There is no real rhyme or reason to the way I select a book. It can be something I see in the bookstore or something I hear about, or see on Amazon.com. However, picking up Cutting For Stone was the first time I selected a book based on the title only.
I picked another up a book at the library. I can't recall the name of it. But on the cover, one of the reviews was by Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting For Stone. Wow, I thought. That is SUCH a cool title!! So, I googled it and bingo, I found a gold mine.
The phrase, Cutting for Stone is actually part of the Hippocratic Oath....."I shall not cut for stone", ie. I won't cut just because I can. Even more interesting to me - HOW do you write a book based on that little phrase.
The quick summary of this story is - a set of twins are born, to a nun.
The story begins with the mother of the twins, Sister Mary Joseph Praise and her move from India to Africa, in the 1950's. It's a long and very interesting journey. Sister Mary meets Dr. Thomas Stone on the boat. After a harrowing boat ride, she finally ends up in Ethopia at Missing Hopsital. Hmm, I think to myself...Thomas Stone? Cutting for Stone? Any connection?......YES!!!
For me, the richness of this book does not just come from Sister and Dr. Stone. It also comes from the varied characters that are all a part of this story. Each of them is so well developed, that they could probably be characters in their own books and in ways, they are. Dr. Verghese is a master at making each of these characters come to life, espceially the twin boys, Shiva and Marion.
This book is so full of all things that make a book, in my opinion, great. There is so much detail about each charater that at times, you forget who the main characters are. So much detail, but all so necessary and so well written that it makes this such an amazing story. The story goes from India, to Africa and finally to the United States.
If it is possible to fall in love with a book, for me, this is it. I loved it so much, that I got the unabridged audio CD's for my car and listened during my commute. Completely riveted and so much so that a few times, I sat too long at a traffic light, forgot I was in traffic, or (embarassed to say) drove past my job or..forgot where I was going.
I got lost and caught up in the language. The turns of phases that made parts of this story like a song. Not that Dr. V used big words that sent me to a dictionary, but that he puts words together that sum up a feeling or emotion to the point where you can feel it in your bones. The prose style is fluent; the book becomes alive with words. This, to me, was a living story that I watched unfurl. There where parts when my heart skipped a beat, I laughed out loud and yes, cried. Bawled would be more like it.
I will admit, the first say, 50-75 are difficult to get through, only because of the detail about Ethopia, during the revolution and Emperor Salasie's reign. I was reading this and another book and I had to take this one back to the library. I immediately put myself back on the waiting list and promised myself that I would complete it. When I got it the second time, and picked up where I left off, I could NOT put it down. I am so glad that I did.
Please, please, PLEASE, read this magnificent book.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Abraham Lincoln
I love historical fiction and I love science fiction. Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, by Seth Grahame-Smith gives a little bit of both. Well, a lot of both.
This book begins at the beginning - the birth of our 16th President and his childhood. The premise is that his dear mother was killed by a vampire because of a deal his father made that went wrong. Because of this, Lincoln spends the rest of his life, vowing to kill all Vampires.
At each and every turn in Lincoln's life, he encounters vampires, even once he enters governement service. What was most riveting to me, was the way vampries were seamlessly put into historical situations. I am speaking specifically of the issue of slavery. Most people believe that Lincoln's sole purpose of freeing the slaves was to unite the country and stop the war. This book offers an interesting thought - what if his reason was to stop them from being slaughtered by vampires?...Hmm...
This book is in the genre of Teen fiction. I found that hard to believe, but then when I thought about the Twilight Series I thought maybe it was. If it is marketed to teens, it is certainly a great way to teach them some history of Lincoln's Presidency, even if it includes something as far-feteched as vampires.
I enjoyed the book. I actually took this with me on vacation to Myrtle Beach. Can you imagine the looks I got? There is a picture on the cover of President Lincoln, holding an axe behind his back, with blook all over him. Probably not your typical beach read, but it is enough to hold your interest and easy enough to be able to put down and pick back up.
The other book I read with a Lincoln theme was The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln, by Stephen L. Carter. Mr. Carter writes the best books!! My friends and I are always waiting for the next one. He also writes historical fiction. He always has someone famous showing up in a book. His entire book, Palace Council was filled with folks like J. Edgar Hoover.
The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln starts with the idea that the assisination of Lincoln was unsuccessful. The President survives, but is brought up on charges shortly thereafter. That in an of itself is enough to hold your interest. But the introduction of a young, black, educated woman, who wants to be an attorney really pulls you in. Abigal has graduate from Oberlin and is fortunate enough to get a job as a law clerk, at the firm retained to defend the President on these charges.
However, there is a problem. In my humble opinion, this book misses the mark.
It is WAY too long. It is mired in minutia, which in some parts is not required. There are stories within stories, on top of stories, to the point that you start to confuse characters of have to go back a few pages to try to figure out who this person is. I have this thing where once I start a book, I have to finish it. But I found it so difficult, that I borrowed the unabridged CD's from the library so I could try to speed up getting through the book. JUST to find out how it ended.
It was quite an ordeal. To this day, I'm not really sure what happened. Abigal was very intelligent and I loved the story of her family and life. She was never a slave, nor were her parents. The discrimination that she faced daily, her determination to succeed was all great to read. But it was buried in chapter after chapter of things that at the end of the day, weren't really relevant to the story.
I read so many reviews about this book that were great. Of course, I'm not a reviewer. But I have to say, I was disappointed. Mr. Carter mentions that this was a book he always wanted to write and I can certainly appreciate that. But for me, it just wasn't what I was looking for....
So, I'm looking forward to the next one!
This book begins at the beginning - the birth of our 16th President and his childhood. The premise is that his dear mother was killed by a vampire because of a deal his father made that went wrong. Because of this, Lincoln spends the rest of his life, vowing to kill all Vampires.
At each and every turn in Lincoln's life, he encounters vampires, even once he enters governement service. What was most riveting to me, was the way vampries were seamlessly put into historical situations. I am speaking specifically of the issue of slavery. Most people believe that Lincoln's sole purpose of freeing the slaves was to unite the country and stop the war. This book offers an interesting thought - what if his reason was to stop them from being slaughtered by vampires?...Hmm...
This book is in the genre of Teen fiction. I found that hard to believe, but then when I thought about the Twilight Series I thought maybe it was. If it is marketed to teens, it is certainly a great way to teach them some history of Lincoln's Presidency, even if it includes something as far-feteched as vampires.
I enjoyed the book. I actually took this with me on vacation to Myrtle Beach. Can you imagine the looks I got? There is a picture on the cover of President Lincoln, holding an axe behind his back, with blook all over him. Probably not your typical beach read, but it is enough to hold your interest and easy enough to be able to put down and pick back up.
The other book I read with a Lincoln theme was The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln, by Stephen L. Carter. Mr. Carter writes the best books!! My friends and I are always waiting for the next one. He also writes historical fiction. He always has someone famous showing up in a book. His entire book, Palace Council was filled with folks like J. Edgar Hoover.
The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln starts with the idea that the assisination of Lincoln was unsuccessful. The President survives, but is brought up on charges shortly thereafter. That in an of itself is enough to hold your interest. But the introduction of a young, black, educated woman, who wants to be an attorney really pulls you in. Abigal has graduate from Oberlin and is fortunate enough to get a job as a law clerk, at the firm retained to defend the President on these charges.
However, there is a problem. In my humble opinion, this book misses the mark.
It is WAY too long. It is mired in minutia, which in some parts is not required. There are stories within stories, on top of stories, to the point that you start to confuse characters of have to go back a few pages to try to figure out who this person is. I have this thing where once I start a book, I have to finish it. But I found it so difficult, that I borrowed the unabridged CD's from the library so I could try to speed up getting through the book. JUST to find out how it ended.
It was quite an ordeal. To this day, I'm not really sure what happened. Abigal was very intelligent and I loved the story of her family and life. She was never a slave, nor were her parents. The discrimination that she faced daily, her determination to succeed was all great to read. But it was buried in chapter after chapter of things that at the end of the day, weren't really relevant to the story.
I read so many reviews about this book that were great. Of course, I'm not a reviewer. But I have to say, I was disappointed. Mr. Carter mentions that this was a book he always wanted to write and I can certainly appreciate that. But for me, it just wasn't what I was looking for....
So, I'm looking forward to the next one!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
E Readers....
A few months ago, a friend of mine "LBH" asked if I had a Kindle or Nook, since I read so much. Well, I went off on a rant about these electronic readers and how I would miss turning the pages of a book or the "smell" of paper (ie mold). I asked how can you cuddle up with a e Reader?
Now, we had purchased a tablet for my son. He uses it for school and to play games and music, it even has a camera on it. One day, I pick it up and notice that on the menu, there is a link for "Kindle"...hmm....I click on it and it links me to Amazon. I search for free books and decide, I'm going to download one, just to "see" what its like.
Well, I find a book by Joanna Campbell Slan; Cut, Crop, Die. The main character, Kiki Lowenstein, is an avid scrapbooker and a part time "sletuh". Who would think that so many crimes could be committed because of Scrapbooking and crafting!! I never thought it was a dangerous hobby, but in this town, apparently it is!! I also read Ink, Red, Dead. These are very light and entertaning books and quick reads. One was a free download and one was 99 cents, but I would have paid more. I don't know that I'll read any of the others (and yes, believe it or not, there are more), but these 2 were pretty good.
I also read 30 Pieces of Silver. It appears that the author, Carolyn McCrary, started writing books just for eReaders. However, a recent review of the 2012 New York Times Best Seller list, includes this book!! It's very controversial; was Judas really the tratior that we thought? I would give away too much of the book by going into anymore detail. But let me warn you, you have to be VERY open minded to read this book!! It challeneges all of the thoughts we have ever had about Jesus and his relationship with Judas and the other disciples. If you are the type who gets upset when you read things that don't line up with your beliefs, maybe you shouldn't read this one. BUT if you are open minded and could just consider a different set of circumstances, this is a really, really good book!!
So, all of this to say...I think I like the e Readers (lol). In order to appease my son, we gave him an iPod for his birthday, so Mom can spend more time with the tablet.
Now, we had purchased a tablet for my son. He uses it for school and to play games and music, it even has a camera on it. One day, I pick it up and notice that on the menu, there is a link for "Kindle"...hmm....I click on it and it links me to Amazon. I search for free books and decide, I'm going to download one, just to "see" what its like.
Well, I find a book by Joanna Campbell Slan; Cut, Crop, Die. The main character, Kiki Lowenstein, is an avid scrapbooker and a part time "sletuh". Who would think that so many crimes could be committed because of Scrapbooking and crafting!! I never thought it was a dangerous hobby, but in this town, apparently it is!! I also read Ink, Red, Dead. These are very light and entertaning books and quick reads. One was a free download and one was 99 cents, but I would have paid more. I don't know that I'll read any of the others (and yes, believe it or not, there are more), but these 2 were pretty good.
I also read 30 Pieces of Silver. It appears that the author, Carolyn McCrary, started writing books just for eReaders. However, a recent review of the 2012 New York Times Best Seller list, includes this book!! It's very controversial; was Judas really the tratior that we thought? I would give away too much of the book by going into anymore detail. But let me warn you, you have to be VERY open minded to read this book!! It challeneges all of the thoughts we have ever had about Jesus and his relationship with Judas and the other disciples. If you are the type who gets upset when you read things that don't line up with your beliefs, maybe you shouldn't read this one. BUT if you are open minded and could just consider a different set of circumstances, this is a really, really good book!!
So, all of this to say...I think I like the e Readers (lol). In order to appease my son, we gave him an iPod for his birthday, so Mom can spend more time with the tablet.
Monday, September 3, 2012
11/22/63
I'm Back!!
Wow, doesn't seem like it has been this LONG since I last wrote. I have certainly read enough!! I'm cheating a bit though. Due to my long (2 hour) commute each day, I have been "listening" to books on CD. I have to say it has been great. I've listened to many and read a few in between. One I HAVE to talk about is Stephen King's 11/22/63.
I am not usually a Stephen King fan. Loved the Shawshank Redemption and the Green Mile - movies that is. Never read any of his books. However, the idea of 11/22/63 was intriguing. What if President Kennedy was never assassinated? How would our world have changed...or not changed. Main character, Jake Epping, is presented with this opportunity....
Jake's friend, Al, who owns a diner, let's him in on a secret. The diner, always thought of as suspicious because of the low prices (is it dog meat and how can he stay in business are always questions of this establishment) actually is the doorway to a portal to the past. Going through the portal, you can go back to late 1962.
Al is dying and wants Jake to go back and try to stop the Kennedy assassination.
I have to stop there. I read the reviews about the book and once I started reading it, I was upset that so much was revealed. I won't do that to you and if you plan to read the book, I beg you NOT to read anything but the book. It's a big one, over 800 pages. Or 23 unabridged CD's. This was so good, I would bring the CD's in the house with me. I could not wait to get in the car. Even a drive to the market or to car line, I was listening to this!! Of course, it wouldn't be true Stephen King if there wasn't just a "little magic" involved. Just enough though, to make you think...There are some very memorable characters as well. All I can say is Harry Dunning....the thought of him brings me to tears....
As big as this book was - I'm going to read/listen to this one again and again.....I hear a movie is in the works. It would have to be a mini-series like "The Stand". Either way, I'm completely hooked!
Wow, doesn't seem like it has been this LONG since I last wrote. I have certainly read enough!! I'm cheating a bit though. Due to my long (2 hour) commute each day, I have been "listening" to books on CD. I have to say it has been great. I've listened to many and read a few in between. One I HAVE to talk about is Stephen King's 11/22/63.
I am not usually a Stephen King fan. Loved the Shawshank Redemption and the Green Mile - movies that is. Never read any of his books. However, the idea of 11/22/63 was intriguing. What if President Kennedy was never assassinated? How would our world have changed...or not changed. Main character, Jake Epping, is presented with this opportunity....
Jake's friend, Al, who owns a diner, let's him in on a secret. The diner, always thought of as suspicious because of the low prices (is it dog meat and how can he stay in business are always questions of this establishment) actually is the doorway to a portal to the past. Going through the portal, you can go back to late 1962.
Al is dying and wants Jake to go back and try to stop the Kennedy assassination.
I have to stop there. I read the reviews about the book and once I started reading it, I was upset that so much was revealed. I won't do that to you and if you plan to read the book, I beg you NOT to read anything but the book. It's a big one, over 800 pages. Or 23 unabridged CD's. This was so good, I would bring the CD's in the house with me. I could not wait to get in the car. Even a drive to the market or to car line, I was listening to this!! Of course, it wouldn't be true Stephen King if there wasn't just a "little magic" involved. Just enough though, to make you think...There are some very memorable characters as well. All I can say is Harry Dunning....the thought of him brings me to tears....
As big as this book was - I'm going to read/listen to this one again and again.....I hear a movie is in the works. It would have to be a mini-series like "The Stand". Either way, I'm completely hooked!
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