REVIEW: A Priest in Hell by R. Radic

Title:  A Priest in Hell

Author:  R. Radic
Genre / Pages:  Nonfiction, Memoir / 333
Publication: ECW Press, 2009
Rating:  2nd Shelf 
Source:  publisher copy
lj's plot in one pot: After embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars, former priest, Radic spends six months in prison; in this text, he shares his awful account of jail life.

This book really appealed to the trashy person hiding deep inside me (and I suspect all of us).  Okay, so the blurb makes a reference to "Cops" and after reading that, I was sold.

However, upon further inspection, I became less than thrilled.  The author used crass and just gross terminology so jarringly that I had to read things aloud to J, to share my disgust (and flush those words out of my brain).  And...anyone who knows me knows that I am not prudish when it comes to language, so if this offended me...then you can be assured that is it BAD.  I also had this feeling the whole time that it was really forced.  Like when your teachers used to try to use slang and it just feels wrong.

That being said, it was kinda neat to hear about the daily in's and (for a select few) out's of prison.  But more enjoyable than that...was knowing that my book was eco-friendly!  I participated in this really cool campaign (see previous post) that united 200 bloggers to help spread the word about Green Books.  Please go to this site for more info about the campaign.

http://www.prlog.org/11043665-200-bloggers-200-books-56-publishers-and-one-hour.html

http://www.ecolibris.net/greenbookscampaign2010.asp

Ooops, I forgot a quote...now this is not safe for work / children / church-goers / most decent humans with a pulse, but I had to show you the reality of most of this book.

"They were 'associates' outside in the real world.  Not friends.  [He] makes a clear distinction between friends and associates.  I am not sure of the separation, but an associate is less than a friend, deficient in some vague way, untrustworthy perhaps.  [His] meager vocabulary, emanating from his decomposing brain, due, of course, to his affaire d'amour with meth, is powerless to supply me with a precise definition." p.161

"Milk is like crystal meth to chomos [child molesters].  In the best Faustian tradition, they will trade their souls for it.  It is not unusual to watch [him] consume four or five milks at a meal.  I don'tknow why they crave it the way vampires crave blood, but they do." p.137

Okay, okay, I caved - I just couldn't have those words on my little site...If you must, drop a comment and I can pass the book along :)

REVIEW: Bury Your Dead by L. Penny

Title:  Bury Your Dead

Author:  L. Penny
Genre / Pages:  Fiction, Mystery / 371
Publication: Sphere, 2010
Rating:  TOP shelf 
Source:  Chapters Indigo
lj's plot in one pot: After a mysterious and fatal police raid, Armand Gamache takes refuge in Quebec City during Carnaval.  He becomes involved in a murder investigation of someone looking to dig up the past (literally).  He too, wants to dig up the past and sends Inspector Beauvoir back to Three Pines to take another look at the murder of the Hermit (from book 5 in the series).

Okay, okay, so that wasn't really one sentence, but the book is so amazing, I didn't want to leave anything out.  As stated, the book takes place in the beautiful, historic Quebec City.  I have to go back there, because in my mind, it represents trying (unsuccessfully) to communicate and being charged double for a haircut.  That being said, Penny's description of the city makes a person long to see the history in person.  

I was a little disappointed that more of the story didn't take place in Three Pines (as I really come to love this fictional town), but she does such a fantastic job of describing Quebec, that I forgave her for moving to the big city.

The plot of this story was moving and tragic.  Having myself been recuperating from a collision, I found a lot of the passages dealing with pain (physical and emotional) very hard to read.  The author is so on point, so in touch with humanity, that I felt like she was writing to me - especially when Beauvoir reveals that even the most well-intentioned sympathy can often feel like pity to the injured person.

I really don't want to be giving plot away, any more than I already have, but this book is simply fantastic and even if you haven't read the others (there are 5 previous books), you must read this one, and then perhaps you too will be sucked into the world of Three Pines and Chief Inspector Gamache.

"Instead he stopped and slowly straightening he looked right at Gamache.  He stated for ten seconds or more, which, when eating a chocolate cake isn't much, but when staring, is." p.29

 "And when the Quebec sun set on a Quebec forest, monsters crawled out of the shadows.  Not the B-grade movie monsters, not zombies or mummies or space aliens.  But older, subtler wraiths.  Invisible creatures that rode in on plunging temperatures.  Death by freezing, death by exposure, death by going even a foot off the path, and getting lost.  Death, ancient and patient, waited in Quebec forests for the sun to set." p.74

Want more info?  You know you do!  Click here for the author's website.

REVIEW: The Memory Keeper's Daughter by K. Edwards

Title:  The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Author:  K. Edwards
Genre / Pages:  Fiction, Realistic / 416
Publication: Penguin Books, 2006
Rating:  2nd shelf 
Source:  Chapters Indigo
lj's plot in one pot: 2 babies are born one fateful night to Dr. David Henry - he chooses to keep only the "healthy" one; this book is the story of the consequences from that choice.

I read this book MONTHS ago for a book club meeting.  Along with a friend, I actually chose it as the first book our book club would read together.  I was sorely disappointed.

Although the writing is beautiful, very descriptive and moving, I just wasn't actually moved by the story.  I don't want to give too much of the plot away, so if you want more details, feel free to email me.

In general, I felt that the book spent WAY too much time focused on David's life (with Norah) and way too little time with Phoebe.  Literally, at one point Phoebe is 10 and the next time we hear about her she's 21 or something crazy.  It mentions a fight for education, a couple of times in fact, but then all of a sudden, it's been solved, they've won and we never get to actually learn about what went on.  There were just too many gaps in the plot (especially with people / events that I was interested in) for me to give this book any higher of a rating.

The rest of the girls in the book club more or less felt the same way, but a lot didn't feel as strongly about David as I did; I wonder if that says something (less than positive) about me???

Anyway, sorry for the HUGE lapse in posts.  It got crazy busy with work and life, but I promise to be more consistent in the future.

Want more info about the book or author?  Click here.

REVIEW: Eats, Shoots and Leaves by L. Truss

Title: Eats, Shoots and Leaves

Author:  L. Truss
Genre / Pages:  Nonfiction, humour, grammar/ 512
Publication: Gotham Books Trade Paper, 2006
Rating:  2nd shelf 
Source:  Chapter's Indigo
lj's plot in one pot:  Amidst witty examples, grammar (specifically punctuation) sticklers unite in this how-to / how-not-to tome from Lynne Truss.

I will probably be happy that I read this book, especially when I need to give examples for Language Arts class.  I think the book seemed a little long, a little repetitive, but definitely funny and helpful.  The examples that the author uses are usually silly - what is her fascination with Starburst (a.k.a. Opal Fruits) - but they are always clear.

There were times when the author could seem a bit patronizing, and you; as the reader, felt a bit below her.  However, I think that I might not be the intended audience for which this book was written.  There were many references I didn't 'get' and as the frequency of that event increased, so did the chance that I would scan until the next interesting tidbit caught my eye.

Hopefully I didn't use too many incorrect punctuation marks (the text reveals bloggers / internet writers to be among the worst offenders) during this post.  Here are a few of my favourite examples from the book.

To those who care about punctuation, a sentence such as "Thank God its Friday" (without the apostrophe) rouses feelings not only of despair but of violence.  The confusion of the possessive "its" (no apostrophe) with the contractive "it's" (with apostrophe) is an unequivocal signal of illiteracy and sets off a simple Pavlovian "kill" response in the average stickler. p.43

In the family of punctuation, where the full stop is daddy and the comma is mummy, and the semicolon quietly practises the piano with crossed hands, the exclamation mark is the big attention-deficit brother who gets over-excited and breaks things and laughs too loudly. p.138

For more information on the book / author, click here.

REVIEW: The Princess Bride - S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure by W. Goldman

Title:  The Princess Bride - S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure

Author:  W. Goldman
Genre / Pages:  Fiction, humour, satire / 512
Publication: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2007
Rating:  3th shelf 
Source:  Chapter's Indigo
lj's plot in one pot:  Beautiful Buttercup is mean, then madly in love with even beautifuller Westley, then marries Prince Humperdink, then needs to be rescued...we all know this story, am I right?

Having LOVED the movie, I was all geared up to LOVE the book.  I was a little disappointed.  There is a lot of author talk in the first hundred pages and it gets a little dry.  When the plot that we all know and love finally starts, (seriously, it took forever.  So long that I thought I had the wrong book) you are really ready and amped to not have his negative, ironic voice in your head.  But alas, there is no reprieve.  He keeps butting in and explaining why he wrote / didn't write something the way he did (or didn't).  *sigh*.

Fezzik and Inigo saved this book.  They are fantastic characters and I was THRILLED to find that the rhyming in the movie is also featured in the book 

Vizzini: Stop rhyming, and I meant it!

Fezzik:  Anybody want a peanut?  (not really in the book, but my fav line from the movie)

and

"He must be very desperate, or very frightened, or very stupid, or very brave"

"Very all four I should think," the Prince replied...p.185

and

"We have Fezzik,"  Westley replied simply.

"We absolutely do,"  Fezzik shouted, happy that the answer was so easily forthcoming.  "He is right here inside my skin." p.395

 So I really enjoyed reading the text that a fantastic movie was built upon, I just wish there wasn't so much satire, so much author talk.  But definitely read it for yourselves...

Want more info??? (Or perhaps the little extras that Goldman promises?) Click here.

REVIEW: The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by A. Bradley

Title: The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag

Author:  A. Bradley
Genre / Pages:  Fiction, humour / 368
Publication: Doubleday Canada, 2010
Rating:  4th shelf 
Source:  Chapter's Indigo
lj's plot in one pot:  The second from Canadian author Alan Bradley features Flavia (almost 11 year old chemistry whiz) who, less than altruistically volunteers to help with a puppet show, ends up trying to solve yet another murder near Buckshaw.

Wow! It hath been awhile...  I've been scrambling like a crazy person trying to get organized for Back to School (aren't we all?) Although reading hasn't slipped on the priorities, blogging unfortunately has.


Anyhoo, I'm still loving Flavia - but in this installment of Flavia-fantastico, she is slight less precocious, slightly more adult-like.  Perhaps the author is trying to indicate the passage of time and maybe her near death experience in the first book has matured her...but I don't want these things to happen.  Not unlike Peter Pan (and a great many women on the Real Housewives shows), Flavia needs to be ageless.


The writing is still fantastic; a believable murder occurs in the environs and Flavia somehow wriggles her way into the detective work.  This time, there were a few loose ends (w.r.t. characters), for example Nialla.  That being said, I still love the book/author/characters and can't wait for "A Red Herring Without Mustard".

"Mother Goose!

I have never much cared for flippant remarks, especially when others make them, and in particular, I don't give a frog's fundament for them when they come from an adult." p17

and just because she is that funny,

"Seen from the air, the male mind must look rather like the canals of Europe, with ideas being towed along well-worn towpaths by heavy-footed dray horses...But the female mind, even in my limited experience, seems more of a vast and teeming swamp, but a swamp that knows in an instant whenever a stranger - even miles away - has so much as dipped a single toe into her waters." p.295

For more info on Flavia / Alan Bradley, click here.

REVIEW: The Complete Persepolis by M. Satrapi

Title:  The Complete Persepolis

Author:  M. Satrapi
Genre / Pages:  Nonfiction, memoir / 341
Publication: Pantheon Books, 2004
Rating:  Bottom shelf 
Source:  Chapter's Indigo
lj's plot in one pot:  This graphic novel features the coming-of-age of Marjane, during the turbulent Islamic Revolution in Iran.

I wanted to like this book...I really did.  Perhaps the graphic aspect made important and tragic events seem trivial, or maybe I'm just super desensitized, but I wasn't moved at all.

The book starts with Marjane as a young child, revealing how Iran used to be, before the Islamic Revolution.  It details her life when she left (for safety and better educational opportunities) for Austria, and her return to Iran.  The author tries to both inform the reader about the Islamic Revolution and give her thoughts about it.  

I'm finding myself with a loss for words (which, if you know me at ALL, indicates a profound moment)...I just simply didn't really like the book.  One redeeming quality was that occasionally, throughout the book, the author/graphic design artist would really let loose and give us a tiny masterpiece (I found these rare gems more moving than any of the text).  This is not the greatest example, but here is one little taste:

 For information on the author / book, click here.

REVIEW: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by A. Bradley

Title:  The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Author:  A. Bradley
Genre / Pages:  Fiction, Humour / 400
Publication: DoubleDay Canada, 2009
Rating:  TOP shelf 
Source:  borrowed from Mom
lj's plot in one pot:  Set in 1950's rural England we meet eleven year old Flavia, a precocious chemistry prodigy; she must solve a murder, one that happened right in her very own cucumber patch.

 

I love Flavia!  As we speak, Alan Bradley's next adventure featuring Flavia is in transport to my humble abode.  She is one of my favourite protagonists, since, well...I guess Audrey Flowers (from "Come, Thou Tortoise" - ha ha) but before that, I haven't related so whole-heartedly to a character in a long time.  From the name of her steed (a bike called Gladys), to her self-praising exaltation,

I was me.  I was Flavia.  And I loved myself, even if no one else did.  "All hail Flavia!  Flavia forever!"  I shouted, as Gladys and I sped through the Mulford Gates... p.74. 

Isn't she a hoot?  Aside from my blinding love for Flavia, the story was great!  The author seamlessly blends numerous characters' stories together, pulling tales from the past and weaving them brilliantly into the present. 

The observation of the "evil" sisters brought much laughter, and I hope her budding friendship with Inspector Hewitt grows in the series.  

Last, but certainly not least, this fine tale is from a good old Canuck...and recently, I've been trying to maintain a ratio of Canadian books (either in content or author). Any readers have fantastic Canadiana to recommend?

"Seed biscuits and tea and a nice glass of milk for Miss Flavia."

Seed biscuits and milk!  I hated Mrs. Mullet's seed biscuits the way Saint Paul hated sin.  Perhaps even more so.  I wanted to clamber up onto the table, and with a sausage on the end of a fork as my scepter, shout in my best Laurence Olivier voice, "Will no one rid us of this turbulent pastry cook? p.49

Learn more about the fabulous Flavia Sabina de Luce and the author, Alan Bradley, here.

REVIEW: The Passage by J. Cronin

Title:  The Passage

Author:  J. Cronin
Genre / Pages:  Fiction, Science Fiction / 766
Publication: DoubleDay Canada, 2010
Rating:  4th shelf 
Source:  Chapters Indigo
lj's plot in one pot:  A mix of the vampire phenomenon, social commentary with a Jason Bourne-ish / conspiracy theory note; this story tells what happens when the American army, in trying to create a supersoldier, succeeds, only to find that they have become the enemy.

 

This was one long book.  And unfortunately, its length wasn't entirely necessary.  So we start with some FBI-types trying to get a bunch of death-row inmates to sign over their lives to test some funky Bolivian bat virus to see if it makes people immortal.  BIG SURPRISE - it works and the convicts (being bad people before) turn on the the mad scientists, using some sort of mind control.  And that's one piece of the book that I really didn't like.  There was a lot of voodoo / mind control / semi-spirituality flying about.  Check out my status update when I was on page 210 (a mere third of the way in):

"Starting to see a lot of mystical happenings - Doyle knowing right where Wolgast is, Lacey finding the Chalet, etc. Wasn't prepared for this side of things. I'm worried there is going to be some cheesy ending where the subjects/vampires reacquaint with their humanity...I hope not!"

Ha ha, I wasn't totally off, but I don't want to give away too much.  

Aside from the overly mystical nature of the book at times, I quite enjoyed it.  It was hard to let go of the main characters when the plot skips ahead a century (echos of Tragically Hip???)  Unfortunately, the new primary characters (except for Amy) are kind of generic and didn't really grab me.  The 'ending' left a lot to be desired...I think there was some unnecessary cruelty, but I'm a suck.

I'd recommend this book to some, but not all of my friends; hopefully this mini-review will help you make the right decision.

"Grief was a place, Sara understood, where a person went alone.  It was like a room without doors, and what happened in that room, all the anger and the pain you felt, was meant to stay there, nobody's business but yours" p.326

For info on the book / author, click here

For a funsie companion site to the book, click here (and then find the link for a first time visitor).

REVIEW: Come, Thou Tortoise by J. Grant

Title:  Come, Thou Tortoise

Author:  J. Grant
Genre / Pages:  Fiction, Humour / 432
Publication: Knopf Canada, 2010
Rating:  Top shelf 
Source:  borrowed from sis
lj's plot in one pot: With help from her pet tortoise, Winnifred, Audrey (a.k.a. Oddly), a hilariously punny twenty-something, comes to deal with tragedy in her own unique (and full of word play) way.

 

I love this book!  The narrators (Audrey and Winnifred) are hilarious, sweet, and real.  They fear things that I fear, but more importantly, they rejoice in things I love - word play and puns :)

Although the subject matter is actually quite dark (all the more realistic for the majority of us), this book is full of mirth and had me laughing out loud in bed.  Audrey's trials, though sometimes heart-wrenching,  often end up with hilarious results.  The case of the missing mouse (cheeky souris) and the neighbour's biography stood out the most to me as being something I could get caught up in (both as a child and now).  Her occasional use of French (as in Pardon-moi - not as in ****) brought a smile to my face - especially in the case of the douze-aout (or rather the Doozoo - LOVE IT!).

Anyway, enough of me ranting.  Seriously, stop reading this and please read this lovely book.  For realsies.  Scram.

"That's why he didn't fly.  He was about to get on the plane at Heathrow, but then he was sick in the bathroom.

Heathrow-up airport.

I think about how I would like to cut down the legs [of Uncle Thoby's chair] ... so that when and if Uncle Thoby ever shows up, only his head will be visible over the table." p.211

For more info on Jessica Grant, click here.

For more info on the book, click here.

REVIEW: Julia's Kitchen Wisdom by J. Child

Title:  Julia's Kitchen Wisdom
Author:  J. Child
Genre / Pages:  Nonfiction, Cooking / 160
Publication: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2009
Rating:  3rd shelf 
Source:  borrowed from Mom
lj's plot in one pot: Julia's "basic" methods for no fail "simple" cooking.

Hardy har har.  I love Julia Child, I really do.  I think her "Mastering the Art..." cookbooks belong in a museum, let alone in the kitchens of people everywhere.  However, let's not kid ourselves that ANY of this is simple or basic.  For pete's sake her recipe for making hard boiled eggs is almost a page long!  That being said, she is still adorable and her love affair with food is definitely admirable, if not contagious.

So this book is not the "cooking for dummies" that I thought it might be, but that is just a marketing problem.  Julia's little tips come alive in this book, you get the sense that you are once again little, watching t.v. in the rec room and have stumbled upon this hilariously large enthusiastic woman playing with geese carcass.  Her words are truly hers, and if you love her, you'll love this book.  

"[This book] is aimed at those who are tolerably familiar with culinary language..." p.ix 

For more Julia, check out the PBS website, here .

REVIEW: Hollywood Stories by S. Schochet

Title:  Hollywood Stories
Author:  S. Schochet
Genre / Pages:  Nonfiction, Short Stories / 312
Publication: Hollywood Stories Publishing, 2010
Rating:  bottom shelf  
Source:  Publisher Copy
lj's plot in one pot: A collection of tales about Hollywood's stars.

I was initially really excited to read this book...I am a big fan of celeb magazines, blogs, etc.  However, I couldn't really get into this book.  It might be because a lot of the stories are about movie and television stars from before my time, or it might be because the writing doesn't draw the reader in, or it might be the lack of connections/transitions.  

I did see later, that the "stories" are actually scripts from the Hollywood Stories One Minute Radio Feature and at that point, I realized why the transitions were absent.

Anyways, I have no doubt that the author is probably an excellent tour guide, and that the tour would be lots of fun, I just wouldn't recommend the book.

"...Gollum's garbled voice in The Lord of the Rings:  The Two Towers came from the sound a cat would make by coughing up a hairball...The personality was based on the actor's observations of heroin addicts." p.96

For the book's website, click here.

REVIEW: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Title:  The Catcher in the Rye
Author:  J.D. Salinger
Genre / Pages:  Fiction, Young Adult / 224
Publication: Little, Brown and Company, 1991
Rating:  3rd shelf  
Source:  Chapters Indigo
lj's plot in one pot: A coming-of-age story featuring Holden Caufield, a troubled young man, trying to face his demons after his younger brother dies of leukemia.

Well, I know I said that I would put a hold on this one while I read some other pressing books...but, well it was such an easy read and I was just so eager to be done with it and my shame for not having read it before.

And do I feel the sense of accomplishment...or satisfaction?  Well not so much.  I didn't really enjoy the book all that much.  Obviously it is from another time, and so the language/terms/slang used often jarred me.  I also kept waiting for the climactic moment where things either change for Holden, or he at least perceives himself in a more realistic light.  It never happened...not in any sort of satisfying way.

This is my struggle with reading "classics".  I want to like them, I want to be able to appreciate them for what they are, but I usually have a really hard time getting into them.  I plowed through Salinger, because I had to, not because anything in the book made me want to.  

What do you think?  Are there classics that transcend time?  I don't doubt it, but I've yet to come across one - so please, give me suggestions.

"There's always a dumb horse race, and some dame breaking a a bottle over a ship, and some chimpanzee riding a goddam bicycle with pants on.  It wouldn't be the same at all.  You don't see what I mean at all" p.133

PS - I really want a red hunting hat :)

REVIEW: The Shadow of the Wind by C.R. Zafon

Title:  The Shadow of the Wind
Author:  C.R. Zafon
Genre / Pages:  Fiction, Mystery / 487
Publication: Penguin Books, 2005
Rating:  4th shelf  
Source:  Chapters Indigo
lj's plot in one pot: in 1945 Barcelona, Daniel finds love, intrigue, passion and murder when he chooses "The Shadow of the Wind" from the Cemetery of Forgotten Books.

This book surprised me.  About a year ago, I was in Chapters and for whatever reason was actually talking to someone who worked there (that's another story) and they recommended this book.  I must have been in a buying mood, because I bought it, and yet it sat on my shelf for almost a year before I picked it up to read. 

That being said, it was quite good.  The author's style was hard to get used to at first, his prose is very flowery and round-abouty, so it took forever for the plot to really pick up.  Once it did, it never let up!  Seriously, it took me 3 days of reading to get 150 pages, and then 2 days to finish!  When I got used to the author's writing style, I began to enjoy his metaphors and uncommon adjectives...I lost my page marker, but I distinctly remember him describing an elderly character as having "a face with such decrepitude".  It's not everyday that you hear that word, but it's fantastic.  

The plot wavers back and forth between a mystery and a love story, but more so, I believe this book to be an ode to literature in all its forms - and for that reason I loved it. I couldn't choose just one favourite excerpt, so here are my top two:

"A lineup of ladies with their virtue for rent and a lot of mileage on the clock greeted us with smiles that would only have excited a student of dentistry" p.477

"The art of reading is slowly dying...it's an intimate ritual, that a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside us, that when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind" p.484

If interested, visit the author's website here,  (click on The Shadow of the Wind link to find lots of interesting info)

REVIEW: The Hunger Games by S. Collins

Title:  The Hunger Games
Author:  S. Collins
Genre / Pages:  Fiction, Young Adult / 374
Publication: Scholastic, 2010
Rating:  4th shelf  
Source:  Chapters Indigo
lj's plot in one pot: In a post-apocalyptic/vanity-crazed/Mad Maxian world, the readers follow Katniss, a girl from one of the 12 sectors that must battle to the death against 1 boy and 1 girl from each sector in the aptly named, "Hunger Games".

As far as Young Adult (YA) books go, this one was pretty awesome.  The heroine in the novel, Katniss, is strong and bright and above all, a survivor.  The "Hunger Games" are a brutal way for the government (the Capitol) to maintain control over the people of Panem.  It is a bit science fictiony, but no more so than it's partners in the YA genre (i.e. Twilight).

The plot kept me guessing (more or less) and I was pleasantly surprised at the way Collins wraps up this novel - the first of the trilogy (which I can't wait to read the following books, "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay").  As far as reading this with Junior/Intermediate students...well, I'm still on the fence.  It is pretty graphically violent and there is definitely some questionable content.   But all in all I really enjoyed this book.  The writing wasn't 'dumbed down' like a lot of YA books I've read, nor was there a super obvious moral to learn.  I think this one is a YA classic in the making.  Enjoy!

"Whenever my father sang, all the birds in the area would fall silent and listen.  His voice was that beautiful, high and clear and so filled with life it made you want to laugh and cry at the same time.  I could never bring myself to continue the practice after he was gone." p.43

Click here for the Hunger Games website, and here for the author's website.

REVIEW: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by S. Larsson

Title:  The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Author:  S. Larsson
Genre / Pages:  Fiction,  Mystery/ 841
Publication: Penguin Group Canada, 2009
Rating:  2nd shelf  
Source:  Borrowed from a friend
lj's plot in one pot: A deeply troubled (tattooed) girl and a disgraced journalist join forces to battle fraud and murder.

Meh...I was lent this from a family friend, and well all I can say is that I finished it.  For the first fifth of this (rather lengthy - see previous post) book, I felt like I was listening to an elderly man telling me half remembered stories of his youth.  It took FOREVER to get started.  Once the plot truly began, I could begin to enjoy this book.  The author creates interesting, but more importantly, real characters.  I felt as though I've met people like the main characters in my life.  I question the title of the book, as the infamous girl play (in my mind) a minor role.  

My problem with the book was that although I cared about one (smallish) aspect of the novel, I really didn't need to know what happened with regards to any love interest, certain plot aspects (Wennerstrom).  Once I finally neared the end, I was surprised and disappointed that the very plot lines that I had skimmed through in the beginning of the book, were going to be used to wrap the book up!  All this being said, the book is definitely unique and different and it is this uniqueness that pushed it up from my bottom shelf.

You can find the author's website here

REVIEW: The Soloist by S. Lopez

Title:  The Soloist
Author:  S. Lopez
Genre / Pages:  Nonfiction,  Mental Health/ 304
Publication: Putnam, 2008
Rating:  4th shelf  
Source:  Borrowed from a dear friend
lj's plot in one pot: A gifted and troubled musician's journey, and the friendship with a columnist (Lopez) that changed both their lives.

Normally, I can be a bit of a snob when it comes to people raving about books (especially when these books have been made into movies).  I always feel like the hype overwhelms me and I am usually let down.  So true to form, I hadn't planned on reading, let alone enjoying The Soloist.  A friend lent it to me without a word and it sat on my pile of books to read for about a month.  When I finally made my way to it, I was pleasantly surprised!  

The Soloist takes the reader on a journey, not so much through the world of classical music, but rather through the rabbit hole that is mental illness.  Lopez befriends the musician, Nathaniel (who has schizophrenia) and learns a lot about mental illness, how it looks in daily life, and the grip it takes on everyone surrounding the person who is mentally ill. 

The writing can be lengthy at times, I felt myself skimming sections until the plot picked up (for example, during Nathaniel's various rants) and I found Lopez to carry on too long in his moments of self-reflection. 

"His first offering is a Beethoven cello sonata, and this drab concrete corner of downtown Los Angeles, with its nearby settlement of bug-bitten denizens and moving clouds of noxious vehicle exhaust, is transformed into a place of lilting repose." p.37

For more information on the LAMP program, please click here.  

To help artistically gifted people with mental illness, visit the Nathaniel Anthony Ayers Foundation here.  

The author, Steve Lopez's website can be found here.

REVIEW: The School of Essential Ingredients by E. Bauermeister

Title:  The School of Essential Ingredients
Author:  E. Bauermeister
Genre / Pages:  Fiction,  Food / 258
Publication: Berkley Trade, 2010
Rating:  2nd shelf  
Source:  My lovely Aunt Terri
lj's plot in one pot:  Various cooking students work through life's gifts and challenges through Lillian, the head chef / cooking instructor / unknowingly 'life coach'.

This book was given to me during a really rough time in my young life and so I hope I can be objective and not too lovey-dovey with this text.  It is a sweet collection of glimpses into different peoples' lives, artfully woven together through their interactions in a cooking class.  Bauermeister attaches each student / character an ingredient that is fitting to their struggles in life.  The most fitting, in my opinion, is the section about Isabelle, an elderly lady who is battling Alzheimer's Disease; she is paired with sage.  

The text is pretty and savoury - I wanted to both see the places the author invites the reader to, and I wanted to eat (or at least smell) the food the students prepare together.  I would recommend this book to foodies, as well as anyone who has fought for (or against) something in their life - I guess that would probably mean everyone!  The reason I didn't give this text a higher rating was that it just isn't my genre of choice.  There was little plot, a lot of details are (intentionally) left out, some details were overbearing in their presence.  In short, I can appreciate this text, I can safely offer it up to many people, I enjoyed it to some extent, but whether I would seek out this author again is still up in the air.  

"Sometimes, nina, our greatest gifts grow from what we are not given." p.30

Interested in more info?  Check out the author's website here. 

Review: Lost at School by R.W. Greene, Ph.D.

Title:  Lost at School - Why Our Kids with Behavioral Challenges Are Falling Through the Cracks and How We Can Help Them   
Author:  R.W. Greene, Ph.D. 
Genre / Pages:  Nonfiction,  Education / 305 
Publication: Simon and Schuster, 2009 
Rating:  Top shelf  
Source:  Chapters Indigo 
lj's plot in one pot:  School discipline is failing kids by not teaching them the behavioural skills that they lack.

Having (fairly recently) completed my bachelor's degree in education, and remembering how little anyone can tell you about classroom management/behavioural issues, I think this text should be mandatory reading for all who want to teach.  (big statement eh??  Let me try to back that up.)

Dr. Greene's main idea is that kids do well if they can.  It's hard to believe that so many adults don't agree.  When a child is misbehaving (for the 2nd or 22nd time) it can be difficult to remember that he/she is not trying to manipulate you.  Most (if not all) children do not want to get in trouble, and if they are seeking attention in negative ways, it's probably because they don't know how to seek attention in positive ways.  What does this mean?  It means that standard discipline techniques, such as detentions and suspensions don't work because they aren't teaching the student anything other than what they did was wrong (which most kids already know).  Discipline should follow the Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) technique - but you'll have to read the book to find out more about that!

I loved this book for many reasons.  It is broken up into different formats (part 'how-to', part anecdotal and part 'Q & A's').  Although the anecdotal portion felt a little long, a little cliche, it was still helpful in understanding exactly how CPS is going to sound/feel.  Greene's tone is neither patronizing nor condescending, he really tells it like it is, and seems to understand the resistance that a lot of adults might feel towards CPS.  In general, I really appreciated the concept that there is no cookie-cutter plan that is going to work for all students.  Imagine that...treating each individual child like an individual!  That being said, all future (and current) teachers should RUN, DON'T WALK and read this book!

"These kids clearly need something from us...They need adults who can identify those lagging skills and unsolved problems and know how to solve those problems (collaboratively) so that the solutions are durable, the skills are taught, and the likelihood of challenging behavior is significantly reduced." p.35

Check out the CPS website here and the Lost At School site here

PS - If you're a parent and like the sounds of CPS, check out Dr. Greene's previous title "The Explosive Child"

Review: The World in Six Songs - How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature by D.J. Levitin

Title:  The World in Six Songs - How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature
Author:  D.J. Levitin
Genre / Pages:  Nonfiction,  Science / 358
Publication: Penguin Group Canada, 2009
Rating:  4th shelf
Source:  Chapters Indigo
lj's plot in one pot:  Levitin's research indicates that six songs (friendship, joy, comfort, religion, knowledge, and love) are the foundations of human society as we know it.

This book fed my love of music, science, human nature - quite a feat for just one text!  As I'm not a huge scientifico (yes I made that one up), I was a little concerned that I would be needing to look a lot of terms / theories up while reading this book.  However, the terms were very easy to understand and the theories were well explained...a little too well explained.  Levitin rehashes (on seemingly EVERY PAGE) the theory of spontaneous mutation.  I'm sure the author was trying to ensure that we all understood the fact that the mutation doesn't happen as a result of the environment, but rather spontaneously occurs and then happens to be favourable to the environment.  (Hey, I sound like I know what I'm talking about!  Thank you "Intro to Genetics" in undergrad!)  Moving along, aside from my irritation with Levitin's repetition, I really enjoyed this book.  Music is inherent in us all - just look at what babies do when they hear a good beat; and this book gives us the science to back it up. *If you want to learn more before you buy the book, check out this website.

The book gives each of the six songs a chapter, my favourite of which was Joy, where Levitin explains that the natural / biochemical reaction to joy is to sing, dance, jump or shout.  The author mixes scientific fact (i.e. the act of singing produces endorphins - which make us feel good ) with his, often hilarious, musical experiences (i.e. Sting and Levitin decide that probably the first "song" sung was a caveman making sounds and other cavemen joined in because it felt good). We sing for many reasons and we are many things because of song. 

"Music...is not simply a distraction or a pastime, but a core element of our identity as a species, an activity that paved the way for more complex behaviors such as language, large-scale cooperative undertakings, and the passing down of important information from one generation to the next." p.3