The Master's Reliquary, Book One - The Man of Signs by Jim Dameron

Hello again, fellow book nerds!  Sorry to have been away for awhile.  Life has been hectic so I have fallen behind on my blogging, as per usual.  Excuses, excuses.  I know.  So let's jump right in, shall we? 

Tonight's blog will feature a book from a new author by the name of Jim Dameron.  The Master's Reliquary, Book One - The Man of Signs is set in the 5th century around about Scotland/Ireland.  We meet the hero of the novel, Brude, a monk in the Brotherhood of the Twelve Monastery.  Brude was a young orphan when the monastery took him in.  Even as a child, Brude found himself drawn to the heavy, beautifully carved reliquary (per Merriam-Webster, a container or shrine in which sacred relics are kept - don't worry, I had to look it up too) in the brotherhood's possession and in which they kept their sacred scriptures.  Unbeknowst to Brude, and I believe the entire Brotherhood, the reliquary was a product of Jesus' craftmanship back in his carpentry days.

Brude and a small group of other monks set out across the sea to a foreign land to spread the word of God.  Like every other Christian missionary expedition in history, not all the people they encounter are receptive.  But Brude and the other monks make some friends, thwart some attempts at war and eventually settle down and build a church in the foreign land.

The plot and premise behind the book is quite original, in my humble opinion.  In a sea of chick lit, crappy fantasy and spy novels, The Master's Reliquary defintely stands out.  I'm not sure I've ever seen, let alone read, a "historical fiction Christian" novel set in antient Ireland starring a huge monk covered in bad ass tattoos.  It's a first for me and I'm guessing you too. 

One thing that struck me about this book and in particular about the character of Brude, was the heavy Jesus imagery.  Dameron is clearly trying to draw a corrolary between the life of Jesus and this character.  Brude is a roaming preacher.  So was Jesus.  Brude rises from the dead (kinda).  So did Jesus.  Brude suffers some stigmata-type wounds.  Jesus invented them.  It's very heavy handed and a bit off-putting but not a deal killer.

All in all I would say this book was an enjoyable read.  A solid showing from a new author.  I'm going to give The Master's Reliquary three and a half bows. 

 It was an engaging and entertaining read and I look forward to the second book in the series - which I have already received from the publisher for review so stay tuned for that!  Until then, happy reading book nerds!

*In accordance with FTC guidelines, I must disclose that I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for a review posted here on my blog.

Dragon Stones - Book One of the Dragon Stone Saga by Kristian Alva

I'm not usually one to gravitate toward the fantasy genre. Nor do I read much YA (Young Adult). But I seem to be reading a little of both as of late. See here and here, respectively. Recently I finished a book that encompasses both genres: Dragon Stones - Book One of the Dragon Stone Saga by Kristian Alva.

Dragon Stones centers on the story of Elias, a boy of around 15 years old who lives with his grandmother in a land called Durn. Elias and his grandmother are both healers (a kind of herbal medicine doctor) as well as Mages (wizards).

In recent years, there was some political upheaval in Durn in which the reigning monarchy was overthrown by an evil usurper name Emperor Vosper. On a side note, for some reason every time I read the name "Emperor Vosper" I always pictured the following in my head:


Flash!  Ahhh Ahhh!

Anyway, Emperor Vosper has taken over control of Durn and is generally up to no good. The citizens are suffering and short of food. There's threat of retaliation if anyone says the wrong thing. It's your run of the mill despotism. But most notably, he's having all the dragons exterminated.

One day, while searching for herbs and such in the forest, Elias comes across a long hidden dragon stone. The dragon's magical power is all derived from a large gem-like stone located at it's throat. There are also dragon riders. These human dragon riders form an intense and life-long bond with their dragons. When a dragon accepts a rider, the dragon stone at its throat is divided in two. The dragon keeps half, naturally, and the rider takes the other half. Most riders wear the stone around their necks but some have the stones permanently implanted in their chests to symbolize the strength of their bond to the dragon. Once bonded, the dragon and rider are a kind of super hero duo, roaming the land righting wrongs and defeating evil.  Oh and the stones allow the dragon and rider to communicate telepathically. Sweet!

The stone Elias finds is a riders stone. Despite warnings from his grandmother, Elias is desperate to better their situation and takes the stone to a local merchant to sell. The merchant alerts the Emperor's goons and soon Elias is on the run.

Unlike other fantasy or YA books I've read, this one is heavy on both fronts. This is not fantasy light like A Game of Thrones. There's magic and dragons and elves, oh my. It's got it all. And the writing and themes are more in line with what I would expect from a YA novel, unlike The Hunger Games or The Book Thief.  Simple writing, nothing fancy, easy for younger readers to grasp.  And nothing too heavy in the way of violence or adult themes.

All in all, Dragon Stones it is a good solid YA fantasy novel.  You root for the good guys (Elias), and you root against the bad guys (Emperor Vosper - even though we don't officially meet him).  There are some plot turns regarding Elias' lineage that will keep you interested.  One gripe however:  the book is quite short and ends abruptly.  I know this is the first book in a forthcoming multi-book saga.  I know there is more to come.  Perhaps the first book could have been longer to better establish the plot and characters.  And perhaps the first book could have ended after more had happened, for lack of a better word.  It cuts off without anything all that significant occurring, which is good for future sales but leaves me feeling cheated on this book. 

That being said, I am going to give Dragon Stones by Kristian Alva three and half bows.  It was good, and as far as my limited knowledge of YA fantasy goes, unique.  But you all know how I hate a cliffhanger and this was the cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers.  That's all for now.  Until next time, fellow book nerds, happy reading!

*In accordance with FTC guidelines, I must disclose that I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for a review posted here on my blog.

Douchebag Roulette by Marie Simas

This book sounded really promising.  The title alone made me chuckle - Douchebag Roulette by Marie Simas.  Heh.  Douchebag.  One of my favorite words, in all it's variations.  The book was billed as a compilation of humor essays with mature humor and some sexual content.  Awesome!  Count me in!  I'm a big fan of the humor essay genre (see my much published love for David Sedaris) and I don't shy away from the raunchy.  I am no blushing schoolgirl.

The book arrived and much to my dismay, it was only 60 pages.  That's little more than a pamphlet.  There were a mere 11 essays included.  Some were as short as 2 pages long.  So my first thought was, "Why bother?"  Why bother with publishing such a small compilation?  Why not wait until you have more material to fill out the book?  But what do I know?  I'm not a published author.

And then I began reading the essays and I realized it wasn't just the book that wasn't fully developed.  None of the essays were fully fleshed out.  It was like the author had the bare bones of a story but never elaborated or created the depth needed to draw a reader in completely.  In my humble opinion, I feel she really could have benefited from a good writers workshop to bounce the stories off throughout the writing process.  (For those of you who may not be authors or English majors, writers workshops are groups of peers and/or writing professors to whom you read your work and they comment, criticize and suggest revisions as needed.)

As for the humor, some of the essays were mildly funny.  Some weren't funny at all.  Simas just appeared to be trying way too hard to be edgy or shocking.  Oooo, she's talking about one night stands and recreational drug use.  Shocking!  Oh no, she's had weird sexual encounters.  Appalling!  Meh.  It all just felt superficial and a bit disingenuous.  A post-Sex and the City tell-all that wasn't really telling anything all that interesting.

One story - the last story - called "Dirty Wal Mart Bingo" was the exception to the rest.  Genuinely funny with a heart warming final twist, the story almost redeemed the entire collection.  It left me with a positive outlook on the book but feeling cheated that the other stories weren't more like the last.

I'm going to give Douchebag Roulette by Marie Simas two bows.  It wasn't quite unreadable but it also wasn't good.  And at only 60 pages, I would be pissed if I had paid for it.  Which leads me to the following:   in accordance with FTC guidelines, I must disclose that I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for a review published on my blog.  That's all for tonight, fellow book nerds.  Until next time, happy reading!

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

OK, so I know I'm quite late to the scene on this series.  And I admit, I am a band-wagoner since the series premiered on HBO.  My friends Cam and Mike have been raving about the books for years.  But what can I say, Fantasy was never my go-to literary genre of choice. However, I'm the first to admit I'm wrong.

A Game of Thrones - Book One of A Song of Fire and Ice by George R.R. Martin is a sweeping medieval story of court intrigue, power struggles, family loyalty and yes, there are some supernatural creatures thrown in to keep it interesting and fantastical. 

We start with the family Stark in Winterfell which is located in the northern region of Westros.  Eddard (or Ned for short) is the lord of Winterfell and all of the northern realm.  The Hand of the King (a sort of vice-king of sorts) and Ned's best friend has just died and King Robert is currently making his way north from King's Landing to Winterfell to ask Ned to be the new Hand. 

I am going to stop right here and tell you I am not about to introduce each character.  There are way too many and their relationships are too intertwined and complex to accurately explain here.  My writers notebook really came in handy with this book.  I took extensive notes to keep everybody's story clear and separate in my mind.  But, to help us out a bit, Martin has included some reference material in the form of maps and family lineage.  I kept these pages bookmarked on my Nook throughout reading.  Also, the chapters are each written from one of the main character's POV (and titled with that characters name) so at least it's organized clearly.

Anywho, back to the story.  Ned reluctantly accepts King Robert's job offer and heads off to King's Landing with some of his children.  Not comfortable at court and too honorable to actively participate in the back-stabbing politics, Ned makes no friends and acquires some dangerous enemies in the form of the Lannister family - a rich and power family in charge of a southern realm of Westeros -  and most notably Cersei Lannister, King Robert's power hungry queen.

Meanwhile, across the Narrow Sea in the Free Cities, we meet Daenerys Targaryen and her brother Viserys.  The Targaryens were the ruling family prior to King Robert's war to win the Iron Throne.  The Targaryen king and most of his family were killed, but Daenerys and Viserys were able to escape with their mother.  The mother died giving birth to Daenerys. 



Daenerys - My favorite character. 
She may only be 13, but don't eff with her!



Khal Drogo - Yum!
And the actor is from Iowa!

Viserys is hell bent on reclaiming the Iron Throne.  To do this, he is selling his sister off to the leader of a barbarian horde by the name of Khal Drogo.  Drogo gets Daenerys for a wife, Viserys gets Drogo's army to reclaim the throne.  Except Viserys is a piss ant and not really suited for ruling anybody with his temper tantrums and foot stomping.  Oh and did I mention Daenerys is something like 13 years old.  They don't call him George "Rape Rape" Martin for nothing.

What unfolds from here is one of the richest, most complex pieces of literature I have ever encountered.  The world Martin creates is truly complex and imaginative.  I can only imagine the level of story-boarding and outlining that Martin had to do in order to create the world of Westeros and it's many characters.  And the series goes on for four more books!  That's mighty impressive.

As I've mentioned, the series is in the fantasy genre.  Although, I've heard it described as "fantasy-light".  When I think fantasy, I think of all those cheesy novels - 20 books to a series - with shadowy wizard characters or scantily clad witches or fairies on the cover.  Sort of the Harlequin Romance version of fantasy.  A Game of Thrones is really not that at all.  I can only think of a few details that would actually categorize it as fantasy.  Most notably there are the White Walkers/Others that live north of The Wall (seriously, I'm don't have the time to get into it).  And yes, there are dragons.  I guess a fantasy novel wouldn't be worth it's weight if there weren't dragons.  But they're extinct now.  Or are they...

A word of warning, without giving too much away, Martin is not afraid to kill off his characters so don't get too attached.  I've read stories of viewers angrily writing HBO declaring they would not continue watching the show after a certain character died.  Some of the character deaths are shocking and very unexpected.  But I like a book that can keep me on my toes.  Formulaic is boring.  And rest assured, he never kills off a character whose death isn't necessary to the story.  Small consolation, I know.

This book really got under my skin.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  The characters are deeply engaging and complex.  None are completely good and none are completely evil.  Some are tortured, some are honorable, some are loyal and all are power hungry.  To quote Cersei Lannister, "When you play the game of thrones, you either win or you die."  You said it, sister.

I have to give this one five bows. 

I couldn't put it down.  And unfortunately I have some other books I am obligated to read right now or I would be starting on the second book in the series.  On second thought, maybe I'll draw it out and read the second book just before the second season of the show starts.  That way I can spoil the story line for my husband again :)  Until next time fellow book nerds, winter is coming.  Err, um, I mean happy reading!

Releasing Gillian's Wolves by Tara Woolpy

The basic plot of Releasing Gillian's Wolves by Tara Woolpy is going to be familiar to you if you read the news.  Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Edwards, that pervert Anthony Weiner.  Ring a bell?  See where I'm going?

Our heroine, Gillian of the title, is a devoted housewife, mother of two adult children and wife to a cheating yet much loved US congressman.  Her husband's many affairs are no secret to her but she has chosen to turn a blind eye for the sake of her children, first and foremost, and for the the sake of her husband's career secondly.  The last thing she wants is her family's dirty laundry spread all over the newspapers and cable news shows.

But something snaps inside Gillian when she discovers a hotel key in her husband's jacket pocket one evening.  And a hunch leads her to discover her husband's newest lover is a twenty year old campaign volunteer.  Disgusted and finally fed up, Gillian decides that enough is enough.  It's time to start living life for herself rather than her husband.  And it's time to patch up the wounds her husband's ambition and infidelities have created in her family.

But why do those political wives stay?  Why do we always see them standing alongside their husbands smiling that tight stepford wife smile during those all too often press conferences.  The political husband was caught with a staffer, caught with a man, caught with a goat, whathaveyou.  Releasing Gillian's Wolves lets you in on a little of the "why".  Why?  Because it's often very complicated.  Would you rather live quietly separate yet together with your cheating husband or would you rather have your dirty laundry splashed all over the tabloids?  I can see now, a little, why they stay, especially when there are children involved.

Gillian's story is a story of redemption and courage.  50 years old and never having been on her own, she's scared to death of making a new life, let alone finding love again.  Having always lived your life for someone else, how do you even begin living it for yourself?  You'll cheer for Gillian as she finally stands up to her pig of a husband.  I did.  However, I have to admit, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.  Maybe it's from reading too much Lisa See and Anita Shreve but I was waiting for a tragedy to strike poor Gillian.  I was waiting for the evil husband to turn on her and make her life hell again.  I was pleased that that wasn't the case with Woolpy's story.  A happy ending is sometimes nice!

I'm going to give Releasing Gillian's Wolves four bows.  The subject matter was interesting and timely.  And it was a fast read.  Great pool reading material!  Happy reading, fellow book nerds!

*Please note, in accordance with FTC guidelines, I must disclose that I received this book for free from the author in exchange for a review published on my blog.  But you guys know me.  That didn't influence my opinion.  If I didn't like it, I'd let you know.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen

This is yet another book I picked up because the author was going to be speaking at a nearby college (my alma mater as a matter of fact).  Unfortunately, as so often happens, life got in the way and I was unable to attend the speaking engagement.  Which is regrettable as she has an interesting story and I believe I would have enjoyed listening to her.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress is a memoir of the author's life after her husband leaves her and she returns to her Mennonite parents house and community for an extended stay.  Janzen begins her story at the point where her life appears to be falling apart.  Her and her husband had just bought a giant, expensive lake-side home.  She had a complication-riddled hysterectomy (which she good-naturedly refers to as "The Year of the Pee Bag").  She was in a traumatic and life threatening car accident.  And, the icing on the cake, her husband leaves her for a man he met on a gay dating website (whom she hilariously refers to as "Bob the Guy" throughout the book).  Janzen takes a leave of absence from her job as a college English professor and returns to her parents home in California for a little R&R where she heals and reconnects with her Mennonite roots.

First I would like to say Mennonite does not equal Amish.  Funny.  I always thought it did and I spent the majority of the book in a state of confusion while the author spoke of her fondness for high heels and makeup and her family's cars and TVs and radios and such.  But she clears up the confusion in an appendix at the end of the book.  Apparently, Mennonites and Amish are similar but not the same, with the Amish actually beginning as an off shoot of the Mennonites because the Mennonites were getting a little too worldly. 

I have to hand it to Janzen.  She really pulls it together after so many bad things happen to her all at once.  And she does it with humor and grace.  I truly related to her story as I have had a string of misfortunes over the last few years and all I wanted to do was crawl in bed and stay there for the rest of my life.  I STILL feel that way sometimes.  And I can honestly say, I definitely don't have her courage to write a book about it.  So kudos to her.

As I've mentioned, the book is quite funny.  Janzen has a wonderfully charming, self-deprecating sense of humor that draws you in and makes you laugh out loud.  At one point she's musing about which clothing choices God would prefer, "shorts or jeans".  You gotta consider these things if you plan to go to heaven!

Janzen is admittedly a grammarian and vocab hound, as any multi-degreed English professor is wont to be.  So, that being said, get out your dictionaries, book nerds.  I have a dictionary app on my Blackberry and I used it often while reading this book.  She's better than word-a-day calendars.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit.  It was a light-hearted and funny read and I would definitely recommend it.  And best of all, she provides a Mennonite recipe section at the end of the book including some of her family's best loved dishes.  Some really sound delicious and I would love to try them out soon.  For this, I am going to give Mennonite in a Little Black Dress four bows. Check it out.  It's a fun read.  And until next time, happy reading!

The Arabian Nights by Anonymous

I recently came across this book in my local Half Price Books.  As I was giving the book a quick look over (as you often do in bookstores when trying to decide whether to buy a book or not), I couldn't remember whether this was another one of those books that I actually read or simply read about.  I'm still not sure as the stories were familiar yet not familiar.  Or perhaps my only recollection is from childhood memories of watching Bugs Bunny's 1001 Arabian Nights.  Can't be sure.



That Wascally Wabbit

Regardless, The Arabian Nights (or sometimes also referred to as 1001 Arabian Nights) is a collection of folk tales and fables set in the Middle East.  Think Grimm's Fairy Tale only set in the desert with genies and sultans.  It appears the fables have been passed down orally from generation to generation and eventually recorded for posterity, hence the Anonymous author.

We begin with the story of Scheherazade and the Sultan Shahriar.  The Sultan's first wife conspired against him making the Sultan distrustful of all women.  He vowed to marry a new woman every day and then have that wife strangled first thing the next morning.  It is unclear whether she got to have her Cheerios first or not.  This was the Sultan's solution for keeping his wife from committing treason against him.

It was the Sultan's right-hand-man, the Grand Vizier's, responsibility to bring the Sultan a new wife daily.  One day the grand Vizier's daughter, Scheherazade, presumably tired of losing all her friends to the Sultan, went to her father and asked to be submitted to the Sultan as a wife.  Understandably, the Grand Vizier was reluctant to hand his beautiful and intelligent daughter over to the Sultan to kill after one night of marriage.  But fear not.  Scheherazade had a plan.  The next morning, Scheherazade began telling the Sultan elaborate and interwoven stories in the hopes that she would entertain him enough that he would want to keep her around.  The stories she tells the Sultan are the stories of The Arabian Nights.

The stories are beautiful and exotic, like nothing I've ever read before, with flowery language and turns of phrase.  Although it does have a bit of a formal and stilted cadence that can become tiresome.  The stories are all different with different characters, and it sometimes becomes difficult to keep track of who's telling the story since there are quite a few stories within stories.  But they bring it back around to Scheherazade at the end to tie it up nicely.

On the other hand, the stories are quite sexist and violent.  The characters are quick to murder those who wrong or hinder them, as evidenced by the above story.  And the women are often portrayed as deceitful and evil.  Right out of the gate on page 8, the Sultan Shahriar says he "believed all women to be naturally treacherous" and therefore not to be trusted.  Sheesh.  One woman conspires against him and all of sudden we're all branded as traitors.  Yet, nobody ever said fairy tales (wherever they come from) are politically correct.  People are always conspiring and killing and doing all manner of evil.    Truthfully, none of them should be told to children.

I think I will give The Arabian Nights three bows.

It was a fun read yet not memorable.  Due to the short story form, it would be good for those times when your attention span isn't that long and you can put it down and pick it back up at any time without having to remember the storyline or plot.

Until next time fellow book nerds, happy reading!

OLD BOOKS!

Look what arrived on my doorstep Saturday morning! A box full of old, musty books!



Behold!  Old books!

I found this lot of about 40 vintage books on Ebay and was actually able to win the auction for a fair and reasonable price. I'm not on Ebay much but I'm a bit afraid I may now be hooked. They range in age anywhere from the late 1800's to the 1950's and appear to be in excellent condition. A couple are in French which I find cool as hell. Below are a couple of my favorites from the lot.



It's "Profusely" Illustrated!



My husband did not think this an appropriate cover picture for 'Uncle Tom's Cabin".

I don't fancy myself a true antiquarian...yet. I don't know which books are truly rare and which are just old. And I don't know the different condition ratings and standards for aged books. But I do know I love books and I know that I believe old books are beautiful and should be treasured and protected.

I have a small but growing library - mostly just books I've read over the years, starting from my childhood. But I've picked up some old books here and there at antique stores and estate auctions. I have a love for all antiques - furniture, glassware, vintage jewelry and clothing and yes, books.  I always say I would have been much better suited having been born either in the Victorian era or the 1930s or 40s.   

My library.  Ruined by my husband's hunting decor.

However, recently I met a woman who is a true antiquarian and her friendship has definitely piqued my interest in vintage book collecting and preservation. Her and her husband boast a collection of over 100,000 books, if my memory is correct.  They have travelled all over the world collecting rare, old books.  They remodelled their turn-of-the-century farmhouse for the express purpose of storing and showcasing their book collection where every available wall and surface contains bookshelves or storage cases.  Yet, still they have to keep a large portion in storage due to lack of room.  Their collection contains books as small as your pinkie nail and as tall your hips.  And her and her husband give lectures on their collection as well as antique book collecting in general.  Needless to say, I am absolutely dying to get a foot in her house and take a good look at her collection.  Unfortunately - yet understandably - they guard their collection closely and don't let many people in their house.  Frowny face.

I don't believe I'll ever have a collection as large or awe inspiring as hers.  But I can have this small, yet growing collection of my own.  Now, where to put them?

War of the eReaders - Part 2

First I would like to extend a warm welcome to my new friends and followers from the Book Blogs forum. I look forward to chatting, networking, and most of all, reading all your wonderful book blogs, in the near future. Thanks for stopping by!

Now, on to business!

As some of you may or may not remember, some time ago, I posted about a decision I had been pondering for some time: whether or not I should purchase an ereader; and if I did, which brand would be the right one for me. I was hesitant to purchase one because I was unwilling to give up my physical books and I love collecting, sorting and organizing my books in my small yet growing personal library. However, the ease of carrying around an ereader (as opposed to a physical book), especially when travelling, as well as the instant gratification of being able to download a book whenever the fancy strikes were tempting considerations.

As luck would have it, my decision was made for me when my friend and fellow blogger, Mike, alerted me to a sale of refurbished Nooks at the Barnes & Noble Ebay store. Purchasing a refurb was another apprehension I quickly got over. Buying a used anything makes me nervous, especially when it comes to electronics. Also, I'm a germ-a-phobe and I couldn't be sure what lude and disgusting acts the previous owners had been preforming with my Nook. Mike assured me that certified refurb electronics were perfectly fine, and in some cases better than new for the mere fact that the device had actually been turned on and inspected for defects prior to resale. I was, however, advised not to lick it when I received it in the mail :) Wise and sage advice, Gubby!



My Nook arrived and I immediately downloaded a couple free books just to test it out and get the ball rolling. A word of warning, although the Barnes & Noble free book selection is extensive, it's not exactly high quality. There are some good books offered in there but you have to wade through piles of erotica and religious lit to find them. Strange combination, I know. I quickly graduated from free books to paying for a couple. Barnes & Noble makes it ever so easy. They keep your credit card on file for you and everything so it's not even like you are spending money when you download a book. How nice of them, right?

The gadgets on the Nook, I have to admit, are awesome, although I am sure they are not exclusive to only the Nook. I am loving both the "Look Up Word" and the "Find" features. The Nook contains a full dictionary so when you come across an unfamiliar word you simply click "look up" and the Nook pulls up the word's definition. And the find feature does just that: type in a word and the Nook will find all other instances of that word in the book. It's a handy feature for the book I am currently reading, Game of Thrones by George RR Martin which contains many different characters, some of which I need to be reminded of who they are and how they fit in the story. Also handy for such a book is the "bookmark" feature. Game of Thrones has some reference material at both the beginning and the end of the book that is handy to refer to throughout reading. I simply assigned a bookmark to both sections and can flip to either with just a click. But enough about Game of Thrones. I will be blogging on it soon enough.

I have to say, I am enjoying my new Nook and believe I would recommend it, or any ereader, to anyone. Now, I'm not saying I'm going to give up my real books. No way, no how. But it's a fun alternative and will come in very handy for travel.

Bad Girls of the Bible by Liz Curtis Higgs

I recently signed up for Blogging For Books. It is a website for Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing that provides free books to bloggers in exchange for an honest review posted on our respective blogs. Free books, people! Hells yes!

My first book arrived in the mail a few weeks ago, much to my giddy excitement. When you sign up, you are asked to provide your reading interests and your provided selection of books to review is then based off these interests. I chose all but a few categories, which probably wasn't smart. When I logged in to chose my first book, the only options given to me were religious and inspirational selections. I enjoy reading religious history, especially Catholic history as I am a newly minted Catholic myself. However, these selections were not religious history. They were mostly of the "how to live a godly life" or "chick in a bonnet and prairie dress on the cover" variety. You know the type I'm talking about. I know now that I need to narrow my selected interests to a few top categories in order to be provided with a selection that actually fits my interests. We live and we learn, I guess. I'm hopeful the selection will be better the second time around.

So, of all the religious fluff that was provided to me, I chose the one that I thought would be the most interesting. It sounded fun, gossipy and dishy. I chose Bad Girls of the Bible by Liz Curtis Higgs. The cover, as you can see, sports a picture of just the eyes of a heavily made-up woman throwing us a come-hither glance. Racy! Provocative! Captivating! Nope, not so much. It turned out to be your run-of-the-mill preachy bullshit.

We start with Eve, whom the author describes as "the original bad girl". Eve's major sin was eating the apple of the Tree of Knowledge despite God having told her not to. We move on to other bad girls such as Lot's wife who was turned into a pillar of salt for turning around for one last look of Sodom and Gomorrah as her and her family fled it's destruction; Sapphira was dropped dead because her and her husband failed to donate all the proceeds from a sale of their farmland to the local religious leaders; and of course, Jezebel, the Big Kahuna of bad girls.

For each story, the author kindly points out each woman's sins and how we can learn from them today. That's all fine and good. The Bible is good for that, after all. But when the author tells us that the lessons we can take away from the story of Potiphar's Wife (who attempted to lure Joseph and, presumably his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, into an affair with her) are to"leave the office door open when we meet with a male coworker" or "make sure we are appropriately dressed" (actual quotes, page 59) to protect ourselves from committing adultery. You know what, screw you lady! I can talk to whomever, wherever I like. I can wear whatever I like. You know why? Because I'm an adult and I have self control over my primal urges. My virtue should not be so easily questioned. And men's virtue should not be so easily questioned, either. She is suggesting that all men and just waiting for a closed door or a short skirt as an invitation to jump me. I would like to think not, in this day and age. And if so, then you are associating with the wrong people, young lady!

Needless to say, the book did not suit my feminist tastes. If you're a man who likes to put your woman in her place, or you are a woman who enjoys being put in your place, this is the book for you. You will get all the ammunition in the world for why women are the downfall of society and humankind. If you are an intelligent human being, then take a pass on this one. No bows today for Bad Girls of the Bible. It was complete and udder crap. Thank god it was free. Here's to hoping my next Blogging for Books selection is much better.

Oh and in accordance with FTC guidelines I must disclose that "I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review." So there.

Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

OK, I originally picked up this book when I heard the author, Julie Powell, was going to be in town for a speaking engagement. I love going to author engagements but thought I had better actually have read something of hers first if I was going to hear her speak. I had seen the movie starring Amy Adams and Merle Streep (numerous times as anyone with a Starz subscription can attest) but picked up the book nonetheless. As it turned out, I was unable to attend Ms. Powell's speaking engagement due to a nasty cold and the fact that it was the same night as the Oscars (I wasn't attending, sadly, but I do watch faithfully each year). I was originally going to write about her speaking engagement in combination with the book but, I'll go ahead and tell you about the book anyway.

Julie & Julia is basically Julie Powell's blog in book form. Powell was an office drone in Manhattan, unhappy with her lot in life. Stuck in a rut, nearing her thirtieth birthday, Powell decides to make a change in her life and start a blog (this was in 2002 in the very early days of blogging; not everyone and their dog had one then) in which she would chronicle her attempts to cook her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. 524 recipes in 365 days. A tall feat by anyone's standards.

Powell cooks, she burns dishes, she tries new and unusual foods, she drinks - a lot - and she becomes quite the blogging sensation. She quickly amasses a very devoted following who all urge her on to meet her deadline and finish the project. By the end of the project, Powell has an offer to turn her blog into a book and she is able to quit her office drone job and become a full time writer. Mission accomplished!

Powell definitely has an entertaining, conversational voice that makes for easy reading. I mean, this isn't Milan Kundera by any means. But she's funny and self deprecating and that makes for a fun, fast read. She does have a tendency to wander off on tangents often - a trait I found distracting and something I thought a good editor would have been able to fix. It's almost as if she has ADD and loses track of what story she was telling, flitting from one thought to the next without warning. She eventually makes it back around to her original point but by the time she does, you've forgotten what her original point was.

Unfortunately, Powell is also a bit whiny and self absorbed. And her husband, Eric, deserves a medal for putting up with her throughout her "year of cooking dangerously". My reasons for this statement are thus: 1) how they didn't end up declaring bankruptcy after buying all the specialty ingredients, utensils and implements required for these dated French dishes is beyond me; 2) they often didn't eat until after 10:00 at night due to the complexity of the dishes (something that absolutely would not fly with my husband who requires sustenance on a very regular schedule); and 3) the project, and subsequently the blog, took over her life with very little room for anything else. It takes a big person to take a back seat for a whole year, and for that I give Eric Powell props.

The book was a fun, mindless read but now, a month after finishing it, I've found I've forgotten most of the details of the book - at least those that weren't covered in the movie. And I have also come to the conclusion that, although I really enjoyed the movie, after reading the book, the parts I enjoyed most were the parts about Julia Child. She was a fascinating woman and I now realize instead of reading Julie & Julia I should have just read a Julia Child biography. For this I am going to give Julie & Julia two and a half bows. It really was meh. I didn't hate it but it didn't move me or stick with me in any way. You may have a different opinion. Tell me what you thought of the book below in the comments section. And until next time, happy reading everyone!

Mockingay by Suzanne Collins

I would first like to apologize (again) for my recent absence. Some of you, or none of you, or all two of you may know that by day I am an accountant. And you may know that this time of year can be very busy for accountants, especially if the company you work for nearly doubled in size at the first of the year. So, now that I am no longer working 60 hour weeks, I can get back to entertaining all you book nerds. Or boring you. Whichever.

ONCE AGAIN SPOILERS, SPOILERS, SPOILERS!!!!! DON'T CONTINUE READING IF YOU PLAN TO READ ANY OF THE HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY BOOKS!!!!

As promised however long ago my last post was, tonight I will review Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - the third and last book in her Hunger Games trilogy. (That sounds stupid since a third book in a trilogy is, by definition, the last book but I don't care.) I actually finished this book quite a while ago (see previous comment about being a busy accountant in order to afford my pricey book habit) so let's see if I can recall accurately my feelings and opinions on the book. Feel free to reread my previous posts on the first two books here and here as a kind of refresher course. As you may remember, I gave both books a perfect five bows so the final book had a lot to deliver.

We pick up Mockingjay exactly where Catching Fire left off. (And yes, I just realized that underlining book titles, rather than italicizing, is actually the grammatically correct way of writing about a book. It's never too late to improve upon ones self, I always say.) Katniss and a few of her fellow tributes have been saved by being snatched up out of the arena by a rebel hovercraft. While the 75th Hunger Games progressed, it appears a revolution in the districts was brewing. And everyone but Katniss was in on it. It also turns out that the once believed destroyed district 13 is actually thriving and spearheading the revolution from their massive underground lair. War against The Capitol has broken out and Katniss was saved from the arena for the explicit purpose of becoming the face of the revolution.

Peeta was not so lucky. The Capitol kidnapped him and began using him in televised interviews to plead with the rebels to call off the revolution. And to counteract Katniss' televised pirated rebel PSAs. Everyone was relieved to see a healthy Peeta in the interviews, however, it all appeared a sham once the rebels snuck in to The Capitol and kidnapped him back. Peeta was malnourished and had been brainwashed to kill Katniss on site - something he very nearly succeeds in doing on their first reunion.

With her one true comforting presence programmed to kill her, a nagging distrust of the district 13 leaders and the fate of the country literally on her shoulders, will Katniss Everdeen ever liberate Panem and more importantly liberate herself from her haunting memories? Read the book to find out, but I have to warn you: you may not be satisfied with the outcome. I know I wasn't.

I've said it a number of times: this book had a lot to live up to. The first two were exotic thrill rides that kept you on the edge of your seat wanting more. However, the trilogy had to come to an end and I believe Collins may have had a hard time coming up with a suitable ending and, in my humble opinion, she took the easy way out. (Read the book to see what I mean.) It's not closed out with a nice and tidy happy ending. Yet, neither does the shit hit the fan. I believe she tried to straddle the fence to please everyone rather than provide an ending that may have been richer and more true to the nature of the story and characters.

One very interesting theme Collins tackles in this book, more so than the previous two, is the nature of power and the motivations behind those with the power. Revolutions can be a tricky business. Just ask Egypt and Lybia. When you oust an oppressive governing body, there's no guarantee what you get in its place is going to be any better. Castro promised all kinds of wonderful freedoms and joys for the people of Cuba when he took power from Batista in 1959. We all know how that turned out. It's been recited a billion times: "If we don't study history, we are bound to repeat it." Collins does an excellent job of illustrating this point. And it's quite depressing, actually. There is no such thing as a completely corruption-free government. That's not really a rosy view of society or human nature in general.

I'm going to have to give Mockingjay four bows this time. It really was chugging along, exciting and engaging just like the previous two books, right up until the last chapter. And then it's like Collins just gave up and tacked an ending on. Frustrating, to say the least. But it was still a good read. And I am still uber-stoked for the movie that's in the works. It sounds like the leading contender to play Katniss is Jennifer Lawerence of Winter's Bone. I am praying this come to fruition as Ms. Lawerence seems to have been born to play Katniss. Beautiful yet feisty and athletic. (And by the way, see Winter's Bone immediately if you haven't done so already. You won't regret it.) Now let's just hope they don't cast that Twilight douche as Peeta or Gale.

In housekeeping news, I am WAAAAYYYY behind on my blogging. I have two finished books waiting in queue on which to write about and a number of tasty articles and such to talk about. So I hope to been around much more often in the coming weeks. And until then, happy reading everyone!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Tonight's book was a recommendation from a woman at work who described it as the most beautiful book she had ever read. When someone describes a book to you in such a way, you just have to read it so I ran right out that evening and bought it. More on that description later...

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is another young adult novel set in Nazi Germany right smack in the middle of World War II and the Holocaust. Once again, I would never have known this was a young adult novel had that not been the section in which I found it in the book store.

One of the most interesting and unique aspects of this book is that it is narrated by Death. Yeah, this guy:

Although, in the book, he claims to not look like this at all. Which begs the question: what does Death look like? Hopefully, he looks like Michael Fassbender. That way, maybe I'll be more apt to follow him when my time comes. Yum.

Anywho, back to The Book Thief. As I said above, Death narrates this story - the story of Liesel Meminger, the book thief of the title. When Death first encounters Liesel, she is on a train with her mother and brother on their way to a suburb of Munich, Germany. Death is there to take Liesel's little brother. Unfortunately for Liesel, not only has she just lost her little brother but she is also on her way to Munich to be delivered to foster parents. Luckily for Liesel, her foster parents are good, kind people and she soon begins to flourish in her new home. Liesel makes friends and plays soccer but her real joy is reading - something she wasn't able to do when she arrived in Munich but her new foster father was happy to teach her. Her passion for books extends not only to reading books but also stealing them, as the title implies, sometimes from the bottom of a Nazi book burning pile.

This book presents a unique perspective on the WWII genre - at least one unique to me. Most WWII novels I've read are from the Allied Forces or conquered counties' point of view. Seldom have I seen the story told from the plain old German citizens point of view. Not all Germans were Nazis. Not all swallowed the propaganda unquestioningly. And those German citizens lived in just as much fear as the rest of the world. Scared they would make one wrong step and the Nazis would come knocking on their doors.

And not only were these innocent Germans terrorized by the Nazis, they were also terrorized by the Allied bombing raids. Some of the most powerful and haunting scenes in this book are the scenes of Liesel and her family, friends and neighbors clinging to each other in basement bomb shelters during Allied bombing raids. People running from their homes in the middle of the night with only their most precious belongs that they could carry. Liesel, of course, carried her books to the shelters, where she calmed everyone by reading to them.

Zusak's choice as Death for the narrator seemed a bit unnecessary to me. It appeared as if he was trying too hard to make his novel unique and inventive. I mean, I understand his choice. A lot of deaths happened in and because of Nazi Germany at that time in history and presumably, Death was a first hand witness to them all. But it felt like Zusak was just trying too hard.

Another area where it felt like the author was trying too hard was in his writing style and choice of words and literary devices. My coworker described this as "the most beautiful book" she had ever read. I agree. It is beautiful (although I may not classify it as the most beautiful book I've ever read). However, it's also a little much. A little much with the metaphors, a little much with the descriptions and a little much with the flowery words. At one point, the narrator (Death) describes the sun as "breakfast colored". What does that even mean? It's the color of a sunny-side-up egg? Another: "Her wrinkles were like slander?" Huh!?!? The book is full of them.

But, BUT, sometimes the author gets it right and it is beautiful. Some of the best includes scenes when Death gingerly and sweetly comes for the souls of the dead. "Who was there to sooth him as life's rug was snatched from under his sleeping feet? No one. There was only me. And I'm not too great at that sort of comforting thing, especially when my hands are cold and the bed is warm. I carried him softly through the broken street, with one salty eye and a heavy, deathly heart. With him, I tried a little harder." Awww. Death has a heart. Sweet and touching.

I heard this book described somewhere else as "experimental literature". I'm not sure what that means exactly but it does seem to fit somehow. It's lovely and picturesque. It's profuse and showy. It's touching and heart warming. It's bleak and depressing. And it's unlike any other book I've ever read. I'm going to give it four bows. The good more than makes up for the pointless. It's not a feel good story so if you're looking for a happy ending, this isn't your book. (And really, if you're looking for a happy ending, you shouldn't be reading a book about the Holocaust in the first place.) But it's a good read that will provide you with an interesting look at WWII through the eyes of the German citizens.

On to some housekeeping business: this post took me a good two weeks of beginning, starting over and stalling. It's a tough book to describe. And because of that, I have a bit of a back log in posts. Next up will be the third and final book in the Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay. So stay tuned for that. And after that will be the third and final book in the Millennium trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest. So, until next time, happy reading everyone!