tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41168566113701334132024-02-18T19:43:04.479-08:00Pretty Things - BooksA book review blog by an avid book reader. I devour books, about 100 a year, and I write as well.Pretty Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00285473788765783338noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-24174189543679007142012-10-27T13:30:00.003-07:002012-10-27T13:30:58.836-07:00Book Review -- "The Twelve" by Justin Cronin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>4 starts out of 5</b></div>
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<b>"The Twelve" by Justin Cronin</b></div>
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<b>genre: post-apocalyptic with some vampires thrown in</b></div>
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<b>(but not your typical vampire)</b></div>
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<span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview426216629">OK. I really, really loved the first book, so much so it's one of my top favorites ever. <br /><br />However, the second book left me a little confused and constantly flipping back to see where I was and who was who.<br /><br /><br />I
should have done several things before reading this book -- one, reread
"The Passage" immediately before "The Twelve". Two, NOT bought this on
Kindle so I would have a place to write things down and keep up with
the flow of characters. And three, not try to read it when I was on
heavy pain killers AND Valium.<br /><br /><br />That being said, I can say
that while I occasionally got lost, and sometimes wondered who was on
what side, and what the point was on a few thing (like why DID the
government want to get rid of the Last Stand in Denver dude????) I truly
enjoyed it. I needed that suspension of belief and I like a
post-apocalyptic story. I'm going to blame my confusion on my reading
circumstances on on the "2nd book in a trilogy" syndrome -- it doesn't
quite tie things up while it introduces things the author can't dig into
QUITE yet.<br /><br /><br />Over the holidays I'll probably reread both books again. He's a heck of a writer.</span></span><b> </b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry and bead kits as well as collaborative mixed media art with her son, Zack. Visit her shops <a href="http://www.prettythingsblog.com/p/shops.html">by clicking here</a>. She is also the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party®</a> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></i></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>and author of the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bead-Soup-Projects-Happens-Beaders/dp/0871164426/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1341104618&sr=8-2&keywords=bead+soup">Bead Soup</a>.</i></span></div>
Lori Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297328109318290291noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-8584184851844720412012-10-18T17:31:00.001-07:002012-10-18T17:31:37.999-07:00Two Book Reviews -- "The Bloodletter's Daughter" and "War Brides" <br />
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<b> "The Bloodletter's Daughter" by Linda Lafferty</b></div>
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<b>Four out of Five Stars</b> </div>
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I have absolutely no idea how I ran across this book on the Kindle -- but I'm glad I did!<br /><br />It's the early 1600's, in Prague and Bohemia. Emperor Rudolf II has no legitimate heirs, but his illegitimate first-born son is much-loved, if only by the Emperor and his mistress. This son, Don Julius, suffers from what is undoubtedly schizophrenia -- he hears voices, he has mad rages, he acts completely recklessly and inappropriately (and illegally). To keep the townspeople from revolting, the emperor sends his son to be held in a castle in a small town in Bohemia.<br />
<br />In this town, the barber surgeon (or blood-letter) is tasked with bleeding Don Julius to get his "humors into balance". His daughter, Marketa, is headstrong and wants what no girl is allowed -- to be a doctor. Marketa does assist her father, handling tools and such, and when Don Julius sees Marketa, he realizes the voices in his head go quiet.<br /><br />That's the main gist. There's also a mysterious Book of Wonder that no one can translate, and several interesting side stories. The ending is exciting and fascinating, considering the book is based upon a real murder of the time.<br /><br />I was captivated by the characters (even when they irritated me) and it's a unique story worth reading.<br />
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<b>"War Brides" by Helen Bryan</b></div>
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<b>Five out of Five Stars</b></div>
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I had to think for a bit about the rating on this one. On the one hand, I had a hard time putting it down. On the other hand, the ending had parts that were completely unrealistic, and one of the themes in the story was a bit hard to digest. HOWEVER -- the characters stayed with me past closing the book, and I was genuinely surprised and delighted with a couple of the endings, even if some would say they were too neatly tied up. I don't care -- I liked it.</div>
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The story is about a group of women during WWII in a small town in England. It's about sacrifice and love, bravery and secrets. There's a bunch of back story which has been off-putting to some readers, so you have to be able to mentally jump from here to there and back again. My copy didn't have the spelling and grammatical errors that others found, but there are some historical inaccuracies -- for instance, the Air Force wasn't the Air Force when Bryan says it is (and I say this as a USAF veteran). I can overlook that, though.</div>
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However, I have to give the book five stars because it stuck with me and I was sad to see it end, even if the ending was a little sloppy. I actually got into the characters and their lives and maybe it was just the right time for me to read this sort of thing, but I enjoyed it. The best WWII fiction book ever? No. Worth reading? Yes!</div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry and bead kits as well as collaborative mixed media art with her son, Zack. Visit her shops <a href="http://www.prettythingsblog.com/p/shops.html">by clicking here</a>. She is also the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party®</a> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></i></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>and author of the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bead-Soup-Projects-Happens-Beaders/dp/0871164426/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1341104618&sr=8-2&keywords=bead+soup">Bead Soup</a>.</i></span></div>
Lori Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297328109318290291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-91695712142704914782012-09-28T14:45:00.000-07:002012-09-28T14:45:46.713-07:00Book Review -- "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Five out of Five Stars</b></div>
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Absolutely amazing book. <br /><br />I'm lying in bed, reading, reading, enjoying her way with words and how excellently the book is coming together.<br /><br />I get to the middle of the book and WOAH!<br /><br />Big
change. Plot twist? Plot Twister/Rollercoaster/Sidewinder. And it's
2am in the freaking morning so I have to wait until tomorrow to keep
going.<br /><br />But wait! There's more!<br /><br />So you have yourself all
settled in. OK, got the plot now. And SKID on the brakes. What? What
is happening here???? And THAT is what makes this book spooky scary
and makes me wonder how many people are on death row who shouldn't be.
Or marriages that aren't what they seem in a BIG way.<br /><br />EXCELLENT book.</div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry and bead kits as well as collaborative mixed media art with her son, Zack. Visit her shops <a href="http://www.prettythingsblog.com/p/shops.html">by clicking here</a>. She is also the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party®</a> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></i></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>and author of the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bead-Soup-Projects-Happens-Beaders/dp/0871164426/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1341104618&sr=8-2&keywords=bead+soup">Bead Soup</a>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>Join her at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/BeadSoupCafe/">Facebook group Bead Soup Cafe</a> for bead chat, swaps, challenges, and lots of eye candy!</i></span></div>
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Lori Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297328109318290291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-56927348624914349332012-08-22T16:06:00.003-07:002012-08-22T16:06:48.449-07:00I Passed My Year's Reading Goal!I just passed my annual reading goal today! I vowed to read 75 books and I've read 76 and the year's not over yet. Lest you think I've been reading "Good Night Moon" just to get those numbers up, I've read a total of 24,798 pages. <br />
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To say I love to read, that it's an escape I crave and look forward to every night, is an understatement.<br />
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Interested in seeing the list by cover? </div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/242518">Click here</a>, and be sure to view all the pages!</div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry and bead kits as well as collaborative mixed media art with her son, Zack. Visit her shops <a href="http://www.prettythingsblog.com/p/shops.html">by clicking here</a>. She is also the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party®</a> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></i></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>and author of the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bead-Soup-Projects-Happens-Beaders/dp/0871164426/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1341104618&sr=8-2&keywords=bead+soup">Bead Soup</a>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>Join her at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/BeadSoupCafe/">Facebook group Bead Soup Cafe</a> for bead chat, swaps, challenges, and lots of eye candy!</i></span></div>
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Lori Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297328109318290291noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-80769602862266101872012-07-26T14:10:00.000-07:002012-07-26T14:10:39.975-07:00More Summer ReadingI spent all of yesterday in bed with Tylenol 3 and a cracked-up back, but I wasn't idle! I read my little heart out.<br />
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<b>"Escape from Camp 14" by Blaine Harden</b></div>
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<b>4 out of 5 Stars</b></div>
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This book had special interest to me as I served in the US Air Force in South Korea from 1989-1991. <br /><br /><br />This book is about a man, Shin Donghyuk, who was born into a North Korean political prisoner camp - and he managed to escape. North Korea won't even acknowledge it HAS these camps, even though the show up on satellite and there are refugees who confirm it. But even more troubling, I think, is the world's ignorance of these camps -- and when people KNOW about them, they don't raise a furor.<br /><br /><br />To put these camps into some sort of perspective -- the North Korean camps have been around about twelve times as long as the Nazi concentration camps. Shin Donghyuk was expected to snitch on his family, and even looked at his family as competitors for food and survival. He was tortured horribly, and this part of the book is hard to read. It's also hard to comprehend the extreme hunger the prisoners go through (and in fact, nearly all of North Korea). <br /><br /><br />This isn't an easy read -- it's a fast read, but not an easy read. However, it's an IMPORTANT read. We need to know about these things, and we need to do something about it. <br /><br />
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<b>"Let's Pretend This Never Happened" by Jenny Lawson</b></div>
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<b>Five out of Five Stars</b></div>
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After reading "Camp 14", I had to read something light.<br />
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I'd been looking forward to this memoir ever since I discovered The Bloggess on the blogosphere. Jenny is hilarious, irreverent, and gets away with words I couldn't. I expected the book to be entertaining, and I wasn't wrong. <br /><br /><br />What I wasn't expecting was the poignant moments. Sure, Jenny has a trucker mouth and grew up in a crazy-strange household (Raccoons in the bathtub? Snakes in the freezer? Why yes!) but she also has a softer side that's affected by illnesses and pain, OCD and depression. I totally get her.<br /><br /><br />I read this book in one sitting. If you're easily offended, don't pick up this book! But if you can handle the liberal use of the F-bomb, and can find the humor in the crazy, grab this book!<br />
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<b>Visit me on Goodreads.com <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/382208-lori-anderson">by clicking here!</a></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry and bead kits as well as collaborative mixed media art with her son, Zack. Visit her shops <a href="http://www.prettythingsblog.com/p/shops.html">by clicking here</a>. She is also the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party®</a> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></i></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>and author of the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bead-Soup-Projects-Happens-Beaders/dp/0871164426/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1341104618&sr=8-2&keywords=bead+soup">Bead Soup</a>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>Join her at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/BeadSoupCafe/">Facebook group Bead Soup Cafe</a> for bead chat, swaps, challenges, and lots of eye candy!</i></span></div>
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</div>Pretty Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00285473788765783338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-48321934946765059012012-07-24T17:16:00.001-07:002012-07-24T17:16:20.205-07:00Book Review -- "Loud in the House of Myself"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhds8Dlv2P7XRdhgfilN9k06bANnn5B4dJN8MFsWJd5Mav4qIrgtG6_9WMhVIV7UuUw67K2C8ATSyVUIlnNHmFwPfggKYnliC-8fgNaoFA77bVT2OUUUjrXn5Qgrh8hKxZwDIOg6Ut9LcQ/s1600/loud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhds8Dlv2P7XRdhgfilN9k06bANnn5B4dJN8MFsWJd5Mav4qIrgtG6_9WMhVIV7UuUw67K2C8ATSyVUIlnNHmFwPfggKYnliC-8fgNaoFA77bVT2OUUUjrXn5Qgrh8hKxZwDIOg6Ut9LcQ/s1600/loud.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>"Loud in the House of Myself" by Stacy Pershall</b></div>
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<b>Five out of Five Stars</b> </div>
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This is a book that resonated with me on a visceral level. <br />
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As a sufferer of depression and a past anorexic, reading Stacy Pershall's story was like reading bits of my own. Her fight and her issues were so much worse than mine, yet she came out of it with humor and dignity -- and at several points in her life, dignity wasn't even showing its face.<br />
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I underlined and marked up this book on so many pages. I don't know how well someone will like it if they don't understand bipolar, depression, or suicide attempts, but if you are looking for a voice that rises from rock bottom, this is it.<br />
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<b>Visit me on Goodreads.com <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/382208-lori-anderson">by clicking here!</a></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry and bead kits as well as collaborative mixed media art with her son, Zack. Visit her shops <a href="http://www.prettythingsblog.com/p/shops.html">by clicking here</a>. She is also the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party®</a> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></i></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>and author of the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bead-Soup-Projects-Happens-Beaders/dp/0871164426/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1341104618&sr=8-2&keywords=bead+soup">Bead Soup</a>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>Join her at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/BeadSoupCafe/">Facebook group Bead Soup Cafe</a> for bead chat, swaps, challenges, and lots of eye candy!</i></span></div>
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</div>Pretty Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00285473788765783338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-41118778282063072732012-07-12T17:33:00.001-07:002012-07-12T17:33:50.885-07:00"The Forgotten Garden" by Kate Morton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiluNmw6yv9kzGMyKiyOwvRjcB_rNanCZFrwxYan9HIUN3cGquIuO-5pSJAkc3nLsWFgdLGnV07RdRmfZ4JXRvjbbYgTOR1Q0aB-XhOddd_AHFhQDJ-JE1yZwzfYbJU_sX2lFykFf0KbnY/s1600/the-forgotten-garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiluNmw6yv9kzGMyKiyOwvRjcB_rNanCZFrwxYan9HIUN3cGquIuO-5pSJAkc3nLsWFgdLGnV07RdRmfZ4JXRvjbbYgTOR1Q0aB-XhOddd_AHFhQDJ-JE1yZwzfYbJU_sX2lFykFf0KbnY/s1600/the-forgotten-garden.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>"The Forgotten Garden" </b></div>
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<b>by Kate Morton</b></div>
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<b>Five out of Five Stars</b></div>
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<span id="freeTextContainerreview361323403">This
book was absolutely fabulous. The story line didn't waver, and with
several dates spanning 1900-2005, it could easily have become confusing
-- but it didn't. It's the story of family (good and bad), searching
for long lost relatives, and finding out if they're really your relative
or not.</span></span></div>
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<span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextContainerreview361323403"><br /><br />The only thing I didn't care for was the skeevy uncle.
He rarely showed up in the book and his bit of the story never really
got fleshed out (thankfully, in my opinion). <br /><br /><br />A must read.</span></span></div>
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<b>Visit me on Goodreads.com <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/382208-lori-anderson">by clicking here!</a></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry and bead kits as well as collaborative mixed media art with her son, Zack. Visit her shops <a href="http://www.prettythingsblog.com/p/shops.html">by clicking here</a>. She is also the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party</a> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">tm </span></i></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>and author of the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bead-Soup-Projects-Happens-Beaders/dp/0871164426/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1341104618&sr=8-2&keywords=bead+soup">Bead Soup</a>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>Join her at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/BeadSoupCafe/">Facebook group Bead Soup Cafe</a> for bead chat, swaps, challenges, and lots of eye candy!</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>Pretty Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00285473788765783338noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-39007931197640544112012-07-11T15:40:00.001-07:002012-07-11T15:41:15.600-07:00Summer Reading List, Part One<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: white;">. </span></div>
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I've been reading a bit! Let me get you caught up.</div>
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<b>"2BR02B" by Kurt Vonnegut</b></div>
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<b style="color: #cc0000;">Five out of Five Stars</b></div>
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WOW. What an impactful 12 pages this was. This is my first Vonnegut,
but it certainly won't be the last. The Nook version I got had another
12 pages or so about Vonnegut's life and other books, which was just as
fascinating to read as the book.</div>
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2BR02B (to be or not to be) is a
book about our world, a scary Brave New World, with population control
and assisted suicide. You can have kids, but you have to find someone
who is will to die in order to keep your kids. And people are now able
to live into the hundreds, two hundreds, even, because of all the new
medical technology.</div>
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The story begins with a father in the waiting
room. His wife has just had triplets. That's as far as I'll tell you,
but you MUST read this story -- it's a tale to think about.</div>
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<b>"Diary of a Nursing Sister on the Western Front, 1914-1915" </b></div>
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<b>by Anonymous</b> </div>
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<b style="color: red;">Three out of Five Stars</b></div>
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This was a free book on the Kindle, and since I love WWI things, I had to read it.</div>
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This is the diary of an unnamed nun who was a nurse during WWI in France. It was fascinating in that she served most of her time on a train hospital -- each section of the train held different patients, and operating theater, dorms, etc. As this was a discovered diary, it has a quick stop and no idea what happened to her. It was enjoyable, and she has to be the merriest war-time nurse I've ever read about, fictional or real, but it drags a little bit, and bits are nebulous as she references things we, the reader, aren't privy to. However, if you're a WWI buff, and read "All Quiet on the Western Front", snag it. It's a quick read.</div>
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<b>"Heresy", "Prophecy", and "Sacrilege"</b></div>
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<b>by S. J. Parris</b></div>
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<b style="color: red;">overall, 3 out of 5 stars</b></div>
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This series is a historical fiction mystery trilogy (at least, trilogy so far). In the first book, an Italian monk, Giordano Bruno, is accused of heresy because he's caught reading "heretical" books about Copernicus and believes in his teachings -- essentially, the earth revolves around the sun, which, in the time of Queen Elizabeth I, is a big no-no. Throughout the series, Bruno solves and gets tangled in mysteries and scandals while weaving in the historically factual story of Queen Elizabeth's spies against Mary of Scotland.</div>
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The books were slow to start, but halfway through things sped up, and that made them worth my time. The last book was the best, in my opinion, and left enough strings loose to allow for another book, but not TOO many loose strings so you're felt like you MUST read another book. I doubt I'd read any further in this series, but it was interesting. I just wasn't as into astrology, Copernicus, and the occult as this book requires you to be.</div>
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So far this year, I've read More to come!</div>
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<b>Visit me on Goodreads.com <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/382208-lori-anderson">by clicking here!</a></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry and bead kits as well as collaborative mixed media art with her son, Zack. Visit her shops <a href="http://www.prettythingsblog.com/p/shops.html">by clicking here</a>. She is also the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party</a> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">tm </span></i></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>and author of the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bead-Soup-Projects-Happens-Beaders/dp/0871164426/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1341104618&sr=8-2&keywords=bead+soup">Bead Soup</a>.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>Join her at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/BeadSoupCafe/">Facebook group Bead Soup Cafe</a> for bead chat, swaps, challenges, and lots of eye candy!</i></span></div>
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Pretty Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00285473788765783338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-67618291217091138302012-06-21T14:54:00.001-07:002012-06-21T14:56:46.092-07:00Book Review -- "Heresy" by S. J. Parris<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Four out of Five Stars</b></div>
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Italian monk Giordano Bruno is on the run from the Inquisition because he dares to agree with Copernicus and his theory of the earth revolving around the sun. Excommunicated and now residing in England, Bruno has become a favorite of nobility, and is on his way to Oxford University to debate the Copernicus theory -- quite a change from six years prior!<br />
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While at Oxford, several suspicious deaths occur, and Bruno finds himself trying to solve the mystery and not get himself killed in the process. Oh, and he's also acting as a spy to find out anything he can about anti-Queen-Elizabeth plots. So he has his hands full.<br />
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I enjoyed the book, and will be reading the two subsequent novels.<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, <a href="http://www.lorianderson.net/">Lori Anderson Designs</a>, and wrote the blog <a href="http://www.anartistsyearoff.com/">An Artist's Year Off</a>. She is the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party</a> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">tm. </span> </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><i>Join me at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/BeadSoupCafe/">Facebook group Bead Soup Cafe</a> for bead chat, swaps, challenges, and lots of eye candy!</i></span></div>
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</div>Pretty Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00285473788765783338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-1369215556135015622012-05-31T11:52:00.000-07:002012-05-31T12:48:36.777-07:00Book Review: "Fifty Shades of Grey" by E.L. James<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>"Fifty Shades of Gray" by E. L. James</b></div>
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<b>Three out of Five Stars</b></div>
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This book was almost impossible to rate.<br />
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On the one hand, I
wanted to give her Five Stars just for the huge amount of press she was
able to generate for this genre of book. On the other, I wanted to give
her one star for seemingly mixing Twilight-esque teen writing with
serious BDSM. And while she's liberal in using the F-bomb, she leaves a
lot left to the imagination -- and this can be both a good thing and a
bad thing. <br />
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It's also a bit disconcerting to read about a recent college grad, (and virgin) Anastastia, who captivates a 20-something
year old billionaire, Christian. I've heard of Lana Turner being
discovered in a soda shop, but this is an entirely different animal.
Anne Rice (writing under various pen names) wrote about BDSM the way it
probably deserves to be written about -- and this ain't it. The premise
(and writing style) is on such a juvenile level that I kept thinking it
was a teen book until woah Nelly, out come the whips and restraints and
the F bombs. That discontinuity was jarring, to say the least.<br />
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Also,
if you turned the book into a drinking game and took a shot every time
the author wrote "murmur", you'd be drunk in three pages. Add to that
the annoying and constant reference to her computer as "the mean
machine", biting her lower lip so often you're surprised it hasn't been
bitten off yet, all the eye-rolling, overuse of the word "clamber"
(which, in my not so humble opinion, should *never* be used in an erotic
text), and Christian's sudden departure from ten-year past of strong
BDSM to considering a major change for Ana -- well. It was hard to know
whether to laugh, roll my OWN eyes, or keep reading. The book is not
the best of this genre I've ever read by far.<br />
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Yet, I couldn't look away.<br />
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I'm
not sure what that says about either me OR the book. I'll finish the
trilogy, but I'm certain the story won't change, the style won't rise
above a fifth-grade level -- but the author has SOMETHING here, and
whatever it is, I'll give the next book a chance.</div>
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<b>Visit me on Goodreads.com <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/382208-lori-anderson">by clicking here!</a></b></div>
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<i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, <a href="http://www.lorianderson.net/">Lori Anderson Designs</a>, and wrote the blog <a href="http://www.anartistsyearoff.com/">An Artist's Year Off</a>. She is the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party <span style="font-size: xx-small;">tm</span></a>.</i></div>
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</div>Pretty Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00285473788765783338noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-18185672034651259092012-05-29T07:40:00.001-07:002012-05-29T07:40:55.657-07:00Book Review -- "Generation A" by Douglas Coupland<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>"Generation A" by Douglas Coupland</b></div>
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<b>Three out of Five Stars</b></div>
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Douglas Coupland is one of those authors whose work I collect. I
vividly remember being handed his first book, "Generation X", and I was
hooked. His dry wit, gift of parody, and excellent story-telling have
made it such a pleasure to hunt down all of his books.<br /><br /><br />This
book, however, left me wanting more. The story is a little off. Five
people in five different countries are stung by a bee -- yet all the
bees disappeared years ago. Each of these people is whisked away to a
"clean room", observed and tested upon, and then let loose to meet up
with each other.<br /><br /><br />When these people meet up with each other,
one of the scientists ask them to tell stories they've made up on the
spot. This figures into the bees, and why these people were essentially
kidnapped after being stung, but the stories the people tell were
really what kept my attention. The sub-story, if you will.<br /><br /><br />I
suspend belief when reading because in order to enjoy certain books,
you have to believe that what's happening is true. This book, though,
no matter how hard I tried, couldn't keep me from going, "Oh, come on!" a
few times. Fortunately, I laughed more than a few times so that
redeemed it.<br /><br /><br />Definitely not Coupland's best, but die-hard fans should still read it.</div>
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<b>Visit me on Goodreads.com <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/382208-lori-anderson">by clicking here!</a></b></div>
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<i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, <a href="http://www.lorianderson.net/">Lori Anderson Designs</a>, and wrote the blog <a href="http://www.anartistsyearoff.com/">An Artist's Year Off</a>. She is the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party <span style="font-size: xx-small;">tm</span></a>.</i></div>
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</div>Pretty Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00285473788765783338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-63647653896758498192012-05-23T15:07:00.000-07:002012-05-23T15:07:28.973-07:00Book Review -- "Joe Golem and the Drowning City"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>"Joe Golem and the Drowning City"</b></div>
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<b>by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden</b></div>
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<b>4 out of 5 Stars</b></div>
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This was an impulse buy. The story sounded intriguing -- earthquakes have sunk a huge part of Lower Manhattan in 1925, creating a dystopian sort of life for those left behind. That alone caught my attention because most of the dystopian books I've read take place in the future or present day.</div>
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The book, in a nutshell, is about Molly McHugh and her friend, the elderly magician Felix Orlov. Felix, however, has some real powers. While in the middle of a seance, things go awry, and suddenly men in gas masks and rubber suits invade the room and make off with Orlov.</div>
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Molly runs, and is rescued by Joe Golem, who has his own mysterious employer and equally mysterious past. The book weaves fairy tales and myths with futuristic science fiction. The ending dragged a bit for me, which is why the book got four stars, but it was definitely a different experience. The block print illustrations are on the spooky/scary side -- downright creepy in many instances -- but they kind of fit the underlying darkness of the story.</div>
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Recommended for those looking for something different from the norm.</div>
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<i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, <a href="http://www.lorianderson.net/">Lori Anderson Designs</a>, and wrote the blog <a href="http://www.anartistsyearoff.com/">An Artist's Year Off</a>. She is the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party <span style="font-size: xx-small;">tm</span></a>.</i></div>
</div>Pretty Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00285473788765783338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-76140859134575400452012-05-23T14:54:00.001-07:002012-05-23T14:54:33.724-07:00Book Review -- "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>"Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" by Amy Chua</b></div>
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<b>1 out of 5 Stars</b></div>
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I'm quite glad I've never met Amy Chua, and if she met me, I'm sure the feeling would be mutual. I picked this book up while passing the child-rearing section of the book store. I should have left it there.</div>
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The book is about the "secret" behind Asian (in this instance, Chinese) children's stereotypical success. I have two half-Chinese stepsons, have lived in Korea and Japan, so I wasn't entirely unacquainted with how family dynamics in Asia usually work. My sons did not get raised the "Chinese Way", as Chua calls it. According to her, therefore, my sons should be degenerates and vapid automatons who only watch TV and eat junk food. Happy to report that they both have Ph.D's, one in Physics and one in Molecular Plant Biology. </div>
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So there, Amy Chua.</div>
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I was horrified at how Chua talks to her daughters, pushing them, forcing in many ways, to play piano and violin, respectively. The things her daughters aren't allowed to do because they're "stupid" (i.e., sleep-overs) are things that I wonder if they'll one day regret. They both are phenomenal musicians, but at what cost? So many times the kids rebel, only to get shouted down. I didn't find that funny, OR endearing.</div>
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Of course, how to raise your child is a polarizing subject, and I didn't expect to 100% agree with everything in this book. I also didn't expect to have a visceral dislike for it, either.</div>
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Not recommended.</div>
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<b>Visit me on Goodreads.com <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/382208-lori-anderson">by clicking here!</a></b></div>
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<i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, <a href="http://www.lorianderson.net/">Lori Anderson Designs</a>, and wrote the blog <a href="http://www.anartistsyearoff.com/">An Artist's Year Off</a>. She is the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party <span style="font-size: xx-small;">tm</span></a>.</i></div>
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</div>Pretty Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00285473788765783338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-37066629654419737692012-05-13T17:08:00.000-07:002012-05-13T17:17:18.105-07:00Three Book Reviews -- Richard Russo x 2, plus Insane Asylum non-fiction<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Three book reviews for you today -- and quite different they are!</div>
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<b>"Bridge of Sighs" by Richard Russo</b></div>
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<b>Five out of Five Stars</b></div>
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Louis "Lucy" Lynch, the main character in this book, is now sixty years
old, married for forty, and has lived in a small rural town (built
around a toxic tannery) all his life. They're planning a trip to Italy
to try and reconnect with an old childhood friend, but whether they
actually make that journey, I'll leave to you to find out.</div>
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The
actual "Bridge of Sighs" is in Venice, Italy (a place I used to live)
and spanned the Palace River, connecting the Old Prison and
interrogation rooms in the Doge's Palace to the New Prison, which was
situated directly across the river. It's also a painting Lucy's
childhood friend has painted, and it's rife with symbolism.</div>
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The
book goes back and forth between flashback and current time, and while I
find books about town life interesting, some may find the book too
low-key for them. It's a coming-of-age story, but when the main
character remains in his small home town for sixty years without doing
much outside of it, you have to learn to flow with the narrative. I
quite liked it, but it may not be for those wanting a quicker pace.<br />
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Recommended.<br />
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<b>"Straight Man" by Richard Russo</b></div>
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<b>Four out of Five Stars </b> </div>
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This book could be down-right hilarious. William Henry Devereaux, Jr. (not to be mistaken for his father, William Henry Devereaux Sr., with whom he has a complicated relationship) is the chair for his college English department -- and it's not really a post he aspired to. His adventures with his fellow English professors is diverse, sometimes complex, sometimes as simple as realizing the other professor is just an idiot who got the job who knows how.<br />
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You'll have to read it, but the pivotal point of the book occurs when William, who has been trying to get a budget for his department, wanders upon the lake where a TV photo op is about to take place, and suddenly seizes a goose by the neck and threatens to kill a duck a day until he gets a budget.<br />
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What follows is not a massacre (thankfully) but a lot of high-jinx told with a dry sense of humor. <br />
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Why this didn't get five stars -- I got tired of hearing about his inability to pee. I think the entire story would have been just fine without the constant questioning of why he couldn't hit a urinal. Also, the epilogue could have been completely left out, as the loose ends weren't so important that they needed an epilogue.<br />
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Still, a good book.<br />
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<b>"The Lives They Left Behind:</b></div>
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<b>Suitcases From a State Hospital Attic"</b> </div>
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<b>Five out of Five Stars</b></div>
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<span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview329343507">This
work of non-fiction is quite incredible in its scope and the amount of
research that went into it. Darby Penney, a national leader in the
human rights movement for people with psychiatric disabilities, and
Peter Stastny, a psychiatrist and documentary filmmaker, took on this
extraordinary project. <br /><br /><br />In 1995, after 126 years of
operation, the Willard Psychiatric Center in upstate New York was
closed. It had been home to 54,000 people. While the closing of the
facility was taking place, over 400 suitcases were found in an attic,
full of belongings of patients who had never left the facility.<br /><br /><br />Penney
and Stastny took ten of those suitcases, examined their contents, and
with a LOT of investigative work, pieced together information about the
lives of the people behind the suitcases. <br /><br /><br />Throughout the
book, the history of state-run hospitals is covered, along with
information about psychiatric set-backs and break-throughs. The stories
of these ten people, as well as the story of the hospital itself, will
touch you.<br /><br /><br />The book is full of black-and-white photos.<br /><br /><br />Highly recommended.</span></span></div>
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<i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, <a href="http://www.lorianderson.net/">Lori Anderson Designs</a>, and wrote the blog <a href="http://www.anartistsyearoff.com/">An Artist's Year Off</a>. She is the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party</a>.</i></div>
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</div>Pretty Thingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00285473788765783338noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-47155336068312166992012-04-30T14:00:00.002-07:002012-04-30T14:04:53.564-07:00Book Review -- "We Need to Talk About Kevin" by Lionel Shriver<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b> 2 out of 5 Stars</b></div>
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<b>*** Warning -- Mild Spoilers ***</b><br />
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There was quite a lot to dislike about this book.<br />
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The subject matter alone is disturbing enough -- a child is seemingly "born bad" and goes on to commit a horrific crime, a crime he planned out painstakingly and shows no remorse for.<br />
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That alone would make this a sobering read, but the mother is the most despicable character I've ever met, and I had far less sympathy for her than I did for the boy born bad.<br />
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Eva is a business-woman, a woman who built a highly successful travel book business, and she relishes the time she spends out of country. Throughout the book, she has very little, if anything good, to say about America. She also has a distasteful habit of spouting off her problems with America -- "fat people" (I got sick of her talking about that) and SUV's, among other things. <br />
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Eva did not want her first child at ALL. Her husband talked her into it, and Eva begrudges the entire pregnancy, feeling like her life was taken over and her life itself is over. When Kevin is born, she completely fails to bond with him, and her son doesn't bond at all with her. Reading about Kevin's childhood is painful. He is a nasty little boy, but his mother is equally nasty to him. Her husband, on the other hand, completely doesn't see it. Without much surprise, the story doesn't end well. It ends horrifically, but sadly, predictably.<br />
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I wonder -- is it true that a child can be born bad? Did Eva's complete distaste at being pregnant make her son bad? Was the lack of mother/father unity the culprit? Who knows. But it was awful.<br />
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While the story matter was horrid, I didn't give this book more than two stars for another reason -- way, WAY too many words that had to be looked up. I'm not a stupid person, but it's jarring to try to read a book that uses words like "quotidian", "puling", "perfidy","ocherous", "aphorism", "comestibles" --- my Nook dictionary couldn't find some of them. It just made Eva that much more unlikeable. I can't imagine trying to socialize with her.<br />
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The book is worth a read if you're prepared for the wordiness and the shock value. But don't expect a single character you can warm up to.<br />
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<i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, <a href="http://www.lorianderson.net/">Lori Anderson Designs</a>, and wrote the blog <a href="http://www.anartistsyearoff.com/">An Artist's Year Off</a>. She is the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party</a>.</i></div>
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<br />Lori Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297328109318290291noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-10859364944563080492012-04-24T14:27:00.002-07:002012-04-24T14:27:55.502-07:00Book Review: "The Lady of the Rivers" by Philippa Gregory<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Five out of Five Stars</b></div>
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As a rule, I love Philippa Gregory's books, and this one didn't disappoint. <br /><br /><br />Telling
the story of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, an overlooked woman in
medieval history, the book starts with the imprisonment of Joan of Arc.
That alone was interesting! The book then covers Jacquetta's first
marriage to the Duke of Bedford, who married her not for love but for
her gift of second sight. When the Duke of Bedford dies, Jacquetta
throws convention and fear of retribution to the wind and marries
Richard Woodville for love. She is ordered to pay a huge fine for
failing to ask the monarchy for permission to marry (and she certainly,
in that age, would not have been allowed to marry someone beneath her
rank) and instead becomes a favorite of Henry VI's wife, Margaret of
Anjou.<br /><br /><br />Margaret dominates the book with her stubborn will and
Jacquetta dominates with her deep love and devotion to family, friends,
and the monarchy. The book ends with the fall of Henry VI. <br /><br /><br />A great read if you're interested in The War of the Roses. </div>
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<br /></div>Lori Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297328109318290291noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-207721092472072702012-04-19T12:03:00.002-07:002012-04-19T12:03:50.333-07:00Two Book Reviews : Laura Lippman and Nicholas Sparks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQITGOvDHBqH2kAk32BsytME3sdbgdJb4l109upP8j2bGpmz2sfKvH_y7VoM02qrUf10MRuMWXgnpgu_qxb1WPRgmvjqMyFDUTxBGFVJV9Ac0qRrne-Z2toPylESAbPAy9J0XHfdEAK4/s1600/Laura-lippman-books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQITGOvDHBqH2kAk32BsytME3sdbgdJb4l109upP8j2bGpmz2sfKvH_y7VoM02qrUf10MRuMWXgnpgu_qxb1WPRgmvjqMyFDUTxBGFVJV9Ac0qRrne-Z2toPylESAbPAy9J0XHfdEAK4/s1600/Laura-lippman-books.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b> Four out of Five Stars</b></div><br />
This is billed as a mystery but to me, it was more of a novel with a twist at the end of the book. I kept getting confused between what was a flash back and what was current time, but I'm going to blame myself being too tired when I read for that.<br />
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The story reminded me the tiniest bit of "It", in that it's about a group of adolescents who play in the woods, and a tragedy causes a total loss of innocence. Fast forward to the kids, all grown up, and the secrets they've kept for years come to a head when one of their group suddenly dies.<br />
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The last line of the book will stick with me for a while.<br />
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A good read, but do better than I did at keeping up with who is who and when is when.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Five out of Five Stars</b></div><br />
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Oh I should know better than to read Nicholas Sparks. He'll drive you to tears every single time.<br />
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My only complaint about this star-crossed lovers tale is Dawson was way too complacent. FIGHT buddy! Get the girl! Make yourself happy for once!<br />
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Read with tissues.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, <a href="http://www.lorianderson.net/">Lori Anderson Designs</a>, and wrote the blog <a href="http://www.anartistsyearoff.com/">An Artist's Year Off</a>. She is the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party</a>.</i></div>Lori Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297328109318290291noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-70344820731389807392012-03-31T14:31:00.000-07:002012-03-31T14:31:36.055-07:00"Zone One" and "Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIbrlRIyrerH3OnML4zabpf_LDXxo1Rm0BM6S6id7xORgdw1APNXaPUFc6LNFoh3C95rofGrT0O4Gcl7QdI3Ah277wzB69LHredM6_tovwpMBcj26ptnbPbHT1SKlCD9YSKFEBziBnLmw/s1600/book-zone-one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIbrlRIyrerH3OnML4zabpf_LDXxo1Rm0BM6S6id7xORgdw1APNXaPUFc6LNFoh3C95rofGrT0O4Gcl7QdI3Ah277wzB69LHredM6_tovwpMBcj26ptnbPbHT1SKlCD9YSKFEBziBnLmw/s1600/book-zone-one.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Three out of Five Stars</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">This book has an post-apocalyptic setting -- a mysterious illness creates zombies out of many people, leaving others untouched, and after the unidentified plagues starts to wind down, causes survivors to form enclaves in decimated cities. <br />
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I expected more. I started out eagerly expecting a story that would tell the why and wherefore, like Stephen King's "The Stand", Justin Cronin's "The Passage" (who ironically loved the book), Robert McCammon's "Swan Song" or even Robert Matheson's "I Am Legend". At least I wasn't naive enough to expect a "Hunger Games".<br />
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My problems were the unanswered questions:<br />
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~Why was Connecticut always called names? <br />
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~What was the best guess for the "Last Day"?<br />
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~The relentless mentioning of the character with his first and last name -- "Mark Spitz", never just "Mark", or even "Spitz". I'm sure Whitehead had a reasoning for this but it irritated me and made the flow of the book falter.<br />
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Lots of questions a reader may have are just never answered. It's more a story of survival than how come they HAVE to survive -- what put them there in the first place. While Whitehead is certainly very well educated with an amazing vocabulary, the book seemed tedious and took me too long to read -- I kept having to go back to reread what Whitehead wrote, wondering what he was on about. There also seemed to be a marked lack of plot.<br />
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I'm rating this squarely in the middle with Three Stars because there were some very good parts, but overall, the book isn't my favorite of this genre.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Four out of Five Stars</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I love Dave Sedaris. His wry sense of humor and self-deprecation has always endeared him to me. <br />
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This book is a book of modern fables of a sort, anthropomorphizing animals. You could easily substitute "guy down the street" for "chipmunk", as the animals take on very distinctive human traits, such as waiting in a complaint line kvetching. There's even a couple of well-intended swears that make you either gasp or laugh out loud.<br />
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The artist for the "Olivia" books illustrated, and I have two things to say to Mr. Olivia Artist -- the baby lamb -- REALLY????? And the back end of the rhino -- holy proctologist, dude. But, they fit the story and the humor, pathos, sadness, hilarity -- there's a bit for everyone.<br />
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A very short book you can tackle in a day.</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Visit me on Goodreads.com <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/382208-lori-anderson">by clicking here!</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, <a href="http://www.lorianderson.net/">Lori Anderson Designs</a>, and wrote the blog <a href="http://www.anartistsyearoff.com/">An Artist's Year Off</a>. She is the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party</a>.</i></div>Lori Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297328109318290291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-81159393461706077062012-03-22T14:05:00.001-07:002012-03-22T14:05:40.824-07:00"The Queen's Fool" by Philippa Gregory<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1KezKg84DfsDo2bO16zlANJsAMUaAanxkHArnM939VX2WchIcB7J2PNjGpTtghM84bPV7hIAANAob2oGqs5DqUmtaxa4S1I6B0uZC-_5OMc9kWdYlTLXI2LeQi3Lb-8eBbjERjowWlbs/s1600/queens-fool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1KezKg84DfsDo2bO16zlANJsAMUaAanxkHArnM939VX2WchIcB7J2PNjGpTtghM84bPV7hIAANAob2oGqs5DqUmtaxa4S1I6B0uZC-_5OMc9kWdYlTLXI2LeQi3Lb-8eBbjERjowWlbs/s1600/queens-fool.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>"The Queen's Fool" by Philippa Gregory</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>4 out of 5 Stars</b></div><br />
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<span class="readable reviewText"> <span id="freeTextreview121848249">Although Philippa Gregory does a fair amount of research, she does take a lot more liberties than some of my other favorite historical fiction novelists. However, I quite enjoyed this book and it kept my attention most of the time. </span></span><br />
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Hannah Green is hiding as a Catholic (she is a Jew) during the tenuous reign of Queen Mary. Hannah has "the sight" and has been accepted not only at the court of Queen Mary, but at her rival Princess Elizabeth. </span></span><br />
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I'm certainly not a historian, but it's hard for me to believe fools of any sort, comic fools or seer fools, would have as much access and as much pull as Hannah does. She seems to be able to go anywhere and do anything. Of course, if she didn't, the book would pale. </span></span><br />
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Another thing I thought was interesting is how the burning of heretics was more or less glossed over -- the famous term "Bloody Mary" was never used. I also thought it interesting that Princess Elizabeth was portrayed as nothing more than another Anne Boleyn (and of course, she IS Anne Boleyn's child!). Some books I've read truly depict Elizabeth as a Virgin Queen and Mary nearly so. </span></span><br />
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The only time the book dragged a bit for me was when Hannah had to move back to Calais to get married. Fortunately, the story line did pick up and the "old Hannah" became evident once more. </span></span><br />
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I do enjoy Gregory's books, so pick this up if you're in for a good read. </span></span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, <a href="http://www.lorianderson.net/">Lori Anderson Designs</a>, and wrote the blog <a href="http://www.anartistsyearoff.com/">An Artist's Year Off</a>. She is the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party</a>.</i></div>Lori Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297328109318290291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-11722933887759073362012-03-21T10:24:00.000-07:002012-03-21T10:24:11.626-07:00Several Book Reviews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgmTlZBbbs_eNcrgCKHXkYsaK1EqZUiFowoPr5UKSs3H7UFbgnnY4lQexOIrxgEnbyVMRPEwQYVN6_RPm9W2-9MvILRJ0PqxrNQL67oYgheetfYku5cONqxocW9mvoV3cMiPtAE4pUQGk/s1600/blood-canticle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgmTlZBbbs_eNcrgCKHXkYsaK1EqZUiFowoPr5UKSs3H7UFbgnnY4lQexOIrxgEnbyVMRPEwQYVN6_RPm9W2-9MvILRJ0PqxrNQL67oYgheetfYku5cONqxocW9mvoV3cMiPtAE4pUQGk/s1600/blood-canticle.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>(couldn't finish)</b></div><br />
I tried really hard, but I couldn't finish this. There was something weird about Lestat talking in modern speak. I also couldn't keep up with the Blackwood part of it because it had just been too long. I'm sorry. I couldn't get through it. To be fair, I've liked several of the Vampire Chronicles, but this one, I guess I wasn't in the mood for.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpz_xtHf1QuVcCYDhQHwrY_Ajpz39Y3oAFwWhHJfOM4sHFNDfQOdOQRDJJGDMOGG8wSeLoyE0ER4tw21-6Ff85XZ4BmmlW0Z_dUTjDJ7CvcqGw-xb6DsSFvN_3tNXzTuKPVqpLSF4SkzI/s1600/empire-falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpz_xtHf1QuVcCYDhQHwrY_Ajpz39Y3oAFwWhHJfOM4sHFNDfQOdOQRDJJGDMOGG8wSeLoyE0ER4tw21-6Ff85XZ4BmmlW0Z_dUTjDJ7CvcqGw-xb6DsSFvN_3tNXzTuKPVqpLSF4SkzI/s1600/empire-falls.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>5 out of 5 Stars</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I absolutely loved this Pulitzer-prize winning book, but then I'm a fan for lots of characters, lots of side stories, and a sympathetic character. <br />
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Highly recommended.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Visit me on Goodreads.com <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/382208-lori-anderson">by clicking here!</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, <a href="http://www.lorianderson.net/">Lori Anderson Designs</a>, and wrote the blog <a href="http://www.anartistsyearoff.com/">An Artist's Year Off</a>. She is the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party</a>.</i></div>Lori Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297328109318290291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-5763110197929065082012-03-13T15:34:00.000-07:002012-03-13T15:34:56.546-07:00Several Book Reviews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPIGkcvD1_FlT6g_zAVwvHAHmi2HG3Jy-0VMy7M249ymaFEU-d6Ds2AAyDUsEBVqyvAdjLjEY6GiwBFa_rXocICfu1T83dR3nqR_Rn3A7CfpTq36cCfV7os5f0hZxjTpNQHrC3VJGTMg/s1600/eggers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPIGkcvD1_FlT6g_zAVwvHAHmi2HG3Jy-0VMy7M249ymaFEU-d6Ds2AAyDUsEBVqyvAdjLjEY6GiwBFa_rXocICfu1T83dR3nqR_Rn3A7CfpTq36cCfV7os5f0hZxjTpNQHrC3VJGTMg/s1600/eggers.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Four out of Five Stars</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>"A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" by Dave Eggers</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> <span class="readable reviewText"> <span id="freeTextreview284069914"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview284069914">I had a little trouble with this book. <br />
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I gave it Four Stars because it did make me laugh out loud at parts, the story was interesting enough, and for the most part, I liked being in his head. But "being in his head" often made me exhausted -- punctuation, PLEASE! I realize that was his unique way of writing, but I swear sometimes one thought would go an entire page without a punctuation mark, and that just exhausted me and hurt my head. <br />
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Sometimes I felt like the story was a little too "precious", but I still rather enjoyed it for what it was. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyLuCXYojIyTqeued9vj3KiSutqazE8pWhiSATxlMTqz4ud3bWt_bQahSKx_hPTJi4m2-ubxhfhOACcRLbctg1Ff8t4DOSFgc_JNPpxYtC6vZVSuQljcBofu2W7u4OpDPiId8E077vl4/s1600/pieces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyLuCXYojIyTqeued9vj3KiSutqazE8pWhiSATxlMTqz4ud3bWt_bQahSKx_hPTJi4m2-ubxhfhOACcRLbctg1Ff8t4DOSFgc_JNPpxYtC6vZVSuQljcBofu2W7u4OpDPiId8E077vl4/s1600/pieces.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview284069914"> 4 out of 5 stars</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview284069914"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview284069914">"A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview284069914"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview284069914">I read this knowing about the controversy around it -- was it true, was it partly true, was it total fiction?<br />
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I enjoyed it regardless -- but then, I liked "Girl, Interrupted", too. Any story where the protagonist lifts themselves out of a crap life is a decent story to me. If I had read this thinking the entire thing was real, I think I'd feel the same way, and consider any fabrications an issue with a completely trashed mind from all the drugs and alcohol. Of course, I only read one article about the many discrepancies, so if you have others I should read, please let me know!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview284069914"><br />
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</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2Rcp6sh0_t0TFkHQx48G_61Vb0oWjBOfc9O6a1eHxBPDEhfOc1AJRnxl9FsJI0KNIyuhm4iZVS9gxgfqREiEB6tfSsDZ7GP2fHLBxB05c8R2V-tHfRGCg6wu-71qpyX_c-vBeDSV0Q8/s1600/bum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI2Rcp6sh0_t0TFkHQx48G_61Vb0oWjBOfc9O6a1eHxBPDEhfOc1AJRnxl9FsJI0KNIyuhm4iZVS9gxgfqREiEB6tfSsDZ7GP2fHLBxB05c8R2V-tHfRGCg6wu-71qpyX_c-vBeDSV0Q8/s1600/bum.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview284069914">4 out of 5 stars</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview284069914">"A Bum Deal" by Rufus Hannah</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview284069914"><br />
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</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview284069914">I picked this up on my Kindle during one of their sales.<br />
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It's interesting that the last two books I've read have been about either addiction or some sort of misery, true, or in some cases, nearly true.<br />
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This book is about the controversy of a group of college boys who thought it would be fun to hire bums (with booze and a free hotel room) purely to see what stupid and dangerous thing they could get the homeless to do, and then record it and sell it. <br />
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The way these idiots treated human beings, human beings incredibly down on their luck, is nauseating. Rufus Hannah writes about his rise from homelessness to the courtroom when the men who profited handsomely from their ridiculous videos were brought to trial.<br />
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An interesting read about homelessness.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview284069914"><br />
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</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextContainerreview285498842">Like books? Follow this page!</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextContainerreview285498842">Join me on GoodReads.com by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/382208?page=1&shelf=read">clicking here</a>. </span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextContainerreview285498842"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, <a href="http://www.lorianderson.net/">Lori Anderson Designs</a>, and wrote the blog <a href="http://www.anartistsyearoff.com/">An Artist's Year Off</a>. She is the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party</a>.</i></div>Lori Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297328109318290291noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-23973805884669866632012-03-06T10:01:00.000-08:002012-03-06T10:01:51.574-08:00Book Review -- "The Last Jew of Treblinka"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyGuP0xmJYpk_B8PV1gUhdan768j0si7W-qLDt7jpjIFIeTCA6UDhwbdqp2X4Y8ga3l6LbspUjVBzLpB1dT4vrknf1Jy3hpZrWoStHDmOIMaW26CiY41X6yAk6F8EWtAXYrWkYb8AwkNU/s1600/treblinka-book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyGuP0xmJYpk_B8PV1gUhdan768j0si7W-qLDt7jpjIFIeTCA6UDhwbdqp2X4Y8ga3l6LbspUjVBzLpB1dT4vrknf1Jy3hpZrWoStHDmOIMaW26CiY41X6yAk6F8EWtAXYrWkYb8AwkNU/s1600/treblinka-book.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>5 of of 5 Stars</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">An incredibly sobering, but important, book.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Many concentration camps were work camps, where Jews and other political prisoners were made to work literally to death. Not all concentration camps had ovens, crematoria, gas chambers. Treblinka, however, was made as a death camp with one main purpose -- killing.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Very few people survived Treblinka. There are many memoirs of Auschwitz or Buchenwald, but Treblinka killed almost every single person who passed their gates. This is the memoir of Chil Raichman, a survivor who worked in Camp 2, the camp where crematoria and burial pit workers tried to work and tried to stay alive.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I thought I'd read it all, but I clearly haven't. This short memoir doesn't go into Chil's background or after-liberation life at all, speaking only to the year he worked in Treblinka. The matter-of-fact way he tells his story is chilling. The fact that he survived is miraculous.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">We cannot let anything like this happen again.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, <a href="http://www.lorianderson.net/">Lori Anderson Designs</a>, and wrote the blog <a href="http://www.anartistsyearoff.com/">An Artist's Year Off</a>. She is the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party</a>.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Lori Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297328109318290291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-24689182488431034412012-03-04T11:13:00.000-08:002012-03-04T11:13:53.876-08:00Book Review -- "Divergent" by Veronica Roth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_y49q2yCeFgTYBSYxWk15bpI6_1E2KQrZlxs8DtnIxIMTFiyml9E0R1HRFNXgXWDUbHSjEKasmJgPtzOXkEYmZQ4-xQCO_a6wnhfSZHTxzsj_CkWfaU73VIh7e-OPw-L2eWljUExLe_c/s1600/divergent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_y49q2yCeFgTYBSYxWk15bpI6_1E2KQrZlxs8DtnIxIMTFiyml9E0R1HRFNXgXWDUbHSjEKasmJgPtzOXkEYmZQ4-xQCO_a6wnhfSZHTxzsj_CkWfaU73VIh7e-OPw-L2eWljUExLe_c/s1600/divergent.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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I devoured this book. If you liked "The Hunger Games", you'll probably like this one, too.<br />
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Set in the dystopia of Chicago, people are separated into "factions", each representing a particular virtue. At the age of sixteen, each person chooses a faction to belong to forever. However, for some people, they're suited for more than one faction, and are known as "Divergent" -- and that's not a good thing. Being Divergent poses a threat to the faction -- being of two minds, two minds that are open to just the values of their home -- so they're all silent about their designation.<br />
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The book centers around the initiation into the faction, which is a brutal process not all survives. The main character, Tris, and trainer, Four, are really interesting to follow, and I was thrilled to learn this is a series (I just picked up the book on a whim).<br />
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Highly recommended.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, <a href="http://www.lorianderson.net/">Lori Anderson Designs</a>, and wrote the blog <a href="http://www.anartistsyearoff.com/">An Artist's Year Off</a>. She is the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party</a>.</i></div><div id="lws_1"><div class="linkwithin_outer" style="border: 0pt none; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt;"> <div class="linkwithin_inner" style="border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 596px;"> <div class="linkwithin_text" id="linkwithin_text_1" style="border: 0; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 20px 0 5px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div></div></div>Lori Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297328109318290291noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-58808536723120310432012-03-01T05:18:00.000-08:002012-03-01T05:18:18.093-08:00Three Book Reviews -- "Speaks the Nightbird", "About Alice", "Memory"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-V9UhE3ooqoNUqZFwaDnnWfCjtObON1bI0grI7q4ph9bC-3hGKII7akKoOpf_ZLnrMzeshyyBHXqlqOi6GZR7I3ggG_nRqJ5E3IjlPP2LYoUlSQhxpWQtmJM7fDl59uJrmtJ9ZVGpJHs/s1600/speaks-the-nightbird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-V9UhE3ooqoNUqZFwaDnnWfCjtObON1bI0grI7q4ph9bC-3hGKII7akKoOpf_ZLnrMzeshyyBHXqlqOi6GZR7I3ggG_nRqJ5E3IjlPP2LYoUlSQhxpWQtmJM7fDl59uJrmtJ9ZVGpJHs/s1600/speaks-the-nightbird.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>"Speaks the Nightbird" by Robert McCammon</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: blue;">5 out of 5 stars</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> <span class="readable reviewText"> <span id="freeTextreview281615807">I love Robert McCammon so when I got into a conversation with a fellow <a href="http://goodreads.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">GoodReads.com</a> book-lover, I decided to search out some titles I may have missed. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview281615807"><br />
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"Speaks the Nightbird" is a nice, thick book - just the kind I like. It's rich in characters and plot development, and there are twists to the plot just when you think all has settled down. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview281615807"><br />
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The book is set in 1699, on the cusp of a new century when people in the New World are wondering if the next 100 years will be full of wonder or full of fires from Heaven. It centers around a town in the Carolinas and a witch trial, but it's so much more than a book about a witch trial! There's Spanish gold, Native American healers, mysteriously-set fires, rat catchers, secrets of the heart, -- loads of things. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview281615807"><br />
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The main character is a young clerk to an aging magistrate who was called to the town to deem the witch guilty or not. He's inquisitive almost to annoyance, but he's the one that unearths most of the mysteries of the town. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview281615807"><br />
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I was sorry to reach the end but happy to have rediscovered a favorite author. Highly recommended. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview281615807">"About Alice" by Calvin Trillin</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview281615807"><span style="color: blue;"> 4 out of 5 stars</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview286520602">I picked this book up on a whim for .50 at the local library. It's a very thin book, so a quick read. While it's a quick read, it's also a GOOD read.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview286520602"><br />
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Calvin Trillin, a long-time writer for the New Yorker magazine, talks about his wife Alice in this book. Alice passed away, but for him, she's always there.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview286520602"><br />
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It's a love story, it's humorous, it's heart-breaking. I think I would have enjoyed it even more if I'd read all of Trillin's other books where Alice has a starring role, but it was a wonderful book standing on its own merit.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview286520602"><br />
Recommended.</span></span><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview281615807"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: black;"></span> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview281615807"><span style="color: blue;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3er2krgzcOqsr2yDL_WTFvZhpJ2Jh8nZ3cv_xPNb2B8Kg4FsGOzNtY9y-hzYZa2L0AUDcKT8ALARY_Up6mXBGwxGrJVEL9DSTckoJW8nwZVlOl8vPONcIL1Osek71kOFfkWSVgd0abLc/s1600/Memory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3er2krgzcOqsr2yDL_WTFvZhpJ2Jh8nZ3cv_xPNb2B8Kg4FsGOzNtY9y-hzYZa2L0AUDcKT8ALARY_Up6mXBGwxGrJVEL9DSTckoJW8nwZVlOl8vPONcIL1Osek71kOFfkWSVgd0abLc/s1600/Memory.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview281615807"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: black;">"Memory" by Phillipe Grimbert</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview281615807"><span style="color: blue;"><b>5 out of 5 stars</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview281615807"><span style="color: blue;"><br />
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</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <span class="readable reviewText"> <span id="freeTextContainerreview285498842">Another short book with a powerful voice, "Memory" is about a boy's discovery of the intense secrets of his parents. It's also about the love between his parents, and what comes to pass when a person realizes they've married the wrong mate. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextContainerreview285498842"><br />
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I won't tell you more than that -- pick up the book for a quick but astonishing read. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextContainerreview285498842">Like books? Follow this page!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextContainerreview285498842">Join me on GoodReads.com by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/382208?page=1&shelf=read">clicking here</a>. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextContainerreview285498842"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, <a href="http://www.lorianderson.net/">Lori Anderson Designs</a>, and wrote the blog <a href="http://www.anartistsyearoff.com/">An Artist's Year Off</a>. She is the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party</a>.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview281615807"><span style="color: blue;"><br />
</span></span></span></div>Lori Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12297328109318290291noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116856611370133413.post-31959960400088725052012-02-21T14:13:00.000-08:002012-02-21T14:13:52.331-08:00Three Book Reviews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozrQokbHzbg9PsnFynQN732XUvTHt_Oc8KZ7YVbYWQKp62CQbQkYUzQL3_GjNTGrfVw6ubpSD6OTHTRMk6YepK-ptLaabOuzSzXdsXy-4o_GMONChhi6rwyjkZTv8qnrDJQvcJnZ5Qnw/s1600/Electric-Brae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozrQokbHzbg9PsnFynQN732XUvTHt_Oc8KZ7YVbYWQKp62CQbQkYUzQL3_GjNTGrfVw6ubpSD6OTHTRMk6YepK-ptLaabOuzSzXdsXy-4o_GMONChhi6rwyjkZTv8qnrDJQvcJnZ5Qnw/s320/Electric-Brae.jpg" width="202" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"Electric Brae" by Andrew Greig</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple;">4 out of 5 stars</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="http://songbeads.blogspot.com/">A friend</a> gave me this book to read and for the first 40 pages I was dubious, but it didn't take long to fall in love with it. The author has a way with words, and I kept finding myself pausing to mark passages I particularly liked.<br />
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It's hard to describe this book. It's billed as a romance, but it's from the point of view of a man who works on an offshore oil rig. The love of his life is a younger artist who struggles with a dark past and staying out of mental institutions. And a lot of rock climbing.<br />
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The book is also about the love between friends (male and female) as well as the relationship of fathers with their kids.<br />
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Written by a Scottish author, a few of the Scottish words can through you at first, but it most definitely didn't detract from the book.<br />
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Recommended.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFO0yJPb5N4QknY7dDupz55bmEBWDnD1BnI-6te-690Mv1xswt5kzE2cdQv1lagFrd3zWo3mRQRCzZtBFIeq2-DSGJViXSaI9o-cfOl1d3JPBIIJ4CN1OuIs45Pq7voFQ5Lwkv24gEu5U/s1600/nazi-doctors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFO0yJPb5N4QknY7dDupz55bmEBWDnD1BnI-6te-690Mv1xswt5kzE2cdQv1lagFrd3zWo3mRQRCzZtBFIeq2-DSGJViXSaI9o-cfOl1d3JPBIIJ4CN1OuIs45Pq7voFQ5Lwkv24gEu5U/s320/nazi-doctors.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>"Doctors From Hell" by Vivien Spitz</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple;">Four out of Five Stars</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">This book was written by one of the court reporters during the medical portion of the Nuremberg trials. It includes fewer photos than I expected, but far more substance. I've been interested in the Nuremberg Trials but had yet to find a book about it, so this was a lucky find.<br />
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DEFINITELY not for the squeamish, as explicit testimonials from survivors are included. The book also includes Spitz's thoughts on life in bombed-out Germany (no hot water or heat even after 18 months since the end of the war) and observations that offered me new insight.<br />
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Recommended for the WWII memoir enthusiast.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>"Silent Tears"</b></div><div style="text-align: center;">by Kay Bratt</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple;">Four out of Five Stars</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">My husband and I considered adoption from a Korean or Chinese orphanage and had heard a lot about the neglect that was prevalent there. I accidentally ran across this memoir by Kay Bratt and learned a lot.<br />
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Kay followed her husband to China with her young daughter and while her husband worked at setting up a new facility for his work in China, Kay threw herself into working to bring about change in a Chinese orphanage. <br />
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One thing Kay emphasized -- don't go into a Chinese orphanage going gangbusters and expect things to work. They'll bar you from coming back. Rather, volunteer, keep quiet, and let the nannies get to know you. <br />
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I also realized that a lot of the neglect has to do with not enough nannies per baby. There never seemed to be enough time in the day between rapid feedings, quick cold rinse-offs, changing diapers, and dressing the children. Imagine two people trying to deal with 22 babies -- that gives you some idea.<br />
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Eventually, Bratt was able to start a fund-raising campaign in the US to help severely hurt children get operations (for cleft lip/palette and heart problems, predominantly). The book showed the massive amounts of red tape involved in what we as Americans would consider a no-brainer.<br />
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I came out of this book with not only an appreciation for all the expat volunteers, but for the Chinese nannies as well. The majority of them want to help -- they just can't.<br />
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A quick read, and worthwhile.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Read my other reviews at <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/382208?shelf=read">GoodReads.com</a>, and don't forget to friend me there!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, <a href="http://www.lorianderson.net/">Lori Anderson Designs</a>, and wrote the blog <a href="http://www.anartistsyearoff.com/">An Artist's Year Off</a>. She is the creator of the <a href="http://lorianderson.blogspot.com/p/bead-soup-blog-party.html">Bead Soup Blog Party</a>.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> </i></div></div><div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style "><a class="addthis_button_preferred_1" href=""></a> <a class="addthis_button_preferred_2" href=""></a> <a class="addthis_button_preferred_3" href=""></a> <a class="addthis_button_preferred_4" href=""></a> <a class="addthis_button_compact" href=""></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_bubble_style" href=""></a> </div><script src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4f22bd0d0df0ac28" type="text/javascript">
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