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RE: Book Review - 11/2/2008 11:04:03 AM
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gratefulforgrace
Posts: 195
Joined: 4/11/2005
From: Near Spokane Washington
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The Jewel of Medina by Sherry Jones
This book has been getting a lot of press and controversy lately. Many of my customers at the library have been reading and requesting it so I decided to pick it up. I actually gave it up. It was just not good. Here's how to sell books: write awful, trashy romance featuring secondary historical figure. Make sure religion features prominently. Then proclaim that your book will change the world. Make sure bomb threats and controversy follow your book. Bingo! Best seller! No matter that it is an awful book.
Ah, when will I come up with such an idea?
_____________________________
Proud Follower of Christ
Wife of Chris
Mother of Helen and #2 due March 23!
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RE: Book Review - 11/10/2008 4:11:00 PM
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gratefulforgrace
Posts: 195
Joined: 4/11/2005
From: Near Spokane Washington
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Home by Marilynne Robinson
This is one of the loveliest books I've ever read. Marilynne Robinson deals with matters of faith and family better than any other writer today, IMHO. Home tells the story of the Boughton family. Reverend Boughton is the best friend of Reverend Ames (from Gilead) and the family is mentioned from time to time in that book. Home is primarily about Reverend Bougton's son Jack and daughter Glory. In many ways they live parallel lives and there are interesting threads about the different ways they've dealt with similar situations. The book is also about Jack's uncertainty about the state of his soul and Reverend Boughton's concern for his son and the disfunctional relationship they've always had. I really can't remember when I last read a more moving and beautiful book.
Highly recommended.
_____________________________
Proud Follower of Christ
Wife of Chris
Mother of Helen and #2 due March 23!
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RE: Book Review - 11/16/2008 1:01:58 PM
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soma77
Posts: 1
Joined: 6/3/2008
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"Evolution of Consciousness" by John Kuykendall is appealing in particular because it explains the Christian mysteries so everyone can understand them. The book evolves in stages as the reader is taken on a transforming journey through the layers of the mind, the parts of the mind and evolution. Among the themes explored are: Christ Consciousness, Trinity, and the Soul. It answers many questions and leads one to Christian Mysticism. I would recommend "Evolution of Consciousness" as a resource for spiritual renewal because the book outlines, with specific and practical guidelines, a life any person in the world—no matter their station—might adopt with great benefit. Here is ancient Christian wisdom written so contemporary Christians may understand.
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RE: Book Review - 12/24/2008 1:20:24 PM
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Auben
Posts: 1146
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
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Hi Kristin. Nice to see another Robinson book is out.
I've slowed way down this year. Sorry folks. It's just hard to get into reading at the moment. Trying to finish some things up.
As They Were by MFK Fisher
Fisher is a famous food writer of the 20-70s. She's revered by a number of people for her writing and observational skills so I thought these kind of biographical essays of place and time might be interesting. This ranges from remembrances of California in the teens and twenties while she was growing up there to her many years lived in France and her travels here and there.
I will give her something, Fisher is a very observant person. She's also a bit detached, which I think aids the descriptive power, but sometimes I just find her detached enough that she lacks compassion. She has an edge to her. I suppose that is what some people like that because it lends an air of frankness about the people and things that we will never know.
Grade: 7
Unless you have an interest in the past I wouldn't bother. If you do like history and people you might enjoy this.
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Other than several essays in college and her enormous biography (written by nephew Quentin Bell) I've never read any Woolf. I did read The Hours a few years ago (based loosely on Mrs. Dalloway) and it made me curious so this copy has been sitting on the shelf.
Here Woolf endeavors to express the extraordinary range of feelings, thoughts, and emotions people have in the ordinary moments. The walk downtown to get flowers for a party. A luncheon with old friends. A walk in the park. Threw this we follow a dozen characters or so as they shift off from one to another in stream of consciousness.
It reaches a few moments of greatness. It was observant and (in many ways) honest. One can't shake Woolf's own prejudices though. The authoritative doctor is disliked by everyone for his very authority. The poor, plain, angry woman turns to God for her anger and frustration and is 'disgusting.' While the main characters always seem very balanced between good and bad characteristics a few villains stay roughly on the outside.
All in all I'm glad I read it. It was bright and fresh and interesting, but I couldn't help but feel some sadness for Woolf who seems to hold Christians and other 'do gooders' in the same light as Wilkie Collins...humorous cranks.
Grade: 8
_____________________________
Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: Book Review - 1/6/2009 5:19:09 PM
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Auben
Posts: 1146
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
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The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris
In many ways this was a beautiful and poetic book. A group of essays regarding her time as a Benedictine layperson and her studies into the monastic tradition.The portions on women and celibacy and women in the church were particularly interesting.
At a few other times it seemed like she had problems with Christians in general and evangelicals/charismatics in particular.
I would definitely recommend this book if you're interested in the monastic tradition, especially how it's interpreted in the modern age. I found myself jealous of them singing Psalms daily and other little rituals. It's heartening to read about realistic struggles and small kindnesses learned.
Now I should read a little history of the early church fathers and mothers
Grade: 7.8
_____________________________
Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: Book Review - 1/21/2009 9:30:36 AM
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E_Lin
Posts: 1099
Joined: 9/14/2008
From: Cincinnati, OH
Status: offline
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A book I recently finished that I would like to review is "Infected" by Scott Sigler. I found it on the new release shelf at my public library, and since I was between my regular pantheon of authors, I decided to give it a try.
Here is the skinny. Government agents, in cooperation with the CDC, are trying to track down citizens across the country who are seemingly at random contracting an unusual virus that causes its host to degenerate into a dangerous psychotic who kills indiscriminately. Unfortunately, every time they get close enough, the bodies always seem to be in a state of dissolution when they arrive, making tracking and diagnosis nearly impossible.
The story takes a turn when one of the "infected" individuals fights back against his "growths". His interactions with the things that are growing within his body are the kinds of things you wish you could see in a horror movie, but nobody is creative enough to do. I was literally squirming in my seat as I read the book, which I never do. What impressed me the most was that the author was so good at building up the dramatic tension, I actually could foresee what might happen, but I would still be shocked and appalled when it occurred.
The whole story basically turned out to be a kind of an Alien/Interdimensional invasion tale, and while the outcome may have been what it was, there was enough left to think that the end may not be the end, after all. That said, I do not anticipate a sequel.
This book, while I personally loved the experience of reading it, is admittedly not for everyone. No adult content, but there was no shortage of foul language, nor graphic brutal imagery. If this was made into a film, I truly believe people may forget about the "Saw" movies, if the script managed to follow the book.
I discovered that Mr. Sigler is an accomplished E-novel writer, and this was his first foray into the world of written novels. I look forward to his next offering. It will be hard to top this one.
_____________________________
"Human beings make life so interesting. Do you know that in a universe so full of wonders, they have managed to invent boredom? Quite astonishing..."
- Death (from the book "Hogfather" by Terry Pratchett)
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RE: Book Review - 1/25/2009 12:10:03 AM
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E_Lin
Posts: 1099
Joined: 9/14/2008
From: Cincinnati, OH
Status: offline
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Last night I finished a book titled "Event" by author David Lynn Golemon. This is more of your classic type "alien invasion" type of stories, which makes references to the Roswell incident of 1947. Central to the book is a clandestine government agency called the Event Group. It was created during the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, who originally tasked the group with going to Mount Ararat and retreiving the petrified remains of a large ship. Well, now another major "Event" has occurred. An object gets tracked until it crashes in Arizona. Several factions get involved, as they all want a piece of what is going on.
This is an act of war by an alien species, however, as one of the crashing ships carries a "Destroyer". This monstrosity is virtually indestructible and is used by the invading "Grays" as a way of killing off all life without actually having to go to the planet they are planning to take. Carnage ensues, as you might assume, though most of the lives lost are bovine. 
With the help of a little "Green" alien, the Event Group fight back against the "Destroyer" and its brood. While at the same time having to counter the efforts of the others, who want whatever they can get their hands on for their own purposes. Will they be able to save the human race from extinction? I will let you draw your own conclusions, by telling you that tonight I am starting the author's second book, which is the next in the "Event Group" series, featuring a lot of the same main characters.
Even though this kind of story gets told a lot, I felt Mr. Golemon did a good job of keeping his ideas and plotlines from being predictable. And with a few of the earliest introduced main characters dying off during the book, he kept the suspense up pretty well, as anyone could go at any time, and no potential plotline was safe.
There was some language in it, as you might expect from military personnel and people facing life or death stressful situations. And there were some fairly graphic descriptions of people and animals being brutally put to an end. On the upside, no adult situations (there was no time, if you stopped for nooky, you would die).
I give it three out of five stars, which means I was entertained, and got what I hoped for out of the book.
_____________________________
"Human beings make life so interesting. Do you know that in a universe so full of wonders, they have managed to invent boredom? Quite astonishing..."
- Death (from the book "Hogfather" by Terry Pratchett)
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RE: Book Review - 2/1/2009 11:17:36 PM
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Auben
Posts: 1146
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
Status: offline
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I thought I added these.
The Autobiography of Alice B Toklas
Gertrude Stein (a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose) tells her own biography as a kind of in-joke. Sometimes subtly humorous, sometimes flagrantly name-dropping. Interesting if you like early 20th century art or writing, otherwise it can get rather boring.
grade: 7
The Final Solution by Michael Chabon
A very short detective novel following a young boy and his mysterious, stolen parrot. An elderly detective takes on the case. Sometimes very nicely done (sections which detail the old man's daily struggles with old age or life from the angle of the parrot are very interesting). Sometimes so descriptive you look at the short length and wonder if anything at all is going to happen. Interesting in some ways.
grade:7
_____________________________
Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: Book Review - 2/24/2009 1:22:54 PM
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Auben
Posts: 1146
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
Status: offline
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The Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips
A nicely layered tale of an Australian lad 'making a new life for himself' (or being a con man as your point of view may be) as a British explorer of Egypt after WWI. The tale is told through the journal of his dig for the tomb of the great pharoah Atum-hadu and through the reminiscing letters of the detective that followed him across 4 continents.
The most interesting thing about the story is that none of the narrators is telling the truth. Each has their own truth for different reasons. By reading each person you gain your own view of what really happened. Not for everyone (those who don't like sex in stories will hate this...not that there's a lot of first person sex going on but Atum-hadu wrote many pornographic verses and there's a lot of continual discussion about the subject) but interesting and quite masterly in how its all laid out. I really enjoyed the psychological puzzle aspect.
grade: 8
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Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: Book Review - 3/20/2009 3:39:16 PM
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Auben
Posts: 1146
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
Status: offline
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A Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart
An introductory text in the baking of artisan breads. Reinhart shines at keeping things low key while teaching valuable baking tools (such as baker's percentages or cold fermentation). Not for advanced baker's but fun and amusing if you want to bake bakery style bread. The recipes in the back are nicely sorted and fairly easy to follow. Most require more than one day for baking but a few are for 'straight' breads you can make in an afternoon.
grade: 8/10 Fun stories, well laid out, easy recipes
Local Breads by Daniel Leader
A year ago I borrowed Bread Alone by Leader. It's similar to Bread Baker's Apprentice so I returned it after skimming. This one spends more time covering regional European breads (french pane, Italian wet doughs, German ryes) with an in depth look at sourdough starters in their many uses and forms. Very interesting if you enjoy European breads or if you are looking for detailed information about creating your own sourdoughs.
grade: 8/10 The next step after BBA, not as nicely laid out, more detailed
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
Dark story about a 12 year old boy grieving from his mother's death and coping with his father's new family. David enters a dark magical world where common fairy tales come with their own twists.
Not for children or the squeamish. Very violent. But if you've read and enjoyed the Grimm fairy tales and love fantasy this is a well-written coming of age tale.
grade: 8.5/10
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Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: Book Review - 3/25/2009 11:51:23 AM
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Auben
Posts: 1146
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
Status: offline
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The Tomb in Seville by Norman Lewis
An esteemed travel writer of the 20th century. In the 1930s he accompanied his BIL on a trip to Spain to find a legendary family tomb at the cathedral in Seville. Political and social unrest (the Spanish Civil War began shortly after) made what should have been a short visit into a circuitous exploration of Spain (and a little Portugal) as the two evaded Assault Guards, hid out in hotels, walked hundreds of miles of Spanish countryside, snuck into and out of Spain, and at one point followed the Communist Guerrilla force.
Not overly exciting, considering the subject matter. Lewis is a master of understatement and has a strong sense of irony sometimes. This is a really interesting look at Spain's population on the brink of Civil War. The poverty, the interests, the character of Spain by someone who had a fascination with it's land and people.
grade: 8
The Home Creamery by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley
Book about the creation of fresh dairy items such as yogurt, kefir, sour cream, ricotta, butter, cream cheese, mozzarella. Terribly organized. The recipes are easy (although many require ingredients like rennet or cheese culture which have to be ordered through a catalog) but she is so repetitive and confusing that it is obvious that she is trying to pad what little material she had. This should have been done so much better.
Grade: 3
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Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: Book Review - 5/6/2009 8:09:54 PM
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Auben
Posts: 1146
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
Status: offline
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Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Connected series of 6 stories, ascending from the past into the future and then winding back down to finish each tale. The stories are connected by slight means (by books, or videos, letters, or side characters) but are really drawn together by the main characters who all share a comet-shaped birth mark somewhere on their body. This can be taken as reincarnation of the same soul, and the author seems to encourage that guess.
I have mixed feelings about this novel. I'm not as fascinated by the structure (tell part of a tale, interrupt, begin new tale, interrupt, repeat 4 more times then go back and finish the tales you've already half-forgotten) as some are. Some of the stories were fascinating (the story of the Korean clone ascending into sentience in a world of corrupt Corpocracy), some were frustrating (the 19th century South Seas tale which exposes Christianity, and thus human nature, in all it's Victorian hypocrisy), and some were just plain obvious. I must admit though that Mitchell is a good writer. No matter how annoyed I was with the break, the annoyance was because I did the time, was involved with the story, and the interwoven theme of Man's need for power and dominance through the ages resonated with me.
I don't think this novel is for everyone. If you're fond of literary novels, have a good memory, and enjoy plays on structure, genre, and meaning I would recommend it. If you're just looking for a fun, easy read I would not.
Grade: 7.5....9 for structure and ability, 6 for sustained interest and fun
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Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: Book Review - 5/25/2009 3:23:47 PM
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Auben
Posts: 1146
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
Status: offline
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Finding Alaska by John Green
I'm getting too old for this stuff.  One of the newer teen novels about a boy who's fascinated by people's last words and goes off into the 'great perhaps' in search of new and interesting things. While away at boarding school he meets a fascinating and beautiful girl and her circle of friends. The rest is filled with smoking, drinking, school pranks, comparative religion, sex, musing on suffering, and the investigation of a death. Really it's kind of like The Sting with self involved high school students who all happen to think they're very smart.
Green's a capable writer and the book won an award but I'm way too old for this stuff. I spent most of the time groaning. I do give him props for ending on just the right note and not glamorizing teen sex.
Grade: 6, not recommended for Christian teens because of the adult themes
My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme
Autobiographical account of Child's years in France with her husband Paul (he was a cultural attache) including her introduction to French cooking, her year at Cordon Bleu cooking school, her research, her first 2 cookbooks (Mastering the French Art of Cooking) and the beginning of her television career. She was a vibrant woman with many interests and her husband Paul is worthy of a biography of his own. I don't think she would have been as successful without him. A good marriage.
I greatly enjoyed this book.
Grade: 9...an easy read but full of interesting things if you're curious about other cultures, food, or just finding what you love and doing it
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Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: Book Review - 6/1/2009 7:24:51 PM
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Auben
Posts: 1146
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
Status: offline
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A Princess in Berlin by Arthur RG Solmssen
I read this book because it's a recommended historical novel about Germany between WWI and WWII. I really didn't have much knowledge of this period (other than the standard wild reparations and the rise of the Nazis) so I traded for this book. It tells the story of a young American who was a French ambulance driver during WWI who returns to Europe to learn to paint. When his father cuts off his allowance a friend invites him to Berlin where the outrageous inflation will make his American dollar stretch from 1 month's worth of money to a year or more. There we encounter German-Jewish aristocracy, Socialist painters, prostitutes, bankers, socialites, and murderers. The author does do a rather thorough job and I learned a lot of history, but often it felt contrived during those moments. My real problem was with the passiveness of the main character. Sometimes I wanted to shake him.
grade: 6.5 some sex
_____________________________
Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: Book Review - 6/14/2009 4:12:30 AM
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E_Lin
Posts: 1099
Joined: 9/14/2008
From: Cincinnati, OH
Status: offline
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Just recently finished reading the book "Contagious" by author Scott Sigler. It is his second novel (he was previously known as an e-author), the first of which Infected, I reviewed last year after reading it as well. He did not disappoint in the sequel. In fact, he raised his own bar.
In the first book, we learned that spores which made it through the Earth's atmosphere dropped randomly onto small numbers of people. Once they effectively entered a person's body, they began to grow into little blue "triangles". These were in fact alien organisms, who connected through nerve and brain tissue to coerce their "host" into avoiding doctors and authorities (becoming psychotic killers who would murder anyone who came too close) in the effort to build a Transwarp gate that would allow an alien force to invade our planet. Though that plotline may sound hokey and overdone, it was well played out in the book, and you never even knew about it until the end. Not to mention that the actions of the "infected" persons were more than just a little disturbing to have written about and described.
In this sequel, Contagious, we not only find the people infected with the blue Triangles, but now there is a new strain that is passed from person to person, and the strongest of which can control ALL of the others. And since there is an earthbound intelligence now at work, the alien invasion has a better chance of success. The most disturbing thing being who it is that actually takes complete control over them all, and what that person does. And how easily it was done as well.
Both books are masterful examples of Psychological Horror. I have read a lot of novels like this, from Peretti, Dekker, Koontz and King. Scott Sigler is the first author to truly make me feel uncomfortable while reading a book. These are not for the faint of heart, or those who have limits to what can offend them. Mr. Sigler does not hold back anything, and you feel the full brunt of his warped imagination. To put it in perspective, Steven King's books, devoid of foul language and sex, are not really that much different from Ted Dekker's books. Both have their highly suspenseful moments. Scott Sigler, on the other hand, gives you 350+ pages of "ohmigosh please don't let that happen oh no it happened please make it go away ohmigosh it's not going away it's getting worse oh please make it stop!!!!"
But it happens, and it's not going away, and it's not going to stop. At the end of the book I was cheering like I did when I read Tom Clancy's "Executive Decision". I was crying like I did when I saw "Titanic". And then I was freaking out like I did for most of the book when on the last paragraph, he lets you know that not only is there going to be a third book, but things are going to get much worse. WHAT?!?! If he can deliver on that, like he did on "Contagious", then his name has to be mentioned with the heavyweights of the genre.
I have to give this a 9 out of 10. (I have only read 1 book that I would give a 10 to, and I only recommend that book (and series) to people with IQ's over 117)
Once again I warn: If Ted Dekker worries you, if Dean Koontz upsets you, and/or if Steven King offends you, do not even attempt to read this book. You will have nightmares. It is that awesomely horrifying.
Oh, and by the way, Rogue Pictures has acquired the rights to produce the movie "Infected", based on the book. It is being filmed now, as of this time I believe. It should come out some time next year. There are certain "scenes" that cannot be left out of the movie without completely destroying the story. If those scenes are put in, they will be groundbreaking. I can see people leaving the theater and not being physically able to return.
I only say those things as a warning. This book, and its predecessor, are incredibly intense. Which is just what I like. But I understand that many people don't. If there is anyone out there who has read these books, or reads them in the future, email or PM me and let me know if I exagerrated in any way. Let me know personally if I am misrepresenting these books in any way. Because I don't think I did.
Absolutely horrifying. 
_____________________________
"Human beings make life so interesting. Do you know that in a universe so full of wonders, they have managed to invent boredom? Quite astonishing..."
- Death (from the book "Hogfather" by Terry Pratchett)
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RE: Book Review - 6/17/2009 3:40:09 PM
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Auben
Posts: 1146
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
Status: offline
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Coop by Michael Perry
I've been reading Perry since his book of essays on firefighting and rural Wisconsin, Population 451. That was fine. His next, Truck: a Love Story, was more structured. It was the story of gardening, firefighting, falling in love, and restoring a 1951 International Harvester truck. Now he's come back with his third memoir and chronicle of his life as a married man with a step-daughter, a baby on the way, a small farmette, and revisiting his youth growing up in a small, conservative Christian sect.
I've always enjoyed Michael Perry. He has a rural humor, plainness, and self-knowledge that make him hard not to like (frankly I wish WPR would put him on the radio regularly). Also, he's probably one of the more fair agnostics I've ever read. I loved this book. Partly because I can relate to 80% of what he's talking about (being raised extremely conservative, living in rural areas, wanting to be more self sufficient, laughing at your mistakes). Partly because Perry has finally hit his stride. While his writing is still episodic he's lost the need to throw out $3 dollar words every paragraph to impress. He seems more confident and his humor is so real you can see yourself in his adventures and gaffes.
Highly recommended. This book covers a lot of issues of faith and family, full of humor and nostalgia. My husband and I really enjoyed it.
Grade: 9
_____________________________
Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: Book Review - 6/19/2009 11:07:08 AM
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E_Lin
Posts: 1099
Joined: 9/14/2008
From: Cincinnati, OH
Status: offline
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Based on what I had read from a compilation of short novelettes, I decided to take a look at author Kat Richardson. I started with her first book, "Greywalker". Myself, being a fan of urban fantasy as a genre, I was not disappointed.
The main character, Harper Blaine, starts off in the first chapter being brutally beaten by a person she had been looking into as part of her job as a private investigator. She manages to get away from her assailant, but not before the damages take their toll, and she winds up dying, only to be revived a mere two minutes later. That two minutes was long enough to change her entire life. As a result of her brush with death, she has been left in tune to the "Grey" area of existence, the place between here and the paranormal.
Life begins to take unusual turns, and she starts seeing and encountering things that most people would only imagine in their nightmares. Ghosts want to talk to her, and get her help. She looks for a missing person, and winds up finding a vampire, and gets thrown headlong into a dangerous world where any mistake she makes could be fatal.
The book was very suspenseful, and I was kept interested up until the last page, where I decided to order the other two books in the series. The only complaint I might have is that Kat Richardson's writing style is very close to that of C.E. Murphy, another recent author of the urban fantasy genre. Her character also lives in the same city as one of Murphy's. One could almost suspect they knew each other and tossed ideas off of each other. But that notwithstanding, I still feel the book is worth reading for anyone interested in that type of fiction. The coarse language was kept at a minimum, and there was only one page where you could be positive that sex happened, but thankfully there were no intimate details.
I would give the book a 6.7. By no means among the best I have read, but still worth the time. Especially if you like urban fantasy.
_____________________________
"Human beings make life so interesting. Do you know that in a universe so full of wonders, they have managed to invent boredom? Quite astonishing..."
- Death (from the book "Hogfather" by Terry Pratchett)
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RE: Book Review - 6/23/2009 9:10:05 AM
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E_Lin
Posts: 1099
Joined: 9/14/2008
From: Cincinnati, OH
Status: offline
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Just finished reading Ted Dekker's newest book "BoneMan's Daughters".
Wow.
Ted Dekker has really outdone himself with this book. In this reviewer's opinion, it is his best work ever. He grabs the reader right from the first chapter, and only takes his foot off the throat long enough to let you take a breath. I could only put this book down begrudgingly, and even cost myself hours of sleep daily in an effort to finish it. Not every Christian should read it, but those who can, please do so, and recommend it to your non-believing friends and co-workers.
The main focus of the book is the relationship that develops between the serial killer who kidnaps a girl and the estranged father who wants back in her life. For most of the book, you really cannot be certain if they are not the same person. By the time you figure it out, it is too late for anyone else to help.
It is a marvelous allegory that shows how much God loves us, and how far He is willing to go to save us, so that we can spend the rest of our lives with Him. It also goes to show how the depravity of Satan tries to infect us and lead us away from God and to the world. Dekker even goes so far as to spell it out as he goes along.
This book gets an 8.5. The best piece of Christian fiction I have ever spent time enjoying. This is going to make a great movie.
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"Human beings make life so interesting. Do you know that in a universe so full of wonders, they have managed to invent boredom? Quite astonishing..."
- Death (from the book "Hogfather" by Terry Pratchett)
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RE: Book Review - 6/25/2009 2:19:33 PM
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Auben
Posts: 1146
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
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A Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons by Robert Sapolsky
This is a memoir covering the 20 years the biologist and professor has spent in Kenya studying a troop of baboons for their reaction to stress and stress-induced illness. It's much more then that actually. It's a humorous and fascinating look at Africa. Its corruption. Its flexibility. Its kindness and humor. Sapolsky has a wry wit and is not afraid to skewer himself as well. The book is divided into parts. Descriptions of the soap opera lives of his baboon troop. Stories of hitching through Uganda, Zaire, Sudan, and Somalia during the late '70s. Dealings with the Masai, the agricultural tribes, 'old white hunters,' the park system. Finally dealing with his own feelings about field time vs. lab time and the final showdown with his baboon tribe.
The title of this memoir is purposely ambiguous. Sapolsky finds many parallels between his cruel and charming troop of baboons and the humans he knows (including himself) and he divides the book into the stages of baboon growth (youth, juvenile, adult) that he sees himself going through.
This book is very funny. When the situation is not funny Sapolsky is often poking fun at himself and his own reactions and misunderstandings. If you enjoy human foilbles this is a very entertaining book.
Be aware Sapolsky is a firm atheist and evolutionist. Sometimes it comes out a bit in his behavior (teasing the Masai by telling them baboons are their cousins and then humorously calling them fundamentalists by their response) but there is no preaching. He keeps the book light in tone and is self-deprecating enough about himself that the result is a very open, funny book.
Recommended to people interested in Africa, human foibles, and animals. You don't need a strong knowledge of science to enjoy.
Grade: 8.5
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Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: Book Review - 7/2/2009 10:40:24 AM
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Auben
Posts: 1146
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
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Savage Beauty: the Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Nancy Milford
An intimate biography of the famous poet of the '20s using her own letters and journals. A well-done biography, occasionally encompassing the author as well when she questions Millay's sister Norma and her husband Charlie to get their take on specific letters or situations. Millay is famous for her sonnets and her love affairs. She was raised in poverty in a broken home, wrote an award-winning poem at 20 which helped her get into Vassar, had affairs with both men and women, was an actress, lived the Bohemian life in Greenwich village, wrote plays, had an open marriage, wrote propaganda to influence US entrance into WWII, was an alcoholic, became addicted to Morphine after an accident.
I like Millay's poetry. She was a skilled sonnet writer and an interesting person but the overwhelming impression left by this novel was that Millay was a very self-involved person. She was often sick and liked to be taken care of (her husband Eugen was amazingly good at this which I think was the basis of their marriage). They had a very interesting co-dependent relationship. Milford does a good job showing this without over-explaining, although there are times she makes short judgements on Millay's other friends and lovers which seem far too related to her own positive feelings toward Millay.
Interesting.
Grade: 7.5...well done biography which gets repetitive in the second half as Millay experiences many illnesses and money problems. Lots of bohemian lifestyle stuff without being too descriptive (sexual affairs with both men and women, alcohol, drugs, etc).
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Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: Book Review - 7/7/2009 4:56:58 PM
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Auben
Posts: 1146
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
Status: offline
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Leaves from the Notebook of a Tamed Cynic by Reinhold Neibuhr
I'm not sure what I expected from this short book of journal entries from Neibuhr's time as a minister in Detroit. I guess I thought it would be dry and filled with theological or philosophical thoughts. Instead it was filled with short diary entries where he exposes his thoughts on social justice, people's shortcomings, the pitfalls of being a preacher, communication, his experience with WWI, etc. Instead of feeling dated (although there were some passages that were dated) or proud it was one of the most interesting and easily accessible religious books I've read in awhile.
For those that don't know of him, Niebuhr was a well-known theologian who dealt with politics and social justice in the middle of the 20th century. Leaves is one of those books that startled me by expressing things that I've seen or felt myself in the 21st century, trying to figure out the Iraqi war, attempting to understand people and myself. Niebuhr is droll, and a bit cynical, not the least about his own actions, but he's also hopeful and working toward growth and an understanding between people.
Very interesting.
Grade: I give it a 9, for relevance in my own life, as written perhaps more of an 8.
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Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: Book Review - 7/15/2009 11:46:01 AM
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Auben
Posts: 1146
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
Status: offline
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Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
This book covers a minor circus in the Great Depression through the eyes of it's vet. Not much new here. If you've seen the black and white movie of the period Freaks then you have an idea of the type of sex, violence, and adultery the author is going to pull up for these people on the fringe of society.
Lots of good research. Ending that didn't ring true and felt slapped on (probably more a result of Gruen's inexperience and her 'never know what's going to happen, try to make it positive' writing style). I enjoyed the narrator's story of his life as a 93 year old man, but others (like my husband) consistently skip those chapters as they have nothing to do with the more interesting story. Lots of unlikely things happen and I felt Walter's story was cut off without complete closure.
It was okay. I expect Gruen will do better in the future but this wouldn't be on my list of recommendations.
Grade: 5/10 graphic sex
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Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: Book Review - 7/28/2009 2:35:20 PM
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Auben
Posts: 1146
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
Status: offline
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Moloka'i by
Alan Brennert
An interesting story and piece of history about the infamous leper's island in Hawai'i.
Much to like. Good research. The author makes a good decision to bypass Moloka'i's Father Damien who would overshadow the experience of people on the island. My only dislike is that Brennert falls into the usual difficulty of historical novels...he makes the characters (at least the good ones) all reflect the ideas and sensibilities of our own times. As a student of history that always grates on me.
However, this is a fun book, at turns heartbreaking and endearing. I'd still recommend it as a fast summer read.
grade: 7/10
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Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: Book Review - 7/28/2009 2:58:27 PM
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Auben
Posts: 1146
Joined: 4/13/2005
From: Where pines tower and cranberries float
Status: offline
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The Big OverEasy by Jasper Fforde
More silliness from Fforde, author of The Eyre Affair and other literary crime novels. Follows Detective Jack Spratt and DC Mary Mary as they investigate the murder of Humpty Dumpty. Imagine a Hammett novel filled with nursery rhyme or other literary characters. Hilarious stuff. Ending twist took me by surprise. Light, fun.
Grade: 8..recommended for teens and up
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Tamara
~Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time~
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RE: Book Review - 8/8/2009 4:46:50 AM
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E_Lin
Posts: 1099
Joined: 9/14/2008
From: Cincinnati, OH
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Auben
The Big OverEasy by Jasper Fforde
More silliness from Fforde, author of The Eyre Affair and other literary crime novels. Follows Detective Jack Spratt and DC Mary Mary as they investigate the murder of Humpty Dumpty. Imagine a Hammett novel filled with nursery rhyme or other literary characters. Hilarious stuff. Ending twist took me by surprise. Light, fun.
Grade: 8..recommended for teens and up
If you liked that one don't miss out on "The Fourth Bear". It is the second of the Nursery Crimes series of books by Jasper Fforde, and I thought it was even funnier. And you learn a little more about Det. Jack Spratt.
_____________________________
"Human beings make life so interesting. Do you know that in a universe so full of wonders, they have managed to invent boredom? Quite astonishing..."
- Death (from the book "Hogfather" by Terry Pratchett)
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