Book Review - IN THE SHADOW OF THE BANYAN - NOV 2012

BOOK REVIEW
"THE SHADOW OF THE BANYAN" BY VADDEY RATTNER
FICTION - Simon & Schuster (August 7, 2012)
338 PAGES

(FROM AMAZON.COM)  Book Description

Publication Date: August 7, 2012

Told from the tender perspective of a young girl who comes of age amid the Cambodian killing fields, this searing first novel—based on the author’s personal story—has been hailed by Little Bee author Chris Cleave as “a masterpiece…utterly heartbreaking and impossibly beautiful.”

For seven-year-old Raami, the shattering end of childhood begins with the footsteps of her father returning home in the early dawn hours bringing details of the civil war that has overwhelmed the streets of Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital. Soon the family’s world of carefully guarded royal privilege is swept up in the chaos of revolution and forced exodus.

     Over the next four years, as she endures the deaths of family members, starvation, and brutal forced labor, Raami clings to the only remaining vestige of childhood—the mythical legends and poems told to her by her father. In a climate of systematic violence where memory is sickness and justification for execution, Raami fights for her improbable survival. Displaying the author’s extraordinary gift for language, In the Shadow of the Banyan is testament to the transcendent power of narrative and a brilliantly wrought tale of human resilience.

MY REVIEW:

It has been very rare that I find a book where the words are just so delicious and lyrical that I find myself re-reading pages over and over again.  It is like savoring the flavor of a delicate french pastry, or running your fingers through a luxurious blanket, or losing yourself in an incredible Opera's Aria.  These are moments that make me grateful and I wish would never end.  This book was just that type of experience for me.  AND, just as an added bonus, the story and characters were just as gratifying!  This book truly has it all!  The complexity of these characters was heart wrenching and inspiring.  There was not a single page of this book where I felt bored, not a single lull.  The whole book was like taking a ride on a boat down a river, sometimes calm but sometimes turbulent, it just continued to carry me through to the very end.  It has been about a month since I read this book and I think about it often.  I await the day that Vaddey Rattner releases her next book because I will be the first in line.  WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T MISS THIS BOOK!  THESE ONLY COME ALONG A FEW TIMES IN A READERS LIFETIME!  5 OUT OF 5!

Book Review - The Time Keeper - Nov 2012

BOOK REVIEW - THE TIME KEEPER BY MITCH ALBOM
FICTION - 240 PAGES
PUBLISHED:  SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

BOOK DESCRIPTION (FROM AMAZON.COM):
From the author who's inspired millions worldwide with books like Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven comes his most imaginative novel yet, The Time Keeper--a compelling fable about the first man on earth to count the hours.

The man who became Father Time.

In Mitch Albom's newest work of fiction, the inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years. Eventually, with his soul nearly broken, Father Time is granted his freedom, along with a magical hourglass and a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two earthly people the true meaning of time.

He returns to our world--now dominated by the hour-counting he so innocently began--and commences a journey with two unlikely partners: one a teenage girl who is about to give up on life, the other a wealthy old businessman who wants to live forever. To save himself, he must save them both. And stop the world to do so.

Told in Albom's signature spare, evocative prose, this remarkably original tale will inspire readers everywhere to reconsider their own notions of time, how they spend it and how precious it truly is.

MY REVIEW:
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher and was so excited to read it as I have been a fan of Mitch Albom's since his first book Tuesdays With Morrie".  I have read and enjoyed all of his books, some more than others, so I had high hopes and expectations for this one.  The story started off introducing the reader to a caveman who invents "time" but then is punished by God by being put in a cave while listening to everyone on earth beg for more, less, faster or slower time.  He is then sent to earth on a mission to save the lives of two people.  Where this book began to get a little bit weak for me was in the character development and story lines of these two people, one a teenage girl and the other an older man.  Neither one of these characters were endearing to me, in fact I found them to be somewhat annoying.  I wanted to like them and I really tried to care about each one's plight but ....  Anyways, the end of the book wrapped up a little bit quick for my liking and I felt a bit disappointed.  This has happened before to me when finishing a Mitch Albom book.  But overall I must say that I did like it a lot and would rate it 4 out of 5 stars.  The character of Father Time and his lessons learned were heartfelt and intriguing. If you have read Mitch Albom's prior books, pick this one up, but if you have never read him before, do yourself a favor and read "Tuesdays with Morrie" instead.

Book Review: The Dog Stars - November 2012

Book Review - November 2012
The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
Fiction - 336 pages - published August 2012
Voted as One of Amazon's Best Books of the Month for August 2012

Synopsis (from Amazon.com):
Amazon Best Books of the Month, August 2012: Adventure writer Peter Heller’s The Dog Stars is a first novel set in Colorado after a superflu has culled most of humanity. A man named Hig lives in a former airport community—McMansions built along the edge of a runway—which he shares with his 1956 Cessna, his dog, and a slightly untrustworthy survivalist. He spends his days flying the perimeter, looking out for intruders and thinking about the things he’s lost—his deceased wife, the nearly extinct trout he loved to fish. When a distant beacon sparks in him the realization that something better might be out there, it’s only a matter of time before he goes searching. Poetic, thoughtful, transformative, this novel is a rare combination of the literary and highly readable.

My Review:
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher.  I was concerned when reading the back of the book that this was just yet another end of the world story which the market seems so saturated with over the last couple of years but I could not have been more wrong!  This book is beauty personified in an anything but beautiful world that is left after a disease has killed most of earth's inhabitants and animals.  The writer was so bold in his vision of the ugly and the good left on the planet.  What I especially loved was the fact that this book never became too depressing but never "rose colored glasses" either.  To me, these characters could not have been any truer in their complexity and their ever changing emotions and views.  I loved the main character Hig and even came to love his neighbor.  The scenery described in certain scenes and the emotions it evoked in Hig were heartbreaking and lyrical, hopeful and dreadful all at the same time.  It is a rare talent who would be able to balance these extremes and Peter Heller is that master!  Don't miss this AMAZING BOOK!

BOOK REVIEW - THE QUEEN'S VOW

BOOK REVIEW - THE QUEEN'S VOW  SEPT 2012

 

Book Review  September 5^th 2012

Title – The Queen’s Vow

Author – C.W. Gortner

Historical Fiction – 400 pages

Date Published – June 12^th 2012

Publisher – Ballantine

 

Book Description (From Amazon.com)

Publication Date: June 12, 2012

No one believed I was destined for greatness.

So begins Isabella’s story, in this evocative, vividly imagined novel about one of history’s most famous and controversial queens—the warrior who united a fractured country, the champion of the faith whose reign gave rise to the Inquisition, and the visionary who sent Columbus to discover a New World. Acclaimed author C. W. Gortner envisages the turbulent early years of a woman whose mythic rise to power would go on to transform a monarchy, a nation, and the world.

Young Isabella is barely a teenager when she and her brother are taken from their mother’s home to live under the watchful eye of their half-brother, King Enrique, and his sultry, conniving queen. There, Isabella is thrust into danger when she becomes an unwitting pawn in a plot to dethrone Enrique. Suspected of treason and held captive, she treads a perilous path, torn between loyalties, until at age seventeen she suddenly finds herself heiress of Castile, the largest kingdom in Spain. Plunged into a deadly conflict to secure her crown, she is determined to wed the one man she loves yet who is forbidden to her—Fernando, prince of Aragon.

As they unite their two realms under “one crown, one country, one faith,” Isabella and Fernando face an impoverished Spain beset by enemies. With the future of her throne at stake, Isabella resists the zealous demands of the inquisitor Torquemada even as she is seduced by the dreams of an enigmatic navigator named Columbus. But when the Moors of the southern domain of Granada declare war, a violent, treacherous battle against an ancient adversary erupts, one that will test all of Isabella’s resolve, her courage, and her tenacious belief in her destiny.

From the glorious palaces of Segovia to the battlefields of Granada and the intrigue-laden gardens of Seville, The Queen’s Vow sweeps us into the tumultuous forging of a nation and the complex, fascinating heart of the woman who overcame all odds to become Isabella of Castile.

 

My Review:

 

There are some books which grab you and hold tight until the end, and then there are some books which hold you more gently but stay with you long after you have finished them.  Have you ever had a meal at a restaurant where weeks later you still find yourself thinking about it and longing for it again.  Well that is the best way that I can describe this book.  To be quite honest, right when I finished it, I wasn’t sure about how much I liked it.  I knew that the writing was beautiful and the characters were fascinating and there was never a lull throughout the entire book.  But I was left feeling a little sad and angry at the end.  I felt as though I had taken a very long journey with these characters and at the end I still had so many questions I wanted answered.  Now this is probably silly of me as a reader and reviewer and also very selfish, but I wanted everything at the end tied up in a neat little package.  But what I was left with was a story and characters that I continue to think about and wonder about some 3 weeks after I have finished the book.  Sometimes you don’t realize how beautiful something is until you take a step back.  If you love historical fiction then do yourself a favor and read this book.  I am have already purchased another book by this author now which will give me some more answers and closure regarding this story, “The Last Queen”.  Highly Recommended!

Summer Is Officially Over!
September 3rd 2012


Well summer is over and the kids are back to school and I am back to work.  No more days devoted to reading, it's so sad!  I really enjoyed being able to read and finish a book a week.  Now I am going to try very hard to keep a vigorous pace but so far I have read only half of my latest book in the last 2 weeks.  The book I am currently reading is "In The Shadow Of The Banyan" by Vadday Ratner.  I am really loving it so far and will post a review within the next week.  I now have well over 50 Advanced Copies of upcoming books from publishers.  The ones I am looking forward to reading the most are:
The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom
Love Anthony by Lisa Genova
Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
A Dangerous Inheritance by Alison Weir
And those are just a few of them.  I personally have picked out all of my Arcs myself so I am feeling like a kid in a candy store right now!
I recently went to Diesel Books in Santa Monica for the book release party for The Survivor, the latest book out by best selling author Gregg Hurwitz.  This is third time I have attended one of his release parties  (he is a personal friend of ours) over the last few years and Gregg and his wife are always so kind and generous to all of their friends, family and fans!  Gregg is not only good looking,talented, funny and very down to earth, but he has an amazing work ethic.  Not to mention his amazing patience, he stayed for hours just to talk to and sign copies of his book for each and every person!  Thanks Gregg, I promise to read and then post my review soon!

Albert of Adelaide Book Review August 14 2012

ALBERT OF ADELAIDE: A Novel

by Howard Anderson
fiction  240 pages
publisher: Twelve
published date:  July 10th 2012

BOOK REVIEW - AUGUST 14TH 2012

Synopsis (from Amazon.com): 

At once an old-fashioned-buddy-novel-shoot-'em-up and a work of deliciously imagined fantasy, Howard L. Anderson's dazzling debut presents the haunting story of a world where something has gone horribly awry . . .

Having escaped from Australia's Adelaide Zoo, an orphaned platypus named Albert embarks on a journey through the outback in search of "Old Australia," a rumored land of liberty, promise, and peace. What he will find there, however, away from the safe confinement of his enclosure for the first time since his earliest memories, proves to be a good deal more than he anticipated.

Alone in the outback, with an empty soft drink bottle as his sole possession, Albert stumbles upon pyromaniacal wombat Jack, and together they spend a night drinking and gambling in Ponsby Station, a rough-and-tumble mining town. Accused of burning down the local mercantile, the duo flees into menacing dingo territory and quickly go their separate ways-Albert to pursue his destiny in the wastelands, Jack to reconcile his past.
Encountering a motley assortment of characters along the way-a pair of invariably drunk bandicoots, a militia of kangaroos, hordes of the mercurial dingoes, and a former prize-fighting Tasmanian devil-our unlikely hero will discover a strength and skill for survival he never suspected he possessed.

Told with equal parts wit and compassion, ALBERT OF ADELAIDE shows how it is often the unexpected route, and the most improbable companions, that lead us on the path to who we really are. Who you journey with, after all, is far more important than wherever it is you are going.

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Ok everyone, I have to tell you that I am just in book addict heaven these days!  I now have over 50 hand picked ARC (advanced review copies) of books from publishers!  And there are so many great books out right now and coming out in the next 6 months!  It seems like all of my favorite writers have new books coming out, Michelle Moran, Barbara Kingsolver, Lisa Genova, Mary Roach and more.  I am super excited about some of the new author debut books that I am reading now too! 

Ok so this latest one was suggested to me recently over coffee.  She said that her friend (a bookaholic and fellow reviewer) had begged her to read a book called Albert of Adelaide.  When she asked her what it was about her friend said, "I don't want to tell you because then you won't read it"  Well it turns out that it is about a platypus named Albert.  Yes, it is fiction and No, it is not a childrens or young adult book.  This unique premise was enough for me to contact the publisher as soon as I got home and request a copy of the book. 

On the surface this book is just a book about Albert the Platypus looking for his "utopia" of sorts.  A place that he has heard of for a long time from his friends in the zoo.  Well he escapes the zoo and sets off on his adventure.  He meets many other animals, friend and foe, during his journey and gets himself into situations he never could have imagined.  The thing that I LOVED about this book is that if you look a little deeper, you begin to see yourself in Albert.  I mean aren't we all searching for our own paradise in life and yet we find ourselves constantly being challenged by people and events that life throws at us.  In each of Albert's friends, I could recognize people I have encountered both good and bad.  This book isn't a book to tell you how to, and it is not a book that judges.  No character in this book is clearly a villian or a hero, instead they are all very flawed individuals seeking something outside themselves in hopes of healing something dying inside of them.  My best advice when you read this book is don't over analyze it, don't try to figure it out but instead just go with it and enjoy the ride.  DO NOT miss this little gem!  Remember the best movies are not the blockbusters at your local theatre, they are the little movies that you have never heard of, playing at the obscure little theatre!  This book is just like that!  My rating 4 out of 5  Thank you to Netgalley!

The next book I am currently reading is:  The Dog Stars

The Second Empress - Book Review - August 2012

TITLE:  The Second Empress: A Novel of Napoleon's Court
aUTHOR:  Michelle Moran
PUBLISHER:  Crown
RELEASE DATE:  August 14th 2012
Historical Fiction - 320 pages

Summary (amazon.com):
After the bloody French Revolution, Emperor Napoleon’s power is absolute. When Marie-Louise, the eighteen year old daughter of the King of Austria, is told that the Emperor has demanded her hand in marriage, her father presents her with a terrible choice: marry the cruel, capricious Napoleon, leaving the man she loves and her home forever, or say no, and plunge her country into war.
Marie-Louise knows what she must do, and she travels to France, determined to be a good wife despite Napoleon’s reputation. But lavish parties greet her in Paris, and at the extravagant French court, she finds many rivals for her husband’s affection, including Napoleon’s first wife, Joséphine, and his sister Pauline, the only woman as ambitious as the emperor himself. Beloved by some and infamous to many, Pauline is fiercely loyal to her brother. She is also convinced that Napoleon is destined to become the modern Pharaoh of Egypt. Indeed, her greatest hope is to rule alongside him as his queen—a brother-sister marriage just as the ancient Egyptian royals practiced. Determined to see this dream come to pass, Pauline embarks on a campaign to undermine the new empress and convince Napoleon to divorce Marie-Louise.
As Pauline’s insightful Haitian servant, Paul, watches these two women clash, he is torn between his love for Pauline and his sympathy for Marie-Louise. But there are greater concerns than Pauline’s jealousy plaguing the court of France. While Napoleon becomes increasingly desperate for an heir, the empire’s peace looks increasingly unstable. When war once again sweeps the continent and bloodshed threatens Marie-Louise’s family in Austria, the second Empress is forced to make choices that will determine her place in history—and change the course of her life.
Based on primary resources from the time, The Second Empress takes readers back to Napoleon’s empire, where royals and servants alike live at the whim of one man, and two women vie to change their destinies.

MY REVIEW:
FIRST OF ALL I WANT THANK THE PUBLISHER AND NETGALLEY FOR GIVING ME AN ADVANCED READER COPY OF THIS BOOK TO REVIEW!
LET ME START OFF BY SAYING THAT I AM A HUGE FAN OF MICHELLE MORAN AND HAVE READ AND LOVED ALL OF HER PREVIOUS BOOKS, tHE HERETIC QUEEN,  nEFERTITIT, CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER AND MADAME TUSSAUD, AND LOVED THEM ALL.  MICHELLE MORAN IS SO THOROUGH IN HER REASEARCH OF HER CHARACTERS AND THE TIMES AND EVENTS IN WHICH THEY LIVED.  THIS BOOK WAS VERY HARD TO PUT DOWN!  EACH ONE OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS BOOK WERE SO HUMAN AND YOU FOUND YOUR SELF EVEN FINDING LIKABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE "BAD GUYS" LIKE NAPOLEON.  IF YOU LOVE HISTORICAL FICTION, YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS THIS BOOK!
MY RATING:  5 OUT OF 5

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