BOOK REVIEW: One Upon A Time

Some books are just a delight to read, like watching kittens wrestle or hearing children laugh. When that delightful experience is directed by some of the best fantasy writers in modern literature, what can we do but enjoy?

The list of names on the book jacket caught my eye. Here was a list that included some of my favorite authors: Anne McCaffrey, Terry Brooks, Lester Del Rey, and Isaac Asimov. If Asimov was on the list how could it be anything except wonderful. I started ONCE UPON A TIME with great anticipation.

I promised myself that I would read the stories in order--not jump from favorite to favorite. To my delight. the first story was by Isaac Asimov, to me one of the most respected authors of modern literature.

Asimov’s  contribution had the intriguing title, “Prince Delightful and the Flaming Dragon”. Fairy Misaprop must have had her hand on the wrong end of her wand when she gave the new prince her gift. The other fairies had done the proper things, but her gift was “gracelessness”. Now to pass his test into adulthood, he must fight a dragon who is also a little unusual. Asimov is not known as a fantasy author and his story is probably the weakest in the collection but his sly sense of humor made this a fun read.

“Imaginary Friends” by Terry Brooks does not have quite the humor of Asimov, but is the touching story of Jack,  a thirteen-year-old boy with cancer. Jack is befriended by an Elf who introduces him  to the wonders of his world.

My personal favorite was “The Quest of a Sensible Man” by Anne McCaffrey. Prince Bieregard of Mundesland is on a quest to find a mare worthy of his stallion, Vard. Vard is of direct Pegasan lineage and horses with his ancestry have all but disappeared.  Travelling through an enchanted forest, Birregard stumbles on Castle Barnacane in a kingdom that has been isolated for years and fallen into dire poverty. Once the masters of Barnacane had been known for their beautiful winged steeds, now the herd is down to five mares. After a terrific battle with the evil magician who placed the curse on Barnacane, all ends well.

These stories are not written for children, but you may want to share them with a discerning child. The characters are not the stereotypes typically found in “once upon a time” stories. They are heroes with flaws facing some everyday problems disguised as dragons and elves. This is an anthology that will stay on your bookshelf to be shared and enjoyed for years to come.

BOOK REVIEW: The Disappearance

Please add another author to my reading list. I just finished J.F. Freedman’s THE DISAPPEARANCE and will be hunting more books by him.

Three fourteen-year-old girls have had a busy day at the mall and during the sleepover that night, one girl thinks that she dreams that a body is being carried out of the bedroom. She goes back to sleep.The next morning their hostess Emmas can not be found.  

Emma’s family is well known in the community. Her father is the wealthy owner of the television station and her mother is active in social and charitable affairs. When Emma’s battered body is found half buried near a remote hiking trail, the town  wants nothing more than to see the guilty person executed.

Ex-prosecutor Luke Garrison is pulled out of his self inflicted exile to defend the accused man. All of the evidence points to a close family friend, popular TV anchorman Joe Allison,  and, because of the horrific circumstances, the town does not want any verdict except, “Guilty”. Luke starts to uncover the many secrets surrounding the young girl’s murder and he soon finds his own life in danger.

Freedman has given us an unlikely protagonist. Luke Garrison comes back to the town that had once seen him as a hero as a failure. His reputation as a prosecutor in the judicial community was well established, but the execution of an innocent man had caused him to leave town in disgrace and he has been living a guilt-ridden, isolated life.The story is as much about Luke’s fight with his own demons as it is about finding the murderer.

Freedman paints most of his characters with an unflattering paint brush. If Joe is innocent, he never gains our sympathies. He has too many unsavory secrets and too many lies.The characters in THE DISAPPEARANCE are very much like the rest of us, both good and bad.

Thanks to a lifetime of reading Dame Agatha, I suspected the guilty person very early in the book. Agatha Christie has taught us to suspect the least “ suspectable”. The circumstances, however, may be a surprise to you. The author builds well to the conclusion and is consistent with the clues...always an appreciated part of  any good mystery.

THE DISAPPEARANCE is a good, entertaining book. J.F. Freeman has been around for a while and, although, I am just now discovering him, I will read more.

BOOKS: Holiday Wish List 2014!!

Once again it is time for Auntie Pattie Clause to come to your aid with last minute Christmas gift ideas.

Mike Greenberg’s ALL YOU COULD ASK FOR really surprised me. Men might be more familiar with Greenie as a sports analyst, but this is not a book about sports. It is a sensitive story of three women who face the challenge of cancer.  *Very readable and relatable.

Sue Monk Kidd gives a well crafted story of real historical figures mixed with characters who might have been involved with them in THE INVENTION OF WINGS. *Good coverage of some little known people who made a difference in our history.

Kurt Vonnegut is such an American treasure that any book of his, not previously read, would make a great gift. His LOOK AT THE BIRDIE is new, but for someone who has not read him, WELCOME TO THE MONKEY HOUSE is a good introduction. *Comments on life that still make sense.

John Green may be considered a teen author, but he is worth looking at no matter what your age. Any of his books would make a terrific gift. *Not just for the youth market.

Greg Iles has started his new trilogy with NATCHEZ BURNING, I personally was counting on the next book for Christmas, but it looks as if I will have to wait. Some of his books stand alone and some, as NATCHEZ BURNING, deal with Penn Cage and his family. Watch, if reading series in order makes a difference to you. *One of my favorite authors.

Judy Coopey has also started a trilogy with THE FURNACE. Again any of her books would be appreciated. I really loved her REDFIELD FARM. *A not-just-for-women author.

Bentley Little can be counted on for terrifying novels. THE COLLECTION is the most nightmare producing collection of stories I have ever read. *Bram Stoker Award winner-and deservedly so.

Oh, and gift cards are always safe and a treat for the bookaholics in your life.

PS, let me know if you get a book that you loved and we can share it. I am always looking for that “new “ author.

BOOK REVIEW: All You Could Ask For

If you are a big sports fan, or, as in my case, married to one, "Mike and Mike in the Morning" is a regular part of your life. I have to admit that I watch the show because of the personalities of the two hosts, Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic. Naturally, I had to read Greenberg's book, ALL YOU COULD ASK FOR to see how well he could write.

Brooke, Samantha, and Katherine are three women with very different lives. Brooke has been married to her college sweetheart for fifteen years. They are the parents of twins and her life is perfect. She works hard to keep it perfect. Samantha is on her honeymoon in Hawaii when she accidently finds proof of her new husband’s infidelities. The marriage lasts all of two days. Katherine is very successful. She has a power job, a penthouse, a personal driver, and a broken heart.

These women come from different lives, do not know each other, and each has her very individual story. With the news that cancer is now a part of their lives and with the help of social media, three very different women form a bond that, at least in one case, will last a life time.

At first, I could not get the fact that this book was written by a male sports analyst. Few male authors can capture a woman’s voice and this is definitely a book about women and their reactions to life’s challenges. It did not take me long to get lost in Brooke, Samantha and Katherine.

The book is rich in character development. My first reaction to the ladies changed as their stories moved along.

At first, I really liked Brooke. Her devotion to her family was admirable. I loved that she considered a nude photograph of herself as the perfect fortieth birthday gift for her husband. I could identify with how hard this to pull off with two youngsters in her life. By the end of the book I wanted to shake her. I will wonder how her life continued long after the book is back on the shelf.

Samantha came across as the naive, rich, spoiled, daddy’s little girl when we first meet her in Hawaii. (By the way, I LOVED the secret password on her husband’s computer). Her hidden strength and her loyalty were a beautiful part of the story.

My original opinion of Katherine was “powerful bitch”. Here was a woman with all the trappings of great wealth, beating herself up because a man had done her wrong. Instead of feeling sorry for her I wanted to scream at her to get over herself and move on. By the end of the book she was the one who impressed me the most; the one whose development brought a tear to my eye.

The book stands on its own as a good read, but to add that extra something, Greenberg tells in his acknowledgments the story of his friend Heidi and her battle with cancer. This a touching tribute to everyone who has battled cancer and lost. I will see Mike Greenberg with different eyes each morning and wait to see if he has another good book in him.

Mike and his wife Stacy have created a foundation called Heidi’s Angels and all proceeds of this book will go to the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research.

BOOK REVIEW: The Invention Of Wings

It is sad to say that until I read THE INVENTION OF WINGS by Sue Monk Kidd, I had never heard of the Grimke sisters. THE INVENTION OF WINGS is a fictionalized, well researched, account of Sarah and Angelina Grimke, early abolitionists and mothers of the women’s movement.

Born to wealth in Charleston, South Carolina, eleven-year-old  Sarah Grimke tries to refuse the birthday gift from her parents, the young slave girl Hetty. However, Sarah is not allowed a say in Hetty’s ownership and thus begins the story of two young girls, their relationship and their individual fight for freedom.

The book starts in 1803 when slavery was accepted not only as an economic necessity in the South but proof of social standing as well. Sarah and Hetty both tell their stories in alternating chapters and we see the cruelty of slavery through the eyes of a black girl who lives it and a white girl who feels the immorality of the system.

As a child Sarah had witnessed a brutal whipping of a slave and she had never got over it.  But, the event that was to change her life was being caught teaching Hetty to read. Teaching a slave to read was against the law and Hetty was publicly lashed and Sarah was banned from the books in her father’s library crushing all of her dreams of becoming a lawyer. This incident started Sarah on the path that would lead her to become an avid abolitionist and early fighter for women’s rights in our country.

When her sister Angelina is born, Sarah convinces their mother to name her Angelina’s godmother, despite Sarah’s young age. With Sarah’s influence, Nina grows to be the independent, outspoken woman that would lead the sisters’ important  war against slavery.

I really liked this book. Sarah Grimke, her sister Nina, and other people who played an important part in our history became very real. We forget the personal sacrifices that had to be made for some social changes to happen. I found it interesting that in speaking out against slavery, Sarah and Nina caused the start of the women’s liberation movement. For a woman to speak in public was not accepted and in fact caused as much of an uproar as the subject of slavery.

The character of Hetty was beautiful. Sarah Grimke had owned a slave named Hetty but not much is actually known about her. The fictional Hetty, or Handful as her mother named her, was a creation of Kidd’s. In the book,Hetty and her mother Charlotte were excellent seamstresses and responsible for all of the clothing and linens for the estate.

To tell her history, Charlotte made story quilts, always with black triangles someplace on them. These, she told Hetty, were the wings that would carry them to freedom some day. I loved the image of wings used throughout Hetty and Charlotte’s part of the book. Charlotte even tells Hetty that her skinny shoulder blades are the remnants of wings to set her free.

Sue Monk Kidd is an interesting author. She explained this novel by saying that she wanted to write a book about sisters and Sarah and Nina were a good choice. I felt that she carried that theme also through the relationship between Sarah and Hetty.

This is an author that I will continue to read. I liked her Secret Life of Bees, did not like The Mermaid’s Chair, and loved THE INVENTION OF WINGS. You will want to read any of Monk’s books with a group of friends. There are always so many points to start discussion.