Step on a Crack by James Patterson was a quick read and the lead character Michael Bennett is a breath of fresh air--a NYPD detective who actually isn't the job. Alex Cross is the reason I began reading James Patterson books in the first place, and the Women's Murder Club series kept me interested in his books with their camaraderie. Those characters forsake their families, lovers, and friends for the sake of catching the bad guy and making the big arrest, but Mike Bennett is different. His wife is his center and the kids are hers, but the job still takes precedence most of the time. When it counts and when he is needed at home, he's there for the kids. Don't get me wrong, you know the main point of the books is the suspense and the unraveling of the crime at hand, but the emotions of the characters need to develop beyond surface dedication to the family and the job.
Mike Bennett is a well developed character who made me hope along with him that his wife would not die, and strive to solve the successful kidnapping, though he was distracted. He held fast against the anguish in his heart to pump up the spirits of his brood and still remain dedicated to tracking down the hijackers. There were several points near the end of the book where my emotions nearly burst forth through my eyes as the unthinkable happened.
***spoiler ALERT**
He held his dying wife in his arms at the end of her life just after failing to take down the hijackers and discover their true identities. Her life slipped away quietly in the hospital room.
This was the one and only time I have seen Patterson take a leap and kill off a character he incited readers to believe would make it in the spirit of Christmas and rebirth. Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed, but I think the loss may strengthen the drive of Mike Bennett should Patterson choose to create yet another detective series.
***End Spoiler***
While of late I have had a hard time keeping interested in James Patterson books because he puts so many of them out per year, with dare I say not so captivating prose in many cases, Step on a Crack held my attention and made me wonder what will happen next for the main character and his Irish brood.
Sep 20, 2007
Sep 17, 2007
Princess of the Oddballs
Queen of the Oddballs by Hillary Carlip takes the reader into her past with all of its quirky star sightings, stalkings, and encounters. Those are just the tidbits to entice you into her journey of self-discovery. From her obsessions with famous women, like Carly Simon and Carole King, to her obsessions with becoming famous as a jailbird rockstar she invented, Carlip revisits her inner demons of low self-esteem. The year-on-year lists of events in the outer social world preceding each chapter are a great trip down memory lane.
The antics in her teen years with fire-eating and juggling are hilarious. Her alternative lifestyle in the book has less to do with her sexual orientation than it does with her ability to stick to her convictions and achieve the near impossible, like writing scripts and getting them made into films and plays. Her first book, Girl Power, made it to the Oprah show--and much like my dreams and many others--the actual experience did not reach her expectations. I imagine being on the Oprah show with my first book, sitting on stage with Oprah herself, who will gush over my fiction work. Now, that I've read Queen of the Oddballs I know that there could be an alternate ending to that fantasy--one in which I am in the audience and others are asked questions about the book and their contributions while I sit in the audience and stare, appalled. Ok, so I would not be writing a memoir or nonfiction piece, but it could happen with a fiction novel.
Overall, this is a quick read and entertaining beyond anyone's expectations. I had a great time reading this book and getting to know the author, Hillary Carlip. This was a great recommendation from my friend Sarah.
The antics in her teen years with fire-eating and juggling are hilarious. Her alternative lifestyle in the book has less to do with her sexual orientation than it does with her ability to stick to her convictions and achieve the near impossible, like writing scripts and getting them made into films and plays. Her first book, Girl Power, made it to the Oprah show--and much like my dreams and many others--the actual experience did not reach her expectations. I imagine being on the Oprah show with my first book, sitting on stage with Oprah herself, who will gush over my fiction work. Now, that I've read Queen of the Oddballs I know that there could be an alternate ending to that fantasy--one in which I am in the audience and others are asked questions about the book and their contributions while I sit in the audience and stare, appalled. Ok, so I would not be writing a memoir or nonfiction piece, but it could happen with a fiction novel.
Overall, this is a quick read and entertaining beyond anyone's expectations. I had a great time reading this book and getting to know the author, Hillary Carlip. This was a great recommendation from my friend Sarah.
Sep 12, 2007
As Promised...Carol Dine Poem Review
Trying to Understand the Lunar Eclipse by Carol Dine has a number of vivid poems within its pages. "Hurricane, Megansett Harbor" espouses eerie and lasting sounds that echo in the reader's ears. The hurricane is heard and felt, and my favorite image in the poem is "We can smell it/deep in our throats,/wet and panting,/its mouth wide open"
The eye of the hurricane is wide and the wet rains pour down on the ship as it cruises through the waves with its passengers huddled inside. This poem brings me back to New England, and the summer storm season. Hurricane season on the Atlantic coast runs from June through November, so you can imagine how many tropical storms and hurricanes can form in a given season. While each storm has its unique characteristics and strengths, the experience of surviving or living through a hurricane is unique to each person. This is the the opener of the poetry book. What a way to start off the book. Way to go Carol.
Stay tuned for another installment of poetry reviews from this book until I finish the memoir and Patterson novel I am reading.
The eye of the hurricane is wide and the wet rains pour down on the ship as it cruises through the waves with its passengers huddled inside. This poem brings me back to New England, and the summer storm season. Hurricane season on the Atlantic coast runs from June through November, so you can imagine how many tropical storms and hurricanes can form in a given season. While each storm has its unique characteristics and strengths, the experience of surviving or living through a hurricane is unique to each person. This is the the opener of the poetry book. What a way to start off the book. Way to go Carol.
Stay tuned for another installment of poetry reviews from this book until I finish the memoir and Patterson novel I am reading.
Sep 11, 2007
Remember the Blood Books
As you will recall from the last post, I ordered volume 2 in the Blood Books by Tanya Huff to complete my little collection. Well suffice to say, the bookstore called to say the book was in and ready to be picked up. I headed to the bookstore and picked up the book. Got home with the book only to realize they ordered me Volume 1 and not Volume 2, like I had expected. I have to now wait another week for the correct book to come in and then complete and even exchange. UGH.
Sometimes incompetence just astounds me, particularly when the person ordering the book for me saw that I was purchasing Volumes 1 and 3 that day! Ridiculous.
The other part of the bookstore trip was to purchase my mother's latest James Patterson book, You've Been Warned with my 40% off coupon. At least that part of the trip went well.
Next post will be a review of one of the books I am currently reading; have no fear.
Sometimes incompetence just astounds me, particularly when the person ordering the book for me saw that I was purchasing Volumes 1 and 3 that day! Ridiculous.
The other part of the bookstore trip was to purchase my mother's latest James Patterson book, You've Been Warned with my 40% off coupon. At least that part of the trip went well.
Next post will be a review of one of the books I am currently reading; have no fear.
Sep 7, 2007
A Trip to the Bookstore...
One of my friends at work asked me for a reference on his job search, and I thought nothing of it. Soon he announced he was leaving for another firm, and thanked me for my reference with a giftcard to Borders. Being the bookworm that I am, I headed to the bookstore several times with good intentions of finding some new reading material to keep me occupied.
Finishing Places in the Bone, had me hankering for another memoir, and thankfully, my friend Sarah out in Iowa had just the book. Queen of the Oddballs by Hillary Carlip is a hilarious memoir of someone I barely know. This was my first mission at the bookstore yesterday...to find a copy of this book. Upon securing the last copy of the memoir, I set about another task, finding the Blood Books by Tanya Huff. Mind you at the time of my search, I could not remember the author's name, nor the titles of the books. All I could remember was they books were the basis of a Lifetime show, Blood Ties. I tried just looking for the books in the horror section; then I attempted to check out the mystery/suspense section; little did I know that she is considered a fantasy author. I headed back to the information desk and put in my keywords: vampire (too many results), blood ties (too many books not related to the show), and finally private investigator and vampires (eureka it worked!). Again, the search computer told me that one volume was "likely" in the store, while another volume you had to reserve, and the last volume was "on order." Lo and behold, the information desk staffwoman came to my rescue and brought me over to the fantasy section where we located volumes 1 and 3; I had to order volume 2. You would think that the search for books would be over. But no.
I had three books, two of them cheaper paperbacks, a 30% off coupon, and an urge to find more vampires. Eclipse, which is a recent book from Stephenie Meyer, peaked my interest, but again it was the third in a series. I began to hunt. We found the second book in the series, New Moon, right away. But the first book in the series eluded me. Perhaps again because I assumed it was a horror novel. I am full of misconceptions.
It is actually a young adult series, which is where the information desk staffwoman led me to find Twilight.
Suffice to say, I did not leave with 6 books, but with four. I got 30 percent off oddballs, and the others were inexpensive enough that my giftcard covered a majority of the costs. Yeah for me.
Finishing Places in the Bone, had me hankering for another memoir, and thankfully, my friend Sarah out in Iowa had just the book. Queen of the Oddballs by Hillary Carlip is a hilarious memoir of someone I barely know. This was my first mission at the bookstore yesterday...to find a copy of this book. Upon securing the last copy of the memoir, I set about another task, finding the Blood Books by Tanya Huff. Mind you at the time of my search, I could not remember the author's name, nor the titles of the books. All I could remember was they books were the basis of a Lifetime show, Blood Ties. I tried just looking for the books in the horror section; then I attempted to check out the mystery/suspense section; little did I know that she is considered a fantasy author. I headed back to the information desk and put in my keywords: vampire (too many results), blood ties (too many books not related to the show), and finally private investigator and vampires (eureka it worked!). Again, the search computer told me that one volume was "likely" in the store, while another volume you had to reserve, and the last volume was "on order." Lo and behold, the information desk staffwoman came to my rescue and brought me over to the fantasy section where we located volumes 1 and 3; I had to order volume 2. You would think that the search for books would be over. But no.
I had three books, two of them cheaper paperbacks, a 30% off coupon, and an urge to find more vampires. Eclipse, which is a recent book from Stephenie Meyer, peaked my interest, but again it was the third in a series. I began to hunt. We found the second book in the series, New Moon, right away. But the first book in the series eluded me. Perhaps again because I assumed it was a horror novel. I am full of misconceptions.
It is actually a young adult series, which is where the information desk staffwoman led me to find Twilight.Suffice to say, I did not leave with 6 books, but with four. I got 30 percent off oddballs, and the others were inexpensive enough that my giftcard covered a majority of the costs. Yeah for me.
Sep 4, 2007
Good News
As some of you already know, I have published poetry in online journals and print journals alike, but I have now branched out into photography. My first photo, In Flight, is published online in the Sept./Oct. Issue of All Things Girl.
I encourage all readers to check it out. I'm very excited as you can tell. I will have another photo in their upcoming issue for Nov./Dec. as well. I'll remind everyone once the issue is online.
I encourage all readers to check it out. I'm very excited as you can tell. I will have another photo in their upcoming issue for Nov./Dec. as well. I'll remind everyone once the issue is online.
Sep 3, 2007
Places in My Bones...
Though I have not had cancer or breast cancer for that matter, it probably would seem odd that a memoir about a cancer survivor would get to me that much, but it did. I may not have cried while reading the book, but Carol Dine's Places in the Bone reaches into the soul of the reader and pulls at the heart strings and a number of other senses through poetry, journal entries, and prose.
This book is not only a journey through her cancer ordeal, but also through her familial struggles with her father and mother. The distance between her sister and herself as a result of these struggles and how she copes. I have one of her poetry books slated on my to read list, but this memoir gives the reader a clear perspective on how these struggles infuse her poetry with palpable imagery and insight. For example, "When the heel of my father's hand/pounds my back,/I focus on the bedroom wall./I am walking beside the reservoir./ The oaks are giants/taller than him;/"
Her past relations with the likes of Anne Sexton and Stanley Kunitz also play a significant role in her ability to cope with the realities of her treatment and her growing frustration with the relationship she had with her father, mother, and sister. I admire Dine's ability to connect words to express her frustration, her anguish, her hopelessness, and her resilience.
Dine teaches at Suffolk University, my alma mater, though I never had the pleasure of her company in the classroom. However, I will never forget her generosity in helping out a fellow poet, floundering when her mentor turned her down; she agreed to sponsor my poems for an emerging writers contest for Ploughshares. Even though I did not win the contest, her kindness inspired me to keep going.
This book is not only a journey through her cancer ordeal, but also through her familial struggles with her father and mother. The distance between her sister and herself as a result of these struggles and how she copes. I have one of her poetry books slated on my to read list, but this memoir gives the reader a clear perspective on how these struggles infuse her poetry with palpable imagery and insight. For example, "When the heel of my father's hand/pounds my back,/I focus on the bedroom wall./I am walking beside the reservoir./ The oaks are giants/taller than him;/"
Her past relations with the likes of Anne Sexton and Stanley Kunitz also play a significant role in her ability to cope with the realities of her treatment and her growing frustration with the relationship she had with her father, mother, and sister. I admire Dine's ability to connect words to express her frustration, her anguish, her hopelessness, and her resilience.
Dine teaches at Suffolk University, my alma mater, though I never had the pleasure of her company in the classroom. However, I will never forget her generosity in helping out a fellow poet, floundering when her mentor turned her down; she agreed to sponsor my poems for an emerging writers contest for Ploughshares. Even though I did not win the contest, her kindness inspired me to keep going.
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