure continues with our 4 teen-agers who must save the world without knowing that is what they are doing. The enemies continue to pile up but surprising friends appear and one enemy turns friend. The children begin to confide in their parents' in order to get their help as well as continue to enjoy the freedoms needed to complete their tasks.

I am enjoying this series in part because each book is set in a different city (this time Paris) and a great deal of ancient history is incorporated.

My Antonia

2011-11-03T12:59:00.001-07:00

My Antonia by Willa Cather

This book won the Pulitzer Prize in 1918. It is an easy read and has lovely language, to boot.

This is the story of a young immigrant, Antonia, as told by a young man who moved to Nebraska to live with his grandparents the same day Antonia and her family moved there. They grew up together and made an impact on each others' lives.

They way the story is written, you really get the feel that this young man is telling you the story of his youth, most specifically his life with regards to Antonia. It is a nice story and doesn't really feel old fashioned in it's language so it is easy to read.

The Night Circus

2011-10-23T08:11:00.000-07:00

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I loved this book. When I finished it, I just wanted to sit and think about it a bit more rather than reaching for my next book (which is often my norm).

This book spans quite a few years and jumps back and forth in time sometimes offering a date but often it does not. You only know you are reading the past as it concerns the circus because of the age of certain characters. The main dates given are between the late 1800's and into the early 1900's.

The way the book jumps around in time, enhances the mystery surrounding the circus and the people involved. Some things are magical, some are not, some are merely enhanced by magic. The magic is not base trickery but real transformations as well as illusions that are broadcast into the minds of the viewers rather than a masque of sorts.

The Night Circus opens at dusk and closes at dawn. It's official name is Cirque de Reves, The Circus of Dreams. The circus itself is a character that is alive. We are given the story of the Circus from a variety of perspectives. I really enjoy the parts that are addressed to us, the readers. With this perspective, you understand that the circus could be something long ago or something that will appear in your town next week.

Within the story is a romance, as well as love that a child might have for a parent (albeit an abusive one), the love of friends and the love for the Circus. The way the book ends, it does not lend itself to a sequel but leaves the reader dreaming of the possibilities unwritten. The possibilities of the lives continued and of the possibility of the Night Circus in their town, now.

City of Glass

2011-10-21T07:40:00.000-07:00

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

This is book 3 in the Mortal Instruments series. The plot culminates in Valentine's search for the third Mortal Instrument, the Mortal Mirror. Pretty early on, I figured out what the Mirror is. There was one character revelation that surprised me.

I like how Clare uses biblical references and winds them into the story. Since the Nephilim are part angel and are charged by heaven with ridding the earth from Demons, this makes perfect sense. In this book, we encounter two angels and they don't disappoint even though one is near death.

I am liking this series still. After a short break, I'll read Book 1 of the prequel series, The Infernal Devices. Book 2 of that series is set to publish in December of this year with Book 3 following a year later. Book 4 of Mortal Instruments is published but Book 5 is set to publish this next spring. Book 6 of Mortal Instruments is slated to publish Sep 2013. We'll see if I stay interested that long. I should know better than to start reading a series before it's completed.

The City of Ashes

2011-10-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

The City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

This is book 2 of the Mortal Instruments series. In book 1 Clary learned the identity of her father as well as the existence of the arcane world around her. Her father was able to steal the first of the Mortal Instruments, The Mortal Cup.

In book 2, Clary's father, Valentine, is after The Mortal Sword. Clary, Jace and their allies learn why Valentine is collecting the Mortal Instruments and they do their best to stop him. At each new twist and turn, Clary and Jace learn more about their unusual abilities and why they have them.

This is still a pretty good series. Clary is getting a little tedious with her teenage whining over her love for her apparent brother Jace and her love for her best friend Simon. Since this is young adult fiction, I guess I can't complain about that too much. There are a few plot twists that are set up really clearly that it's annoying that the characters don't see it - again, young adult fiction.

City of Bones

2011-10-17T06:26:00.001-07:00

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

This is the first of The Mortal Instruments series. There are four books published but I found a listing where another two books are planned for publication. She has also written a trilogy of prequels to the series in the Infernal Devices series.

This was pretty entertaining reading. It is young adult fiction set in our modern world but within our world live a variety of demonic creatures as well as the human angel hybrids who hunt them called ShadowHunters.

An average 15 year old girl named Clary stumbles onto the fact of this "other world." For unknown reasons she can see past the glamour that is created for the mundanes (plain humans). Soon, she is embroiled in a mystery and the search for her missing mother.

I thought this was a good way to blend the supernatural world and the real world together. It's also a pretty good story line as to why kids are saving the world and solving the problems rather than the adults.

I have the first three book of the set and if all three stay this fun and easy to read, I will probably read the whole series. I think after the first three of this series, I'll probably ready the prequel books and then get back to Mortal Instruments.

Ring of Fire

2011-10-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

Ring of Fire by Pierdomenico Baccalario

This is the first book in the Century series. The books are written in Italian and translated into English by Leah D Janeczko.

Once every hundred years, the world must be saved by four kids. In this century, four seemingly unrelated kids happen to end up in the same hotel in Rome together.

They are thrown into a mystery of ancient secrets. This is a game of sorts but someone has changed the rules. Someone who wasn't supposed to die was murdered. The stakes are higher but no one is telling the kids anything - they have to figure it out on their own.

This is supposed to be a 5 book series in young adult fiction. This is a pretty entertaining book. I'm planning on reading at least the next book which is Star of Stone. If I still like it, I'll finish the series.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

2011-10-13T11:09:00.000-07:00

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

This was a fascinating story. Anyone who has ever worked in a lab and looked at cultured cells under a microscope has probably seen the HeLa cells. They are the most cultured and utilized cells in science. They have been sent into space, irradiated, implanted into all sorts of lab animals as well as humans (both knowingly and not). This book is the story of those cells and the person from whom they originated.

Rebecca Skloot spent years researching the information in this book as well as getting to know the family of Henrietta Lacks and, most importantly, gaining their trust.

This book covers the personal histories of Henrietta Lacks and her children. It also talks a great deal about the scientific advancements that could not have been made save for the HeLa cells. The science is presented in a very accessible manner and the story of the people involved is engaging.

A Murderous Procession

2011-09-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

A Murderous Procession by Ariana Franklin

This is book 4 of the series The Mistress of the Art of Death.

Adelia Aquilar is from Sicily but forced to remain in England by King Henry II. She is a 12th century anatomist who was requisitioned by Henry Plantagenet to solve a series of murders. Once the case was solved, Henry decided Adelia was much too useful to him to allow her to return to Italy so she has been forced to build a life in England.

Now, Henry is requiring that she accompany his daughter, Joanna, as she travels to Sicily to marry William II King of Sicily. Adelia is thrilled to be returning home but Henry is holding her daughter hostage to ensure her return. Adelia must also help Henry keep a mythical treasure from his scheming sons while a madman stalks her, determined to end her life as she ended the life of his lover over two years ago.

I really enjoy these books. Franklin seems to do a great deal of research regarding the politics of the day but also where medicine was at the time. I'm wondering how many more books are to come since she has come to a point in history when the Church really took over medicine and everything became much more conservative in both England (especially after the death of Henry II) and Italy.

Grave Secret

2011-09-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris

This is the latest book in the Harper Connelly series. These book have been all about the same but this one tied up some mysteries in the personal life of Harper and Tolliver. The ending was tied up really neat and really fast. I felt a little like a guest who had over-stayed their welcome and was being shoved out the door. The way it ended also made me wonder if Harris is going to continue this series or if she's done. If you've read the others, read this one.

Blink

2011-09-29T15:24:00.000-07:00

Blink:The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

This book delves into what is behind the decisions we make. It looks at studies pitting snap decisions against the long, drawn out decisions we make. We learn when we can trust our immediate "gut reactions" and when it might not be the best choice.

Malcolm Gladwell does a good job combining the findings of numerous studies and putting them together with text that is easy and enjoyable to read and understand. This book will definitely make you think about how you think - and why you think it.

A Good Year

2011-09-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

A Good Year by Peter Mayle

Peter Mayle is the original escapist author. The basic theme of all his books is that of an Englishman who travels to the south of France and decides to stay.

In A Good Year, the main character Max finds himself the recipient of his Uncle's property in Provence on the same day that he quits his high stress finance job in London. His best friend loans him the funds he needs to make his way to Provence and "see what he can see" so to speak.

The movie staring Russell Crowe was similar but not the same as the book. I enjoyed both alternative story lines - which is not always the case.

This is a fun, fast read that will having you dreaming of small chateaus and vineyards in the sunny south of France.

Now You See Her

2011-09-07T08:40:00.000-07:00

Now You See Her by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Based on the information that I have received from my sister, the writer, here's how I think this went.
James Patterson had the jist of an idea for a book and he gave that info to up-and-coming writer Michael Ledwidge who wrote the book. Ledwidge may have called/emailed Patterson for suggestions about some twist or turn in the story line and Patterson would have read the story and given his final stamp of approval before it went to the editor/publisher but Ledwidge probably did most of the leg work (or finger work as the case may be).

This is a mystery/thriller that spans almost 20 years. It is the tale of a woman who found herself in an unthinkable situation. She is seemingly saved by the man who becomes her husband. She is naive and young and swallows every line he feeds her. Later she realizes this and chastises herself as she makes plans to save herself.

Years later, she must confess the truth of her past and finally reap the violence that has waited for her all these years. Whether she will survive and be able to keep the life she has built are the questions looming in her mind.

An Ice Cold Grave

2011-09-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris

This is book 3 in the Harper Connelly series.

Harper is hired by the sheriff of a small town in North Carolina to help search for several missing young men.

When Harper locates the burial site of the six locals and two others, she is overwhelmed by the horror and violence she feels from their corpses. Dealing with her first case of a serial killer, she and Tolliver are sucked into the drama and intrigue that getting too close to the truth will bring. Meanwhile, they are dealing with their own drama and emotions and finally come to a decision that they can both agree upon.

Again, even though the crimes described are horrific, the writing is not so graphic that it becomes difficult to read. Harris is able to portray the scene without getting so detailed that I feel all creepy. She keeps it light and fun. It would be nice if she would quit giving us Harper and Tolliver's back-story (it's a series people, start at the beginning!) but I suppose she feels the need since some people will just pick up a book in the middle of the series and start from there.

Grave Surprise

2011-09-07T08:20:00.000-07:00

Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris

This is book 2 in the Harper Connelly series and I think I'll keep reading them.

In this book, Harper is using her unusual ability to locate dead bodies and identify their means of death when she encounters an unexpected corpse buried above an expected corpse.

Harper and her manager/step brother Tolliver are pulled into a family drama that they would like to avoid.

This book is a fun, twisty easy read. It's a murder mystery that is no where near as gruesome as many I've read in the past few years.

The Madonnas of Leningrad

2011-08-31T05:58:00.000-07:00

The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean

This book jumps around between modern-day in the Seattle area, Leningrad in the early days of World War II, and the voice of a tour guide at The Hermitage.

During World War II, Marina is a young tour guide at the Hermitage. She was raised by her uncle and his wife after her dissident parents are jailed and gone forever. Her best friend Dmitri is in similar circumstances with his father taken away. They bonded together in their youth for support and have stayed best friends ever since. Dmitri is a student now and has joined the Volunteer Army. As Dmitri trains for war, Marina and the other employees of the Hermitage are packing up the paintings and other precious items for shipment someplace safe.

In the current day, Marina and Dmitri are old and getting ready for their grand-daughter's wedding. Marina has problems with her memory and Dmitri has taken on the task of caring for his wife entirely. He is determined to keep the worst of her problems from his children because their son wants to put them in "a home" but Dmitri has promised his wife that won't happen.

The voice of the tour guide crops up periodically taking us through her usual script of various rooms and paintings of the Hermitage. Over the course of the book we find that when Marina's brain checks out of the here and now, The Hermitage before and during the war is where it goes. She gives us an insight into the overwhelming beauty housed at the Hermitage, in itself a stunning building. She also gives us a view into the horrific life led by the people of Leningrad during the siege of the German Army.

I really enjoyed this book! This was a first book for Debra Dean and I would be happy to read more from here especially if it is historical fiction.

The Puzzle

2011-08-31T05:49:00.000-07:00

The Puzzle (Samantha Jamison Mystery) by Peggy A Edelheit

This book was a Kindle Single that I bought for $.99. That said, I think I overpaid - especially considering the time I spent reading.

The text of this book was disjointed and jumped from one topic to the next. The main character was a person that I had no empathy for in her blind stupidity and was barely believable.

The mystery factor was disjointed and random. The main character is trying to solve her husband's death/murder and receives random threatening notes. Upon receipt of these notes, she becomes almost catatonic in her hysterical fear but she never speaks to the authorities about anything.

The supporting characters are not well developed in their supposed menace. The final resolution is absurd. Oh, and I have my doubts as to whether this book was actually edited or not.

I don't recommend this book. I will not be seeking out any other book by Peggy A. Edelheit because I can only guess they will be equally pointless.

The Wise Man's Fear

2011-08-19T15:03:00.000-07:00

The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

This is book 2 of the KingKiller Chronicles.

In this book we follow Kvothe in his travels after he leaves the University for the first time. Again we are on a great ride of varying experiences and harrowing intrigue.

The benefits of reading a book about an entirely fictional world is that anything is possible. This is a fun ride and I am thinking that I'll read book 3 next. Of course, A Dance With Dragons is sitting on my Kindle waiting to be read right now too.

The Name of the Wind

2011-08-19T14:55:00.001-07:00

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

This is book 1 in the KingKiller Chronicles.

A famous and infamous wizard tells his own story in this series.

This book covers his youth and his first years at University, the school of magic. This is a high-action story of an orphan living his life on the edge of society and surviving.

This is a wonderfully woven story and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the Chronicles.

Adrenaline

2011-08-19T14:51:00.000-07:00

Adrenaline by Jeff Abbott

This was a fun, fast thriller. I am looking forward to reading more books in this series.

Sam Capra is a CIA agent and soon-to-be-father. In one moment, everyone he works with is dead and his wife and child are taken. He is targeted as a traitor and must fight to prove his innocence.

Cutting for Stone

2011-07-21T11:14:00.000-07:00

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

This book is an epic story of love, politics and family ties. It is set mostly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia but also New York and India.

The story is narrated by one of a pair of twin brothers who were conjoined at the head and separated at birth. The story covers their two sets of parents (birth and adoptive) and the love of medicine that drives them all. Set largely during the rule of Emperor Haile Selassie, the tumult of politics adds to the story.

I enjoyed this book although it wasn't a fast read. I just couldn't get to a place where I wanted to climb into the story and escape this world. Because of this, it took me longer to read since I was reading for shorter times and was easily distracted from my reading.

I think this would make a great book for book clubs because there is quite a bit to discuss with each character.

The Dragonriders of Pern

2011-07-06T14:36:00.000-07:00

The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey

I read the first three books of this series: Dragonflight, Dragonquest, The White Dragon.

This is a fun series that takes place on another planet. The people originally arrived on the planet in space ships but over hundreds of years have lost their technology.

A small percentage of the population ride and care for dragons which were genetically created in order to destroy a microorganism they call Thread that rains from the sky. In the beginning of the series, it has been 400 years since the last fall of Thread. The people of the planet Pern don't believe that Thread will fall again. They are beginning to wonder what purpose the dragons and their riders serve. One dragonrider believes that Thread will fall again and has spent time reading ancient writings to determine when the fall will come.

The first three books cover about 20 years. There's romance, politics and discovery. There are 23 books in the series from what I can tell. This will definitely be a good series to read as filler between heavier and more serious books.

Outliers: The Story of Success

2011-06-18T19:09:00.000-07:00

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

In this book, Gladwell takes a close look at the people we deem to be most successful - athletes, musicians, businessman and the like. Rather than looking just at the individual and what they are like, Gladwell examines how they got where they are today and who helped them either personally or through circumstances that were set forth.

He also looks at how our culture, families, our generation as well as idiosyncratic experiences in upbringing create a person who will be successful - or not. This is a book chock full of information from everything from Canadian Hockey players to why Asians are better at math, to why airline crashes occurred for some airlines more than others.

This book could have turned out extremely dry and boring but Gladwell does a good job writing in an engaging manner so that the information he presents is interesting enough that you want to keep reading. I would definitely consider reading other books by Gladwell. The two I have heard of are: Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking which is all about how we make decisions, and The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference which is about the point in which an idea, style, social trend etc. begins to spread like wildfire or, to coin a phrase "becomes viral".

Cold Mountain

2011-06-18T18:49:00.000-07:00

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

If you have seen the movie, you know what this book is about and how it ends. If you liked the film and the idea of the story line, I highly recommend reading this book.

The story is set during the Civil War. It takes place in essentially two locations. One, is Cold Mountain in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and the second location is wherever Inman is on his way back to Cold Mountain from the war.

I think this is a love story that has several loves. The first and most obvious is the love between Inman and Ida that had only just begun as Inman left for the war. Now, four years later he has decided to head home to see if Ida feels about him the way he feels about her. Meanwhile, Ada who never felt any man up to her ideals, pines for Inman for reasons she can't quite understand.

The second love in the book is the love that Inman has for Cold Mountain. The language used to describe the mountain for which he pines is spectacular. I felt like I could smell the mountain and could easily visualize each area that Inman would dream about. Ada also begins to love Cold Mountain, most specifically, Black Cove where she lives. With the help of Ruby, an extremely capable, no-nonsense young woman, Ada begins to learn about the land and how to sustain herself with the land. Ada was raised in the city and for the period of time where she and her father lived in Black Cove, they had hired hands to do the work of life. When her father dies and the hired help leave, Ada is clueless about caring for and feeding herself. She wears dirty clothes because she doesn't know how to do laundry. Ruby saves her life and then starts her on a journey of discovery about herself and the land she learns to love.

This book does a really good job describing the way that the Civil War affected both the people who fought as well as those on the periphery. It was an awful war and many people died because of the war who were probably never even counted in the totals of the dead soldiers.

This was a great book and I enjoyed it very much.

Half Broke Horses

2011-06-11T16:56:00.000-07:00

Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

This is the prequel to Glass Castle which I have not read. I am planning on reading it now that I have read this one.

Half Broke Horses is about Walls' grandmother, Lilly. She was quite a woman. Her early years were spent on a pretty hard-scrabble farm in west Texas. Her family moved to a more fertile but still rustic farm in New Mexico when she was still fairly young. At the age of 15, she became a teacher in a one-room school house. The men were at war and the teachers and other women were working in the factories. Her stint as a teacher only lasted a couple of years but she was hooked.

This story takes us through Lilly's life until her daughter, Rosemary (Walls' mother) is married and has had children. Where Lilly was a grounded and hard-working woman, it's pretty clear early on that her daughter Rosemary is hell-bent to fight such convention every step of the way.

I understand that Glass Castle is a pretty dysfunctional story that can be a difficult read. I'm still looking forward to reading it now that I've started at the beginning.

Shipwrecked

2011-06-11T13:42:00.000-07:00

Shipwrecked by Mishka Shubaly

This is a short story that depicts a brief adventure of the author. Mishka has led a pretty slovenly life drinking, doing drugs and slacking his way through school. Now working as third mate on a ship in the Caribbean, he gets some quick life lessons. When the ship runs aground during the night, Mishka must strike out for help to save himself and his fellow ship-mates.

Grave Sight

2011-06-11T13:35:00.001-07:00

Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris

This is the first book in Harris' "Harper Connelly" series.

Harper is a young woman who, after being struck by lighting, can sense the presence of dead bodies and how they died. She, along with her stepbrother, makes her living finding bodies as well as confirming how people died.

This first book was a fast, fun read. Harper and Tolliver end up in a small town in the Ozarks of Arkansas and end up having to help solve the mystery behind 4 deaths in order to be able to get out of the town.

This is definitely not hard-core police drama but it's definitely a fun, summer read.

I look forward to reading more books in this series.

Dead Reckoning

2011-06-11T13:31:00.000-07:00

Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

The latest in the Sookie Stackhouse series did not disappoint. It's still a fast fun read. More of the same: vampires, werewolves, shape-shifters, and fairies. Sookie gets a few questions answered but, of course, has more to think about because of it all as well. I figure there's at least 2 more books before Harris can tie up the series. I'm looking forward to them.

The Winter of Our Discontent

2011-06-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck

This novel is sent in 1960 in a small New England town. The narrator/protagonist is a grocery store clerk whose family helped to found the town. He is only a grocery store clerk now because his father lost the family fortune. This book is a kind of study of the successes of man and what motivates men to success, or not. The tone of the book was strange and I felt anxious as I read - as though the discontent was a tangible thing in the words of the book.

Ethan is a clerk who is discontent but somehow unaware of this until his fortune is read and he is told that he will become wealthy. At this point, the discontent of his family with their economic situation boils to the surface. Ethan begins to realize that he also is discontent and begins to plot various ways by which to make money. He begins to study and question the morals by which he was raised and wonder about those that haven't got such morals.

The language of the book is wonderful to read but again the tone was difficult at times. The end leaves you somewhat unsure as to the actual outcome. You think you know the path that will occur but there's a chance that it didn't work out that way. We'll never know.

I highly recommend this book along with all others by Steinbeck.

Game of Thrones

2011-05-26T07:04:00.000-07:00

A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords and A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin

These are books 2, 3, and 4 of the A Song of Ice and Fire series. The fifth book, A Dance With Dragons is slated to be available 12 July 2011. I am eagerly awaiting the arrival.

Like the first book, A Game of Thrones (I had it wrong on the last post), these books continue the fictional fantasy world. A few more characters are introduced, a few more die. Okay, more than a few die. The 4th book, A Feast for Crows, is a slightly different format. It's quite a monster but it only covers half the characters for a period of time. Reportedly, book 5 will cover the other half of the characters for that time. I am hoping that Martin has at least one more book in him because there wasn't really an ending for the half covered in book 4. I am guessing he will need one more monster book after 5 to finish the whole story line. Who knows, maybe he has a bigger vision than I or maybe he just likes it when authors leave everything hanging (I hope not).

Although these books are big (book 1 694 pages, book 2 708 pages, book 3 976 pages, book 4 704 pages and book 5 is listed at 1040 pages), they are not hard or laborious to read. If it weren't for various sex scenes and all the violence, they often read like young adult fiction - meaning fast.

If you like fantasy and/or medieval-type era fiction I would highly recommend these books.

I couldn't put them down and they kept me from finishing my book club book in time :(. I need to get to work finishing that now so I can tell you all about it.

A Song of Ice and Fire

2011-04-27T09:07:00.000-07:00

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin

This is the first book in the Game of Thrones series. Book 5 is scheduled to be released 12 July 2011. This is a long awaited book as it has been many years since book 4 was published. Fans of the series have been waiting not patiently. I have all 4 books published so far but I will try to drag out the reading of them in order to not have to wait so long to get book 5.

This book is set in a sort of medieval time but in a fictional world. This is a world where the seasons last for years. Summer has lasted seven years and the saying goes that a long summer brings an even longer winter. Winter is coming and with it comes a dark and cold world where sinister supernatural forces are amassing.

Meanwhile in the world of men, a deadly game of political chess is played. Children are betrothed to link families and gain power and property. Alliances are formed and broken for the benefit of the realm or the person, depending on the person. The seemingly central family, the Starks, come from the land of the north and are hard and unrelenting people bound by honor and the old religion. They must make their way through the political world of the south while protecting themselves and the realm against the forces of the north.

This book was very engaging and entertaining and it's a fast read even though the books are pretty hefty. This is a great fantasy series which is why HBO has picked it up and made it into a TV series. The HBO series seems to be sticking to the book (after 1 episode) with just a few changes. Most notable is that they have made the Stark children a few years older than they were in the book - probably for logistical reasons on finding kids who could actually pull off the intense rolls they needed to play. The one bummer is that the author ends up having to kill off a lot of characters in order to play out his massive game. I was really annoyed about one particular character's death but, really, I couldn't see any way around it in order for the story line to flow where it needs to go.

I highly recommend this book, and the series, just be patient for that 5th book. Book 4 was published in 2004 and the 5th has been a long time coming. According to the author's blog, "it's a monster."

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

2011-04-16T20:40:00.000-07:00

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

This was a fun light novel about love found by two people who had thought they were at the end of their lives.

Major Pettigrew is deeply anachronistic. The story is set in modern times but Major Pettigrew often seems like he is living during the time of World War II or before. He is very particular about duty and honor and manners and the proper way to behave or not to behave. He finds himself liking and then loving a woman whose life is also about duty and honor and the proper way to behave or not to behave but for very different reasons.

The Major's relationship with a shop-keeper of Pakistani descent rocks the boat in the small English village in which they both live. Many of the neighbors are up in arms about the fact that she is Pakistani yet others are more aghast that he would spend time with a shop-keeper.

The book looks at manners and the reasons behind them. It also looks at duty and honor and biases of many types. It paints many shortcomings in a very unbecoming light and even when the biases and prejudices of the Major are laid to bare, you can't but help liking him. He learns so well from his mistakes and does his best to make amends that we should all be like Major Pettigrew.

This was a fun in-between book that only took a couple of days to read. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a fast fun romance that doesn't feel like a romance.

Winter's Bone: A Novel

2011-04-03T20:22:00.000-07:00

Winter's Bone: A Novel by Daniel Woodrell

This book came to my attention when the movie adaptation was nominated for several Academy Awards. I am now more interested to see the film than I was before.

This book is told from the voice of Ree Dolly, a 16 year old living in the Ozarks with her mother who has "gone crazy" in an almost catatonic way and her two younger brothers. Her father, Jessup, comes and goes in between time periods spent cooking crank, using or doing time in jail for said activites. This time, Jessup is due in court but can't be found. Ree must find him alive -or dead - or lose the house and land on which they live.

Ree wants nothing more than to escape in a year into the army but first she must fight the close-mouthed system of a large extended family whose history trails back to the first settlers of the area. Asking hard questions can get a person killed but Ree is forced to ask them and suffer the consequences. Meanwhile, she must also try to prepare her younger brothers for life without her. She is working to teach them to cook, fight, shoot and hunt as well as take care of their mother. She is reluctant to tell them of her plans to leave but feels the urgency of making sure they will survive without her.

Like I said, I am looking forward to seeing this movie in part because I really want to see how much of this hard life is portrayed and in what manner.

On a side note, I have not slowed down on my reading even though it seems that I have. I just decided to re-read a bunch of "junk food" books while I was on vacation. I figure it's about the same as reading People magazine. I tried to read my last book club book, The Idiot by Dostoyevksy but it just wasn't happening for me. I have been trying to plow through my latest book club book, The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. It is strange and difficult and I can't decide if it has anything to do with the fact that I'm reading it (trying) on a Kindle. I have been in a honeymoon period with my Kindle but that is waning and I am going to try to just read old-school books for awhile after I finish "Hedgehog". I am also about 3 1/2 months behind on The Sun so it's about time to play catch-up on that again. So much to read, so little time.....

The Passage

2011-04-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

The Passage by Justin Cronin

This book was not what I was expecting. I was expecting a government conspiracy spy thriller - what I got was a government experiment gone wrong turning people into vampires horror.

Now I like vampire books as much as the next person (more, in some cases) but this was a little too creepy and horror for my tastes. I prefer my vampires to be more refined and human-like as opposed to mutated humans with rows of sword like teeth and a soft clicking of their jaws. The description of vampires was what creeped me out more than anything.

The basic premise is this: A team of scientists are working on an immunity-boosting drug based on a virus carried by some variety of bat found in South America. Of course things go wrong and the virus spreads and within a short period of time, the U.S. is in an apocalyptic state. The virus turns humans into vampiric creatures. The story begins in 2012 then skips ahead to 2018 when the virus gets loose. Then again, the story skips ahead 92 years to what is happening with a colony of human survivors and their struggle to battle the "virals".

The ending of the book was not satisfying. I was annoyed by the way the book ended but I have since found this was the first of a trilogy. The next books, The Twelve and the City of Mirrors are due to be published in 2012 and 2014. I may end up reading the next two so I can see how the story is resolved but at least this time I'll be prepared for the fact that it is horror.

Maximum Ride

2011-04-01T17:06:00.000-07:00

Maximum Ride series by James Patterson

This series consists of Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, Maximum Ride: School's Out - Forever, Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, Maximum Ride: The Final Warning, Max, Fang and Angel.

This is a series that follows six genetically altered kids that have 2% avian DNA. Because of this, they have wings. They grew up in a lab living under horrible conditions. Now they are living on their own and taking care of themselves the best they can.

They end up having to save the world and each other. They deal with issues of environmental pollution and the general destruction of the planet by grownups. They do all this while dealing with life as a hormonal teenager (for a few) and just being kids (for the rest).

This is a fantastic young adult series that was a really fun read. I read it on vacation and it was perfect for vacation reading. I'm pretty sure there's one more book slated for the series but it won't be out until next year.

Sookie Stackhouse

2011-02-02T08:44:00.000-08:00

The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris

Dead Until Dark/Living Dead in Dallas/Club Dead/Dead to the World/Dead as a Doornail/Definitely Dead/All Together Dead/From Dead to Worse/Dead and Gone/Dead in the Family

So far there are 10 separate novels in the series. There is also a collection of the short stories within the series, A Touch of Dead, and The Sookie Stackhouse Companion. Neither of which have I read. An eleventh book in the series is due out 3 May 2011. This is the series on which the HBO series TrueBlood is based. I haven't watched the tv series at all.

Sookie is a barmaid in a small town in Northern Louisiana. She is also a telepath. A fact she refers to as her "disability". There is no specified time frame for this series but you get the impression that it's current and happening now. Especially in the later books there are a few references to the war in Iraq. There is a slight difference from "our" modern time in that vampires have revealed themselves to the world and now "live" side by side with the living - at least after dark anyway.

A Japanese company developed a synthetic blood for blood banks and hospitals but the positive off-shoot is that vampires could drink the synthetic blood and stop drinking from humans to survive. This prompted the vampires to finally come out of the shadows. Their propaganda is that they are not actually dead but they have an extreme allergy to sunlight, garlic and silver. Like most propaganda, it's totally not true - they really are dead.

Sookie meets her first vampire one night at the bar where she works. Because of her "disability" she discovers a couple of her more annoying regulars are plotting to attack the vampire in the parking lot and drain him of his blood. Vampire blood fetches high prices on the black market because it speeds a human's ability to heal, gives them strength and vitality and improves their sex life. Of course the blood can also cause someone to go insane especially if it is mixed with synthetic blood, pig blood or if it is old (meaning it's been awhile since the blood was removed from the vampire). Apparently vampire-blood addicts are a rising problem.

Sookie saves the life of the vampire and this begins a crazy whirlwind of an adventure. The two "drainers" she fought to save the vampire try to kill her but the vampire saves her. She dates this first vampire, Bill, for awhile but then they break up. She has one harrowing adventure after another and her life is in jeopardy many times.

Over the course of the series we meet a variety of Shape Shifters (can change into any animal form) and Weres (can change into only one specific form), Demons, Goblins, and Fairies. She dates a werewolf, a weretiger, is courted by a werepanther as well as dating another vampire. Considering the fact that human men all just think she's weird this is a pretty amazing track record. She has a hard time dating humans because she can hear everything they are thinking and it's quite distracting and often times a buzz-kill. The supernatural people she either can't hear or they are fuzzy and easy for her to block.

This is a fun series that is such a digression from reality that it has great escapist qualities. There is a little romance, a great deal of suspense, action and intrigue as well as politics (vampire and were). I'm looking forward to reading the 11th book when it is published and I recommend the series to anyone looking forward to some fun, fast, fantasy escapist reading.

Twilight Saga

2011-01-22T07:06:00.000-08:00

Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer

This is a four book saga that I've read before but I felt like some light, easy reading that was fast. When I originally read the books they took me roughly a day per book although the last book took about a day and a half just because it was bigger. This time around it took me about 3 days to read these as well as a portion of an un-published book Midnight Sun by the same author.

Midnight Sun is essentially the same as the first book in the series, Twilight, but told from the perspective of the guy whereas Twilight is told in the voice of the girl. Part way through the project, someone leaked a rough draft of Midnight Sun on the internet. This caused the author a great deal of grief and consternation and it halted the project. Since then, she has posted her last rough draft on her website for those interested in reading it. It only covers about the first third of the book Twilight but I enjoyed it more than I thought. Originally, I thought she should write a fifth book to wrap up the series more but in hindsight, I agree with her decision. Too bad it was never completed.

The first book in the series, Twilight, it is a story of teen love and the life of a girl, Bella, who is both insecure and comfortable in her own skin, in a way. The object of her affection turns out to be a vampire, Edward. The difficulties of the relationship are both obvious (he wanting to drink her blood) as well as unusual. When other vampires set their sights on Bella, Edward saves her life and saves her from becoming a vampire as well.

The second book in the series, New Moon, was the most tedious for me to read. Bella falls completely apart when Edward leaves her. He tells her he no longer loves her and the devastation of the news leaves her in a very zombie-like state. Only the friendship of a family friend, Jacob, brings her back to the land of the living. He is an Indian boy from the nearby reservation until, of course, he transforms into a werewolf. Bella is forced to make a decision between her love for Jacob, the werewolf, and her love for Edward, the vampire. She risks her own life in a brave attempt to save Edwards life and succeeds. But by doing so, she begins the breaking of her best friends heart.

The third book, Eclipse, is a tug of war between vampire and werewolf for the love of Bella. The fact that they are natural enemies does not help matters at all. There is some pretty good action in the book as the vampire family must unite with the wolf pack in order to fight an army of newborn vampires intent on killing Bella. Bella is finally able to make her decision about who she loves most but still is unable to release her bond with Jacob.

The fourth book, Breaking Dawn, is the best of all the books. It is broken into 3 parts telling the story from the perspective of Edward then Jacob then Bella. I am reluctant to say much about this book because there are so many surprises that I don't want to be a spoiler. I'll just say that if you read the first two books of this series, keep going. It only gets better.

The movies of the first three books have been made and they are separating the last book into two movies because it was so long and encompassing. If I had made the movies, I would have definitely done a few things differently. The first movie especially was a disappointment.

These books are young adult fiction and are pretty much just chick-flicks with vampires and werewolves. They are fast easy reads. The main thing that bugged me was the co-dependency of the relationship between Bella and Edward. I think there are insecure teen girls that would read this and think that is what a "normal" relationship should be. If you take all the books as a whole though, you see there is a supernatural element to their relationship that isn't really alluded to until book 3 and really talked about until book 4. Anyway, if you want an easy romance read with some supernatural fantasy and myths, these are a good choice.

Company of Liars

2011-01-22T06:58:00.000-08:00

Company of Liars by Karen Maitland

This is a sort of re-visit of The Canterbury Tales. It is set in 1348 and the Black Plague is sweeping across England. Nine travelers band together for safety as they try to stay one step ahead of the pestilence. Some are seasoned travelers not used to risking their hearts by traveling with others. Others are young and naive and would die without the help of the others. Slowly they form an uneasy alliance as they make their way across the country. Each carries a lie within them and the lie becomes the death of them.

This was a fascinating story of what life may have been in 1348. Alchemy, history, mystery and plain human drama weaves a powerful web in this book.

Dead Until Dark

2011-01-22T06:47:00.000-08:00

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

This is the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse series.

Sookie is a psychic waitress living in the south with her grandmother. Vampires have come "out of the coffin" so to speak and are living amongst the living. The propaganda is that vampires are not actually dead but have a virus that makes them appear to be dead. Synthetic blood is available at many bars and restaurants. Vampire blood is available on the black market and helps with healing and enhances sexual performance among other things.

Sookie meets her first vampire and within a few hours has saved his life and really angered the people who were trying to steal his blood. Sookie begins a romance with this vampire who is in the process of trying to "mainstream" and has moved into his families house just down the road.

Murder and intrigue follow and Sookies brother appears to be the cause of the murders. Sookie desperately tries to find out the truth before she becomes the next victim.

This is a murder mystery, romance soap opera with vampires. It was a fun book and a fast read. I recommend the book to anyone that this genre might appeal to.

Darcy's Story

2011-01-10T20:21:00.000-08:00

Darcy's Story by Janet Aylmer

This is Pride and Prejudice retold from Mr Darcy's perspective. If you are a fan of Jane Austen, I'd say this is a must read.

I would have to vote Pride and Prejudice in the top 5 chick-flick books ever. This is just a new rendition which is just as enjoyable. Aylmer has stuck with the original story and really worked hard to determine what Darcy would and wouldn't have known and when. She works to develop his character more fully so we are not as shocked as Elizabeth Bennet when he proposes during their mutual visits to Kent. She also directly quotes dialog from Austen which allows the reader to match this book with the events of the original quite easily. I know I was replaying the A&E/BBC mini-series in my head as I was reading the book.

This is a light and entertaining read.

Star Trek - Inception

2011-01-09T08:32:00.000-08:00

Star Trek - Inception by S.D. Perry and Britta Dennison

This book is a supposition of what may have happened in the early life of James T. Kirk and Spock. The book was written just before the movie, Star Trek, was released. They were projects independent of each other so the publishers held the book until well after the movie release so that the one did not affect the other.

I watched the movie again after finishing the book and thought it interesting that both projects aimed to give Spock a love life but in the book, he does not respond as he does in the movie.

The book is more about Carol Marcus, lover of Jim Kirk, as opposed to Jim Kirk himself. She becomes the mother of Jim's son. She is a scientist and has discovered a way, she believes, to turn non-viable dirt into a viable growing medium. Her goal is to enable each planet to grow their own food so hunger is eradicated. Environmental terrorists tamper with her experiments and almost cause a catastrophic disaster. Through the efforts and ideas of Star Fleet's, Spock and Jim Kirk as well as Carol and her team of scientists, are able to stop the process from taking over and, ultimately, destroying the planet Mars.

The story itself is interesting as is the "science" behind the plot. The book gives us a peek into the early lives of Spock and Jim but no other members of the original Star Trek cast. That is one thing that the movie did in fine Hollywood fashion. They gave us the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise and tied it up with a bow. They also gave us an alternate reality line that can be followed in a series of movies or television shows if they so desire. As far as I can tell, the book's reality was right in line with what we know from the original series.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It was a great book from the two creepy books I had just read. It was light, fun and fast. I would recommend the book to anyone who is a lover of Star Trek or science fiction.

Perfume

2011-01-09T07:54:00.000-08:00

Perfume - the story of a murderer by Patrick Suskind

This is the story of a man with the unfortunate name of Grenouille (frog in French) born with no scent of his own but possessing an acute sense of smell. So acute that he is able to recognize individuals by their scent when they are blocks away. He apprentices himself as a perfumer and quickly masters the mixing process of the oils. He then determines to learn how to extract the oils themselves. After learning several different methods of extraction he devises an horrific plan. A series of grizzly murders ensues culminating in a final 25th murder. The result is a perfume like no other.

This book is creepy beyond creepy. The concept itself is an interesting one but the writing is terribly descriptive. It reads almost like three separate stories. The first being the beginning of his life and his first apprenticeship in Paris. The second part is a bizarre dream sequence where Grenouille had escaped humanity and is living in a cave at the top of the highest mountain. He subsists on eating small amounts of grass, moss and lichen. He drinks water from a minute spring where it takes him over an hour to drink what he needs for the day. I found myself skimming this section because if felt tedious and redundant and somewhat disjointed. After seven years, Grenouille emerges from the cave and begins the third part of his life. The final part of his life is his life as a journeyman in Grasse where he learns the various methods of extracting oils. This is also the culmination of his horrific plan and finally his life. I was surprised by the end but then decided it made sense and poetic justice.

If you like books of grizzly murders, this is the one for you.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

2011-01-06T08:49:00.001-08:00

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

This is the first in a 5 book series of mysteries. So far, 3 have been published but according to the interview at the end of this book, the author is planning 5 books.

The heroine and narrator is an 11 year old girl named Flavia de Luce. It is 1950 and she lives outside a small village in England. Flavia is devoted to chemistry and, more specifically, the origins, manufacture and antidotes of poisons.

When a strange man dies in front of her in the cucumber patch of the garden, Flavia is completely intrigued. Thus begins her investigation in which she is often crossing paths with the police, much to their dismay.

This is a fun murder mystery and having the investigation done by and told by an 11 year old, makes it more entertaining. The fact of her youth really allows her to go just about anywhere and do most anything without being noticed or questioned. For, who pays attention to the goings on of children?

I am looking forward to reading the next books in the series.

Room

2011-01-04T14:00:00.000-08:00

Room by Emma Donoghue

This is a weird but good book. The book begins on the 5th birthday of Jack. A boy who lives in Room with his Ma. Jack narrates the book by telling us all about the daily routines of Jack and Ma. Soon we realize that Jack and Ma are being held captive in Room although Jack knows nothing of this since he was born there. The story tells us how Ma came to be in the room, their lives within the room, their escape plan and their lives shortly after leaving Room to be Outside.

There is a great deal to this book that goes unsaid. Since Jack is only 5 he doesn't grasp much of what is going on. We can understand what has happened based on the very basic information we are given by Jack even if he doesn't. This is an interesting perspective on the relationship between a mother and her son and how she loses herself in becoming a mother while living in isolation then must find herself again when she re-enters the world but must still remain a mother.

Under the Dome

2010-12-18T16:30:00.000-08:00

Under the Dome by Stephen King

This book reminded me of The Simpson's movie for about 20 pages. The book itself is 1065 pages. It is a fast read regardless of the size.

In short, a small mid-western town is suddenly trapped by a dome. As the dome drops, people and animals are cut into pieces landing on either side of the dome. No one can figure out where the dome came from, what it's made of or how to get rid of it.

The town trapped inside is run by a megalomaniac used car dealer who has been "saved by Jesus". Big Jim is a character that is so well written that I loathed him from the beginning and I couldn't wait for him to be killed. He is bent on taking over the town and ruling a la Pol Pot although he envisions himself an altruistic leader called by God.

Our hero is a retired veteran of the Iraq war but is the town short-order cook. He has just had an altercation with the son of the man running the town and he is NOT well liked by the powers that be in town. He is, in fact, on his way out of town when the dome appears. His former military contacts come in handy in dealing with the dome situation. It doesn't help him any with his relationship with Big Jim and his son Junior.

In just a few short days, the peaceful town is changed into a strange and stressed place where people are being murdered, committing suicide, and murdering and then committing suicide. Some people tend to loose their humanity and others become even more humane and caring of their neighbors.

This was a fascinating study of people under duress. There are many layers and so many people that it is a fun and fast read. The final scenario is weird, tense, and a final relief when the final word is read.

The Outlander

2010-12-09T08:35:00.000-08:00

The Outlander by Gil Adamson

The novel begins with a 19 year old woman on the run. She is being chased by men and dogs. She has just killed her husband and his brothers are hunting her. The year is 1903 and it is the northern Rockies in Canada.

This book is full of suspense and adventure. The widow is mentally disoriented because she hears voices and sees ghosts. The language of the book supports a feeling of disorientation in the reader. Sometimes it's unclear for awhile if the experience of the widow is happening, being imagined or being remembered.

I was a little surprised by the ending. I had thought that it would go a different direction entirely. I enjoy being surprised because, frankly it doesn't happen all that often. The ending became clear in the last 8 pages of the book. This was a great first novel. I would definitely consider reading another novel by this author.

Fall of Giants

2010-12-02T15:46:00.001-08:00

Fall of Giants by Ken Follett

This is another great historical fiction novel by this author. It is the first of the Century Trilogy and I look forward to the next two books. The trilogy will follow 5 families in their lives through hardship and success, peace and war.

It's a big book (almost a thousand pages) but it didn't take too long to read because it was so engaging. It begins in 1911 and ends in 1924. As promised, five families are highlighted in Wales, England, Germany, America and Russia. There are people of great privilege and great poverty. There are a few actual persons of history who have cameos in the book. The author tried to quote them from actual speeches or letters and tried to place them in situations that they were actually in, or may have been (meaning he didn't put them in a situation that they never would have been in real life).

It covers World War I in great detail and I found it fascinating to have famous battles and scenes re-enacted in a way that I better understood and grasped the circumstances.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys historical fiction and/or anyone interested in the period of World War I.

The Enchantress of Florence

2010-11-23T15:35:00.000-08:00

The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie

In the beginning of this book I had a hard time figuring out who was talking and what time frame, or generation, they were talking about. I decided to just go with it and not worry too much about it. That method worked pretty well for me.

This is a beautifully woven story about a woman who was part reality and part myth. She was beautiful, wise, clever and magical. The trick is figuring out what is real and what is fancy. The tale moves backwards and forwards through time and across the deserts of the Mughal, across the sea and into Italy. This tells a story of friendship, love, emperors, politicians, pirates, and people.

I had a hard time getting into the book because it was hard to tell sometimes who was the voice and from what time was the story being told. Also, the language at times felt like a vine winding it's way around a trellis and slowly making progress upward. This is not a book to read in 10 or 15 minute stretches here and there but is better read in longer stretches so you can get into the language, the rhythm, and the story. It is a book worth reading if you are willing to be patient and not try to rush it.

The Last Olympian

2010-11-23T15:29:00.000-08:00

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

This is the final book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and it did not disappoint. The book was just a full of danger, adventure, and Greek Mythology come to life as all the other books.

Percy and his friends are yet another year older and at the books end, it seemed as though another series may follow.

I recommend this entire series.

Ella Minnow Pea

2010-11-05T12:10:00.000-07:00

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

This is a weird book that could easily by someone's Doctoral Thesis on language.

The premise is this. On an island country off the coast of South Carolina, lived the man responsible for the sentence, "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." This man, Nollop, becomes the golden child for his country. They change the name of the country to Nollopia and they erect a statue of the man complete with a tile cenotaph of the famous sentence.
Fast forward 100 years. The country of Nollopia has progressed but not as quickly as their neighbor, the USA. Telephone service is unreliable and computers are non existent on the quaint island country.

When a tile letter falls from the cenotaph, the leaders of the country decide that it is not because the glue used to fix the tiles has become old and brittle but that Nollop is speaking from beyond the grave and wishes them to cease using the letter in question. Punishments are determined and the ban of the letter Z begins. Soon, of course, other letters plunge from the statue and more letters are banned. Eventually Nollop is turned into a diety and the governmental powers that be become totalitarian in nature.

This was an interesting use of the language. What happened within the laws and government of Nollopia however can be likened to the recipe for frog soup. Place the frog in a pot of cool water and then turn on the heat. The frog will remain in the pot as it begins to boil rather than leaping out as it would if you placed it directly into boiling water.

The Mockingjay

2010-11-05T12:03:00.000-07:00

The Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

This was a great ending to this trilogy. The suspense and action was kept up throughout the entire series. The ending was "as it should be" I think.

One of the things I liked best was that by writing through the voice of Catniss, the whole series had a whirlwind feel to it. Just like it would feel for a 17 year old to be ripped from her reality and thrust into all these varied experiences against her will. Also, in losing the closeness she shared with Gale, she lost her grounding wire so she was feeling completely isolated and alone.

This would be a great series to begin discussions of government, types of government and their role in the lives of the people as well as a discussion of the responsibility of the people when the government is not acting on their best interest. A very fun and fast read.

Catching Fire

2010-11-05T11:52:00.001-07:00

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
The sequel to The Hunger Games did not disappoint.
The only annoyance was that I had to keep reminding myself that Catniss is only 17. She is so annoyingly frustrating with her emotional immaturity that I wanted to smack her. It's really quite accurate though, when I compare her to other teen girls I know.
The suspense that began in the first book was well kept into the second even though this second book doesn't have the action of the actual Hunger Games.
Starting the third book immediately.

The Hunger Games

2010-10-22T06:59:00.000-07:00

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This is the first book of a trilogy. My library has it tagged as Young Adult Fiction which means that everyone from about 14 on up reads it. It's pretty dark, though, for young adult fiction.

The setting is post-apocalyptic North America. The country is now called Panem and it is controlled by the people and government in the city called The Capitol. Everywhere else is separated into Districts. There were 13 Districts but after an attempted uprising, The Capitol destroyed District 13 and subdued all others.

Since the uprising, The Capitol has forced the Districts to celebrate a "holiday" called The Reaping. This is where all children between 12 and 18 have their names put into a pool (one for boys and one for girls). The children can add their names extra times in trade for food and fuel for their families during the year. This means poor kids are more likely to have their names drawn than the wealthy. The name of one girl and one boy is drawn from each district.

These children are sent to The Capitol and then to an Arena (newly built each year) where they fight all the other children drawn in The Reaping in what is called The Hunger Games. This is a fight to the death. The last one standing wins and The Capitol showers them, their family and their District with wealth, food and fuel for the next year. The winner and their family are given a house in the wealthy neighborhood of their district for life.

The Hunger Games is told by a girl named Katniss who has supported herself, her mother and sister with her hunting skills since her father was killed in a mining accident. She is from District 12 which is the poorest of the Districts and she comes from the poorest area of the District.

It was an interesting story and well written enough that I'm planning to read the other two books. It's pretty dark since it is about government mandated murder of children murdering children. It would be a good book to read with a tween or teen to spark discussions of government and different types of government.

Also, the idea that the people of The Capitol being glued to their television screens during "The Game" to catch every minute of the horror is pretty disturbing. To them, the children are just Tributes and somehow they have lost sight of the humanity of each child and the horrible fact that they must kill to survive as mandated by law. The people of the Districts watch hopefully for the Tributes from their District but really only watch because they are required by law. Anyone found in their house and not watching is put to death. It makes one wonder how such a power as The Capitol could truly be defeated and whether the people there could be made to see how inhuman they have been.

It only took me a little over a day to read the book. It's not long and, because it is young adult fiction, it is written with simpler vocabulary and syntax so it's a pretty fast read.

The Almost Moon

2010-10-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold

I have only read one other book by Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones, and it was creepy - so is this one.

A woman crosses a line and then has to deal with the aftermath. In just a moment of unplanned action, her entire existence is altered. The book bounces back and forth between her childhood and the current time but it isn't difficult to follow or disorienting the way it can be in some books.

The book covers just over 24 hours of time but much occurs and many choices are made by the character that make you want to cringe.

This was a good book and I recommend it to anyone who likes her books and/or who likes psychological thrillers - it's a little on the disturbing side.

Forgive Me

2010-10-13T17:47:00.000-07:00

Forgive Me by Amanda Eyre Ward

This was a fast read. It was, in large part, about a woman examining her life without wanting to examine her life.

The main character, Nadine, is a foreign correspondent who seems to thrive on blood, gore, and tragedy. She is constantly moving and never letting anyone really get close to her.

Briefly in Mexico, the story is mostly in the Cape Cod and Nantucket area and South Africa. The scenes in South Africa are haunting and heart breaking in many ways.

This is a good read that made me want to keep on reading.

Ethan Frome

2010-10-11T17:57:00.000-07:00

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

I used to think that Romeo and Juliet was the best of all tragic love stories. You know, no one gets their true love and everyone dies. I may have to re-evaluate this.

Ethan Frome is a bleak and desolate book set in a bleak and desolate locale. It is a short novella and you don't really find out for sure "what happened" until the end. I don't want to be a spoiler but I have to say this. The best of all tragic love stories is one where the lovers are crippled for life and forced to rely on the care of the one person who keeps them apart, thereby keeping them from being happy. What more could you ask for in a tragedy?

Edith Wharton was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize but it wasn't for Ethan Frome. Ethan Frome was published in 1911 and it was 1920 when she published The Age of Innocence for which she won the Pulitzer. Summer, published in 1917 was apparently the companion to Ethan Frome. I am tempted to read Summer (especially if it is as short and easily read as Frome). I already have The Age of Innocence on my list of books to read (I read it years ago but I don't remember much about it).

For anyone who is a fan of tragedies or of Edith Wharton, I would recommend reading this book. If for no other reason, because it is only 130 pages long.

The Battle Of The Labyrinth

2010-09-21T14:01:00.000-07:00

The Battle Of The Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

Book 4 of the Percy Jackson series. I read it in a matter of hours.

Seriously these books are fast and fun and they bring to life in the modern world the characters of Greek mythology.

Did you know the Labyrinth created by Daedalus kept growing and changing? Neither did I but it does in this book.

I have been thinking about reading stories of Greek mythology again (but I probably won't because I have too many other things I want to read more).

Only one more book to go and I'll be kind of sad about it, I think.

I'm taking a reading hiatus for about 3 weeks because I have a bunch of studying to do.

Next book, Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn - stay tuned :)

The Hummingbird's Daughter

2010-09-18T13:56:00.000-07:00

The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea

This is an epic novel. It covers essentially 19 years of the life of Teresa Urrea a.k.a. Santa Teresa de Cabora. Teresa Urrea was a real person and was a distant cousin of the author. He grew up hearing tales of her but thought they were all myth until he found actual documentation of her life. After over 20 years of research, came this novel.

This novel is rich and compelling and felt similar to One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez). I loved it yet it took me forever to read. A large part of this was that I was otherwise occupied with my time. Another part was the scope of the book. This is not a difficult read (weird syntax, antiquated English, etc.) but for some reason it requires that the reader take their time and savor the story. I read another of the author's books, Into the Beautiful North, and I enjoyed it very much. This book is bigger and more grandiose perhaps just because of the historic nature of the story.

Teresa Urrea lived from 1873 until 1906. According to the novel she was a bastard daughter of a wealthy Mexican man and an Indian servant that everyone called "the hummingbird". She became a curandera, a healer, and was also called a saint. Her name was cried out by the indigenous people as they went to war against the invading Mexicans. In the nineteen years of her life covered in the book, she lived a remarkable life. Much about her life is not known so the author has created a rich novel to fill in the holes that history has left.

I highly recommend this book to anyone not afraid to tackle the 499 pages that are often sprinkled with Spanish. Enjoy!

The Titan's Curse

2010-08-19T13:40:00.001-07:00

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson and friends are back for another adventure in "The Olympians" series. The evil of the titans is building and they are re-grouping and re-forming to battle the Gods of Olympus once again for rule. It's up to Percy and his friends to solve mysteries and battle monsters, titans, and other demi-gods in order to save the world as we know it.

The Sea of Monsters

2010-08-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

This is the second book of "The Olympians" series with Percy Jackson. It is more Greek mythology and monsters coming to life to take over Olympus and the modern western world. Good thing 14 year old Percy is a hero who takes his tasks seriously.

This is a great series for young adults. It will teach them about Greek mythology in a way that just might stick in their minds. It's also great because the heros are kids too. It's a fun fast series for adults as well who just want something fast and entertaining to read.

To Kill a Mockingbird

2010-08-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I figure everyone has a least seen the movie starring Gregory Peck but just in case here is what I told my four year old about the book.

It's a book told by a woman about her life when she was a girl. There is her dad, Atticus and her brother, Jem, their maid Calpurnia and a summer friend, Dill. It is a few years of their life in rural southern Alabama. It is a book about how to live in a way that treats all people with respect.

This was Harper Lee's only published book. Her writing was plain, witty, and poetic all at once. I highly recommend reading the book as well as seeing the film. Apparently Ms. Lee was quite pleased with the screen play and became good friends with Gregory Peck and his family so they must have gotten it right.

The Sun

2010-08-06T15:56:00.000-07:00

The Sun is not a book it is a magazine and I have had a subscription pretty consistently since 1998. (I have all my back issues if you ever want to read them - not sure what to do with them now that I've been saving them this long)

I was on such a book reading jag that I wasn't reading my issues of The Sun and so I decided it was time to get caught up. Also, I started reading a book that I just couldn't get into so I'll try it again at a later date - or not. Plus I've been crazy busy traveling and working and doing stuff that is not necessarily conducive to sitting and reading for long lovely periods of time.

If you have never heard of The Sun you need to check out their website for examples of how great this publication is. www.thesunmagazine.org One year I gave gift subscriptions to many of my friends and family. I only think one person has kept it going but, oh well.

This magazine is great for a variety of reasons the first being NO ADVERTISING (yea!). It is a literary magazine with fantastic black and white photos, essays, memoirs, short stories, poetry, fiction, always and interview and my favorite - reader's write.

Reader's Write is just what you think it is. Reader's send in their short non-fiction stories on predetermined topics. For instance, February 2011 will be about Making It Last. May 2011 will be about Shoes. I regularly laugh out loud or break down crying when reading the Reader's Write section.

I am almost finished with the July issue and then I can get started on August but I'm also reading To Kill a Mockingbird for my book club so stay tuned for that review.

The Host

2010-07-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

This book is touted as Science Fiction for people who don't like Science Fiction. It's really only Sci-Fi because there are aliens. This is a romance novel. A chick flick with aliens - kind of like her other books that are chick flicks with vampires and werewolves.

This is an updated version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It is primarily told from the perspective of one particular "body snatcher" named Wanderer. She has now entered her "host" body, formerly known as Melanie, on her 10th planet. Melanie is reluctant to give up her body, however, and Wanderer has to put up with having another voice in her new head that doesn't want to stop talking.

After Wanderer sees enough replays of Melanie's happy life with her true love, Wanderer falls in love with him as well. She decides she no longer wants to do her civic duty and rat out Melanie's family because she loves them. She (and Melanie) ditch the alien police and try to hook up with Melanie's family.

It's not a bad book, it's just not really science fiction (except a couple of parts). It's a very romantic drama in which most all the bad guys either get what's coming to them or change their evil ways. Also, only a few token good guys die which, considering the circumstances, is a very romantic look at this possible reality. It's a good sized book but it only took me 3 or 4 days to read.

Apparently this is being made into a movie so you should for sure read the book first so you and I can both be annoyed by whatever changes they decide to make in order to get this into standard movie format and length.

Sarah's Key

2010-07-11T17:49:00.001-07:00

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

This book is set in two times, 1942 and today. The author states that she did not set out to write historical fiction. All the characters and specific stories are fictional but the main scenario in July 1942 in Paris really did happen.

In 1942 our fictional family are Jews living in Paris. The parents have immigrated from Poland and the two children were born in France. The French police go door to door and round up all the Jews still left living in Paris and take them to the Velodrome d'Hiver (an indoor cycling arena). There, with 4,000 some odd other Jews they are held for several days with no food or water and unsanitary conditions. From there they are bussed to the train station and taken to camps. From these camps, they are taken to Auschwitz. None of the children and few adults ever return.

The modern story is told from the voice of an American woman living in France and married to a French architect. He is preparing to renovate the family apartment and then they will move in and live there with their daughter. The American is a journalist working for an English-speaking magazine in Paris. She is given the assignment of writing a story about the 60th anniversary of the Vel d'Hiv as it has become known. She has no idea what the Vel d'Hiv is about and her research shocks her and takes her back to 1942 in a way she never imagined.

The families become connected and as best as can be, the present comes to terms with the past and people begin to heal and move on but never forget.

This book was very engaging. So much so that I read it in 5 hours staying up way too late to finish the book. I highly recommend the book although keep in mind there are some saddening and horrifying details of the treatment of the Jews in 1942.

In the Woods

2010-07-11T17:14:00.001-07:00

In the Woods by Tana French

This is a psychological thriller and a pretty creepy one at that. It's about child abduction and murder so if that is not your bag, don't read this.

There are two different situations twenty years apart. In the first, three friends go off to play in the woods and when they don't come home, police and search parties comb the woods. They find one of the kids gripping a tree trunk in terror wearing blood-filled shoes and with no memory of what has happened.

Fast forward twenty years and the kid is now a police detective with the murder squad. He and his partner are given a case in which the body of a young girl is found in the location of the woods, now an archeological dig. The police detective is trying to keep his past both buried in his mind and a secret to his boss and the rest of the world while trying to discover the truth behind this murder.

The book is set in Ireland so there's a bit of Irish slang to get used to but otherwise it's a pretty easy read even with the harsh subject matter. I liked the book and I've heard the author's second book, The Likeness, is a better book and not so creepy. I'll have to put it on my list of books to read.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

2010-07-04T18:19:00.000-07:00

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

I admit it. I read all the "Twilight" saga books. They each took about a day to read. This one took 3 hours. They are like junk food. Think of this book like a package of powdered sugar donettes and a Dr. Pepper - sweet, easy and fast.

I enjoyed the Twilight books as young adult chick-flick books with vampires and werewolves. This book was much the same.

Honestly, I did not remember Bree Tanner from Eclipse, the third novel. As it turns out, her role was fleeting but apparently Stephenie Meyer took a liking to her character and decided to pound out a novella sketching Bree's brief life as a vampire.

It was an interesting look at the life and hunger of a "newborn" vampire. In the Twilight books, the Cullens are all very self-disciplined and even Bella (SPOILER ALERT) is remarkably controlled when she finally gets her wish in Breaking Dawn and "gets" to become a vampire. Bree's young life has very little control, if any, from her or any of the other "newborns".

It's a good appetizer before going to see Eclipse in the theater which I know I'll do but I have no idea when.

The Bastard of Istanbul

2010-07-04T18:10:00.000-07:00

The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak

This is the book that my book club is reading this month. I think it's a good book club book because there is plenty to discuss.

This is the story of a Turkish family living in Istanbul and an Armenian American living between Arizona and San Francisco. There is a Turk living in America, Armenians living in America, an Armenian living in Istanbul and a woman from Kentucky who was married to an Armenian and then a Turk.

The story intertwines all their lives in our modern world but also shows how the past affects us all.

It was interesting to see the difference in attitude between the Armenian in Istanbul and the Armenians in the diaspora a.k.a. America. It was also interesting to see how modern Turks sympathized with the plight of the Armenians during the Armenian Genocide cir.1915-1923 but they felt no link between themselves and the Turkish perpetrators.

This was an entertaining novel and it brought to life issues of ethnicity in America, feelings of disconnect that children of immigrants can have in America as well as personifying the Genocide.

I would recommend this book.

Cities of the Plain

2010-06-30T14:53:00.000-07:00

Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy

This was the last book in the Border Trilogy and I must concur with a friend who was wondering why on earth he didn't win the Pulitzer Prize for these books.

This book combines the main characters of the first two books - John Grady Cole and Billy Parham. I think it might be the most tragic of the books although each book is heart wrenching in its own right.

I love McCarthy's language in these books. He paints such a grim and bleak picture of the life of a cowboy yet it felt like a romantic, poetic perspective. Once again he vividly paints the landscape and the beauty of the vast open lands along the border - this time around Alamogordo, NM. With few words his characters convey much. They are men of brevity but there is a feeling of depth to the characters.

This is the kind of book that one must read in large time blocks as opposed to picking it up 10 minutes here and 15 minutes there. I also needed a couple of days to decompress afterwards because it left me feeling both empty and full at the same time. I was sad to finish the book and wished there were more to come. In each book, each tragedy struck me in a sad and horrific manner but the foreboding of what was to come in this final book was the hardest to bear.

I loved these books and highly recommend them.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

2010-06-11T12:15:00.000-07:00

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Steig Larsson

Well, the long awaited final book in the trilogy did not disapoint. My synopsis will be brief so as to not be a spoiler.

Like the first two books it is fast paced and chaotic at times (trying to keep track of all the bad guys vs good guys in different arenas was a challenge).

I recently read an article that was published in the NY Times Magazine regarding Steig Larsson, his books, his "estate" and the disagreement between his father and brother and his long-time companion. His companion, Eva Gabrielsson, stated that he had planned a 10 book series. Apparently an unfinished book #4 is on a computer in her possession that may or may not ever go to press.

The book ended in a way that finished the trilogy but also could have easily led to the next book. I stayed up until 1 AM to finish the book and I didn't feel that sad empty feeling I sometimes get when I finish a good book. I was satisfied - for now.

Next time, I'll read all three back to back and see if I feel any differently about it.

If you have read the others, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire, this is a must read and I don't think it will disappoint. If you haven't read them, maybe you should. They are excellent police thrillers with plenty of mystery, twists and turns to keep from getting bored. They are extremely graphic (violence and sex) though, so I don't recommend them for young adult reading.

The Help

2010-06-03T05:49:00.000-07:00

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

This is a novel about the writing of a novel. It is set in the 60's in Jackson Mississippi. It is told from the voice of three women, one white and the other two black.

The fictional novel is all about the lives of black maids in the south from their perspective - good and bad. The actual book itself is all about the writing of this fictional book and what is going on in the lives of the three main characters as well as their friends during the 2-3 years or so that it takes for the book to come to fruition.

Once I got into this book, it was a real page turner. I highly recommend it for book clubs as well as individuals (but you are going to want to talk to someone about it when you finish).

The Lightning Thief

2010-05-29T18:23:00.000-07:00

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

This is one of the latest great young readers series' a la Harry Potter.

This is the first in the Olympians series in which there are 5 books. The premise is that the Greek Gods are alive and well and living on Mt Olympus which has been relocated high above the Empire State Building in New York. Demi-Gods continue to exist and our hero, Percy Jackson, is just such a boy.

In this first book, he learns about the reality of the Gods and the truth about his father whom he believed to be "lost at sea" since he was a baby. He is also sent on a quest and must dive right into the world of magic and monsters as a parallel world with the "real world" in which he has been living.

It is interesting and a good refresher on the myths and legends of the ancient Greek Gods and company. It is fast paced and easy to read. The characters are engaging and as believable as Demi-Gods, satyrs and centaurs can be.

I am looking forward to reading more of The Olympians series as well as seeing the new movie.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read something fast, light and fun.

Broken Prey

2010-05-29T18:19:00.000-07:00

Broken Prey by John Sanford

This is a fast paced police murder mystery involving gruesome and detailed serial murders.

It is a pretty smart thriller that kept me guessing pretty far into the book. It was a good "in between books" book.

I would recommend it to anyone who likes this genre. I will definitely consider reading another John Sanford book in the future.

The Crossing

2010-05-29T18:03:00.000-07:00

The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy

This is the second book of the Border Trilogy. The first book was All The Pretty Horses.

The book takes place along the Mexico US border before and during World War II. This book, like the first, left me feeling bleak and desolate - much the way the landscape is described within the book. Even the rugged mountainous areas are described in a cold, harsh, desolate way.

It is a book of the wild west, not set during the wild west. A book of harsh laws and harder lives.

It is the tale of the son of a rancher and his journeys crossing the border into Mexico and back three times. He is 16 when the book begins and time passes slowly and strangely in the story. The time he spends isolated and wandering in his first crossing is never explained in an exact time frame.

His brother is with him during his second crossing but it seems they are on separate journeys although they are traveling together. Between them little is said and, it seems, even less is understood.

The final crossing it seems he is becoming even more lost than he was at the beginning of the book. He is on a specific journey with a goal in mind but he seems to be losing himself in the process. He completes his journey but like many things in McCarthy novels, it does not end the way he hopes for.

The book left me feeling empty and hopeless but wanting to reach for the third book of the trilogy, Cities of the Plain. Alas, I had gone on vacation and forgotten it (I know). I'll be starting it soon now that I am home.

When the Emperor Was Divine

2010-04-28T12:15:00.001-07:00

When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka

This is almost a novella - only 144 pages. It begins in 1942 in Berkely, CA and ends in 1946 in Berkely, CA. In the years in between it takes place at Topaz, UT - the Japanese internment camp in the Utah desert.

The story is very matter of fact and succinct in it's way of communicating what one family did to prepare to leave their home and how they lived in the years following away from their home. After the war, as they return to a home that had been heavily vandalized and try to pick up where they left off, the tone of the narrative becomes a bit sad. In the end, after their father has returned, but is never again the same, the tone becomes bitter. The bitterness is understandable and almost desired at this point.

The narrative of the book covers several different situations of discrimination. It addresses life before and after incarceration. And finally it touches on torture and duress and how people will eventually agree to anything in hopes of changing their situation.

I enjoyed this because it was a powerful way to tell the story of how American families suddenly became enemy aliens by just being of Japanese decent. Then, after the war when they were no longer the enemy, they were still disenfranchised from the world where they had once belonged. If the story had been longer and more verbose, I don't think it would have had as much power behind the feelings it conveyed.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

2010-04-16T11:21:00.001-07:00

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

This was a great read. It's set in New England in both the late 1600's and 1991.

The story in today's world is about a woman from New England who is entering the doctoral program at Harvard University in American Colonial History. Through a series of circumstances, she begins research to locate evidence of an historical person, Deliverance Dane, and then a book that had belonged to Deliverance. She soon determines that Deliverance was declared a witch during the Salem witch trials but her name had not previously been known.

Throughout the book the author bounces between the lives of Deliverance Dane and her progeny and the modern world. She uses historical fact regarding the Salem Witch Trials and life during the era and weaves her fictional characters into the story.

It was an intriguing book that was fun to read and had suspense, mystery, a bit of romance as well as lots of information about life in Colonial New England especially the life that women would have led.

This book was similar to another I read last year, The Heretics Daughter by Kathleen Kent but I think this one had more suspense than the other. I highly recommend this book (as well as the other book) to anyone who enjoys historical novels.

The Yiddish Policemen's Union

2010-04-13T09:18:00.000-07:00

The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

This is a murder mystery steeped in the colloquialisms of a "what if" world.

In 1938 Harold Ickes, the Secretary of the Interior, proposed offering Alaska as a haven for Jewish refugees from Germany and all of Europe which would by-pass normal immigration laws. Alaska was not part of the US at the time and so could be considered a good location for an exception such as this. The proposal was voted down in Congress and it never happened. This book operates on the assumption that it did. It is 40 years after the first wave of immigrants and the Jews must apply for citizenship of the US or figure out someplace else to go.

On the eve of the "Reversion", an unknown man is killed in the seedy hotel where our detective lives. All members of the cast are Jewish with varying degrees of faith and dedication to the religion and orthodoxy. Despite being told the case has been officially classified as a "cold case" the detective can't let it go. He and his partner delve into the closed world of the "black hats" to uncover the identity of the dead man and finally that of his killer.

I didn't notice that there was a Yiddish glossary at the end until I was finished with the book. It probably wouldn't have made it a faster read because most of the words used were self-explanatory based on usage in the sentence. The dialogue was not only full of Yiddish but the kind of slang that you really only hear on cop shows or pulp novels.

I enjoyed this book. It is a good mystery / detective story plus you get a fair back story on the principles and their messed up lives and addictions. You also get a small look into the world of Chassids. My copy of the book had a story from the New York Times about the book as well which offered some insight into how much of the story was real information and how much was fiction. The story was woven with such detail that, until I finished the book, I had no idea that there hadn't been a Jewish settlement in Alaska.

I have also read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by the same author and enjoyed it as well. His books are not fast reads but they are worth the effort. I will definitely put other books by him on my list of books to read.

Grave Goods

2010-04-04T14:00:00.001-07:00

Grave Goods by Arianna Franklin

This book is the third in a series. They are CSI mystery thrillers set in the 12th century England. The author has done quite a bit of research with regards to both political hisory (Henry Plantagenet aka Henry II is a recurring figure) as well as social customs and the circumstances of women.

Our heroine, Adelia, was raised in Italy and attended medical school there. Nowhere else in Europe are women allowed to practice medicine, including England. Another twist is that the bulk of her medical training has been in the investigation of corpses. She finds herself in England with her good friend and protector, an Islamic Saracen. They are forced to offer the world the pretense that the Saracen is the doctor and she the arabic interpretor in order to avoid having her tried and executed for witchcraft.

King Henry II is fully aware of her presence and her expertise but goes along with the pretense knowing that the people of England are not yet ready for women to be doctors let alone doctors of the dead.

Adelia is brought in for yet another mystery for which King Henry II needs an answer. She and those she cares most about in the world are at his whim and must travel into danger to investigate two corpses thought to be those of King Arthur and Guinevere. Her task is to either prove that they are the fabled pair or make sure no one can prove who they really are. Using the anatomical and investigative knowledge of the 12th century, she is once again able to complete the task at hand but not without experiencing peril to her own life and that of others.

All three books are great reads that are entertaining as well as informative with regards to the reign of Henry Plantagenet. They could be read separately but I would recommend reading them all. The first book is The Mistress of the Art of Death and the second is The Serpent's Tale. Enjoy!

The Lost Symbol

2010-03-28T10:49:00.000-07:00

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

This is the third book in the Robert Langdon series by Dan Brown. I had read The DaVinci Code first and then followed it up with the first book, Angels and Demons. Angels and Demons was a slower book than DaVinci Code but not too much. It's been awhile but The Lost Symbol seemed almost as fast paced as The DaVinci Code. It only took about 2 days to read.

This book is set in Washington DC and incorporates the legends and symbols of the Masons and how the founders of the country fit into the Masonic history. It also covers some pretty groovy science, Noetic Science.

As always, Dan Brown did a great job combining ancient myth, legend and mysticism with modern reality and science.

From what I can tell, the provable science of Noetics in the book is a bit further along than reality. Although, my research regarding Noetics has been pretty cursory at this point.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced but kept my brain moving with a variety of story lines going at once as well as hitting on ancient beliefs of many kinds and modern science and "reality." I recommend this to anyone looking for a quick, easy and fun read.

Into The Beautiful North

2010-03-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

Into the Beautiful North - Luis Alberto Urrea

This was a fun book, an entertaining read and, once I actually had time to sit and read, it went fast.

Most of the book is dialog so it reads fast. Some of the dialog is Spanish and if you don't speak Spanish and want to look up the words, it could slow you down a bit. Mostly, you can get away with not worrying about it because the rest of the dialog and text explains enough that you get the idea of what was said.

This is a story of a young woman and her friends in a small, rural coastal village in Sinaloa, Mexico. One day the woman realizes that, not only did her father leave to go north, so did every other man in town. Soon, drug dealers have figured this out as well and decide to move into this territory. After watching the movie, The Magnificent Seven, the woman decides she must go north into the US and get her father and 6 other men to come back and rescue the town from the drug dealers and help revitalize and populate the town as well.

Our heroine and her friends venture north to Tijuana having many adventures and questioning their logic and purpose all the while. Once at the border, they must figure out how to survive and then figure out how to cross the border.

They find their seven warriors and many more. They also learn much about themselves as people and as Mexicans. It is an interesting view of America from the perspective of a Mexican who just wants to go back to Mexico.

I highly recommend this book. It would be a great vacation book. It is a new book and not yet available in paperback so look for it at a book exchange or Costco or get it from the library.

Beneath a Marble Sky

2010-02-28T07:57:00.000-08:00

Beneath a Marble Sky - a love story by John Shors

This was a picturesque and engaging novel. It is a historical novel surrounding the building of the Taj Mahal and the lives of a few people (some real, some fictional) that were involved.

John Shors did quite a bit of research regarding the building of the Taj Mahal as well as the political history and the life scenarios in 17th century Hindustan (currently India in large part as well as parts of Pakistan). Using text as well as paintings he was able to craft an incredibly descriptive story of life as the Emperor's daughter. The story is told from her voice and he does a good job speaking in the female voice. At no time during my reading did I think, "well, this is just what a man would think that a woman would think, say or do at this point."

I very much enjoyed reading about the history of the region with the wars between the different tribes and religions. It seems little has changed in that realm in the hundreds of years that have passed. The author took some artistic liberties with regards to his love story of Jahanara, the daughter of Shah Jahan and the voice of the story. In the book her relationship with her brother, Aurangzeb, is venomous. In reality, however, it seems that it was a cool and politic relationship but they did make amends in later life unlike in the novel. Also, it appears that she never married and had no children.

In the novel much is made of how power-hungry and blood thirsty Aurangzeb was. It seems that this was an apt description in large part. He was not the benevolent and loved ruler that his father had been. He did have his older brother executed and did kill his other brothers in battle to gain the throne. He was also an extremely devout Muslim who ruled against music in order to cause the Hindus to be unable to perform religious worship as music was integral in their worship. It seems many Hindu temples were destroyed under his rule. He strongly encouraged all under his rule to abide by or convert to Islam and follow the rule of Islam strictly.

The love stories told within the novel are well crafted and believe-able. They brought a richness to the telling of the story that would not have existed had the story been told from a strictly historical standpoint. The building of the Taj Mahal is a love story that is true and it was a wonderful aspect of the book but the fictional love stories help carry the book beyond the Taj Mahal and help complete the history of the time.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in historical novels or anyone just looking for a light and enjoyable read.

Food Rules

2010-02-17T12:30:00.000-08:00

Food Rules by Michael Pollan

This book only has 140 pages and many of the pages only have a picture of a fruit or vegetable on it. I read it in 1 hour.

I highly recommend this book to everyone. Most of it is "common" sense with regards to food. Much of it I consciously ignore when I shop or drive through someplace to purchase "food."

We are trying to eat a more healthy (and less expensive) diet and I thought this would help us to kick start that plan. I think it did.

Read it.

The Forty Days of Musa Dagh

2010-02-16T13:37:00.000-08:00

I finally finished The Forty Days of Musa Dagh by Franz Werfel this weekend. I had been reading this book for over a month. It was written in 1934. My translation (I don't know that there are any others) was done by Geoffrey Dunlop. The author's note stated that the book was conceived during a stay in Damascus in 1929. There he witnessed the situation of many Armenian refugee children working in a rug factory. Franz Werfel wrote the book between July 1932 and March 1933. This book is a novel based on actual events and historic records including a documented conversation between Enver Pasha and Pastor Johannes Lepsius.

Musa Dagh is a mountain located in Syria on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea not too far from the border of Turkey. The novel begins in the spring of 1915 when the deportation orders for all Armenians living under Turkish rule began. The deportation was used as a method of extermination. The men and boys were taken from the deporting columns and forced into labor. Once their task was complete, they were taken into the woods and executed. The weaker Armenians, the very young, old and infirm, died during the march and were left along the roadside. The few remaining Armenians who reached the deportation camps (it is believed there were 25), were given practically no provisions and most died of starvation. This was only part of the Armenian genocide by the Turkish government.

By the time that the six villages surrounding Musa Dagh received their deportation orders, they had become aware of the situation. The older Armenians remembered the massacres of 1895 and 1909 in which Kurds working for the Turks as well as members of the Turkish military slaughtered 115,000-330,000 Armenians.

The village leaders decided that if they were to die at the hands of the Turks, they would prefer to die close to home and fighting. In the novel, the master planner of the Armenian defense was a fictional former member of the Turkish reserves who had been educated in France and lived most of his life in France. Because of the death of his brother, he just happened to be at his family estate at the foot of Musa Dagh at just the wrong, or right time. Once the Turkish authorities demanded all travel papers be relinquished, he was trapped and unable to travel as well as his french wife and son.

Some 5,000 Armenians from six villages took what few weapons they had as well as provisions up the mountain after sun-down over several evenings. Some of the Armenians in the villages chose to be deported thinking that they had better chances of living if they did not resist. The villagers who chose deportation assisted the others in that, on the day of deportation, they reported the others had all run off into the countryside in the night.

In the novel, the resistance lasted 40 days but in reality it lasted 53 days. In the end, more than 4,000 Armenians were rescued by French and English ships who saw their banners "Christians In Need of Help." The ending of the book was changed slightly in order to accommodate the fictional drama that Werfel had created.

This book was more readable than I expected given the formality of the language during the time it was written. The fictional characters and their personal stories really brought the situation to life. I think the reason it took so long to read was the subject matter itself. It was horrible to read the Turks talking a mundane and, almost bored manner of the planned extermination of an entire race.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of Armenia, Turkey or the region. Also, it would be a good read for anyone interested in learning more about genocide.