Some Book Reviews (24.6.09)

Little Red Rocking Hood

I liked Little Red Rocking Hood because it rhymed and had music. I liked it more because Little Red Rocking Hood was not eaten by the mean wolf. Little Red Rocking Hood made him go dizzy and crazy. By DH

Little Red Rocking Hood

I liked it because its got a lot of music and she was dancing so much tat the wolf’s pants fell off. It made me laugh a lot. By SH

Good Morning, Who’s Snoring?

It is about a boy who wakes up in the morning and hears snoring. I like it because when the boy wakes up and says “Who is snoring?” it makes me laugh. By AF

Book Review: Valentine by Rebecca Farnworth

Valentine Fleming is an aspiring actress, but she doesn’t seem to be getting far with her career. So when Valentine auditions for a Shakespeare play and then gets the part, she’s over the moon. She’s starring alongside handsome new actor Jack Hart, and Valentine is smitten by him, even though she’s not over her ex Finn. 

However, a secret is about to come out that is going to rock Valentine’s world as she knows it. Valentine turns to her best friend Lauren and neighbours Frank and Lily for advice, but she knows it’s down to her to choose what to do. Is her lucky break about to  be over, or is she going to hold it altogether and make it to the top once and for all? And will Valentine ever find true love and get her man?!

You may not think you have heard of Rebecca Farnworth, but you have probably heard of a few famous books she has written! Rebecca is a celebrity ghost-writer and has been the writer behind Katie Price’s successful novels Angel, Angel Uncovered, Crystal, and Sapphire. I’ve only read Angel which I thought was an okay read, but judging by how popular Price’s novels have been, I have to credit this to the writing skill of Farnworth and so I was interested to see what this novel was going to be like. It’s lovely bright cover and synopsis sounds like perfect chick-lit and it really did deliver on all areas for me.

Valentine Fleming is such a loveable character, and that is really the main reason this novel is such a success for me. From the first few pages of meeting her, I really liked her and wanted everything to work out for her initial audition (which is where we first see her). She’s very self-critical, in love with her awful ex who uses her when he needs some “loving” and is desperate to be a success. Valentine is a comic character because she has a funny outlook on life, although we do see a more serious side to her as the book progresses.  I could relate to Valentine, and I imagine many women could!

The other characters are actually very important in this book as well, it’s not solely focussed on just Valentine which makes it interesting. Her best friend Lauren is also an actress but very anti-men. Her scenes have a lot of bad language but it somehow fits and doesn’t seem at all out of place! My other favourite characters were Lily and Frank, Valentine’s neighbours who were just delightful to read. They have a special story in the book too, and it was very emotional and touching. Jack is Valentine’s love interest, and what a charmer he is. I defy you not to love him, he is the perfect hero! Other characters pop up and are so brilliantly realistic, you can see them clearly in your mind!

‘Valentine’ is a book that takes you on the journey of one woman, but it really is so much more than that. The book covers lot of issues within, I can’t really discuss them too much here because I will give away plot spoilers, but I enjoyed the serious issues being intertwined with the comedy and perils of Valentine’s love life. Scenes in Valentine’s local off-licence were hilarious and I did find my giggling out loud! Farnworth has a real talent for writing fantastic characters that a reader will care about, and consequently I just could not put this book down. I was desperate to find out how things were going to end for all the stars of this book, and Farnworth really delivers on all counts for me.

Love is something that affects all of us, and being the theme of this book, I would definitely recommend it if you like your books soppy but that pack a punch as well. The author writes in a brilliant third person style which allows you to watch these characters but also get into their heads as well, I loved it. It’s not a short book but I read this in just over a day, I simply couldn’t resist picking it up at every spare moment. This is chick-lit at its best, a well written, enjoyable story with a fantastic leading lady that you can’t help but care about. I loved every page and was so disappointed when it ended. I only hope Farnworth has more material in the pipeline! I can’t recommend it highly enough – a perfect read.

Rating: 5/5

No Death, No Fear

Thich Nhat Hanh’s 2003 book No Death, No Fear is another in a long series of spiritual classics by the Buddhist monk. I have nothing negative to say about this book and can only offer four passages that show the essence of this book.

There’s a very funny story in the sutras. A woman left a saucepan of milk with her neighbor, saying: “Please keep it for me; I shall come back in two or three days.” There was no refrigeration, so the milk curdled and became a kind of cheese. When the woman came back she said: “Where’s my milk? I left milk behind, not cheese, so this is not my milk here.” The Buddha said that this person had not understood impermanence. Milk will become yogurt or cheese if you leave it for a few days. The person wanted only the milk of five days ago and refused to take the cheese. Do you think that milk and cheese are the same or different? They are neither the same nor different, but it takes several days for the milk to become cheese. With the insight if impermanence we can see the truth about the universe and all phenomena, the true nature of being neither the same nor different. (76)

The impermanence of all things is a critical understanding on one’s spiritual journey. Once a person learns how to look deeply and see the impermanence in everything, the fear and sorrow often associated with death dissipates. Seeing this impermanence also shows one how everything is both real and not real.

When the Buddha was asked, “What is the cause of everything?” he answered with simple words. He said, “This is, because that is.” It means that everything relies on everything else in order to manifest. A flower has to rely on non-flower elements in order to manifest. If you look deeply into the flower, you can recognize non-flower elements. Looking into the flower, you recognize the element sunshine; that is a non-flower element. Without sunshine, a flower cannot manifest. Other elements are essential, such as minerals, soil, the farmer and so on; a multitude of non-flower elements has come together in order to help the flower manifest. (35-36)

Hanh prefers to use the word manifestation instead of creation. Manifestation implies a transition from one form to another, whereas creation indicates something coming from nothing. Mindfulness involves looking at how everything manifests, including issues in both the physical and psychological realms. For example, people who suffer from a victim mentality can often work through their suffering when they realize how their issues are manifested in part by the decisions and choices they make.

Sooner or later the cloud will change into rain or snow or ice. If you look deeply into the rain, you can see the cloud. The cloud is not lost; it is transformed into rain, and the rain is transformed into grass and the grass into cows and then to milk and then into the ice cream you eat. Today if you eat an ice cream, give yourself time to look at the ice cream and say: “Hello, cloud! I recognize you.” By doing that, you have insight and understanding into the real nature of the ice cream and the cloud. You can also see the ocean, the river, the heat, the sun, the grass and the cow in the ice cream. (25-26)

This is an example of how to look mindfully into something. This practice can be done for anything.

We can use an example that is easy to understand, of a tangerine or a durian fruit. If there is a person who has never eaten a tangerine or durian fruit, however many images or metaphors you give him, you cannot describe to him the reality of those fruits. You can only do one thing: give him a direct experience. You cannot say: “Well, the durian is a little like the jackfruit or like a papaya.” You cannot say anything that will describe the experience of a durian fruit. The durian fruit goes beyond all ideas and notions. The same is true of a tangerine. If you have never eaten a tangerine, however much the other person loves you and wants to help you understand what a tangerine tastes like, they will never succeed by describing it. The reality of the tangerine goes beyond ideas. Nirvana is the same; it is the reality that goes beyond ideas. It is because we have ideas about nirvana that we suffer. Direct experience is the only way. (16)

Those of us that have had spiritual and mystical experiences know how difficult it is to describe them to non-spiritual people. Heck, it is hard for even spiritual people to convey the experience to other spiritual people. Spiritual and mystical encounters go beyond ideas and notions, including logic. This is why arguing about spirituality with a logician is fruitless and is often only an exercise in stroking egos.

However, this talk of direct experience goes beyond religion and spirituality. For example, my son and I can sit next to each other on the couch and look at the same cup sitting on a table and be looking at both the same cup and a different cup. This is because our experiences, although the same regarding the general viewing of a cup, are also different. Not only do we see the cup from different angles, but we also bring different biological, psychological, social, and spiritual frameworks to the cup viewing. We can also consider the properties of the cup itself: how the light hitting the cup is constantly changing, how the material that the cup itself is made from is slowly changing, the changing properties of the table it is sitting on, etc. It is impossible for him to see the cup as I do and vice-versa. It is also impossible for either one of us to see the cup the same as the moment in the time that just passed. Since we are constantly seeing different cups, it is impossible to either prove or disprove our experience or the existence of the cup itself.

Thich Nhat Hanh’s books constantly earn my coveted 5-Star Rating because they cultivate this type of thought and reflection.

The Pedant in the Kitchen - Julian Barnes

The intimate influence of conscientious cookery promotes the serenity of mind, the graciousness of thought, and that indulgent view of our neigbour’s failings which is the only genuine form of optimism. Those are its titles to our reverence – Joseph Conrad

A client of mine once invited me for lunch and prepared the whole meal himself in front of me. It was the most delicious vegetarian chinese meal I have ever had – light, tasty and make me wanting more. He was highly placed in his organisation and a busy person and never gave a hint of his gastronomic leanings. I was not prepared for this display of competence in his culinary skills. So the next day when I asked him how he could manage it so well, his response was that he found cooking therapeutic and looks forward to cooking once in a while. I missed the “once in a while” aspect of the message. So when I suggested the innate therapeutic merits of cooking to my wife in front of her co-sisters, the angry glares I got in return could have charred any living being to death. One activity and two divergent reactions. So why does cooking evoke such extreme reactions ranging from ability to heal to the frustration of drudgery? What is the transformational trajectory of a rookie cook to one who can whip dishes and regale guests? What are the troubles of interpreting a cookery book? What are the insecurities of a budding cook? These are some of the aspects that Julian Barnes deals with in his superbly entertaining book “The Pedant in the Kitchen“

Written as a short collection of his thoughts on cooking and the activities that surrounding it, Barnes brings his awesome observation powers, wit and verve to the writing and in the process makes the book a top class entertainer. On the way Barnes provides us glimpses of his own growth into an acceptable cook along with humorous reflections (Cooking is the transformation of uncertainty (the recipe) into certainity (the dish) via fuss) and literary styles in cookery books

The disappointing aspect of this book is that by the time one is settling into the rhythm it comes to an end

Book Review: Thanks for Nothing, Nick Maxwell by Debbie Carbin

Rachel Covington works as a Sales Rep for a holidays company, and is one of the top performers in her section. She knows that she’s quite attractive and uses it to her advantage to get the men she wants, them dumps them when she’s had enough.

But Rachel finds herself in a role reversal when she’s realises she’s fallen for Nick Maxwell, a colleague at her company. The two have a dalliance together and the result is Rachel’s life changing forever…courtesty of the baby growing inside of her.

Will Rachel be able to give up her beloved single life to become a mother?

The book dives straight in with Rachel’s first person narrative, giving the reader a great introduction to her.The first chapter really introduces us fully to Rachel, and gives a hint at the unfolding story to come. The narrative is very upbeat, and really easy to read, because it is written incredibly well – it feels like the character is speaking directly to you, and the writing is so friendly, it is a pleasure to read. The book carries on in this friendly, open narrative throughout the whole book. The style worked, but of course, there are a few bits about the book I didn’t like!

Rachel, on the whole, is a likeable character – she’s friendly, funny and is a pleasant lead character. However, she is incredibly arrogant about herself, and her looks in particular, and I found these self-loving parts a little awkward to read, and I just didn’t feel comfortable with how great Rachel clearly thinks she is. It’s a shame as she is likeable for the majority of the book, but these bits are so awful, it really lets her character down a lot. The other main character of the book is Hector, a mysterious man Rachel meets courtesy of Sainsburys and a mobile phone. The slowly unfolding story between these two is a lovely one, developing at a good, although sometimes frustrating, pace. Hector is almost the opposite of Rachel, a loving family man, very caring and isn’t at all arrogant. But the two strke up a friendship and it slowly develops, with this storyline going on right up until the last page.

Hector was so likeable, and it was really his character and the storyline between he and Rachel that made me want to keep reading! Other characters in the story are Glenn and Sarah. Sarah is one of Rachel’s best friends and mum to a young boy called Jake, and Glenn is her husband. There is another storyline involving this family in the book too, which is quite good but not that gripping. There is the odd twist and turn in the book which makes for reading, but nothing too amazing, its just a pleasant read.

One thing I did enjoy about the book was Rachel and her pregnancy. The author has clearly researched or taken from personal experience the shock of finding out you are pregnant, and the different emotion that you go through, right from the minute of realisation to the birth of the child. Rachel goes through the emotions the same as any woman does, and these are very well written. You feel things along with Rachel, and her honesty about it all is refreshing, and it doesn’t skip through anything. It is these scenes which I feel added something to the book, and I thoroughly enjoyed Rachel’s narrative throughout her pregnancy. Hector’s involvement is also well dealt too, the author really did go to a great effort to make these scenes realistic and very enjoyable for the reader.

Thanks For Nothing… is a great read, and really falls straight into the chick-lit category. It’s a fun read, which has a great friendly narrative throughout, with a set of pretty likeable characters (for the most part) and an interesting story which develops throughout the book, leaving you hanging right up until the end. It’s well written, with good characters, and I feel the author is going to be pretty successful in the chick-lit genre! A very pleasant read, and one I would certainly recommend.

Rating: 4/5

Possessions Are Travelling Luggage of Time

John Stott, in his exposition of 1 Timothy and Titus called Guard the Truth, said that “possessions are only the traveling luggage of time; they are not the stuff of eternity. It would be sensible therefore to travel light.”

As a man who is fully devoted to vocational ministry I am well aware that I will most likely not have everything I desire in this life. I will probably never drive a BMW. I will probably never have more than three or four bedrooms in my apartment/condo/house (though all I really want is two bathrooms). I will probably never be completely free from manageable debt.

But that’s okay.

Yesterday I had a conversation with my boss and my wife. We were discussing how disappointing my family’s month of June has gone. We are nervously awaiting the renewal of our visa, which expires at the beginning of August, but on top of that our monthly wire transfer of £1000 (about $1600) was not received by our bank in America. This means that we may miss (for the first time) the due date on our mortgage. And on top of that, our tenant, who was leasing our condo in Orlando, has moved out, leaving us with the entirety of our mortgage payment. But as I reflected with my boss on our troubling situation, I said, “You know the money part is really the least of my worries. I’ve learned that money comes and goes, so there’s no point worrying about it.”

It’s true that we shouldn’t be frivolous with our money. We should invest it wisely and spend it carefully, for we did not receive it of our own merit but only by the grace of God. But, at the same time, we can’t take any of it with us when we die. I resonate with Stott’s feelings toward money and riches. Why carry around heaps of possessions when this life is so short?

This reminded me of a few of my travel experiences. Especially when I’m flying somewhere, I always find it more stressful when I pack heavy and have two heavy carry-on items. When we moved over to the UK last August, I really had no choice. But it was such a burden to carry so much luggage around the aiports and airplanes. Packing light may mean I will miss out on a few things, but it also seems like my attitude is much better.

So, as I reflect on 1 Timothy 6:3-10, I realize that we must be content in our situations no matter what. I sometimes fantasize that I have somehow come across a great inheritance or winning lottery ticket, which frees me from all my debt and ensures complete financial freedom for the rest of my life. But what I really need to meditate on is that the ultimate debt that I owe has been paid in full on the cross.

I leave you with a great poem that Phil Ryken includes in this section of his 1 Timothy Expositional Commentary. It is a poem that Charles Swindoll once quoted from a teenager he had met:

It was Spring, but it was Summer I wanted;
The warm days and the great outdoors

It was Summer, but it was Fall I wanted;
The colorful leaves and the cool, dry air.

It was Fall, but it was Winter I wanted;
The beautiful snow and the joy of the holiday season.

I was a child, and it was adulthood I wanted;
The freedom and the respect.

I was 20, but it was 30 I wanted;
To be mature and sophisticated.

I was middle-aged, but it was 20 I wanted;
The youth and the free spirit.

I was retired, but it was middle-aged I wanted;
The presence of mind without limitations.

My life was over,
and I never got what I wanted.

Book Review: Trading Fathers

In responding to the father that abused and molested her, Karen Rabbitt writes these words and sets the tone for her book “Trading Fathers: Forgiving Dad, Embracing God“.

“Jesus shed His blood, you do not need to shed yours.”

This is an autobiography, a memoir of her life beginning as a small child to present day in which she recounts in vivid detail the results of the transgressions put upon her by her father shaping her life through adulthood until she comes to understand the great Love that has waited for her all through the years.

This story is a visual picture of the sin cycle and how it can weave through the lives of the fathers down to the third and fourth generation. Unless interrupted,  the resulting shame, regret, and loneliness remains unrestrained and affects every aspect of the the lives involved.

A truly tragic story told with piercing honesty and authenticity. It is very painful to read at times, that is, until she turns to her true Father, who has waited patiently for her all her life.

As God begins to shine Truth on all the areas she has long buried, you read the intense personal struggle that ends with forgiveness,humility, and redemption.

‘Papa-God’ redeems the writer and emboldens her to the point of freeing herself from the past with all its pain, and recounting the story to help others along the way.

An exceptional story, heralding God’s Love and His power to not erase, but redeem all transgressions.

Trading Fathers: Forgiving Dad, Embracing God

By Karen Rabbitt / Winepress Publishing

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Winepress Publishing (January 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579219950
• ISBN-13: 978-1579219956

Book Review: Pop Tart by Kira Coplin & Julianne Kaye

Young make-up artist Jackie Reilly has always dreamed of making it big in TinselTown, concealing the flaws of the rich and famous. Stuck in a rut with a crazy boss, she thinks her big break will never come – until she meets a girl who guarantees her life will never be the same again!

16-year-old Brooke Parker is bubbly, vivacious, charming – and about to become the world’s most famous teenager. A pop singer on the verge of superstardom, Brooke instantly takes a shine to Jackie and draws her into a world of white-stretch limos, screaming fans and invitations to VIP events.

But as Jackie quickly finds out, fame has its dark side. Forced to juggle the various egos of Brooke’s entourage – from bitchy stylists to over-eager publicists and a manager that serves his own interests before all else – all preserving the golden girl image of brand Brooke. Caught in the tight grip of the P.R machine, Brooke starts to rebel, taking Jackie along for the ride. At first her bad girl antics are a blast, earning her even more column inches, but when her heavy partying brings Brooke’s demons to the surface she begins to fall apart and soon, she is taking Jackie down with her.

When Jackie is forced to learn the rules of showbusiness the hard way, her friendship with Brooke is put to the ultimate test – will she be yet another casualty of Brooke’s increasing quest for fame? Or can she save herself – and Brooke?

Pop Tart is the debut novel from Kira Coplin and Julianne Kaye. From the back cover it sounds like a very interesting read. A make-up artist, Jackie, is trying to make her way in LA when the chance of a lifetime comes in the form of Brooke Parker, a rising star. They form a firm friendship and Brooke brings Jackie into the life of the rich and famous. Until Brooke starts to rebel…

The cover is gorgeous and the blurb makes the book sounds like a must-read. Also after posting the cover and blurb on the site we got quite a few comments saying how fabulous the novel was.

Unfortunately I’m currently struggling to finish the novel. I’m almost half-way through and nothing of note has really happened. I will carry on for the sake of my review but I have to say it may well take a while… unless I just read it to get it over with which sounds like a good prospect to me right now.

It’s a shame that the novel isn’t living up to the hype as the premise of the story makes it sound like an incredible read and one which, while ficticious, will go behind-the-scenes of what really goes on with a young, famous person. I thought it was going to be a female, younger-ish version of Johnny Be Good (by Paige Toon) but it is nowhere as close to JBG.

On the back cover of the novel it says Brooke Parker is 16. However on page 58 a newscaster reports that Brooke is “just 18 years old”. That is a huge error to slip through the editing process I have to say. And a pretty basic one at that.

I think the first-person style of the novel is all wrong. For a novel with two female characters that are the core of the novel it would have been better written in third-person so we could get Brooke’s perspective rather than just Jackie’s.

Not only that but who on earth uses the word “beat” to describe something that’s “cool”. I have never read that word being used anywhere.

I just can’t get over how much I dislike this novel. The pace is a snail’s one and I know I’m not even half way through but it’s just so difficult to keep reading something this bad. I skim-read the last half of the book and I have to say I didn’t miss much.

The book is repetitive, cliched to the maximum and Brooke is like a younger version of the now-Britney Spears who had a meltdown.

Overall the novel could have been so much more. The blurb on the back made it sound like a must-read until you actually started reading the novel. A very, very poor offering on what was a well-raved about novel.

I hate writing bad reviews but I can’t lie if I hated a novel and unfortunately I hated Pop Tart. Read it at your own peril!

Rating: 1/5

Book Review: Mosaic By Amy Grant

Mosaic: Pieces Of My Life So Far

By: Amy Grant

Water Brook Press, 2007

ISBN: 978 1 4000 7360 3

Buy Link for paperback (Flying Dolphin Press, Oct. 7, 2008): http://www.amazon.com/Mosaic-Pieces-My-Life-Far/dp/0767929675

 

I have followed Amy Grant since my college days. I owned cassette tapes of most of her early recordings and even saw her in concert once. Her songs have always spoken to me. She is down home, earthy and real. I kind of lost track of her for several years, but I knew she had gotten divorced from Gary Chapman and remarried to country star Vince Gill. I must confess I wanted to read this book partly to get the details on her breakup, her children’s adjustment and the remarriage. The more I read the book the more I realized she wasn’t going to reveal much of that and then as I read her words I thought, Good for you Amy, you don’t owe me an explanation on your personal life or private pain. Who are we (fans) to think we have the right to know these things? Sorry Amy!

This book is not a novel nor is it an autobiography, but I feel it may be of interest to many readers and therefore worthy of a review on this site. It is, as the title says, pieces of her life. Instead of going into great personal detail of any one event Amy talks about memories of various people she has encountered in her life. Some are family members or people she has known her whole life and others are one time chance meetings with strangers that impacted her in some way. The book is not chronological but simply a mosaic fit together Amy style. Between chapters readers will find the lyrics of more than 30 songs as well as some poems and quotes. The center of the book features 16 pages of color photographs. There are also small black and white photos at the start of each chapter.

The book title is perfect for this journal style writing and the cover photo of Amy pictured in a casual skirt, barefoot and smiling captures the mood of the book. It is interesting the way Amy wove song lyrics, poems, thoughts and photos into this project.  Fans will be pleased to see that the book gives insight into the inspiration behind many of Amy’s popular songs. The format flows smoothly from memory to memory. She mentions memories from her childhood, vacations, her career, her own children, her husband, friends and fans. I read the book in bits and snatches reflecting on her descriptions and her faith. It’s not a book that demands to be read all at once, but rather a book you could enjoy over several days. Readers may bookmark some sections to come back to for a reread.

In Mosaic Amy humbly shares stories about her life, places she has been and people she has had the privilege to meet. She shares her thoughts on an encounter with a homeless man, a friend’s battle with cancer and a visit with an elderly fan. She shares family memories of birthdays, vacations, weddings and funerals.  Fame and music allowed Amy the opportunity to meet many famous people including, Reverend Billy Graham, Presidents Bush and Clinton, Tony Bennett, Kevin Costner, Michael Jordan, the Andretti family, and more. The book captures Amy’s special memories, Amy’s powerful music, and Amy’s deep faith.

Amy admits that there have been rough times in her life but in writing the book she doesn’t ask for sympathy or make excuses. She is human and admits to human struggles in her life. Her honest admission of her feelings of failure and even depression made her all the more human to me. I think all readers who have struggles in this life (which I think is all of us) will easily relate to this book. Family, faith and music are extremely important to Amy Grant and this book weaves them together in an uplifting fashion. Sharing pieces of your life means the happy and the sad, the fame and the failures. For Amy, these emotions have often been captured in her lyrics and now they are also shared in this book.

All in all I found this to be a moving book that gives a glimpse into the person behind the fame. Reading it might cause readers to look at their own life and think what they would include in their mosaic? As I read her writings, I paused to recall some of my good, my bad, my joys and my sorrows – so far. Self reflection is a good thing; disclosing it for others to read is courageous. Whether or not you call yourself an Amy Grant fan I suggest giving Mosaic a try. I enjoyed it so much I might even check her schedule and see about getting some tickets next time she comes to a city near me.

–Pearl

still just daddy

It’s Fathers’ Day – I’ve enjoyed breakfast in bed and gifts of a turkey baster and a slingshot monkey (if you have to ask, you just don’t GET me like my family). Then church, followed by a pleasant grilled chicken with my Dad and the rest of the family. All that before coming back home to settle in for spectatoring golf and checking email. Life is good for the Daddy.

In She Still Calls Me Daddy, Robert Wolgemuth continues the story that drew me in before Cammi was born. In that first one I read almost twelve years ago, he told of raising two girls with no clue how to do it. Now, he’s telling the story of setting them loose on the world – walking them down the aisle and into the arms and protection of other men. My daughter still has a long long long way to go to get to that point, but I appreciate that the journey is what it is, and the destinations along the way are worth building toward and preparing for.

I like his writing style, sharing the stories of family life in a way that brings the reader in without a sappy sentimentality that weighs down other books. That means alot to me as a Dad – wanting to be real about life, wanting to be genuine and sincere, without having to build anything up too far emotionally or manipulatively to make a point here and there. You can tell that he loves his daughters, and perhaps more than that, you can tell that he loves the women they have become and the lives they are building with their own husbands, their own kids, their own families.

And that’s my take away here – as our own children are growing up in our home, are we helping them process and decide, live and fail, risk and play with the knowledge that Mom and Dad will always be there, will always encourage and cheer, will always cover and heal? Those are the kinds of things that don’t really stop when they reach that time of leaving-the-nest. There’s a transition to be sure, but can we still be the loving parents wanting the best for our kids and their lives still to come?

Happy Fathers’ Day – now go read a book.

Paper Towns by John Green

This is my first John Green book, even though it is his third published book. Like Franki at A Year of Reading, I didn’t have much time to read YA as I did the elementary and intermediate fiction. I have always enjoyed YA, but since it is for older kids, I wanted to be reading things I could recommend to students. Since I changed jobs last summer, I now have middle/high school students I can talk YA books with so I am making an effort to read quite a bunch this summer. I have a few middle school teaching colleagues that have raved about John Green books, I’d read some “reviews that made me want to read the book”, and he’s a graduate of close-by Kenyon College. 

I loved the book (although there were a few parts that I didn’t feel read as smoothly as the majority of the book, which surprised me some. I also could have done without some of the teenage boy commentary, but reminded myself that they are the target audience, not me. The characters of Quentin, Ben, Lacey, Radar and Margo Roth Spiegelman are greatly developed. Although I wouldn’t have necessarily wanted to be friends with all of them, I could imagine them running around  my high school or a modern high school. For people in my age bracket, think 16 Candles or Breakfast Club kind of relationships and characters. I love that what I thought was going to be a strictly realistic fiction book has a great mystery flair throughout! I will be adding his other books to my pile for summer.  

John Green’s website with his brother can be found at nerdfighters.com. I know I’m going to need more time to explore it than I’ve had!

Book Review: The Kinsella Sisters by Kate Thompson

Irish sisters Rio and Dervla haven’t spoken for many years, and neither is particularly bothered by this as they live very separate and different lives. However, the death of their father Frank reunites the pair, and they both regret the time spent apart.

Rio lives in picturesque Lissamore with her grown up son Finn and takes any job she can get her hands on. Dervla is a successful estate agent and loves the single high-life. They befriend their new neighbour Adair and his snobby daughter Izzy, but soon Rio and Dervla unearth a shocking secret that will change everything.

Can the sisters survive this next hurdle?

After a little look on www.fantasticfiction.co.uk, I was surprised to see that Kate Thompson has been writing since 1998 and has released 10 other novels. Avon have given Kate’s books a new lease of life with their funky and fresh looking covers, and they are certainly more appealing to younger readers. The review of her other works have been positive on Amazon so I was sure that I would like this one. The little endorsement from Marian Keyes on the cover also didn’t do it any harm and will probably make even more people pick this up for a read!

The book begins a few years before the main story, a good 8 years or so in fact, which allows us to get a glimpse into the life and times of Lissamore and Rio. I enjoyed the prologue as it sets the scene with new neighbour Adair, and brings up the problems between Rio and Dervla. The transistion back to present day was seamless, and the author dove straight in with the main storyline of the reuniting of the sisters and the subsequent shock for the pair of them. For quite a while, we see only Rio and so I was unsure whether Dervla was going to feature heavily or not, but she soon makes an appearance and stays put as the other main character. I liked Rio more than Dervla, maybe because I saw more of her but I just felt I could relate more to Rio and she seemed more real to me.

As well as the two Kinsella sisters, the other characters in the book are extremely well written too. I particularly liked the way Thompson has written the close relationship between mother and son Rio and Finn. They are incredibly close, Finn is a lovely man and its nice to see a positive relationship being written rather than a destructive one as we too often see these days. I wasn’t keen on the character of Izzy but that was the point of her really, and Adair wasn’t around enough for me to care either way. Clearly Thompson enjoys exploring different relationships and their changes in her books, and they were all so well written that they were a joy to read.

As well as the relationships in the book, there is an element of travel within as well. The characters of Finn and Izzy are keen scuba-divers, and this is a theme well-explored in the book. Thompson has clearly done her research as she writes about it with good authority, and in an understandable way. Because of their hobby, the book travels from Ireland to Thailand with the pair and the writing of Koh Samui is so good, you can really imagine yourself there in the blistering heat with them! Thompson’s writing is very descriptive, but reads smoothly. She writes in the third person, my favourite way of reading a book, and it was a delightful book to sit and lose yourself in.

If you love a really well-written and enjoyable tale, then I highly recommend you look for a copy of the Kinsella Sisters. It would be an ideal book to take with you on your hols, perfect for picking up and putting down as you please. You can lose yourself in the relationships of these believable characters, and imagine the gorgeous scenery and sea-views of Lissamore, and the blue sea of Thailand as you read! I am tempted to look for more of Kate’s work after reading this, and am thrilled to reveal that there is a sequel being written to be called The O’Hara Affair, although its not due for release until 2010… I wait in huge anticipation! Highly recommended by me.

Rating: 5/5

"Investigation into a massacre" by Amnon Kapeliouk

“Investigation into a massacre: Sabra and Chatila” by Amnon Kapeliouk (June 17, 2009)

           

            After I published the post “The culprit: vegetative Ariel Sharon” I got hold of a frightening manuscript that kept me awake all night. Amnon Kapeliouk published in 1982 a French book “Investigation into a massacre: Sabra and Chatila”.  He gathered valuable information from a wide variety of sources both in Israel and in Lebanon.  The manuscript describes in 115 pages details of the genocide that was perpetrated in the Palestinian camps in south Beirut from Tuesday September 14 to Monday 20, 1982.

            I will end the review with the political and economic reasons for this mindless and bestial slaughter house tale.

 

Before Tuesday, September 14, 1982

 

            By summer 1981, Israel defense Minister Ariel Sharon had prepared an incursion plan into Lebanon.  Israel invaded Lebanon on June 4, 1982 with the avowed intention of limiting the incursion to 40 kilometers and cleaning up pockets of Palestinian resistance in south Lebanon.  In the Knesset on June 8, Menahem Begin PM describes the Palestinians “animals with two legs”. During a monster demonstration on July 17 in Tel Aviv Menahem Begin PM declared “By the end of this year we will have signed a peace treaty with Lebanon.”  The Israeli incursion extended to the Capital Beirut leaving 20,000 civilian dead and 30,000 severely injured. “Plan Reagan” of September 2 denied Israel the annexation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.  Israel was pressured to end this invasion and Ariel Sharon would repeatedly answer “Patience gentlemen; the fruit of this war will be obvious soon”

            Minister Yaakov Meridor sent a directive to the Israeli army related to the Palestinian refugees stating: “Force the Palestinians to flee toward East Lebanon to the borders with Syria. Do not let them return”  The Israeli army (Tsahal) did their best to totally demolish the Palestinian camps in south Lebanon, in Tyr, and Saida; it effected mass slaughter among the refugees. This directive failed because the Palestinian refugees had nowhere else to go.  It was obviously that the main objective of this war was to evacuate most of the Palestinians out of Lebanon and toward Syria.  Israel knew that Lebanon was to small, weak, and with a social and political confessional fabric that would never allow the majority Palestinian Sunnis residency status.  Since the sole objective is to practically cancel out UN resolution 194 for the “right of return” of the refugees to their homeland Palestine then the other alternative was to kill as many as they could.

 

            Ariel Sharon bombarded Beirut for three weeks and closed off all access to the Capital.  The Lebanese political leaders in Beirut urged Arafat to leave Beirut and a deal with President Reagan’s special envoy Philip Habib stipulated that the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) headed by Yasser Arafat and 12,000 strong was to be evacuated to Cyprus on French navies and then head to Tunisia.  The PLO left Lebanon and the camps were not defended.  The multinationals of the USA, France, and Italy (supposed by the deal to defend the civilians) vacated their posts around the Palestinian camps by order of Israel.

            During the early years of the civil war in Lebanon there were three camps in the Christian districts such the ones in Dbayeh, Jesr al Basha, and Tell al Zaatar. The Christian militias overran these camps and forced the evacuation of the Christian Palestinians by military activities, genocide, and terror.  These camps were prime Real Estates and the developers, the deputies and ministers of the Metn district made a fortune. As Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982, the “Lebanese Forces” and Real Estates developers had plans for the even higher value Estates in Chatila and Sabra Palestinian camps in Beirut. They figured that they will rule Lebanon along side the Israelis.

 

Tuesday, September 14, 1982; (Iron Brain Operation):  

 

            The Israeli army is stationed on the outskirts of Beirut on all sides. Multinational forces of the USA, France, and Italy were brought in to protect the Palestinian civilians in the camps around Beirut.  Bechir Gemayel was elected President of the Lebanese Republic on August 23 under the bayonet of the Israeli army.  Bechir Gemayel (34 years old) was the closest ally to Israel since the civil war broke out in April 13, 1975.  Bechir Gemayel headed the Christian militias named “The Lebanese Forces” united the Phalange Party, the Party of Camille Chamoun, and other fringe parties by coercion and frightful infighting.  “The Lebanese Forces” had received from Israel military training, military sophisticated hardware, logistics, and military intelligence.  Israel Menahim Began PM and Ariel Sharon (Defense Minister) expected immediate peace pact to be signed by Beshir.  Beshir was reluctant to officially sign any peace treaty before he discuss with Arab leaders and consolidate his power.

            At 4:10 p.m. a charge of 50 kilos of TNT explodes at the above flat where Bechir was meeting with his supporters in Ashrafieh.  Sharon had accurate intelligence of the status of Bechir within minutes.  The Medias and radios would refrain from declaring Bechir dead until 10:30 p.m.

            By 6 p.m. Israel has established an air bridge to land tanks and soldiers in Beirut airport.  Sharon and Begin PM agree to enter the Capital Beirut without consulting with their cabinet of ministers.  An already detailed military plan for invading West Beirut in unfolded in the Defense Ministry.

 

Wednesday, September 15; (Israel occupies the first Arab Capital)

 

            General Amir Drori, commander of Northern Israel region, receive the order at 12:30 a.m. to take over the strategic points in West Beirut.  At 3:30 a.m. commanders of the Christian militias known as “Lebanese Forces” are assembled in their headquarters on the outskirt of south Beirut close to the Israeli headquarter.  The Israeli Generals Rafael Eytan (Fafoul) and Amir Drori are discussing plans with the militia officers Fadi Frem, Elie Hobeika, Emile 3id, Michel Zuwein, Deeb Anastase, Maroun Mich3alani, Joseph Edde and the liaison “Jessy”.  They are ironing out details of the invasion of the Christian milias into the Palestinian camps of Sabra and Chatila.

            The “Lebanese Forces” militia got busy painting their logos on walls and trees with directional arrows for troop’s movement from Chouweifat to Kuwait Embassy.  At 5 a.m. the Israeli forces have cordoned off both Palestinian camps.  By 9 a.m. Ariel Sharon is observing the deployment from a tall building close to the Kuwait Embassy and overlooking the camps, 200 meters away.  Sharon finds time at 1 a.m. to fly to Bikfaya and present his condolences to the Gemayel family; he is received coldly.  The Lebanese army in West Beirut refuses to cooperate with Tsahal.  By nightfall electicity power is shut off in West Beirut.  By 10 p.m. rockets for lighting the Palestinian camps are launched at the rate of two per minutes at each launching point.

 

Thursday, September 16 (Felicitations! Our friends are entering the camps)

 

            By noon, West Beirut has completely fallen and Tsahal is rounding up thousands of Lebanese at check points.  The Palestinian camps are shelled and Israeli snipers are active. At noon General Drori asks Fadi Frem if his militias are ready to enter the camps. They are ready and 1,500 Christian militias receive the green light for action.  They assemble by the airport and the Israeli General Amos Yaron exhibit to them aerial maps.  General Yaron confirms that Tsahal will deliver all the logistics and supplies for the “cleaning up of the camps”.  The Christian militias were never shy proclaiming at every occasion to the Israeli officers that they meant a thorough slaughter of babies, women, and elderly Palestinians. The Phalangists (Kataeb) used to utter their motto “A dead Palestinian is pollution. The extermination of all Palestinian refugees in Lebanon is the solution”

            A unit of 150 Christian’ militias crosses from Ouzai to the Lebanese army barrack of Henri Chehab to their headquarters at the UN building.  The Israeli check points let 25 jeeps packed of militias enter the camp of Chatila at 4 p.m.  The frightened civilian Palestinians go to the Israeli headquarter ad expressed their strong concerns. They are told to return and not be worried.  A detachment of soldiers of the splintered Lebanese army in south Lebanon and commanded by Major Saad Haddad, the stooge to Israel, arrives to the outskirts of Chatila.  Before 5 p.m. the dirty wolves were inside the chicken hen.

            Within an hour, hundreds of Palestinian civilians, babies, women, and elderly are slaughtered by machetes, knives, and hatchets.  Palestinians and Lebanese within the camps, regardless of being Christians or Moslems, are killed while having supper. The militias cut off limbs of women to grab bracelets attached in their forearms before finishing off their victims. Babies’ skulls are smashed on walls. Women are raped before being killed.  Nine Jewish women who married Palestinians long time ago were also killed.

            During the night delegations of Palestinians arrive at Israel’s headquarter to explain the situation and they are repulsed to the camps; most of the members of the delegations disappeared.  A militia demands a stretcher for a few wounded companions and explains “We have finished off more than 250 dirty Palestinians”.  By 11 p.m. a militia commander had expedited to the highest military Israeli echelons a succinct report stating “As of now 300 terrorists have been eliminated”.  The camps were brightly lighted with 81 mm rockets.  Two thousand Palestinians take refuge in nearby hospitals named Akka and Gaza.

            In Jerusalem at 7:30 p.m. the Israeli cabinet met for 4 hours; Chief of Staff Raphael Eytan quickly goes over the situation in the camps stating “The Phalangists are cleaning up a few nests of terrorists”.  The massacre resumed for the entire night.  The Israeli soldiers were witnessing the genocides and did not move.  A single Israeli soldier with a minimum of moral standing and with a minimum of guts could have entered and ordered the militias out; they would have obeyed!  Nobody moved. The Israeli soldiers just reported to their higher commanders who knew the plan.

 

Friday, September 17

            At day break and from their posts Israeli soldiers could see people lined up on walls and executed. The hospitals are invested; foreign physicians and nurses are chased out and everyone inside is killed.  An Israeli officer broadcast “It is not done to pleasure us. I forbid you to intervene in the camps.” Fresh militias, among them “soldiers” of Saad Haddad, enter the camps in jeeps and bulldozers borrowed from the Israeli army.

            At 11 a.m. the militias barge into Akka hospital and finish off the injured; they raped a nurse ten times before killing her.  Forty of the personnel are horded into a truck; they will disappear.  Bulldozers are digging ditches by the Israeli headquarter; a Norwegian diplomat observe a shoveling truck dumping cadavers into the ditches.

            By noon, fresh militias reinforcement are observed by the airport; ten “command cars”, 13 tanks, jeeps, and more bulldozers are filmed by an Israeli TV channel reporter Ron Ben Yichai heading toward the camps.  The militias carry with them plenty of alcoholic beverages and hashish.

            The Israeli Chief of Staff lands his helicopter at Beirut airport 3:30 p.m. and meet with the militia chief Fadi Frem and congratulates him on “a job well done” because they did not obey the American orders to vacate the camps.  Eytan flies back to his ranch in Tel-Adachim to celebrate Israel’s New Year with his family; he will call Sharon around 9 p.m. to tell him “the Phalengists are exaggerating”. Today, the militias are shooting bullets to expedite the “clean up” mission.  Trucks packed with Palestinians are taken out of camps; the detainees are never heard of.

            All night long, with the camps well lighted by Israeli rockets, the bulldozers are destroying the shantytown homes over their inhabitants.  Yesterday, the objective was to terrorize the Palestinians out of camps; they had no where to go since the Israeli check points forced them to return to camps.  This night, the goal is to erase the camp completely of any structure and clean up this prime Real Estate.  Ben Yichai called up Sharon to inform him of the horrible conditions in the camps and he reported “Ariel Sharon gave me the impression that he was updated thoroughly on the situation”.

            In the Israeli headquarters soldiers are eating lavishly, celebrating the New Year, and enjoying the carnage scene overlooking the Palestinian camps. A single Israeli soldier with a minimum of moral standing and with a minimum of balls could have entered and ordered the militias out: they would have obeyed!  Nobody moved.

           

Saturday, September 18, 1982:  (No prisoners taken)

            At dawn the carnage goes on. It will resume till after 10 a.m. the time that Israel had decided that the operation should end. At 6 a.m. the loudspeakers of the militias are encouraging the Palestinians to set out of their homes saying “Go out and you will be saved” (Sallimou Tislamou).  Thousands obey the order and they are horded into trucks; they will disappear. Many are executed on the way: “It is better to kill the maximum before delivering them to the Israelis”; the roads toward Ouzai are strewn with bodies.  The bulldozers and shoveling equipments are working full time.  The hospitals get invested again and the injured achieved.  The foreign physicians and nurses witness the activities helplessly.

            At exactly 10 a.m. Israeli tanks move toward the camps; it is the signal for the militias to vacate the camps. Over 4,000 Palestinian and Lebanese civilians in camps containing more than 20,000 will be recorded disappeared. For two weeks, the Lebanese army, Red Cross, and volunteers will not be able to “re-clean up” this human disaster. (To be continued in my posts “Reactions to the genocide”)

 

 

Note 1:  The Lebanese Shiaa in south Lebanon had strong animosity against the Palestinian fedayins since 1975 when the civil war started: Israel was constantly shelling and bombing the south “in reprisal” of the Palestinian “katiousha” and the Lebanese government and army had stopped reacting or coming to the aid of its citizens in south Lebanon.  The charismatic leaders of the Shiaa Imam Moussa Sadr managed to control their anger until he “disappeared” in 1978 while on a visit to Libya.  Probably Israel had assassinated Sadr and blamed Kadhafi for the disappearance. Israel knew that as Moussa Sadr is out of the picture then the Shiaa will welcome the Israeli invading forces with rice and joy to get rid of the Palestinian resistance forces.  That is what happened exactly; Shiaa joined the splintered Lebanese army in the south which was commanded by major Saad Haddad, a stooge to Israel.  From 1978 to 1983 the Shiaa militias of AMAL, lead by Nabih Berri, the successor to Sadr, followed the orders of the Syrian regime to enter every Palestinian camp and retrieve heavy arms; many battles with the Palestinians inside camps were routine. All that was reversed as Hezbollah was formed in 1984 by the support of Khomeini in Iran. Nabih Berry of AMAL calmed down and Israel withdrew without any preconditions from south Lebanon in May 24, 2000 as the splintered Lebanese army lacked manpower and suffered heavy casualties by the frequent well targeted Hezbollah attacks.

 

Note 2: Yasser Arafat played a central role during the Lebanese civil war that started in April 13, 1975 and ended in 1991.  He tried to maintain a balanced position in the tag of war between Hafez Assad of Syria and Sadate of Egypt at the expense of the Lebanese civilians.  The leftist Lebanese organizations relied on Arafat for logistics in arms and ammunition and he controlled them completely.  Arafat and his PLO were actually fighting Israel, Syria, and the Christian militias of the “Lebanese Forces”. Arafat once declared in Ramallah around 1998 that he was the de facto governor of Lebanon for over 20 years, even before the civil war broke out. Lebanon would have been saved 13 years of mindless civil war if Arafat had decided to relinquish Lebanon to Syria and dealt with Israel in 1977 instead of 1993 for part of Palestine as he was forced to do later during the Oslo Agreement.

 

Note 3: There are indications that ex-President Amine Gemayel, Deputy and Minister Michel Murr, and the Maronite Church are among the profiteers in the reclamation of the land of the Palestinian camps in the Christian cantons.

Book Review: Magic Street, by Orson Scott Card

A college professor picks up a derelict by the side of the road on his way home from work one day and quickly discovers that the homeless man isn’t what he appears to be–when he gets home, the professor finds his previously not-pregnant wife in the throes of delivering a baby, which the derelict collects and departs with. Nobody except the professor remembers the event afterward. Later, a teenage boy discovers the baby abandoned in a plastic bag at a local park. The child survives and is taken in by a neighborhood spinster. He’s given the name Mack Street, and as he grows up, it’s apparent that his oddness goes well beyond the circumstances of his birth. Mack Street can see other people’s dreams, and when some of those dreams begin to come true in horrific ways, Mack and his neighbors in the L.A. suburb of Baldwin Hills begin to realize that strange forces are at work in their community, and reality is a whole lot stranger than any of them expected.  There’s a war going on that’s as old as time itself, and Mack Street is caught in the middle of it.

In Magic Street, Orson Scott Card has woven some difficult issues of modern American community and culture, and one of his favorite themes, the alien, messianic child, into a contemporary fairy tale that fleshes out an obscure reference in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

There will be some spoilers toward the end of this, so stop reading now if you don’t want to be spoiled.

Upward Mobility: Card wrestles with a tough, un-PC issue in contemporary American culture: the alienation of upwardly-mobile minorities. The good people of Baldwin Hills have escaped poverty and achieved a piece of the American Dream, despite many obstacles, but they feel uncomfortable about it, as if they’ve sold out or betrayed their fellow people of color in some fashion, losing touch with a shared culture of struggle against adversity that once defined them. He doesn’t offer any solutions other than the insight that being mistreated by society isn’t a good reason to cultivate hatred and pass that mistreatment on to others. As Dr. Seuss might say, a person’s a person, no matter how small (or what color, or how loud their street bike is at 3 am).

Street Cred: Card  strives for authenticity in his depiction of Black characters, and mostly succeeds, I think, but sometimes it seems like he falls back on stereotype. C’mon, a “Yo mama’s so fat…” sparring session?

Titania is Not a “Hoochie Mama”: Authors and playwrights are continually trying to update Shakespeare, and it almost always fails. The characters feel awkward when taken out of their cultural context. Card’s concept is very creative–I liked the way he put the little fracas over the “changeling child” from Midsummer Night’s Dream into an accessible context, but in my opinion, it still didn’t have enough momentum to escape the gravity well created by putting Shakespearean characters in modern dress. Titania’s a queen, not Queen Latifah, though that’s an amusing mental image.

Some Editors Don’t Recognize Me, So I Carry the Orson Scott Card: Regardless of the quality of the writing, if a non-marquee author tried to pitch a fantasy story in which Shakespeare’s fairies interacted with the real world, I expect they’d get shot down because it’s already been done–a lot. OSC can get away with it because, well, he’s OSC. Yes, I’m whining, but it’s a complaint about the publishing world, not this book. Ah, well, it’s nice that somebody gets to take a fresh cut at a venerable trope.

If You Can’t Blind Them With Brilliance…: What caught my interest and kept me reading this story was the “What the Heck is Going On Here?” factor. Once Card gets past the initial strangeness and lets the reader into what’s happening, it’s a fairly conventional ride. Confused Messiah Kid and Sidekicks Save the World. I’ve been down this road so often I know how many telephone poles there are.  The writing is masterful, but the story didn’t grip me. It was, frankly, hard for me to get too excited about or feel much sympathy for supernatural characters who were arbitrarily wanton and cruel. “The Devil made me do it” has never been a convincing defense, Puck’s charm and Oberon’s self-inflicted schizophrenia notwithstanding, and there are way too many real babies being set out with the trash these days. The image didn’t just shock, it shut me down. Card’s “All’s Well That Ends Well” finish doesn’t satisfy, either. If I were the folks in Baldwin Hills, I’d be surfing the Net for a good paranormal liability attorney, not basking in the afterglow of a rockin’ dance with the Faerie Queen. I’d have gladly left this entire Faerie court penned up in the underworld where they couldn”t mess around with innocent people, who have enough problems without super-powered delinquents warping their reality. Get an eternal life, y’all.

Bottom Line: Magic Street is an entertaining, well-written story, but the central conceit of bored immortals using humans as playthings/pawns in their everlasting war wasn’t appealing to me. Explicitly drawing a parallel between Mack’s situation and the Incarnation didn’t help me, either–it’s not the same thing, not at all.

The Host (Book) - Review

Author : Stephenie Meyer

Plot : Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a
species that takes over the minds of their human hosts while leaving
their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed. Wanderer, the
invading ’soul’ who has been given Melanie’s body, knew about the
challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the
too-vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn’t
expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession
of her mind.

Review : I really enjoyed the Twilight books, and was really looking forward to reading this. When I started to read this I didn’t get into the style of writing, the story and was a little put off by that as I was taken in very fast with Twilight.

I have had this book for a while, and most of the time it just sat next to me and I couldn’t be bothered reading it due to not getting into the story, characters and pace of the book. I managed to read up to 50% and it just sat there like that for a few weeks.

If you asked me what I thought of it then, I would have said not really a good read, very slow to get into the characters and I wasn’t sure if I would actually finish it.

So this week I decided that I will finish it and see how it ends, so I read a few chapters a night and this is my thoughts on it now.

Now that I have read a good chunk each night and finished it, its actually not as bad as I originally thought. I did get into the characters, maybe not as much as I did with the Twilight characters but I did get into the main ones.

I am glad I did finish it as I would read its sequel if there was one, as it was an interesting story and ending not as good as Twilight but still good.

Overall I feel this is a book you need to read on a daily basis, and not put it down for a while or you will not pick it up. Due to the story and the details, you need to keep reading it to get into the storyline and pace. I think if I did that to start with I would have probably finished it a while ago.

My Rating : 7 out of 10

Book Review: None of My Affair by Fiona O'Brien

Carrie Armstrong and her family are going through some tough times at the moment. Carrie is coming to terms with the end of her long marriage to husband Rob, her daughter Hope is living alone in Spain and Carrie is worried about her well-being.

Supermodel daughter Ali seems to be settled with fiance Stuart and a wedding looming gives the whole family something to look forward to. But can they pull together to create Ali’s dream day, or is it going to be ruined by family feuds and friends affairs?

Prior to seeing this on the shelf in Tesco one shopping day, I hadn’t actually heard of Fiona O’Brien. I was curious enough to go home and have a little look on Amazon to see what else she has written. She has written 2 previous books which had good reviews, so I decided to take a chance on this one and get it from the library, just in case I didn’t like it! I also noted that the author was Irish which was good as I seem to like pretty much anything by Irish chick-lit authors!

The plot of this book is totally about relationships, both the good and the bad ones. The ages of the characters in the book range from early twenties up to mid-fifties in the case of Carrie and husband Rob, so all ages and stages of relationships are covered by the author. We begin the book with Carrie and Rob, and the poor state of their marriage – it’s no secret that Rob has been sleeping around but things are about to change for Carrie when she finds out something a bit deeper about Rob and his bit on the side that she doesn’t want to uncover. Because of the nature of the story, I really felt for poor Carrie, but annoyed that she put up with what she did from Rob the pig, whom I hated instantly!

The younger characters are also present in the book, although not quite as much as the more mature ones. Ali, Hope and Stephanie are Carrie and Rob’s daughters, and somewhat unlucky in love like their parents. Each are at different points in their love lives which is covered by the book, and its a great read because of how different the whole cast of characters are. As well as the daughters, we meet Jay, Carrie’s best friend and wife of Frank, serial philanderer although she’s happy to put up with it. This annoyed me somewhat because it seemed like the women in this book put up with their men’s terrible behaviour just for the money and status of being their wives, which isn’t a great message to send out!

Despite this, I really can’t fault anything else about this book at all. It is incredibly well written, and consequently is a joy to read. It flits between different characters quite quickly because of the progressing story, but is easy to follow because O’Brien has made the characters different and likeable in many ways. The pace of the story is well judged – things happen in an acceptable time frame and you can see an end goal, although the end is completely shocking and not something I could have seen in a million years! There are some cringey parts to do with Rob and Frank and their mistresses, but its a crucial part of the story so do bear with it!

The book travels from the homeland of Ireland to the beautiful Spanish sun and the author does this a lot of justice. Her vivid writing enables the reader to picture clearly in their mind where the characters are at and I could easily picture the lovely harbour where Frank’s beautiful yacht is moored just as well as I imagined Carrie walking down the rainy streets of Ireland as well, and the transistion between the two countries is seamless and makes for a joyful reading experience. The book is written in the third person as well which is a great way to read a book with multiple characters, and it was a writing style I found easy to get in to.

I loved this book, and would highy recommend it to people who love a well written and enjoyable story that takes you on a journey, not only geographically but emotionally as well. The characters are likeable because of their circumstances (albeit somewhat annoyingly because they allow it to be the case!) and you are able to feel sorry for them, but they change through the book and I liked the journey the characters all went on. My favourite character was Carrie, and remained that way until the shocking yet satisfying ending. The author has another book out later this year, and I can’t wait because this one was just brilliant, I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommended!

Rating: 5/5

Freckleface Strawberry and the Dodgeball Bully

One of my favorite things to do in the evening is to sit down with my girls and read to them. With my oldest now seven and a reader herself, we have a lot of fun picking out books together. When I received Julianne Moore’s newest book, Freckleface Strawberry and the Dodgeball Bully, I asked Leah if she wanted to read it. Her answer was a big YES and so we snuggled on the couch and read the story of Freckleface Strawberry.

Freckleface is scared of dodgeball (and to be quite honest, who ever came up with the idea for this game anyway- I mean, did any of us really like dodgeball?).  She also fears the school bully Windy Pants Patrick. Freckleface, who attends the early bird program at her elementary school, now has a really big problem. It’s raining outside and that means one thing – heading into the gym to play dodgeball. And of course Windy Pants Patrick has the ball. Freckleface now has to figure out how to face both of her fears. Summoning the courage to stand up to the dodgeball bully, Freckleface Strawberry realizes that maybe the things she’s most afraid of aren’t all that scary after all.

First, I have to say that the illustrations, drawn by LeUyen Pham, are super cute, colorful and quirky. Freckleface Strawberry is a sweet, spunky character who has a vivid imagination (one of her favorite games is playing imaginary monster who rules the solar system). Even so, as with children of all ages, Freckleface has big worries (for this character her fears are directed towards dodgeball and school bully). The story itself encourages kids to face their fears and not be frightened of new experiences, which I think is a really nice message.

While at Book Expo America I was lucky enough to meet Julianne Moore. She was very nice (we quick chatted about how both our two children are the exact same ages apart) and she signed a copy of this book for my girls. I like this video, in which Julianne explains why she enjoys writing for children.

Would you like to see what other bloggers have said about Freckleface Strawberry? For tour information and the complete schedule, visit the tour home page.

The Shack

It seems like forever ago that I noticed several people were reading this book called The Shack by Wm. Paul Young.  I listened as people raved about it but when I asked what it was about I got these vague answers and this “you’ll just have to read it”.   So I went out and bought it thinking this little book wouldn’t take me much time at all.  I just finished it tonight and I feel like I just finished this huge journey around the world and back…. on foot.  It took me a bit to get into it; I read the first two chapters about 3 times before I went on further determined to finish the book.  Just when I was thinking the book was losing me again I decided to go to the cafe at work and read during my lunch.  A woman walked by and said “that’s a great book!”.  I didn’t even have a chance to reply when she added “keep reading, you’ll get into it” and she left.  After a while longer a man sitting at a nearby table asked if I had gotten to the shack yet.  I said, “we are on the way there” and then it hit me.  The book had gotten me!!  I said WE!  The gentleman said, “after he gets to the shack it really gets going.  Keep reading”.  I kept reading and soon after that I didn’t have anymore trouble reading it.  Only, I didn’t zip right through it either.  I found that I had to take some time to digest what I read.  Sometimes it was a chapter, sometimes just a paragragh and every now and then it was just one little  phrase that seemed so huge I had to stop to really think about it!  This book really hit home with me in so many many ways.  It even did some things that I don’t even think the author intended. 

Now, I am not going to give anything away either.  There is a reason I was given so many vague answers to what it was about.  Please read this book!  Go to www.theshackbook.com and read about it.  You may be like me and think it’s not your kind of book but read it anyway.  It’s worth it.

If you have read it and you know about the part about the bird.  I had this strange moment after reading that.  I looked up from the book, still taking in the story and the little hidden meanings in it, and looked around my room to see birds and butterflies everywhere.  I have always had this facination with flying and the beatiful creatures that do it.  I have often had dreams of standing on the edge of a cliff and wanting to jump off and just fly but I was afraid to.  I actually remember walking up to a cliff when I was little and standing there wondering if I could fly when my sister and my dad ran up and grabbed me away from the edge scolding me profusely.  The ground at the edge was very crumbly and I distintly remember thinking the ground would probably break away with the weight of all of us and I wouldn’t be able to fly because they were holding on to me LOL  Anyway, that part of the book kind of caught me a bit.  I can’t really explain it completely but it held special meaning for me in several places.  So when you read  it, or re-read it, think on it.  You might just be missing something.

The culprit: vegetative Ariel Sharon

The culprit:  vegetative Ariel Sharon

Massacres of Sabra and Chatila Palestinian camps (June 11, 2009)

 

            For two days and three nights genocide was perpetrated in September 16, 1982.  Over 2,000 Palestinian civilians were massacred in the camps of Sabra and Chatila on the outskirt of Beirut. The Israeli Army had cordoned off the camps, provided logistics, lighted the “field of operations”, and excavated mass graves.  Israel Defense Minister, Ariel Sharon, was there supervising the genocide activities.  The head of intelligence branch of the Lebanese Forces militia, Elie Hobeika, was witnessed over a hill overhanging the camps observing the scene through binoculars.  The Palestinian resistance fighters had vacated Lebanon a month ago and multinational forces, headed by the USA, were supposed to guarantee the safety and security of the Palestinian civilians in the various camps around Beirut.   

 

            In July 2001, Elie Hubeika invited the news media for an announcement. He divulged that Israel saved Ariel Sharon, the real culprit of the massacres in the Palestinian camps of Sabra and Chatilla in 1982, by shifting the blame to him.  Elie Hobeika then offered to witness in front of the Belgium court that was prosecuting claims against Sharon by the families of the victims in the camps.  Hobeika insisted that he has evidences to prove his innocence and information that are contrary to what the official Israeli Kahana Commission presented.  Hobeika said “I am one of the wrongly accused in this case; I was set up and will present all the evidences that the Belgium court demands of me” Hobeika said to a friend: “This is a big and dangerous game.  I was waiting for such an opportunity to tell the whole truth for a lie that lasted 19 years. I can no longer sustain the burden of suspicion in the eyes of my family and son.”

            The Belgium head delegation, Roger Dubee, met with Hobeika in Lebanon and recorded the evidences and then promised to fly to Belgium once the court is ready for hearings on the massacres case.

            A roadside bomb exploded in the convoy of Hobeika on January 24, 2002, 150 meters from his home. Hobeika had once told his friend: “The worst section when you are targeted is the stretch close to your house”.  The area was top security because the presidential Palace, the Defense Ministry, and Army headquarter were located near by.  The investigations led nowhere but everyone pointed the finger toward Sharon’s PM decision to eliminate Hobeika.  This assassination was to be the first in a series of frequent assassinations after Rafic Hariri’s in February 2005.

 

            Elie Hobeika was born in 1956 in the town of Kulai3at and studied in several private Christian schools.  He studied commerce and banking and worked for a while at the Lebanon/Brazil Bank.  He joined the Phalange Party (Kataeb) in 1972.  Hobeika always carried his favorite machine gun HK and Bashir Gemayel gave him the nickname HK after an impossible successful mission of breaking up a blockade on trapped militias. Beshir dispatched Hobeika in 1977 to south Lebanon.  Hobeika fought the Palestinians around Ain Ebel for 7 months under the code name “Edward” and antagonized Israeli officers.

            The daughter of Beshir Gemayel, Maya, was assassinated in 1980.  Thus, Beshir Gemayel assigned Hobeika the task of establishing an intelligence branch.  It was Hobeika who suggested to Bashir to open up communication lines with President Sarkis.  Hobeika wed Gina Nashati in 1981.  Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982 and would push foreword and enter the Capital Beirut.  Hebeika joined Bechir on a visit to Saudi Arabia in June 1982 as preparation for the succession to President Sarkis.  Beshir would be elected President on July 23, 1982 under the bayonet of the Israeli army in Beirut.

            Bashir was assassinated on September 14, 1982 before being officially consecrated President.  Elie Hobeika was with Amine Gemayel (elder brother of Basher) in Bikfaya when Saeb Salam PM called Amine to inform him of suspected activities inside the Palestinian camps of Sabra and Chatila.  As head of the intelligence branch Hobeika had no fighting regiment under his orders to dispatch.

            Hobeika was elected Deputy after the civil war in 1992 and then in 1996; he was minister of the Lebanese refugees and then minister of Water and Electricity.

 

 

            After the assassination of Elie Hobeika the Belgium court closed the file; as if Hobeika was the only witness to one of the ugliest genocides in this last quarter of this century.  That proves the masquerade of the Western courts when the victims are Palestinians or Arabs.  The families of the over 2,000 civilian victims in the camps of Sabra and Chatila want justice, retribution, and compensation.  I demand from the Belgium Justice to explain what happened to the case of the camps.

            It is a shame that the western Nations don’t take seriously the successive genocides that the Palestinian and Lebanese civilians have succumbed to the Zionist State.  Lately, Gaza was eradicated after suffering an entire year of embargo on daily trade for survival.  Before that in 1996 the massacre of Qana case was dropped by the US courts. The Horror; the deafening Silence of the able “civilized” Occident.

JSNT Booklist now online

I recommend, given the number of books reviewed and the number of pdf files to choose from, that you first look at the index and see which authors you want to look up.  Otherwise, it is organized by topic, NT author, or group of letters.  That does make it convenient in some ways.  My only concern is that the reviews are too short to be really useful except to whet one’s appetite and encourage one to order the book for the library!

See HERE.

Technology, Rhetoric, and Society

Last fall, for some “light reading” (okay, it was really for a master’s seminar at Utah State University), I was reading Stuart Selber and Lawrence Lessig, two writers, teachers, and theorists about the nature of the use of computer technology in education, politics, and society.

It was a fascinating look at how technology really affects us, not just on a surface-level IM/email/text messaging sort of way. Both texts focused heavily on the idea that our use of technology as a whole is an agreement of concerned parties. Lessig relates it particularly to software; because we create software, we ultimately control what can and will happen politically and socially if it involves software as a key component. Whether it be freedom of speech, privacy, copyright law, marketing, sales, or education, ultimately we can create any solution we as a society deem appropriate, because we control the code. And simply because certain decisions have already been made about the nature of Cyberspace, the Internet, and the technologies that power it, emphatically does NOT mean that those things are set in stone, or static.

Both texts examine the fundamental paradigms that surround our use of computer technologies in education and society, and examine whether we are, in fact, hamstringing ourselves in relation to our own technology use. Again, since we have control over how software is implemented, we have the ability, if we choose to, to fundamentally alter the course technology takes during our lifetimes.

Lessig was fairly optimistic in his outlook, stating that the forces that move in the technology sphere have, at least historically, moved in progressive ways, though he cautions that when money and politics are involved, you cannot trust the establishment to simply act out of “good will to humanity.”

Selber is far more critical, especially of higher education, essentially stating that higher education as a whole has completely cow-towed to the rise of technology as and end unto itself. It’s no longer even rational to question the “why” or the “need” for technology–it’s simply assumed that investors in higher education will simply fall in line and let the computer science and information technology departments lead us into the promised land.

There are of course many uses of technology in non-technical university subjects, but far too often we bow down to those perpetrating the technology with our money and time without truly considering the real needs at hand.

Even more critically, as Selber states, because the general population is educated in only the most cursory of uses of technology, that developing cohesive educational, political, and social goals for its use is nearly impossible. There are so few citizens who have the education and training to make informed technology decisions that more often than not in higher education and society as a whole, we go along with what is presented, because we really don’t see or understand realistic alternatives. In many cases, the options presented to us by the technology purveyors may in fact be an ideal solution, but there may be numerous instances where alternative solutions, more cost effective solutions, and more humanistically appropriate solutions may be bypassed for convenience, or even worse, because the technology companies feel it is their prerogative to make a buck.

Both books were eye-opening, and a must-read for any socially conscious, forward-looking student of technology and its impacts on the political and social consciousness.

-Steve

Seduction Tales

Seduction Tales (June 9, 2009)

 

            Are you an avid reader?  A few reminders of what you have read on seduction might be touching. The French lady writer George Sand seduced the Venetian physician Pagello who was treating her sickly lover the poet Alfred de Musset by writing to him a series of questions such as:

 

“Would you be a master or a support?”

“Would you consol me of the suffering before I got to know you?”

“Would you understand why I am sad?”

“Do you know compassion, patience, and friendship?”

“Do you know that women have a soul even though you were raised to believe the contrary?”

“Would I be your companion or your slave?”

“Do you desire me or love me?”

“When you satisfy your passional urges would you thank me?”

“When I pleasure you would you tell me?”

“Do you know the soul desire that no human caress can numb or tire you?”

“When your lover sleeps in your arms do you keep awake gazing at her, praying and crying?”

“Does sex exhaust the moron in you or you are driven to divine ecstasy?”

“Does your soul survive to your body when you leave the bosom of your lover?”

 

            The French novelist Stendhal fell in love with the divorced lady Mathilda.  He sent her letters such as:

“I know myself. I love you for the rest of my life.  Whatever you will do can never change the idea of you that stroke my soul; the idea of happiness of being loved by you; the idea that I have contempt for all that gave me pleasure without you. I need you.  I am thirsty for you. I will give the rest of my life to have the luxury of talking with you of indifferent matters for just a quarter of an hour. I am leaving you to be present with you more frequently, to dare speak with you leisurely with al the energy and passion that devour me.”

 

            Another one of Stendhal’s seductive letters read:

“I have courage only when far of you. Close to you I am timid, like a boy as words expires on his lips; I just cannot resist but contemplating and admiring you.  Do I have to be reduced to an inferior state and as flat?  Love me Mathilda but never despise me. That agony is way above my forces.  I am afraid to displease you.”

 

            Seduction is a patient and persistent act of proving generosity, attention to details in the loved one, and being “present” most of the time which is the best publicity for reminding the loved one that she can never feel lonely if she cares.

            Seduction is a cultural phenomenon; warm and colorful environmental climate aid a lot.  Did you visit the puritanical USA New England region or the northern cold part of Europe?  You might realize that seducing is an exceptionally rare occurrence there; people do not dare look at you frankly for fear of “losing control of the self” and of being caught unprepared.   Now visit Latin America, the non –Arab Africa, or the Philippines and you discover the dancing gait of people, the colorful dresses, and the generous genuine smiles.  The entire posture of the body, the gesture, and the gazing are seductive.  Seductive cultures show openness, readiness to please people they cross and meet, and openness for opinions and discussions; they act as if they are used to caressing and extending compassion.  It is such a fresh air to mix with cultured seduction. Learn to seduce; abuse of seduction and let people feel appreciated, wanted, and desirable.  The simple generosity for pleasing others is the characteristic of genuine and confident people.

            “To seduce is to kill reality and to metamorphose into lure”.  Islam never neglected seduction; seducing in Islam used to be a culture of refinement; the process of knowing and learning how to seduce used to be part and parcel of constant discovering and an attitude of good behavior.

Book Review: Coming Up Next by Penny Smith

Katie Fisher is the anchorwoman for the breakfast show Wake Up Britain! and thinks she is rather good at her job.

So it comes as a bit of a shock to Katie when she’s suddenly sacked in favour of the younger and more attractive Keera. Katie flees to her parents to escape the paparazzi but realises she hasn’t got a clue what she’s going to do next.

Can she rebuild her career, and is Katie ever going to find out what’s Coming Up Next?

When I first read the plot synopsis, I was quite pleased because I thought that a book based around breakfast television by someone who worked in the industry was going to be great. I hoped that there would be lots of insight into that career and that it would be great to read. But because the main crux of the storyline is that Katie is sacked from her job, you don’t actually get that much of a view into breakfast telly at all, which for me was so disappointing, I was hoping for so much more than Penny Smith gave us.

This was only my first problem with the book really. Another thing that I found was that despite the apparent plot line on the back of the book, I found that the book never really seemed to go anywhere at all. The storyline felt all too vague at times and just seemed to ramble on just to fill the pages, and it didn’t flow very well at all. The whole book felt very disjointed, chopping and changing too quickly between characters, and I also felt that there were too many characters as well! I had to really concentrate to read this, and that is something I really don’t like when I read chick-lit as I like it to be easy-going, something that I can relax with at the end of the day but this book felt like a chore!

The characters were okay, but nothing special at all. The main character of Katie was okay but I just myself disliking her as the book went on. She was very drippy, thought she was far cleverer than she actually was and just generally got on my nerves. Smith uses a lot of puns for Katie throughout the book, and I’m not a thick person at all, but I just didn’t get half of them and I thought that was a bit silly. I spent a while puzzling over them to no avail and this really did wind me up as it made me feel stupid.

Other characters including the infuriatingly annoying Keera, Katie’s replacement on the television show. Keera clearly thought that the sun shone out of her own backside but sadly I just hated every word that was written about her, and although she’s meant to be Katie’s enemy, she ended up mine as well. Mike was Katie’s fellow presenter and there was this mysterious storyline going on with him throughout that was just superbly stupid, and when it got to the end I was like ‘Well as if we didn’t guess that right at the beginning’. Bob was Katie’s love interest and possibly the only nice one in the book, even if he was a bit of a walkover. And finally was weather-girl Dee, who is sure she’ll never find love but who I couldn’t have cared less about really.

The way the book was written was okay, it was written in the third person which allowed for all the character viewpoints that Smith wanted to include, but again I was just left annoyed at this. I couldn’t get into it at all, and lack of plot structure really started to get to me and I just couldn’t work out where it was going. Even when it finally reached the end, I just thought ‘Thank God’ but sort of felt unsatisfied, that Smith had just rushed to a conclusion just to get it finished. I expected a lot more from the funny newsreader, instead I was left relieved it had finished, and a tad annoyed I’d wasted my time reading this. I definitely wouldn’t recommend it, a poor novel which has no structure, poor characters and just got on my nerves.

Rating: 1/5

For news of Penny’s new book, After the Break, click here

The Mirror of Her Dreams (Mordant's Need, vol. I)

The Mirror of Her Dreams by Stephen R. Donaldson

The Mirror of Her Dreams by Stephen R. Donaldson
Del Rey, 1st mass-market printing, 1987
627 pages
Genre: fantasy

Terisa Morgan lives alone and unloved. Though financially supported by her wealthy, neglectful father, she takes a job as secretary in a small, ineffectual mission to fill the void in her life. She has no friends, and people often seem to look right through her. To assure herself that she still exits, Terisa lives surrounded by mirrors, the only thing that can persuade her of her reality. One dark, difficult night, and man comes through one of her mirrors, shattering it. He introduces himself as Geraden, an Apt, or apprentice Imager, sent by the Congery of Imagers to seek the augured champion to save Mordant in her darkest hour. Though Terisa’s apartment is not where he meant to go for the champion, Geraden believes she must be important, and begs her to return with him to save Mordant. Much to her surprise, Terisa accepts, and is drawn through her mirror with him.

She finds herself in a fantastic world, one in which mirrors do not reflect the world around them, but instead are windows to other places or other worlds, and can only be used by Imagers. A rogue Imager threatens the world, and Mordant in particular, translating horrors into the land to destroy it. Mordant’s King Joyse, who once saved Mordant and won its independence from the avaricious countries of Alend and Cadwal, has succumbed to senility. His closest advisor, the Adept Havelock, is a madman obsessed with hop-board (checkers). Joyse’s daughters and lords of the realm are rebelling, and the Congery of Imagers cannot even agree between themselves whether the Images in their mirrors are real, or whether they only exist after translation. Individual Masters such as Eremis, Barsongae, and Quillon, all strive in different directions, but who s to say which is heading toward treachery? Add to that the threat of war from Alend and Cadwal. Into this quagmire Terisa stumbles, and for the first time in her life, not only does someone pay attention to her, but she becomes the center of attention. Every faction believes she is important, though no one—including Terisa herself-knows how. Everyone in this world is plotting, some to save Mordant and some to destroy it, but in a world where mirrors don’t reflect, no one is who they seem.

The Mirror of Her Dreams is the first volume of the two-part Mordant’s Need, and I recommend having the second volume, A Man Rides Through handy for when you finish it, because TMoHD ends on a major cliffhanger.
Though fairly long (the two books could almost be four), this isn’t an epic populated by archetypes, and Donaldson’s writing is far less operatic than it is in his more well-known series The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. This is fantasy on a small scale, concentrating on people and their actions, rather than on magic and the world it inhabits. Though there is an extensive cast of characters, they are all fully realized, as Donaldson takes his time sketching their personalities and motivations; because of the care and detail put into their creations, the characters’ actions are firmly grounded in reality. People drive the story, and far more time is spent on their conversations and musings than in battle or magic. It begins with a steady, deliberate pace as Donaldson carefully introduces the many characters and lays out the foundation for all the intrigues.

Also driving the story are the political machinations engaged in by the various factions; as Terisa picks her way through the web of deceit that is Mordant, so do other characters, as well as the reader. One of Donaldson’s strengths lies in his ability to effectively create a political mystery for his characters and readers to solve; unlike some authors, his puzzles withstand scrutiny and are comprehensible. As the reader moves through the novel, their understanding grows in direct proportion to Terisa’s—sometimes faster than hers, for she is hampered by her own limitations.

The many layers of intrigue add to the dense, almost claustrophobic atmosphere created by Donaldson. Much of the action takes place inside the castle Orison, and the rest in Mordant proper. We hear about Cadwal and Alend, but of nothing farther away than them, though it is mentioned a few times that the former is wealthy due to its contact with other realms. Mordant and its neighbors Cadwal and Alend are in a tight, self-contained world, another component of the smaller, more personal scale of Mordant’s Need when compared to some other prominent fantasy works.

I first read TMoHD and AMRT in ninth grade, after finding them in the Kaiser High School library. They are among the books I remember best from that time in my life, and continued to stand out for years (others I recall include Saint Saturn’s School for Girls, Silver, and the Dortmunder books). I re-read them again in my junior or senior year, and when I chanced upon the pair in paperback at The Book Box in Tigard, I pounced. It was the owner of The Book Box who mentioned to me the misogyny she felt was endemic in Donaldson’s work, a complaint I have heard about Mordant’s Need in particular. Having read none of Donaldson’s oeuvre but Mordant’s Need, I cannot comment on that. But I can understand such concerns about Mordant’s Need.

Terisa and Geraden are the unlikely heroes so beloved by fantasy. He is bumbling, naïve, even puppyish, and most importantly, wholly ignorant of his power or significance. Terisa is not merely passive, she’s practically inert. Even after her translation into Orison, she is frustratingly incapable of acting to help herself or others, and simply receives the knowledge other players impart to her or submits quietly to their desires. Others such as King Joyse, the princess Elega, and the Masters Barsonage and Quillon alternately demand and implore her to act, to claim her place in Mordant, and her struggle to do so is painful to watch. Because of her flaws, Terisa is easily manipulated at first, but she slowly grows in strength as the books progress.

It is Terisa’s passivity, when combined with the situation of women in this world, which rouses cries of misogyny against Donaldson. There is no feminism in Mordant, women there have no political roles, no position but that which men give them, and there are consistent attitudes implying that women are simply sexual playthings. Some women feel this keenly, and struggle against it in an attempt to achieve autonomy, while others use their sexuality as a weapon. Also consistent is the threat of sexual violence, most often as an exercise of power or symptom of insanity. (I must note that the only rape that happens is male on male.) When combined with Terisa’s passivity, it is easy to level charges of misogyny without considering the state of women in the pre-modern, pre-Industrial world.

An intense fantasy novel with both complex characters and a complex plot, Mordant’s Need is highly recommended.

Cover: The same as the hardcovers I originally read, it depicts Terisa and Geraden looking at each other through a mirror, while story elements appear behind him. Good quality for a fantasy novel. The new covers for the trade paperback reprints look dreadful, but I would love to have copies of the alternate (international?) cover.

The panic which had been gnawing at thback of her mind suddenly got worse. She shouldn’t have spoken so sarcastically, so assertively. She was dependent on these people. With one cross word, she could be dismissed from existence. The King could have her thrown into another of those mirrors, and she might end up somewhere even more impossible. The world of the Congery’s chosen champion suggested itself to her imagination. Or she might arrive nowhere–might simply dissolve into the gray, unacknowledged, pointless nothing she had feared and fought most of her life.
I’m sorry, she thought involuntarily, while her alarm increased. Let me stay. I’ll be a good girl, I promise.

02 June – 05 June

'The Slap' by Christos Tsiolkas

2008, 483p.

It’s doing well, this one.  Plans for a television series; won the Commonwealth Writers Prize, and shortlisted for the Miles Franklin.   The Miles Franklin is awarded for any ‘published novel or play portraying Australian life in any of its phases’ .  [An aside: I hadn't realized that a play could win it.]  Certainly, The Slap portrays Australian life of  the backyard barbeque of inner-ish  suburb of Northcote, Melbourne in the 2000s in all its domestic, self-absorbed, middle class glory.  When one of the fathers slaps an obnoxious four-year old he triggers off much tut-tutting amongst the witnesses that ripples out into broader questions of discipline, family loyalty, abuse, friendship, class, religion, ethnicity, suburbs- the lot.  Everyone’s here- the yuppie bayside suburb Greek boy made good; his cousin married to the Indian vet; the Sex-and-the-City writer who wants to do more than write soap opera scripts; the earth mother and her drop kick partner; the young gay adolescent boy struggling with his sexuality; the Greek grandfather; the Aboriginal muslim and his Aussie wife.  Yep- I think that covers every inner-city suburban stereotype we need.

The book is told in long chapters written from the perspective, but not in the voice of,  people who were at the barbeque and witnessed the slap.  For some, it was just that- a spur of the moment slap to a child behaving badly; for others it was a violation of the rights of the child and his parents; others saw it as a criminal act; yet others as an unspoken manifestation of other domestic violence.   These chapters work well: they are long enough for a reader to shift into the character’s mindset, and because they move forward chronologically, they keep the plot unspooling.

There are actually two slaps- or at least physical encounters with this same little brat-  in this story, each bookending the first and last chapters of the book, and yet we don’t see them in the same way- largely because of  the other knowledge we have gleaned about the characters along the way.   Much of this other knowledge is fairly unattractive.  It uncovers infidelity, jealousy, class envy, prejudice, vindictiveness, self-centredness  and dishonesty. To be fair, it also uncovers loyalty to family and loyalty to friends, but even these things look rather shabby and unhealthy too.

Gerard Windsor reviewed this book in the Sydney Morning Herald where he described this book as “a strikingly tender book”. I didn’t see it this way.  I think it’s a jaundiced book, populated with human, recognizable but ultimately unlovely people.  I’m not convinced that it’s high literature: it smacks of the four-part miniseries- almost like Big Brother in the Backyard.  Perhaps the same sense of voyeurism is what keeps you reading, to find out what people just like you are going to do in this situation.

As a Port Phillip District resident, I enjoyed reading about my Melbourne home town.  The Heidelberg Court House is just down the road,  I know the streets that he’s talking about.  I know these people too. As  inner suburban, middle class, university-educated, chardonnay-sipping Melburnites older than 25, we’ve met them all one way or another.  It truly is “Australian life in its 2008 phase”, but somehow I think I’ll feel a bit short-changed if it wins the Miles Franklin.  Is “reality reading” (like reality television), authentic and identifiable as it is, the same as “literature”? I’m not sure.