Stealing God’s Thunder is a concise, richly detailed biography of Benjamin Franklin viewed through the lens of his scientific inquiry and its ramifications for American democracy.

Today we have elevated science to a position formerly reserved for religion and, while declaring our minds therefore free, we are accepting as many superstitions as our ancient ancestors who painted themselves blue and copulated while howling at the moon. One of the great myths that we accept with joy is the story of Ben Franklin “Scientist”. The reality is that his electrical “apparatus” was a parlor trick purchased when he “retired” to the life of a “gentleman” and left commerce – hopefully to receive a royal appointment in the colonies. He was just about as “enlightened” as any of the other hack politicians of his – or our – day!

Stealing God’s thunder : Benjamin Franklin’s lightning rod and the invention of America    New York : Random House, c 2005  Philip Dray Lightning , Experiments , History , 18th century Hardcover. 1st ed. and printing. xviii, 279 p. : ill. ; 25 cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. [229]-239) and index. Clean, tight and strong binding with clean dust jacket. No highlighting, underlining or marginalia in text. VG/VG

Stealing God’s Thunder is a concise, richly detailed biography of Benjamin Franklin viewed through the lens of his scientific inquiry and its ramifications for American democracy. Today we think of Benjamin Franklin as a founder of American independence who also dabbled in science. But in Franklin’s day it was otherwise. Long before he was an eminent statesman, he was famous for his revolutionary scientific work, especially his experiments with lightning and electricity.

Philip Dray uses the evolution of Franklin’s scientific curiosity and empirical thinking as a metaphor for America’s struggle to establish its fundamental values. Set against the backdrop of the Enlightenment and America’s pursuit of political equality for all, Stealing God’s Thunder recounts how Franklin unlocked one of the greatest natural mysteries of his day, the seemingly unknowable powers of electricity and lightning. Rich in historic detail and based on numerous primary sources, Stealing God’s Thunder is a fascinating original look at one of our most beloved and complex founding fathers.

[Via http://oldsaltbooks.wordpress.com]

The 80/20 Principle

I wonder how R. Koch measured many of those examples. Curve fitting? Yes? No? And how exactly do you make sure it’s not 85/15 or 90/10?

“The 80/20 Principle asserts that a minority of causes, inputs or effort usually lead to a majority of the results, outputs or rewards. Taken literally, this means that, for example, 80 per cent of what you achieve in your job comes from 20 per cent of the time spent. Thus for all practical purposes, fourfifths of the effort—a dominant part of it—is largely irrelevant. This is contrary to what people normally expect. So the 80/20 Principle states that there is an inbuilt imbalance between causes and results, inputs and outputs, and effort and reward. A good benchmark for this imbalance is provided by the 80/20 relationship: a typical pattern will show that 80 per cent of outputs result from 20 per cent of inputs; that 80 per cent of consequences flow from 20 per cent of causes; or that 80 per cent of results come from 20 per cent of effort. Figure 1 shows these typical patterns.

In business, many examples of the 80/20 Principle have been validated.
20 per cent of products usually account for about 80 per cent of dollar sales value; so do 20 per cent of customers. 20 per cent of products or customers usually also account for about 80 per cent of an organization’s profits.

In society, 20 per cent of criminals account for 80 per cent of the value of all crime. 20 per cent of motorists cause 80 per cent of accidents. 20 per cent of those who marry comprise 80 per cent of the divorce statistics (those who consistently remarry and redivorce distort the statistics and give a lopsidedly pessimistic impression of the extent of marital fidelity). 20 per cent of children attain 80 per cent of educational qualifications available.

In the home, 20 per cent of your carpets are likely to get 80 per cent of the wear. 20 per cent of your clothes will be worn 80 per cent of the time. And if you have an intruder alarm, 80 per cent of the false alarms will be set off by 20 per cent of the possible causes.

The internal combustion engine is a great tribute to the 80/20 Principle.
80 per cent of the energy is wasted in combustion and only 20 per cent gets to the wheels; this 20 per cent of the input generates 100 per cent of the output!”

[Via http://sunnystephana.wordpress.com]

Reviews: "Today, Jesus Said, Let Me Introduce Myself"

“TODAY, JESUS SAID . . .” REVIEWS

“Today, Jesus Said” by Bonita M Quesinberry, R.C. — Review by Robin Bayne, Maryland, author of “Cougar Lake” and “Honor Bound” www.robinbayne.com 24 December 2002: submitted to Buzzle eZine, Word Thunder, Authors Den, Christian e-Authors, Waltsan Publishing ~~ Rating: 5-stars

Have you ever wished you could meet Jesus face-to-face and hear his story directly from Him? Well, this book is probably as close as you will get to that in this world. Ms. Quesinberry, using the first person narrative voice, speaks to the reader as Jesus might. Starting with the creation of the world, Jesus paraphrases books of the Bible in a
contemporary, easy to follow manner. He details his birth, life and death, and how it all ties together with God’s plan for Earth from beginning to end.  From Genesis through Revelation within 135 pages with all scripture references provided.

Ms. Quesinberry urges readers to “forget everything taught from corporate Christendom’s pulpits and schools,” and explains why with scripture. Rather, she urges people to go to their own Bibles. This book is very well-written and encouraging, and would make a great companion for Bible study. I highly recommend it.

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Kristi Karnopp, Wisconsin reader, 03/07/03:

I read “Today, Jesus Said” and then gave it to my pastor for his opinion. He later said, “Well…the world isn’t going to like it. But! It’s all scripture and ALL truth. I could find nothing wrong with it.”

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Josephine DeHarrold, Washington reader, 01-07-03, Buzzle.com:

“Today, Jesus Said” is THERE! I mean, right-in-your-face THERE and all of its scriptures are like we talk today. It’s so hard-hitting that I can read only one chapter at a time. This book is fantastic!

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Bertie Cole, California reader, 01/21/03, Buzzle.com:

“Today, Jesus Said” is fabulous! I can see where it must have taken years of study and research to complete. I hope that it is doing well.

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Sharon Blanchard, Washington reader, 01/24/03, Buzzle.com:

I love books and avidly read 5 or more each week; but, when it comes to the volume of Christian books available, they ALL are filled with the authors’ opinions regarding the Bible, God and Christ. I’m sick of that! So, it was a welcome surprise to find “Today, Jesus Said” refreshingly void of so much as one writer opinion. It is well written in easy to comprehend language, constantly moving, straight to the point, and all paraphrased scripture with verse references supplied so we readers can compare it to our own Bible. Finally! Someone understands what Jesus meant when He condemned flattering lips spewing smooth words full of man’s doctrine and traditions. If this book doesn’t fly off the shelves, then the world truly does NOT want to know God’s opinion.

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[Via http://bonnieq.wordpress.com]

The Niagara River by Kay Ryan

 Alfred Hayes* The Fox Chase Review

Kay Ryan’s The Niagara River (her sixth collection) is like driving a compact car.  Its short poems are a quick read with lots of quirky language that can fit into any small- sized parking space in the reader’s mind.  Despite the quick read, these poems possess an explicit seriousness and cleverness, as well as a keen and creative awareness about life.   

The first poem in Ryan’s book is her title poem, The Niagara River.  In this poem, the speaker is having a meal atop the Niagara River; as the current moves the people dining along, the paintings are changing scenes/along the shore.  This 18 lined poem, with no more than seven syllables per line, concludes: We/we do know, we do/know this is the/ Niagara , but /it is hard to remember/ what that means.  Undersized in format this poem has immense strength like the Niagara River itself – a calm, petite poem until its end punch.  An abrupt ending, harsh and ambiguous, like the surprise of a powerful waterfall at the end of a calm and delightful meal, and it comes at us without a question mark (?). An overpowering question about meaning: the river’s meaning, life’s meaning …without answer!

Compared to Emily Dickinson, who utilized shortened lines and condense verse, Kay Ryan’s shortened lines have a flow to them, enjambment.  Emily’s lines were sharp, quick with lots of punctuation marks.  Conversely, Kay’s lines flow, ironically like a river.   

She possesses a command of line breaks and syllables that is quite amazing, even tricky.  In fact, readers of  her poetry may not notice during their initial read that a majority (if not all of her lines) in a given poem have an average of five or less syllables per line, as if while writing her poems, she uses one hand to write with and the another  hand to tap out syllables.  (Note: There are the occasional 6 or 7 syllabic lines within several of her poems.)   

Further, all of the poems in this book are formatted the same (with the exception of two), that is, all poems are tightly aligned at the left margin and appear like a long Roman column.  The two poems in the entire collection that are different have stanzas.  The short syllabic lines and her unchanging format have not hindered the appreciation of her poems, by any standards set by the vogue poetry world of today.  This is because her style, wit, cleverness, and strong mixed metaphors are prevalent in this body of work that has won her The Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize.

The Niagara River can be found at this link: The Niagara River: Poems (Grov…

* Alfred Hayes resides in the Lawncrest section of Philadelphia. He is a hobbyist and motorcycle enthusiast. He is a frequent traveler on the route 18 between Lawncrest and Fox Chase.

[Via http://foxchasereview.wordpress.com]

"The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" by William L. Shirer

“The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” by William L. Shirer was the first history of Nazi Germany, from Hitler’s youth through the Battle of Berlin, to be written in English. It continues to be one of the finest, as Shirer himself was eyewitness to many of the events and personalities he describes. Although lengthy, Shirer’s work focuses on characters, motivations, storytelling, and moral triumphs and failures rather than dates and facts; the end result is an incredibly readable work, one that brings to life this incredibly pivotal period of history. The book remains entirely relevant; not content to merely describe, Shirer examines the moral consequences of personal actions. He has come under criticism for blatantly labeling key historical figures as evil, cowardly, lazy, inept, brave, or visionary. While some claim this takes away from the work, it is refreshing to read such honest analysis, for Shirer does not make these conclusions without giving evidence of their reality. If it is true that history repeats itself, one would be wise to read this book.

Gist: very highly recommended

[Via http://takecaptiveeverythought.wordpress.com]

Well it started out like a romance...

But what in the world was it when the story ended? While the hero does something that is truly um, heroic, how much of what happens to John Tyree is his own fault? He breaks his word to Savannah, who is supposedly the greatest love of his life, leaving her free to move on with her life, which she does in Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. (By the way, doesn’t the book say Savannah is a brunette with dark features? Who’s THIS chick? What about John Tyree’s olive skin?) 

Yes, I oversimplified the plot a bit, I know. The book has really vivid character sketches and locale and situation descriptions which really capture the beauty (and ugliness of the situations the characters face). Ms. B and I learned a lot about North Carolina. While I appreciate the attention of detail to John Tyree’s life in the military, sometimes it could be a bit tedious, and I say this as someone who usually does not. I know that men tend not to be talkative about their feelings, but John Tyree’s physical unavailability to Savannah is only matched by his emotional unavailability. One has to wonder, would their relationship have really succeeded in the real world?

The hallmark of a good story is that the reader cares about its characters. Ms. B. and I agreed that this was definitely the case with Dear John. However, since we both strongly agreed that when one meets the love of one’s life, one makes better choices to keep that love, we’re going to have to give it a Whitman Sampler (you know, with all those fruity gooey centers and that often ends up being regifted) –  three out of five truffles.

[Via http://chocolit.wordpress.com]

Nelson’s purse : the mystery of Lord Nelson’s lost treasures

Nelson’s purse : the mystery of Lord Nelson’s lost treasures    Washington, DC : Smithsonian Books, 2004  Martyn Downer Admirals , Great Britain , Biography, Nelson, Horatio Nelson, Viscount, 1758-1805 Hardcover. 1st ed. and printing. 424 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 24 cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. 399-410) and index. Clean, tight and strong binding with clean dust jacket. No highlighting, underlining or marginalia in text. VG/VG

The extraordinary story of a previously unknown cache of Nelson’s private possessions. Early in July 2002, Sotheby’s announced to the world the discovery of a major cache of material relating to the life of England’s greatest naval hero, Horatio Nelson. The man who made this extraordinary find and who subsequently spent over a year of his life validating the material and placing it in the context of Nelson’s life and relationships was Martyn Downer, Head of Jewellery at Sotheby’s in London.

The contents of this once-in-a-lifetime discovery are remarkable – some objects were thought to have been lost, others had previously never been known to have existed. Amongst the latter is a remarkable archive of letters from Nelson’s jilted wife, Fanny, detailing the breakdown of their marriage. For the first time, thanks to this find, Fanny’s role in Nelson’s life acquires real biographical substance. Also in the find are medals, swords, jewellery (including a stunning diamond brooch with the initials H and N gifted to Emma Hamilton), porcelain, weaponry, and other papers and letters (including some emotive letters by Emma and Nelson himself) which shed fascinating new light on Nelson’s domestic affairs.

Most dramatically, the cache also includes the bloodstained purse Nelson was carrying on the day he was shot on board HMS Victory in 1805, still containing its gold coins. Martyn Downer tells the extraordinary historical detective story behind this great find and its progress from discovery to auction. It is a story which reveals the intimate life of Nelson, his wife and his mistress in a way which has hitherto been denied to biographers.

[Via http://oldsaltbooks.wordpress.com]

I have signed up for a 2010 Global Reading Challenge!

Surfing from blog to blog, I came across something called the 2010 Global Reading Challenge. So of course I immediately signed up, and chose the hardest level available. That’s just the way I roll.

Within 2010, I have to read two novels each from Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, North America (including Central America), South America and two set in Antarctica. Within these choices, fourteen different countries have to be represented.

I was the eighty-eighth person to sign up, and upon corresponding with the creator of the challenge, a blogger named Dorte, I found out that the vast majority of the participants found out about the challenge just like I did. They came to it from links from other blogs. Dorte has a partner, Kerrie, who provides technical assistance. The two have never met and are associated with each other only from the blogging world. Suitable to the spirit of the challenge, Dorte is from Denmark and Kerrie is from Australia. I find it interesting that this entire sphere of communication has developed between bloggers who write about similar topics. It is certainly its own online community.

I will of course, review the books I read for the challenge, so keep an eye out for them to appear in the near future. If you have any suggestions for new global authors, please leave a comment.

For more information about the challenge, please go here or my Examiner article on the topic.

[Via http://melaniehains.wordpress.com]

How Seth Godin and Dr. Seuss Can Help Our Careers

The other week I was pleased to see an article by Fiona Smith in the Financial Review about Seth Godin’s latest book ‘Linchpin’. Seth Godin is nothing short of brilliant and has written a raft of books and has a brilliant active blog http://sethgodin.typepad.com/ that all offer terrific insights that are relevant for us all.

Seth has his finger on the pulse and always manages to be one step ahead of the mainstream. Whenever you read one of Seth’s posts or books you gain new insights and feel it was time well spent. Unfortunately, those who really need to be reading and up to speed with the subject matter that Seth writes about prefer to keep their heads in the sand, to the detriment of themselves and their employers. Those who tap into his research, thoughts and ideas are certainly the better for it. When it comes to HR, Recruitment and Marketing professionals, being across what Seth has to share is a must. Likewise, his books and blog are a valuable resource for all of us in our careers – particularly those looking to challenge themselves and achieve greatness.

Back to Fiona’s article that promoted this post. Fiona did a review on his latest book Linchpin, focusing on a couple of the key subjects covered in the book – risk taking and fear. Her article “How fear stops us from achieving” is focused very much on the world of work and how fear stops us from taking risks in our careers. The end result is that we don’t get where we want to on a professional level. Perhaps this could account for why so many of us don’t feel engaged or satisfied with our careers. The obvious is quoted, that the world of work has changed – no more chain of command. We have fluid and flexible work now with new jobs being created all the time. Today’s workers are operating in a world where brains, creativity, problem solving and calculated risk-taking are increasingly being rewarded. Subservience and following instructions to the tee won’t get you as far as they did in the past. As Seth so rightly states “more people are unemployed today because they followed instructions.” This is fairly major and many of us are still getting our heads around what this means and how we adapt our approach to this new world of work to remain relevant.

Seth goes on to explain fear – pointing out that “we evolved to survive because we are full of fear” and that we need to conquer our fears if we want to get ahead in our careers. What we perceive as the ‘safe’ approach in our careers is probably the most dangerous of all.

By coincidence, after just having read the article by Fiona, I picked up and flicked through the book by Dr. Suess ‘Oh, The Places You’ll Go!’ that was given to our recently born son. What struck me about the article ‘How fear stops us from achieving’ and this Dr. Seuss book was that we start life with so much potential. We are fearless and have big dreams. Our parents have big dreams for us and we ourselves believe that anything is possible when we are young. However, as we age we take fewer risks, we let fear rule our lives and can often settle for the status quo. So where do things go awry?

As Dr. Seuss writes in this inspirational book -

“You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where you go.”

At what point do we let others decide our fate? When do we forget that we are the ones who decide where we go?

Dr. Suess goes on to talk about “The Waiting Place … for people just waiting.” A place where it seems many of us are stuck in our careers. Not satisfied where we are; however, not willing to take the risk to make a change, to try something new. So we remain where we are, going through the motions at work. Dr. Suess continues in the book “And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.” The book takes you on the journey of the ups and downs, overcoming fears, enforcing that we will succeed despite the challenges we will face.

FInally, Dr. Seuss ends with “Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So … get on your way.” Some of the best career advice I think you will find!

For professional complimentary career resources, articles and guides we invite you to visit our six figure Job Seekers Articles and Guides.

[Via http://blog.sixfigures.com.au]

Book Review - The Yankee Years by Tom Verducci and Joe Torre

What this is not… It is not an autobiography, or biography for that matter, of Joe Torre. Torre has, of course, given a lot of information in the putting together of this tome, but this is Verducci’s book and to pretend it is Torre’s is disingenuous. The subject matter is the period of time that Joe Torre was manager of the New York Yankees, from uncertain beginnings, through to the dominance of the late 1990s and 2000, the struggles to win a World Series post then, to the last couple of years of uncertainty and his final departure. It is life with the New York Yankees in detailed form, framed around the tumult of the steroid era, the phasing out of the old Yankee guard, and the decline of the owner they called “The Boss”.

Regular readers know how much I despise the Yankees. For me their advantage is such that when they don’t win major questions should be asked. If Joe Torre were manager of Manchester United, Real Madrid, hell, even Chelsea, his failure to win the World Series since 2000 would have resulted in his receiving of the order of the boot well before his denouement at the hands of the Cleveland Indians in 2007. The disaster in the desert, the Weaver meltdown in Miami, the comeback to end all comebacks at the hands of the Sox… all might have seen a premature end to his reign. However Joe Torre does come through his own book looking dignified, restrained and at peace with himself. It would be a surprise if he didn’t.

What this book does do is expose how a manager often has to work with one hand tied behind his back, and it is in the players he has to deal with that your admiration for him comes out. Reading about the strops of Gary Sheffield makes me wonder how a bloke like him doesn’t go insane. He had David Wells, a notorious headcase, and Randy Johnson, a man who could handle small markets but despised bigs. Then there was Carl Pavano – a man so ill-suited to being a professional athlete that even Torre can’t defend him. It was clear that this man was a thief, and yet…. Torre has to deal with the consequences of the VP of Player Operations (or whatever they call Brian Cashman) decisions and not complain too loudly.

The book gets all dewey eyed at the greats of the 1990s – the Paul O’Neills and the Bernie Williams’ and, of course, continues to facilitate the beatification of St Derek of Jeter throughout as some sort of Jesus figure. There are egos all over the place – Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon, Mike Mussina – and they all weave in an out of the story. Damon’s malaise at the start of the season leading to a difficult year, A-Rod trying too hard to fit in and failing miserably, the rages in Clemens and the ill-fated comeback and Mussina? Well, as one of those quoted in the book and an obvious co-operator, Mussina throws Mariano Rivera under a pretty large bus by blaming him for losing the World Series in 2001 and blowing the Red Sox series via two blown saves in 2004. I’ll bet he’s a popular one on the reunion tours!

All throughout the character of George Steinbrenner pervades through the Yankees, and Torre had a decent relationship with him. I think if the Boss were of sound mind and body now Torre might still be there if he’d chosen to, but the sons have taken over and Torre was toast. The clear inference I got is that Torre thought he’d won despite Brian Cashman, and once the big free agent era and the numbers approach of Cashman came into effect, they stopped. No doubt Cashman will point to 2009 as his redemption, but buying up the best two pitchers on the market and nabbing the best first baseman not called Pujols, he wasn’t exactly going against his past purchasing policy. The abject failure to make use of Chamberlain and Hughes, the laughable Kei Igawa contracts etc. show his limitations. Torre, through Verducci, makes us aware, ever so gently, that he thought Cashman a fraud and a bit of a snake. There’s no pearl handled dagger on the blade, but the wound is beautifully executed – in my opinion.

Verducci can ramble – as he does on steroids – and can repeat (I was getting fed up with the amount of times that something was the last ever – such as ….little did he know that was the last play-off series win he would ever have) especially on the decline of George Steinbrenner. But this book was a really good read, excellent value at nearly 500 pages, and although I must now have read about 10 books detailing either the 2003 or 2004 Yankees / Red Sox series, I still get chills just thinking and reading about it – I will never tire and the 2004 series has to be in my top 10 sporting moments of my lifetime. How could you ever. What you get from this book is how theYankees believed they were dead when they lost Game 6. I only wish they had told me that before that Game 7. Reading about the Boone walk-off was painful, but even then the victory never resulted in a World Series so to Yankeedom, it was a failure.

Torre emerges with class from his own book. That is not a shock. What is are the anecdotes and the characters he encounters. To me Pavano and Sheffield are two that you deserve the millions to manage. Read Sheffield’s reaction when he thought that Torre preferred signing Guerrero to Sheffield and you’ll see what I mean….

Excellent read.

[Via http://sevenandseven.wordpress.com]

Ponary diary, 1941-1943 : a bystander’s account of a mass murder

Ponary diary, 1941-1943 : a bystander’s account of a mass murder    New Haven : Yale University Press, c 2005  Kazimierz Sakowicz ; edited by Yitzhak Arad Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) , Lithuania , Vilnius, Sakowicz, Kazimierz, 1894-1944 , Diaries Hardcover. 1st ed. and printing. xvi, 156 p. : ill. ; 22 cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. Clean, tight and strong binding with clean dust jacket. No highlighting, underlining or marginalia in text. VG/VG

About sixty thousand Jews from  Vilnius and surrounding townships in present-day Lithuania were murdered by the Nazis in huge pits on the outskirts of Ponary. Over a period of several years, Kazimierz Sakowicz, a Polish journalist who lived in the village of Ponary, was an eyewitness to the murder of these Jews as well as to the murders of thousands of non-Jews on an almost daily basis.

He chronicled these events in a diary that he kept at great personal risk.

Written as a simple account of what Sakowicz witnessed, the diary is devoid of personal involvement or identification with the victims. It is thus a unique document: testimony from a bystander, an “objective” observer without an emotional or a political agenda, to the extermination of the Jews of the city known as “the Jerusalem of Lithuania.”

Sakowicz did not survive the war, but much of his diary did.

Painstakingly pieced together by Rahel Margolis from scraps of paper hidden in various locations, the diary was published in Polish in 1999. It is here published in English for the first time, extensively annotated by Yitzhak Arad to guide readers through the events at Ponary.

[Via http://oldsaltbooks.wordpress.com]

Forever Emigrating

Gerhard Roth’s slim documentary novel The Story of Darkness (115 pages, including an Afterword by Helga Schreckenberger of the University of Vermont) packs a powerful punch.  It begins with Roth explaining the origins of the novel.

After having lived in the country for ten years, I moved to Vienna and into the apartment of a  former fellow student of mine named Ascher.  During the same time period, he committed suicide in my house on the Yugoslavian border.

Ascher is immaterial to the novel except to set the tone and to provide Roth with the apartment from which he explores the now-destroyed Jewish neighborhoods of Vienna, looking for a topic for his next novel.

I intended to write a novel about Austria, about the open insanity of the Austrian past and the hidden madness of Austria’s everyday life.

Walking through a Jewish cemetery, he settles upon the general idea of writing “the life story of an Austrian Jew who left Vienna in 1938 and returned after World War II.”  Eventually, he finds such a person in Karl Berger.

It was in his little kitchen that I recorded in several notebooks what he had told me about his life.  I am reproducing these notes, which I edited, without making any major changes, because I believe that Berger’s reports are so exemplary that they transcend the boundaries of documents and literature.

As scholar and co-translator Schreckenberger explains, we need to take this statement with a grain of salt.  If, indeed, the work was written “truthfully” – or at least “honestly” – it was done so according to a carefully calculated aesthetic plan.  Schreckenberger writes that Roth’s “preoccupation with the story and his lack of distance” made it difficult for him to find an appropriate form at first.  However,

an encounter with the work of the sculptor Giacometti, who reduces the human body to tall, thin figures gave him the idea to cut his material radically.  Looking at black and white photographs strengthened Roth in his resolve to limit the story to its essential message.  Since the story was not simply a portrait of Berger but his entire life-story, Roth finally settled on the notion of creating a literary photo-album: ‘I wanted to structure the story as single pictures, pictures in black and white – as if taken with an amateur camera, blurry but authentic because of it.  Not as classical “beautiful photography” but like a photo from a family album produced by an unskilled hand.”

Berger’s story is told in the first person, as if directly from the pages of Roth’s notebook.  Here is my hyper-condensed version of Berger’s life.  Born in Vienna in 1919, he flees to Slovakia (where he had relatives) immediately after the Anschluss in 1938.  Shortly thereafter, Slovakia becomes part of Hitler’s territory, he returns to Vienna, witnesses Kristallnacht and emigrates to England.  He tries to follow a woman to Canada by signing on as a seaman, only to be arrested after jumping ship in Canada.  Returned to England, he is offered leniency if he will join the Czech exile army.  Meanwhile he marries, has a daughter and is sent to fight in France after D-day.  In Czechoslovakia at the war’s end, he locates his mother and sister, who survived Theresienstadt, and learns that his father was killed by the SS.  Divorce and British citizenship.  Stops seeing his daughter (“too painful”).  In 1952, he emigrates to Israel, but lasts only a few months on a kibbutz and eventually returns to England, remarries, and moves to Scotland.  (“For Israelis, leaving the country is the same as treason…”)  In 1959, he returns to “repulsive” Vienna for the first time to visit his mother, but also begins to understand that he’s not really a “true” Englishman.  After a brief stay in Germany, he and his family (there are eventually six children) return to Vienna.  His twenty-five year old son commits suicide.

The book ends with Roth and Berger seated in Vienna’s Academy of Fine Arts studying Hieronymus Bosch’s Last Judgment (perhaps a nod to Thomas Bernhard’s novel Old Masters). Appropriately, a museum guard looks on.

‘Earth is hell,’ Berger said in the quietness of the picture gallery, in which only the wooden floor squeaked, when the guard shifted his weight from one leg to the other.

Berger is no different from the people whose lives have been uprooted and set adrift in W.G. Sebald’s book The Emigrants.  (Sebald’s book was first published in 1992, a year after Roth’s book.  It is interesting to note that Sebald had written about two of Roth’s earlier books in 1984 and 1986.)  In discussing Berger’s inability to feel comfortable anywhere after his initial exile in 1938, Schreckenberger turns to Jean Améry, a favorite of Sebald’s, for the explanation:

Améry defines “Heimat” not as a geographical place, but as a feeling of well-being and security resulting from the knowledge of being a legitimate and accepted member of a community.

Berger and the emigrants in Sebald’s book might find ways to “decode” and survive their adopted environments, but, according to Améry, “this remained an intellectual and never a spontaneous process and thus prevented the emotional feeling of security.”

(Thanks to Steve, for pointing me to this novel which is takes the opposite approach from Sebald’s work by building a novel around the concept of a photographic album without actually including any images.)

[Via http://sebald.wordpress.com]

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Name of Book: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Author: Eric Carle

Illustrator: Eric Carle

Publisher: Scholastic

Audience: Ages 2 and up

Summary: This is a story of a caterpillar’s life. The caterpillar hatches from an egg, grows through eating, and then builds a cocoon for himself. After a bit of time, he emerges as a beautiful butterfly.

Literary elements at work in the story: This is a short informational, picture book that works through the life cycle of one character, a caterpillar. It is told from the third person perspective by an omniscient narrator. It is a relatively accurate portrayal of the brief life cycle of a caterpillar, despite also being a picture book.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economic/ability make a difference to the story? This is a fictional story about a male caterpillar. None of the other perspectives really pertain to this book.

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17

Theology: Because of the life, death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, we have a new life and a new relationship with God. We are also promised that physical death is not the end of our life. We will continue to live in and have relationship with God.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. What happened to the caterpillar after he went into the cocoon?
2. Did the caterpillar change or stay the same?
3. When we have Jesus in our hearts, do we change or stay the same?
4. Who made the caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly?
5. Does God make us beautiful?
6. How? (for older children/adolescents only)

Review prepared by Katie Todd, MDiv/MACE, Entering Cohort Fall 2005

[Via http://storypath.wordpress.com]

Blogging Hamlet

I knew I wanted to try student blogs with my juniors after our Gatsby Facebook project was such a success, and now that I feel more confident with managing and explaining digital projects with my students. I also knew I was committed to digging deep into my Shakespeare Set Free book (which is absolutely invaluable) and building my unit from the lessons there, one of which is a log the students keep throughout their reading of the play. I’ve been doing a lot with response logs and reading journals this year, so this seemed like the perfect fit for adapting digitally.

I worked with our tech coordinator to set up blogs for each student that would be hosted on my faculty website and password-protected. Then I gave my students the following instructions, adapted from the Set Free assignment:

As we read Hamlet, you will make an entry in your log, paying attention to different aspects of the play each time. There are six options to guide your responses:

1. Comment on the significance of the scene. What would the play be like without it? What does it add, and how?
2. Ask questions about the scene: has anything caused you confusion? Ask the characters in the scene some question.
3. Quote lines from the scene that you enjoyed and comment on them.
4. Describe your reactions to a character, action or idea you confronted in the scene—be specific.
5. Talk about the relationships characters have to one another, quoting specific words or phrases to give evidence for your opinion.
6. Imagine yourself as an actor playing one of the characters in the scene. Get inside that character’s mind. Tell how the character feels about herself or himself, about other characters, about the situation of the scene.

I’ve also had them use their blogs to record their reactions to different filmed versions of particular scenes, and to make predictions about the next act or scene. Once when I was absent, I assigned them writing work and they posted it on their blogs, a paragraph addressing one of the soliloquys to be graded for 20 pts. I try to comment regularly on their entries, and I’ve given class time to have them read each other’s blogs and comment as well. Finally, I will give them a grade at the end of our unit as a major 100-pt assessment.

This blog has supplanted the dreaded reading quiz for me, and feels like such a more authentic way of really discovering whether or not they are engaging with the text. I learn so much more about each of my students from these blogs than I would from a quiz– I see their senses of humor, their preferences, their opinions and reactions, and what they truly find most important, revealing or interesting about a text. In my comments, I can offer encouragement, give gentle nudges if a student has wandered off-track, agree or disagree with one of their conclusions, or trade favorite lines, as I did tonight. I have really loved getting a peek into their minds, and it has really enriched my teaching of the play.

I’m still working on the rubric, but I envision it as a mix of this one, this one, and this one, with some tailoring. Since my Gatsby Facebook entry is consistently one of my most visited, I am trying to do more entries like this one that really talk about a specific project or lesson. I’d love to hear what you think!

[Via http://jackieregales.com]

Lynsay Sands, The Hellion and the Highlander is a faced paced highland ecapade...

‘The Hellion and the Highlander’ is a fast-paced highland escapade with some great twists and turns to keep you flipping through the pages.

Only one man could set her heart ablaze . . .

Lady Averill Mortagne learned to control her fierce temper as a young girl. But if her father insists on parading her before one more English lord who looks askance at her flame-colored hair, she’ll simply scream! Her only respite is the time she spends with Kade Stewart, the wounded Scot her brother brought home from the Crusades. Who could have imagined a Highland warrior would be the only gentleman around?

Lady Averill helped save his life, and for that Kade is truly grateful. She is also almost unbearably beautiful, but he could never subject such a sweet and gentle lady to the rough life of a Stewart laird’s bride . . . or could he? When she braves an unexpected danger by his side, Averill will prove to Kade that her heart is as fiery as her hair . . . and that submitting to their scorching passion would be heaven indeed.

(From fantasticfiction.co.uk)

I am not  regular with Lynsay Sands, having only read a selected few of her historical novels and none of her more well known paranormal contemporary books like her Argeneau Vampire Series. I have read the other two books linked to this one – Devil of the Highlands and Taming the Highland Bride – and enjoyed them both. However, this book lacked that little something extra that would make me want to keep it on my book self. That is not to say that I didn’t enjoy the read, it just wasn’t one of my favorites.

The plot moved quickly, getting right into the story, which is an element I liked about this book. Too often you look up, its page 212, and you are just getting into the main theme or plot of the book. The love story is nice, a luke warm kinda nice, but not the fan-myself heat you get with other books and that is not a bad thing. I think it was well suited to the storyline and the characters.

Our hero Kade is a sensitive, caring man yet still the strong Scottish warrior we expect. It is not often that we find a leading man who works hard to raise the self-esteem of his lady. Averill, our heroine, is a pleasant mix of the shy and unsure paired with a backbone of steel and some hidden depth.  That being said however, I did not feel the character development made you want to become part of the story. You did not really feel any empathy for the characters or their plight.

The intimate scenes in this book are very few but still a little steamy. I would give this book a 8.5 out of 10 on my Sexy Scale. (10 being very graphic in sexy content – 1 being so tame there isn’t even a real kiss… ok, well maybe a chaste one)

Overall, this was not a book I would read again but would recommend to anyone who enjoys a historical set in Scotland. I give this book a 6 out of 10 overall. Check out Lynsay’s website for a listing of all her previous and upcoming titles.

[Via http://danielledubois.wordpress.com]

Imagine a Place

Name of Book:  Imagine a Place

Author:  Sarah L. Thomson

Illustrator:  Rob Gonsalves

Publisher:  Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Audience:  Ages 10-13

Summary:  This story is a series of different illustrations that are meant to represent pictures of places and times that a person would imagine in his/her mind. Each illustration is accompanied by a short text that describes the illustration and asks the reader to stretch his/her mind to imagine.  The illustrations are very detailed and the text will cause the reader to stop and think about each picture.  Each illustration is a scene which portrays in some form feelings such as peace, serenity, quiet, and happiness.

Literary elements at work in the story:  Similes and metaphors are used throughout this text and this figurative language helps the reader to really “explore” each illustration.  Because of this, I chose to use the book with older children who understand the meaning of and would be able to have conversations about figurative language and how it is used to describe each illustration.  The book would also be appropriate for adults as I believe it opens the door to a discussion of the kingdom of God. There is not a plot that progresses to a climax in this book. Instead each illustration with the text that accompanies it could be pulled out of the story and discussed individually.

Perspective on gender/race/culture/economic ability:  The book offers no particular perspective on any of these topics.

Scripture:  Romans 14:17, 1 Corinthians 15:55-57, John 14:1-4

Theology:  The kingdom of God is not a place where actions such as eating and drinking are of primary importance.  It is a place where righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit are fully present. Death is swallowed up in victory through our Lord Jesus Christ in the kingdom of God.  A place has been prepared in the kingdom of God for all who believe.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. Where do you think the people in the first illustration are going? How does this picture illustrate the phrase “where a story begins”?
2. What do you think it means for your “mind to open wider than any walls around you”?
3. What do you think the author means when she asks the reader to imagine a place “where your ship holds all you once knew”? What is “your ship”?
4. How is the kingdom of God like a place “where each turn takes you home”?
5. Why do you think the illustrator chose to create a room built out of books to describe a place where “words shelter you, ideas uphold you…”?
6. Who do you think the author is referring to when she writes about the world being in “the winner’s hand” in the text that goes along with the illustration of the chess game?
7. What do you think about when you look at the final illustration in the book?

Review prepared by Marcia Rauch, MACE, Entering Cohort Fall 2006

[Via http://storypath.wordpress.com]

Same Kind of Different As Me

Although I can’t remember who, there was someone who had mentioned this book to me a while back.  I recently picked it up as a diversion from some of the other types of books I’m currently reading.  Great decision!

The book is a sort of memoir written from the first person perspective of two men.  Broken up into short chapters recounting the journey of their lives and eventual friendship, I was quickly drawn into their individual stories.  I really enjoyed the writing style as it seemed to genuinely reflect the stark differences between these two guys.  Making it all the more powerful for me was the fact that this is a work of non-fiction.

The essence of the story is one of friendship, faith and belief in the value of people.  You couldn’t have selected more unlikely characters to find their way into each others lives.  A successful white businessman and a homeless, uneducated black man from the plantations of the South and an era that seems as if it should have been at least 100 years ago.  Destiny reached into their worlds and changed them both forever.

There were several moments in the book that moved me deeply.  Some of the profound observations grabbed me and may never release my soul from the truth within them.  Reading their story has reminded me of how comfortable I’ve chosen to live and challenged me to look again at what I am and am not doing to love everyone in my path.

An easy read and an easy recommendation.  Give this book a go…you won’t be disappointed.

Publisher’s Info:

A dangerous, homeless drifter who grew up picking cotton in virtual slavery.

An upscale art dealer accustomed to the world of Armani and Chanel.

A gutsy woman with a stubborn dream.

A story so incredible no novelist would dare dream it.

It begins outside a burning plantation hut in Louisiana . . . and an East Texas honky-tonk . . . and, without a doubt, in the heart of God. It unfolds in a Hollywood hacienda . . . an upscale New York gallery . . . a downtown dumpster . . . a Texas ranch.

Gritty with pain and betrayal and brutality, this true story also shines with an unexpected, life-changing love.

[Via http://called2worship.wordpress.com]

Meander Scar Review

I just read a really great book by fellow BLP author, Lisa J. Lickel!

When the cover for this romance appeared on our publisher’s website I couldn’t help but wonder at the meaning of the title, Meander Scar. In a brief preface, the author explains that a meander scar is healed earth alongside a waterway that skewed from the boundaries of its naturally straight course. I wasn’t far into the book before it became clear that this was a fitting analogy for the life of Ann Ballard, the story’s heroine.

When her husband, Gene, mysteriously disappears, Ann finds her life in a disturbing state of limbo; she isn’t a widow, but she isn’t really married any more, either. As the years slowly pass, Ann begins to feel that she isn’t much of anything at all. It takes the reappearance of Mark Roth, a much younger man from her past, to make Ann feel like living again. But like a river slamming against a stone barrier, Ann and Mark’s romance seems frought with seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

The many twists and turns the author put into the plot made Meander Scar an intriguing read from the start, and her considerable talent for crafting likeable, lifelike characters held me till the story’s most surprising ending. This inspirational romance is a tale of love, faith and complex family relationships. It is a showcase for the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful sides of life and the joy of everlasting love.

Get your copy at Black Lyon today!

http://www.blacklyonpublishing.com

[Via http://mjeanpike.wordpress.com]

"Rules of the Road" by Joan Bauer

“Rules of the Road” by Joan Bauer is a great book with a lot to offer. The book tells the story of a sixteen-year-old girl named Jenna Boller who is passionate about selling shoes. Jenna’s part-time job introduces her to Mrs. Gladstone, the owner of Gladstone Shoes. Taking a liking to Jenna Mrs. Gladstone hires the inexperienced driver to drive her on a cross-country trip. Along the way Jenna learns how to believe in herself, deal with her alcoholic father, and stand up for what she believes in. Readers will love Jenna. She’s direct, funny, and self-deprecating as she relates the events of her summer on the road, making her a charming and believable character. This book would appeal to those who like the book “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson. The strong female characters in both books will win you over as they find themselves and face their fears.

[Via http://hiltonhslibrary.wordpress.com]

14 Cows for America

Name of Book:  14 Cows For America

Authors:  Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah and Carmen Agra Deedy

Illustrator:  Thomas Gonzalez

Publisher:  Peachtree Publishers

Audience:  Ages 14-18 and Adults (While I do believe that this book is also appropriate for younger children because of its theme of compassion, I chose youth and adults because they would have some type of memories of the events of September 11, 2001 which may help them to gain a deeper meaning from the text.)

Summary:  Kimeli,  who was born and raised in a remote village in Kenya,  has returned from America to visit his people. He is studying to be a doctor and was in New York City on September 11, 2001 to witness the terrorist attack.  He shares this story with the Maasai people of his home.  These people were once fearsome warriors but now live peacefully as nomadic cattle herders.  Cows mean life to these people and are treated as sacred.  Kimeli offers to give his only cow to America. The elders respond by offering a total of 14 cows to give as an offering of comfort and peace.  A diplomat from the US Embassy in Nairobi comes to accept the gift.  These healing cows are being cared for by the Maasai people and are a symbol of hope.

Literary elements at work in the story:  The plot of this story is its primary literary element. A group of people thousands of miles away from America gracefully reach out to a people they do not know to offer peace and comfort in the wake of tragedy.  The illustrator gives power to the words of the story through beautiful and detailed illustrations which make the plot come to life for the reader.

Perspective on gender/race/culture/economic ability:  This story does an incredible job of illustrating how two distinctly different cultures can be brought together due to tragic circumstances. We so often as Americans see ourselves as “mighty and powerful ones” whose strengths and abilities cannot be matched. September 11th showed us that is not the case.  Compassionate people from a culture completely different from that in which we live come alongside Americans with a gift of hope and comfort. The concluding words of this story say it best:   “Because there is no nation so powerful it cannot be wounded nor a people so small they cannot offer mighty comfort.”

Scripture:  Lamentations 3:22-23, Colossians 3:12-14, Romans 5:5

Theology:  God’s love is steadfast and God’s mercy for God’s children will never come to an end.  As God’s chosen people, we are called to show the same love and compassion to others as God has shown to us.  Hope does not fail us because of the love God has given to us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. What do the illustrations tell us about the relationship between Kimeli and his people?
2. Why is the cow life to the Maasai people?
3. How does the author’s choice of the words “it has burned a hole in his heart” illustrate Kimeli’s reaction to September 11th?
4. What is the importance of the cow in the story?
5. What do you think the diplomat from the embassy is expecting when he comes to meet with the Maasai elders?
6. What is the message in the final illustration and the concluding words of the story: “Because there is no nation so powerful it cannot be wounded, nor a people so small they cannot offer mighty comfort.”?
7. In the dedication in the back of the book, Kimeli (W.K.N) speaks of children as being the “peace of the world”.  What do you think that means?
8. How can we be the “compassionate diplomats” that Kimeli speaks of in his dedication at the end of the book?

Review prepared by Marcia Rauch, MACE, Entering Cohort Fall 2006

[Via http://storypath.wordpress.com]

'The Europeans in Australia A History Vol 2: Democracy' by Alan Atkinson

2004 , 339 p. & notes.

I’d been looking forward to reading this book for some time.  I bought Volume 1: The Beginning some time ago at an incredibly cheap price, courtesy no doubt of some intricate global book industry policy structure, and was instantly engrossed by such a different way of telling.  So- what to do?  Relish the series and honour its author’s vision by reading it in its intended order starting with Volume 1?  Or jump ahead into Volume 2, which after all, is the period that I am more interested in, and go back to Volume 1 later? In the end the exigencies of library renewal periods and the imperative to actually write this section of my thesis (as distinct from doodling around reading it)  won out, and so Volume 2 it was.

I was reassured in reading the Foreword that perhaps I would not be too hampered by not having read Volume 1.  He reprises some of the main themes, and speaks of how he is going to pick them up and introduce new themes in this second volume.  He gives a good overview of the argument of the book and how the chapters contribute to these larger themes.

Which is a good thing, because I have to admit that during the reading of the book, I kept berating myself for not “getting it”.  Despite the title, which suggests a political text, this is a book about imagination, experience and ideas- all intangible entities that are best seen through their expression in individuals’ actions.  I enjoyed his vignettes and careful interweaving of the experiences of men and women, convicts and intellectuals, but I kept feeling as if the bigger themes were running through my fingers like sand.  In a review of the book, Ged Martin observes that

The reviewer too must soar to catch the author’s winged heels: this is a pointillist history…Atkinson’s meaning flows subliminally and is not easily pinned down. As he enigmatically puts it: ‘ vivid things are to be glimpsed merely on their passing our window.’ (p. 286)

I’m relieved to read this: I was beginning to think that perhaps I was being particularly thick. Within the parameters of his large, important themes, the detail is written almost as a stream of consciousness that meanders between ideas.  An example- Chapter 13 Railway Dreaming, which was perhaps my favourite chapter.   He starts the chapter speaking of the democratic settlement- a three sided concept with politics on one side, commerce and enterprise on the other, and the way government worked as the third section.  He talks about systems, which are exemplified by gynaecology as a form of objective tenderness, and studies of inner-urban slum life and disease where disease was  often caused by water supply. Australia was now a richer place; chemistry and consumerism led to the development of glass bottles; glass and iron was used in London’s Crystal Palace and also in railways- Dickens wrote of ‘railway dreaming’ and the Moonians.  Railway dreaming in Australia included ideas of federal co-operation; there was thrill and terror in train-travelling; and Australia’s first serious train accident occured in 1858.  Mrs de Courcey, a travelling piano-teacher was injured in it.  She needed to work because her husband was ‘deranged’, and she said that she herself became ‘deranged, almost, for a time’ from the injuries she sustained.  Lunatic asylums were developed; a leading physician was Frederick Norton Manning, who was an apostle among the lunatics of Queensland. Queensland itself was a kind of hallucination; and then follows a potted history of the development of Queensland.

I found myself just letting go,  swept along by this assured and insistent whirlpool of ideas, but often found myself gasping for air, wondering where on earth I was going. It was with almost a sense of relief that at I turned to the Afterword and discovered that, really, I had understood the direction after all.  Turning back to the Foreword at the start of the book again, I  found that, yes,  he had done all that he had promised and more and that yes, there was an argument there had I had followed, almost without realizing it.

This series is written after thirty years reading, study and talking.  The period of time covered in this book (from about 1820s to about 1870s) is very much Atkinson’s ‘patch’, given his work on Push from the Book which accompanied the 1837 volume of the Australians series. It has been likened to Manning Clark’s opus in its vision, and as with Clark  it is a creative,  idiosyncratic and personalised sweep that tells much, but certainly doesn’t give you “what happened and when”.

The book itself is divided into three sections, each prefaced by a description of insects in Australia to highlight a theme:  a locust swarm “Still they Kept Coming”;  the noise of cicadas “Their Method of Utterance”; and the disturbance of tightyly packed insects in a decayed log of wood “The Masses Unpacked.”  The final image of the book is of a log that contained two ant nests: the first forming a thick crust, which when broken open revealed a complex labyrinth of ant-architecture.

The two ant-nests, old and new, might be taken to stand for the two generations that are described in this volume- the generation that coloured life around the 1830s and that of the goldrush years and after.  The notion of an intricate way of life given over and replaced by something new certainly matches what I say here.  At length, the habits of earlier days seemed to be, in the minds of the young, as dried up and useless as Moore’s “great city”. The Europeans in Australia made for themselves another mental habitation, like the ants.  Like the ants, moreover, they were gatherers from the world beyond, living by traffic and communication.  In rehousing themselves they drew their main materials, all that coloured glass, all those entrancing ideas, from Britain and the United States. (p. 339)

The poetry of his narrative, the bravery of his history-writing, the aurality of his perspective (because this is a ‘noisy’ history) are all breath-taking in their novelty and audacity.  I did enjoy the book once I reached the end of it, a bit like reaching the end of a water slide.  It was a long climb up; I wondered on the way down whether I was going to go over the edge; and probably- probably- I’d like to climb up and do it again.

Some other reviews:

Ged Martin review-  I can’t get the link to work but it’s a PDF document that should download at  www.nla.gov.au/openpublish/index.php/ras/article/download/288/346

Marion Snell’s review at Politicalreviewnet

http://www.politicalreviewnet.com/polrev/reviews/AJPH/R_0004_9522_323_1007582.asp

Paul Pickering http://www.api-network.com/main/index.php?apply=reviews&webpage=api_reviews&flexedit=&flex_password=&menu_label=&menuID=&menubox=&Review=4493

[Via http://residentjudge.wordpress.com]

Come Sunday

Name of Book:  Come Sunday

Author:  Nikki Grimes

Illustrator:  Michael Bryant

Publisher:  Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

Audience:  All Ages

Summary:  Come Sunday is the story of a young girl’s joyful celebration through the Sabbath day. This book would make an excellent baptism gift for children of any age.

Literary Elements at Work:  Come Sunday is Nikki Grimes’ recount of young LaTasha’s journey through the Sabbath day.  Using poetry, Ms. Grimes moves our young worshipper, and consequently us, from the breaking of dawn to the closing of dusk on this re-creating day.  Each movement of her Sabbath sojourn is given its own poetical verse.  For example, LaTasha’s day opens with “Come Sunday, Mommy wakes me up with whispers.  LaTasha, honey, she says to me. Time to shed dawn’s cozy quilt.  Come on, Sweet Pea. Open up those eyes.” and closes with “Now I lay me down to sleep…” Additionally, Michael Bryant’s bright and vivid illustrations in water color lend an ethereal landscape for LaTasha, and consequently us, to travel along as we traverse this most holy day.

Scripture:  Exodus 20:1-2, 8-11

Theology:  “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery…”  God has already freed Israel to be free for God and one another.  The Ten Commandments are not hoops to jump through so that one may be free.  Rather, they are a description for life in community with God and one another because one is already free.  When turned around into ten hoops to jump through in order to be free, the Ten Commandments become fetters that bind, and one is no longer free.  I knew a woman who hated Sundays. Honoring the Sabbath had become a hoop for her and her family to jump through in order to achieve freedom.  When she was a little girl, Sunday was a day of “no”—“no card playing,” “no knitting,” “no playing outside…”“no,” “no,” “no” and “no.”  In the Reformed tradition honoring the Sabbath is a day of celebration – a joyous response to the freedom God has given us in Jesus Christ.  We say “yes” – “yes” to dressing up, “yes” to going to church, “yes” to singing the hymns, “yes” to saying what it is we believe, “yes” to celebrating the gifts of God.  The Ten Commandments are predicated on its preamble.  “I am the Lord, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”  They are boundaries given to the free.  Let’s celebrate!

Faith Talk Questions:

1. One Sunday, walk your child(ren) through his or her Sabbath day along with LaTasha.  Wake your child up by reading LaTasha’s wake-up poem.  Read with your child about the “Blue-Haired Ladies” as you enter church.  Who do you and your child(ren) see sitting in church?  Blue-haired ladies?  Pink-haired ladies?  No-haired gentlemen?  Tell your child(ren) who you saw in church when you were a little girl or little boy.  Did you see blue-haired ladies?  Did gentlemen wear hats?  Did ladies wear gloves?  Did you go to church when you were a child?  If not, when did you start going to church?  Who took you to church?  What did you wear to church when you were a child?
2. Read with your child(ren) “On the March.”  What kind of instruments does LaTasha’s church use for music and singing?  What kind of instruments does your church use for music and singing?  An organ? Piano? Drums? Guitars?  Which instrument is your favorite?  Which instrument is your child’s favorite?  What are your favorite hymns?  What are your child’s favorite hymns?  Have a hymn sing in the car (or on the bus, or on the walk) on the way home from church.
3. Read about LaTasha’s offering.  Why do we give money to the church?  What does the church do with the money we give?
4. Tuck your child(ren) in on the Sabbath night as you read “Lights Out.”   What nighttime prayers did you say as a child?  What nighttime prayers do you say with your child(ren)?
5. Paradise Baptist church is the name of LaTasha’s church.  What does “another day in Paradise” mean?  Is there any other meaning?  What is the name of your church?  Do you wonder why?  Guess?  Ask your minister.  What is your favorite part of the Sabbath day?  Why?  What is your child’s favorite part of the Sabbath day?  Why?  What was your least favorite part of the Sabbath day when you were a little girl or a little boy?  Why?  What is your child’s least favorite part of the Sabbath day?  Why?
6. Share LaTasha’s Sabbath story with the entire family—grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles, friends, and neighbors.  Then have everyone share his or her own Sabbath story.  Write, paint or color your own Sabbath stories.

Review prepared by Kim Lee, MACE, Entering Cohort Fall 2007

[Via http://storypath.wordpress.com]

New Review from Musings of A Bookish Kitty

If you aren’t familiar with Wendy’s Musings of a Bookish Kitty site, don’t be put off by the whimsical name. Her book reviews have made her one of the most thoughtful, thought-provoking, and sincerely useful book reviewers on the web. She tells it like it is, so we were honored and thrilled by this review:

Forcing his head up into the deluge, Clark peeled back an eyelid and squinted. The heavens had paled to a deathly green, with clouds rolling and tumbling, black as midnight with fire boiling inside. A great sheet of white lightening ripped the sky so violently that Clark felt it vibrate through his hair to his heart and down into his bare feet, warm against the mud. [pg 11]

The Fairest Portion of the Globe by Frances Hunter
Blind Rabbit Press, February 2010
Fiction (Historical); 421 pgs

Visit our "Buy Now" page to save on a set of both our novels.

A recent death in the family motivated me to pull out the family tree my husband and I began working on years ago. It had been a year or two since I last looked it over or given it a much needed update. I found myself reading through the names, going back through our families’ histories. One branch of my family, I can trace back to Virginia (and Germany before that) during the late 1700’s, which is the time period of Frances Hunter’s novel, The Fairest Portion of the Globe. As I read the novel, I could not help but imagine what the life of my ancestors must have been like in early America.

For as long as I can remember, I have been interested in history. When I was in school, I had a particular fondness for U.S. history. To this day, I still enjoy visiting historical landmarks whenever I travel. In recent years, my interest in history has taken a more broad form. I am drawn to the history and cultures of other countries, sometimes more so than my own. And yet, my interest in U.S. history has narrowed some. I find myself interested more in 20th century history. It shows in my fiction reading. I am not sure why that is exactly. Perhaps something to explore at greater length another time . . .

It’s been years since I last read a book set in early American history. When the authors approached me to review The Fairest Portion of the Globe, I felt a spark of excitement that took me back to those days when I couldn’t get enough of early U.S. history.

Frances Hunter is a writing team of two sisters, Liz and Mary Clare. The Fairest Portion of the Globe is their second novel, sort of a prequel to their first book, To the Ends of the Earth: The Last Journey of Lewis and Clark, but readers do not have to read one to enjoy the other.

The authors take great pains to create as accurate a history as possible and yet also make the history come to life for the reader. It is a novel, after all. There was nothing textbook about it. It was an engaging and suspenseful book to read. I originally had written my own summary of the novel to include with my review, but it ended up being a bit too long. I think the authors sum it up best on their website:

La Louisiane–a land of riches beyond imagining. Whoever controls the vast domain along the Mississippi River will decide the fate of the North American continent. When young French diplomat Citizen Genet arrives in America, he’s determined to wrest Louisiana away from Spain and win it back for France—even if it means global war.

Caught up this astonishing scheme are George Rogers Clark, the washed-up hero of the Revolution and unlikely commander of Genet’s renegade force; his beautiful sister Fanny, who risks her own sanity to save her brother’s soul; General “Mad Anthony” Wayne, who never imagined he’d find the country’s deadliest enemy inside his own army; and two young soldiers, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, who dream of claiming the Western territory in the name of the United States—only to become the pawns of those who seek to destroy it.

From the frontier forts of Ohio to the elegant halls of Philadelphia, the virgin forests of Kentucky to the mansions of Natchez, Frances Hunter has written a page-turning tale of ambition, intrigue, and the birth of a legendary American friendship—in a time when America was fighting to survive.

There are several story threads that run through the novel, and quite a few characters to follow, but I was never lost or confused as to what was going on. In fact, I was quite intrigued by each of the characters’ stories. My favorite, however, involved George and William’s sister Fanny. Fanny is married to Doctor Jim O’Fallon, George’s good friend and right hand man. He is the one who is able to keep George sober and has a gift for dealing with the political aspects of putting together an army. Jim is well liked and respected by the Clark family. Knowing how much her brother relies on Jim, Fanny is afraid to tell anyone about the other side of her husband, his darker, more violent side. I ached for Fanny. She was such a good-hearted young woman and yet she was trapped, feeling helpless and alone. Jim is one of those characters I was truly hoping would get what he deserved in the end the more I read about him.

Andre Michaux, a botanist from France whose wife died in childbirth, was another character who stole my heart. He is completely out of his element, tasked by Citizen Genet, the French diplomat, with helping General George Rogers Clark put together an army to take against Spain. He merely wants to explore and study the flora and fauna of the New World, going further west.

For me, one of the most intriguing characters in the novel is General James Wilkinson, a proud man who is trusted and respected by the Clark brothers. He has his secrets, however, and like Lewis, I never quite trusted him, unsure of exactly what he was up to.

As a mystery reader who often figures out the whodunit pretty quickly, there were quite a few surprising twists in this novel. I never knew what would happen next. Well, except for the ultimate outcome. The novel is based on actual historical events after all. Even so, I learned quite a bit I hadn’t known before and even spent some time doing my own research.

The novel did get off to a slow start. I am not sure that could be helped, given the need to set the story up. Once William Clark was introduced, the story picked up, and it really took off for me when Meriwether Lewis appeared on the scene. I really liked both Clark and Lewis, and enjoyed watching the friendship bloom between them. Some of my favorite types of stories are origin stories, and The Fairest Portion of the Globe related the origin of the two great explorers’ friendship and eventual partnership.

Lewis and Clark are legends in American history. They’ve always seemed a bit larger than life as a result. The authors offer a more personal glimpse into their lives, as well as into the Clark family, reminding me that they were real people with real fears and failings.

Meriwether Lewis is a bit of a wild card, an ensign in the army and newly assigned to William Clark. In his first introduction to his commanding officer, Lewis nearly shoots Clark off his horse (one of my favorite scenes). I confess that I developed a little crush on Lewis. He is sharp and not much gets by him. He seems like the kind of person who would make a good friend, trustworthy and honorable even if a little hotheaded. William Clark, on the other hand, is more levelheaded, although no slouch either. He is a strong leader and really cares about the men under him. He is also very loyal to his family.

I felt so bad for George Rogers Clark, William Clark’s brother. He’d done much for his country, only to be left high and dry in the end. He put so much of himself into his new mission, including sobering up. Like his brother and the rest of his family, I wanted him to have some of that old glory. Yet I could also see how this new situation could end up like it did before. What if the French didn’t follow through with money and back up? It all seemed a little too shaky from my perspective, especially given what I knew about Citizen Genet from the beginning chapter.

It was interesting seeing America through the eyes of the characters, discovering what life must have been like in 1794, the year the novel is set. The beauty of the land, all that open space, the hardships the people endured, and the life a soldier led (The very thought of picking maggots out of my food turns my stomach).

There was one passage in particular that had me running to my computer to do a little research. Lewis, at one point in the novel, is reading a book and, from the description, I knew it had to be a real book. While we can’t really know if Lewis ever read that particular book, just from the descriptions of his character–his curiosity and his love for learning–I imagine that he very likely would have enjoyed reading. And when books are scarce and there’s a lot of downtime, what’s a soldier more likely to read than a popular novel? I finally broke down and e-mailed the authors asking for the title of the book since my own rudimentary search turned up nothing. That little excursion has piqued my interest in that particular book now as well.

I confess that I nearly turned down the opportunity to read The Fairest Portion of the Globe. I was a little intimidated by the fact that the novel was about such prominent historical figures–silly I know. And I also worried that reading the novel would feel too much like homework. Yet, there was that spark I talked about earlier, of revisiting a time in history that I once loved and had such a curiosity about. I took a chance and am so glad I did.

Frances Hunter’s The Fairest Portion of the Globe was not only informative, it was also entertaining. I got misty-eyed, I chuckled, and I even held my breath (oh my gosh, that ending!)–and that’s even knowing a bit about how history would play out.

Rating: (Very Good)

And don’t forget to enter for a chance to win a copy of The Fairest Portion of the Globe (open to U.S. residents only, I’m afraid) here.

[Via http://franceshunter.wordpress.com]

A DISTANT NEIGHBORHOOD and AMERICAN VIRGIN.

Hiroshi gets a second chance at figuring out his family.

Y’know how you can tell I’m not feeling too well? When I’m not posting, not because I’ve been more busy than usual, but because I haven’t been reading as much as usual. I’ve had a rolling migraine since the beginning of last week and yesterday I blew up at work over our sustained silent reading books. (Try to censor my students’ reading and just see what happens.) That said, it may seem like I’ve read a good bit considering I’m about to post about six books, but my reading is usually punctuated by magazines and short stories. And for the past couple of weeks, it hasn’t been.

Jonathan and I skirted competition (a la Maka-Maka) when we first encountered Jiro Taniguchi’s A Distant Neighborhood at the Borders near my work. Long story short, for a fleeting moment we thought that the second volume was a rare find so I scrambled to buy it, although I suspect that may have been Jonathan having a bit of fun at my expense. In the first volume, 48-year-old Hiroshi Nakahara boards a train and ends up in the town he grew up in as a 14-year-old boy. Hiroshi relives a chunk of his school career and quickly finds that he never knew his family quite as well as he thought. In the second volume, Hiroshi is determined to prevent the abandonment of his family by his father as he continues to learn more about his parents’ history and dynamic. A nice story, art that makes me think of Yoshihiro Tatsumi, but I don’t expect it to serve as anyone’s gateway drug.

I also finished reading all four volumes of Steven Seagle’s American Virgin, which I have been excited about for quite some time. … Okay, now ask me if it lived up to my expectations. I actually love the premise: rock-star Bible thumper Adam Chamberlain crusades for virginity and his religion until all of the messages he claims to have received from God crumble around him. Adam must decide where his faith is in reality and what kind of person he wants to be. When the woman God “promised” would be his one true love dies in a terrorist act, Adam is left wondering if he is supposed to be without love – and completely celibate – for the rest of his life. What begins as a classic revenge story quickly turns into a gender-bending quest for Adam’s REAL real true love – no, really this time – and ultimately a reunion with his biological father. It feels a bit choppy, but even if you start to get lost in the middle, it is ultimately worth the read.

This is another book that not only tackles a subject of interest to me, but also ends just the way I would hope. And if you know me, you might guess that this leaves Adam a little ragged, a little weary, but still clinging to a variation on his original ideals. You also may guess, if you know me, that it’s a little open-ended. Read the series of four volumes for the ending if for no other reason. By the end you will thank me – just not so much in the middle.

[Via http://elitist.wordpress.com]

UrbanEdge Yoga

Dear Friends,

March brings two exclusive events with special Monks visiting UrbanEdgeYoga:

*** March 6th (Sat): ‘Snow Dream Walk’ with Bhaktimarga Swami, the Walking Monk. Join us for a walking meditation and RSVP at http://urbanedgeyoga.com/513/snow-dream-walk-with-the-walking-monk

*** March 14th (Sun): Happiness Hunt-bring back that smile with Vaisesika Dasa, who comes all the way from San Jose to share with us a life time of spiritual experiences. Join in for this Krishna Fest and RSVP at http://urbanedgeyoga.com/710/happiness-hunt-bring-back-that-smile/

Events for the week of Mar 1st:

* Tue 2nd, Forever Young, Yoga stretches and relaxing chants: Join us for an evening of yoga asana practice, mantra meditation and spiritual discussion. Check details and RSVP at http://urbanedgeyoga.com/745/forever-young-yoga-stretches-for-body-and-mind/

* Wed 3rd, Power and art of forgiveness: Time cannot be reversed and what’s lost can’t be got back. So how does one reconcile the feeling of injustice and where do you find the strength to forgive and move on. Check details and RSVP at http://urbanedgeyoga.com/783/power-and-art-of-forgiveness-2/

* Thu 4th, Vegan Cooking Classes – soups and salads: There is an art to cooking these delights and our in house expert, Shyama, will share these secrets in a structured classroom environment with you. Check details http://urbanedgeyoga.com/769/vegan-cooking-classes-soups-and-salads/

* Fri 5th, Friday Fun @ 5 PM: We offer a unique opportunity to explore the inner world of calm and tranquility through an amazing Asthanga yoga workshop to end your week. Check details and RSVP at http://urbanedgeyoga.com/799/asthanga-yoga-%e2%80%93-feel-the-power/

* Fri 5th , Power of the mind @ 6.30 PM: Since time immemorial, the mysteries of the mind, its powers and tricks has enchanted philosophers, thinkers, saints and scientists alike. Check details and RSVP at http://urbanedgeyoga.com/757/powers-of-the-mind-conscious-sub-conscious-and-the-unknown/

Check March’s calendar at www.UrbanEdgeYoga.com
Delicious vegan dinner will be awaiting you at all of our events!

*** Quote of the week: The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life from one body to another as the air carries aromas. Thus he takes one kind of body and again quits it to take another. (Bhagavad-Gita as it is).

Get your own copy from http://urbanedgeyoga.com/spiritual-books/
Regards,
Mangal-arti

[Via http://kakonged.wordpress.com]

Seedling pearls

This review may come as a bit biased.  I’ve never read anything by MFK Fisher that I wasn’t absolutely delighted with.  So it will come as no shock, I’m sure, that I’d highly recommend the tiny tidbit that is Consider the Oyster.  Fisher has considered the oyster, to rather great extent in such a slim book, and each word I read made me wish for the Milford Oyster Festival, where I first slurped down a raw oyster.

Even if you’re not a seafood or shellfish aficionado, though, pick up this book.  It’s  a quick, entertaining read.  The chapters are short, succinct, and succulent morsels, fat with recipes, ramblings, history, science, and more.

I have now considered the oyster, and found it to my liking.

[Via http://eatenword.wordpress.com]

Book Review: The Lost Art of Disciple Making

“The Lost Art of Disciple Making” by LeRoy Eims

This is sort of a “classic” in the church ministry genre, but was a first-time read for me. There’s nothing earth-shattering now, but I imagine it was fairly revolutionary when it was published in 1978. It isn’t that today’s churches have mastered discipleship — we certainly haven’t — there are just a lot more materials available today. The Trellis and the Vine, for instance, covers many of the same topics, but is more practical and relevant to the 21st-century.

Still, there is something encouraging to be reminded that there are no “new” ideas in church ministry (at least, none that are based on Scripture). In every generation, faithful scholars, preachers, and theologians remind us that God never changes, and His design and purpose for His Church remains the same. He desires that every Christian would be growing into spiritual maturity, while simultaneously making disciples of others.

This book will make a good addition to any Christian’s library, and is a quick easy read. Buy it here.

[Via http://honeyandlocusts.wordpress.com]

Just War as Christian Discipleship

Just War as Christian Discipleship: Recentering the Tradition in the Church rather than the State.  Daniel M. Bell Jr.  Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2009. 

 Dan Bell’s ‘Just War as Christian Discipleship’ is a wonderful introduction to the Just War tradition.  Bell names the work as written for the non-specialist who is interested in learning both the history and current use of the tradition.   While the book excels as an introduction, in many ways it transcends the category of introductory text book.  More than simply recounting the various strands of Just War thinking, Bell offers a thorough re-thinking of the Just War tradition’s most recent form.

Bell refers to the most common and current form of the Just War tradition as Just War Public Policy Check list (PPC).  This PPC strand of the tradition is represented by those who view the tradition primarily as a set of criteria for the use of political leaders in crafting public policy.  Bell critiques the PPC strand of the tradition by suggesting we consider Just War as a form of Christian discipleship (CD).  The aim here is to see Just War as a means of embodying the kinds of specifically Christian practices and commitments that lead to faithful discipleship during times of war and peace. 

As an example of his claim that this book is written to aid the Church’s reflection on discipleship in the midst of wars and rumors of wars, each chapter concludes with an exploration of the way the Just War tradition challenges the Church.  These sections help the reader to see how seemingly abstract discussions of criteria directly connect to the life of the Church.  For example, the criteria of legitimate authority challenges the Church to examine the kind of leaders it produces and supports. 

Throughout the book, Bell is interested in the reader not only learning the tradition, but learning to live the tradition well.  Bell names this living as a form of Christian discipleship.  He admits that it will be costly and difficult.  Indeed, it will be impossible without the grace of God.  However, for that very reason, Just War (CD) presents the Church with an opportunity to bear witness to the Lordship of Christ even and especially in times of war.

[Via http://pastorjakewilson.wordpress.com]

Join our Junior Reviewers Club!

Have you heard that Alphabet Soup magazine is starting a Junior Reviewers Club for kids aged 6 to 12?

You can write reviews of books you love, and go on our list of club members who would like to receive free books to review. Your reviews will be published in the Write On section of Alphabet Soup magazine, or occasionally here on Soup Blog.

Membership to the Junior Reviewers Club is free, and club members can be individual children, or a primary school class. (In the case of a class, we will send one book for the class to read together, and class members can write a collaborative review, or individual reviews).

While club membership is open to Australian and overseas children, currently we can only send review copies to Australian addresses due to the high cost of postage. (But members outside Australia are welcome to submit reviews of their own books, and receive the members’ newsletter.)

Parents and teachers can request an application pack by emailing the editor.

[Via http://soupblog.wordpress.com]

Diapora Dialogues

Diapora Dialogues Features Young Writers - Photo Courtesy of Dreamstime.com

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

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Young Writers from the Edge
Join us this March as high school students in Etobicoke, Danforth-Crescent Town, Jamestown and Malvern present their brand new creative writing at reading events in their neighbourhoods.

In Young Writers from the Edge, Diaspora Dialogues’ youth writing program, students work with professional mentors to develop their writing skills in three different forms, including fiction, drama, poetry, graphic novel, and journalism.

Based on the work developed through these workshops, the youth will present their pieces alongside their mentors at a celebratory reading event. Don’t miss the chance to hear our city’s freshest emerging writers!

For more information, contact Julia at 416-944-1101 x 277 or julia@diasporadialogues.com.

Young Writers from the Etobicoke Edge
Presented in partnership with Lakeshore Arts and Toronto Cultural Services
When: Thursday, March 4th, 2010 – 6 pm
Students from: Father John Redmond CSS and Lakeshore CI
Mentors: Julie Tepperman, Emily Pohl-Weary, Kerri Sakamoto, Isaac Thomas, Melissa Dean
Where: The Assembly Hall – 1 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive (SE corner of Kipling Ave and Lake Shore Blvd W)

Young Writers from the Danforth-Crescent Town Edge
Presented in partnership with S Walter Stewart Branch
When: Friday, March 5th, 2010 – 6 pm
Students from: East York CI and Danforth CI
Mentors: Emily Pohl Weary, Catherine Graham, Diana Tso, Lauren Kirshner and Nicholas Keung
Where: S Walter Stewart Branch Library – 170 Memorial Park Avenue (Danforth and Coxwell)

Young Writers from the Jamestown Edge
Presented in partnership with Albion District Branch
When: Saturday, March 6th, 2010 – 6 pm
Students from: North Albion CI, Kipling CI, Thistletown CI, and Monsignor Percy Johnson CHS
Mentors: Andrea Thompson, Andrew Mitrovica, Philip Adams and Greg Beettam
Where: Albion District Branch Library – 1515 Albion Road (Albion and Kipling)

Young Writers from the Malvern Edge
Presented in partnership with Malvern Branch
When: Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 – 6 pm
Students from: Lester B Pearson CI and Blessed Mother Teresa CSS
Mentors: Julie Tepperman, Ibi Kaslik and Tory Woollcott
Where: Malvern Branch Library – 30 Sewells Road (Neilson and Sheppard Ave E)

Diaspora Dialogues is supported by Maytree, Canadian Heritage, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council, the George Cedric Metcalf Foundation, TO Live With Culture, and the Vital Toronto Fund through the Toronto Community Foundation.

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www.diasporadialogues.com
Diaspora Dialogues
170 Bloor Street West, Suite 804
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
M5S 1T9

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[Via http://kakonged.wordpress.com]

Book haunt

If the world lacked bookstores, I have every reason to think that this human race will be deprived of imagination, character and clarity.

Through books, we are drawn to its characters, plots, suspense, thriller and conclusion which seals our anticipation. Add pre-loved bookstores and there’s more excitement at hand to any book lovers and eager book hunter like me.

I’ve always been a regular at  pre-loved bookstores. Salvos, Vinnies, garage sales, small Ops shops operated by churches and the spread of quaint pre-loved bookstores has taken my fancy. I recently came across Owl, a well stocked pre-loved bookstore at Archer St, along O’Connell St in North Adelaide, and instantly fell in love. With an inviting bohemian reading room, a chaise lounge and an antique fireplace, it provides a calm and reflective background as you hover over rows and rows of books.

I came across some bargains and picked up three books for under $4, plus another at $8. A steal indeed!

The Diary of a Married Call Girl by Tracy Quan follows a stream of journal entries of a married woman, Nancy, who’s living it big but falls into the darker side of frolic and sharing her body with other men, other than her rightful spouse. Am looking forward to reading Nancy’s vivid and humorous notes to her diary.

Love takes you Home by Julie Capaldo, embraces 13 delicious meals and recipes retold in wonderful snippets of Grace Sabato pilgrimage in soughting  life’s beauty and experiences which starts from the kitchen. This one should offer food to my soul, and no doubt I shall devour this with a big bite!

I got The String by Morris Lurie as I thought it would be a good read for my young sons when they can appreciate a short novel in a few years time. Morris wax lyrical of fatherhood, friendship, grief and love via eleven linked stories.

My favourite read so far and I haven’t finished this read is Preethi Nair’s One Hundred Shades of White. Satchin and Maya, siblings, lives are changed dramatically when they move from India to London, only to discover later that their father’s dad has left them penniless in an alien culture. As they struggle to keep it together, the children are kept in the dark of their father’s other double life. He is in fact alive, and with another family of his own. I will share my review at my soonest and cannot wait to share this riveting plot to all.

Enjoy some photos of my finds from Owl bookstore and I managed to snap some pixs from Owl too.

Till then, I hope you untap some hidden bookstores wherever you may be. Happy reading! xx

[Via http://mumbees.wordpress.com]

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

Parts of this book, I loved and other parts, I really disliked. The writing is incredible when it describes Edgar’s relationship with his family’s dogs. So poignant and believable! However, I found the ghost element of the story unbelievable. All and all, it’s an enjoyable read and probably a must for dog-lovers. The book really redeems itself by not analyzing the villain. You get to do that all on your own.

Book Bitch says: It’s decent, but not worth all of the hype

[Via http://bookbitchsays.wordpress.com]

Book review: The Last Theorem, by Arthur C Clarke and Frederik Pohl

The Last Theorem.

By Arthur C Clarke and Frederik Pohl, HarperVoyager, €22

Published in The Sunday Business Post on August 31st, 2008, reviewed by Alex Meehan

It’s always tempting to address a writer’s body of work through their most recently published book, and never more so than when the writer in question has recently passed on.

Arthur C Clarke died in March this year aged 90, having started The Last Theorem in 2002.Unable to finish it due to his ailing health, he invited fellow science fiction heavyweight Frederik Pohl to complete the book, although he apparently read and approved the finished draft just a few days before his death.

However, it would be a real shame if this massively influential author’s legacy as a futurist and writer hinged on this final novel.

The Last Theorem tells the story of Sri Lankan protagonist Ranjit Subramanian and his obsession with Pierre de Fermat’s infamous mathematical theorem. In real life, Fermat’s last theorem went unproven for 357 years until 1995, when Andrew Wiles published a proof.

In Clarke and Pohl’s novel, the story begins by introducing Ranjit as the son of a Hindu priest and a student in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo. He is obsessed with maths and astronomy, and when he is caught in a compromising situation with his best friend Gamini Bandara, his father disapproves, not because Gamini is male, but rather because he is of the wrong social class.

As a result, Ranjit is temporarily disowned by his family and, in a bizarre twist of events, is kidnapped by pirates and held captive for several months. With nothing to do except think about maths, he hits upon a solution to his life’s obsession – Fermat’s last theorem.

When he’s released and the proof is published, Ranjit is catapulted into a position of global recognition. As a result of his new found fame, he comes into contact with representatives of a shadowy international organisation, Pax per Fidem (Peace through Transparency), keen to recruit his services as a mathematician.
Click Here!

Ranjit can initially find out little about this group until an overnight military attack on North Korea brings them into the light of public scrutiny. Pax per Fidem is the guardian of a new super weapon held in common by the largest of Earth’s nations – silent thunder.

Based on electromagnetic pulse technology, the weapon destroys all electrical devices for hundreds of miles in every direction but leaves people unharmed. When North Korea is effectively neutralised as a nuclear threat, a new period of peace arrives as rogue nations around the world are rendered impotent.

However, unbeknown to the people of Earth, a race of overlord beings known as the Grand Galactics have had their attention drawn to Earth by the unmistakable trace signatures of nuclear explosions.

The book follows Ranjit throughout his life from youth to old age, taking in his involvement in the new world order that emerges as a result of the use of silent thunder, as well as his marriage and subsequent children.

However, the characters around Ranjit are not well fleshed out and, as a result, it’s hard to stay truly immersed in the story.

The Last Theorem is an imaginative and challenging book, but many of its ideas and themes will already be well known to Clarke’s fans. Most, such as the use of space elevators and the question of man’s place in a wider universe likely to have intelligent life, have been dealt with before in previous works, most notably in Fountains of Paradise, Childhood’s End and the hugely influential 2001: A Space Odyssey.

What this book does very well is to take some fascinating science and maths, and make them intelligible. It’s just a shame the story doesn’t carry its technological payload a bit more proficiently.

[Via http://yamabiko.wordpress.com]