It Was Written

Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:09:00 +0000

This tome has been a "go to" guide for me in many ways over the years. It has helped me get pregnant, understand thyroid and menstrual cycle irregularities and has eased any fears that I've had regarding my body. It is written by Christiane Northrup, a physician with extensive experience with women's medical needs as well as our strong emotional connection to our bodies. She writes over and over again about the mind/body connection and how if we are not healthy in our minds and hearts (our emotions), we might be causing issues in our bodies.

Recently I experienced an extremely painful rupturing of a large cyst on my left ovary. After 3 weeks of pain, a pelvic ultrasound and doctors appointments, I finally consulted my trusted reference - WOMEN'S BODIES, WOMEN'S WISDOM. In the section regarding ovaries, there is most definitely a section on cysts. What surprised me was what Dr. Northrup sees as the reason that cysts develop. "We women are meant to express our creative natures throughout our lives. Our creations will change and evolve as we ourselves grow and develop. Our ovaries, too, are always changing, forming, and reabsorbing those small cysts. As long as we express our creative flow deep within us, our ovaries remain normal."

So what does this mean for me? I don't feel like I've been particularly blocked in my creativity. Yes life has been stressful over the past six months, and I have not done as much writing as I would like, but I didn't think that I was denying myself to the point to create such a painful "wake up call" from my body.

Dr. Northrup goes further to say that cysts on the "left side of the body represent the female, artistic, reflective side, while the right side is the more analytic, male side." I have had two ruptured cysts previously on the right side and this is my first on the left (and the most painful). Never have I tried to imitate male ways of being in this world, as that is not my nature at all. My personality has always been one that is creative, not analytical or technical. So how can I best re-energize my creative outlets and heal my body? I dance, I read, I write, I dream, I laugh...where else can I express myself?

I know that my answers come in time, but I thought this book was worth sharing. It was first published in 1994, in 1998 and again in 2010. Like I said, it has walked me through two pregnancies, a myriad of cycle problems and will help me through menopause (a ways off). I highly recommend that every women has this book on hand to answers questions for yourself, your daughters, your mothers and friends.

Kapitoil

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 21:27:00 +0000

Our city chose this for its "Novel Idea" book of the year. Last year they chose The Help and a few years earlier The Kite Runner. As in prior years, I have read each of the "Novel Idea" books, and found them to be engaging, discussion provoking and great reads.

On the other hand, and IN MY OPINION, Kapitoil was not. In fact I did not even finish it. After laboring through a third of the book, skimming most of what I had read, I ditched it. Initially I was interested in the foreign worker who comes to America to write code and work in the financial world. But then I realized that I was reading about someone who writes codes and works in the financial world - both of those subjects bore me to death.

I am sorry to say I would not recommend this book. As I did not push through to finish the book, I will pass on attending the author reading. I hope that others found this a wonderful read.

The Book Thief

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 04:14:00 +0000

Growing up in Germany on the cusp of WWII is a challenging task. Liesel, a scrawny nine year old girl is repeatedly impacted by war, by hatred and by loss throughout this novel. Fortunately because she is a child, she is also able to be influenced by constant love, strong community and true friendship.

Abandoned to a foster family in Munich, she arrives heartbroken and hopeless. She is taken in by an older couple whose grown children visit seldomly, and who are in need of the stipend that taking care of Liesel will garner. Times are tough in Germany. Hitler's influence is gaining strength throughout the country where people are tired of not having enough food, not enough work, and not enough aid.

The Book Thief is narrated by Death (as you can imagine, with war imminent, Death was everywhere in Germany during this time). He encounters Liesel for the first time as they both watch her young brother die. She will cross paths with Death many, many more times before this amazing novel is finished.

Death is touched by Liesel, by her words, as no other human has done before.

Her words, and all written words...their power, their influence, their beauty, their confinement and freedom are the essence of this book. The author, Markus Zusak not only understands their power but displays a mastery of them that is uncanny.

Descriptions of sunsets, smiles, and sadness are unique and poignant. Not only is the story an original view of life behind the Fuhrer's crazy control, it is exceptional because of the language used to describe the hard life that all Germans lived - whether they supported the Fuhrer or not, they all were impacted by the misery of war.

I cannot recommend this book enough. I loved it. You would think that a story narrated by Death and about Nazi Germany would be a horribly sad story, but you would be wrong. The hope, trust, friendship, love and faith in humanity outshine all of the horrible, inexcusable actions and intentions of this time.

This book is a MUST read.

The Devlin Diary

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:06:00 +0000

This is an intriguing story which jumps back and forth between the present day England, and the 1600's in King Charles II's court. It expertly entwines two murder mysteries into one captivating read.

Christi Phillips presents a well researched, in depth depiction of court life during King Charles II reign; the scandals, the schemes and the lengths to which courtiers and royalty will go to gain, cultivate and maintain power within that sphere of influence.

Medicine and new methods of medical treatments during this time in the 1600's are explored, as well as the limited role women had in everything but the home.

Mrs. Devlin, the main character, is a wonderful woman, wading through loneliness, practicing medicine through prejudice and striving to create a new definition for what women's capabilities could be. Mrs. Devlin, a widow, has been trained in the field of medicine from a long life assisting her famous physician father as well as her husband. Her skills, knowledge and proficiency are unparalleled even among the male physicians of her time. She slowly, quietly gains respect and confidence from her male counterparts and soon finds herself at the personal call of the King.

Mrs. Devlin's story directly parallels and offers clues to the murder mystery being unfolded in current England at Cambridge. The Devlin Diary is a entertaining read and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery as well as a historical fiction.

Sizzling Sixteen

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 05:26:00 +0000

Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich is a PERFECT summer read...fun, laugh out loud, and a "no brainer". I have read ALL of Ms. Evanovich's novels about Stephanie Plum since ONE FOR THE MONEY, and I have loved and devoured them all!

They were passed on to me from my 90 year old grandmother, via my aunt, to my mother, and then to me. I passed them on to my good friends, who then passed them on to their mothers and grandmothers, aunts and friends. Ms. Evanovich has a fantastic ability to write humor - which is hard to do. And not just "Oh, that's funny", but laugh so loud you embarrass everyone around you funny. It is a true gift!

SIZZLING SIXTEEN was funny, but a little thin on story and story development. Nothing really happened. Sure, I enjoyed it, laughed my butt off...in the orthodontics office, waiting for my daughter, on the deck with a glass of wine and at the pool...but I wish there was something more to develop the story and about 50 more pages. It was thin.

I loved it, but it was not up to Stephanie Plum snuff

Resurrection by Tucker Malarkey

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 23:29:00 +0000

It is a rare occurrence when I actually take notes while reading a book, but RESURRECTION by Tucker Malarkey was one in which I felt compelled to do so. The writing is simple, perfectly descriptive, and inviting to the reader. I felt like an active participant, filling in the details of the sceneries with my own imagination spurred on by Malarkey's well crafted writing. There were some sentences that just needed to be written down and saved.

The story takes place just at the end of World War II. The main character is a nurse in England who is as emotionally destroyed as the countless soldiers bodies and minds she tends to. She has survived the war physically but mentally is crumbling.

Her father, an ex-patriot researcher, who has lived and worked in Egypt for years has been killed and she is beckoned to Egypt in order to settle his affairs. Though her task is an unhappy one, it becomes the chance for her to learn who her father truly was, what his passions were and how these passions ultimately got him killed.

RESURRECTION is an exploration in the development of religion, Christianity specifically, as well as a historical fiction, a romance and a murder mystery all in one. I loved this book. I would definitely read it again. It was engaging, thought provoking and very well written.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 18:01:00 +0000

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford, is set in the melting pot port city of Seattle. The story bounces between the early 1940's and the mid 1980's as Henry, a Chinese man, with his life in transition remembers his time as a boy in the tumultuous 1940's.

As a young man, Henry struggles within a world that is enslaved by prejudice. His controlling, emotionally detached father forces him to attend an all-white school and speak only English, which neither parent understands. At school he is ridiculed, threatened and beat up on a daily basis as Pearl Harbor is bombed, China invaded and Germany plows over Europe. As his Chinese peers call him "the white devil" his white peers persecute him for being the enemy.

The only light in his world comes from an unexpected source, a Japanese girl named Keiko. She too is a student on scholarship like Henry. As they work as janitors and cafeteria help a friendship is seeded which soon grows in strength and depth. Their love, forbidden by Henry's family is one that history has known before. Like Juliet and her Romeo, society has erected barriers out of hatred, judgement and intolerance.

Seattle's diverse ethnic population it is a perfect setting for the strife and conflict the world is experiencing to be felt intimately. As America's fears and hate escalate towards the Japanese, internment camps are created to imprison all citizens of Japanese dissent. As you can suspect Keiko and her family are one of the thousands of families that are forced to leave everything behind and live in these camps.

"Love knows nothing of rank or riverbank. It will spark between a queen and the poor vagabond who plays the king. And their love should be minded by each. For love denied blights the soul we owe to God." - Shakespeare in Love

This seemed to be the longest little story I have read in a while. I had a difficult time feeling the desire to finish this book. The writing was good, as was the story, but in some way it was lacking. It would have been a more complete novel if the story had been told from both Keiko's perspective as well as Henry's. There would have been so much more historical and emotional depth. As it is, the strife between Henry and his father, the love that cannot conquer the circumstances it struggles with, as well as how the story ends are all themes that have been written about many, many times before. There was nothing unique here that made me want to keep reading. There was nothing wrong with the book, there just wasn't anything great about it.

TOMATO RHAPSODY, by Adam Schell

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:12:00 +0000

I read this whole book with a pleasant smile on my face and was saddened when it came to a close. Adam Schell ably chops, minces and molds the gusto, emotion and fun of fantasy stories such as THE PRINCESS BRIDE along with the wit and intelligence of Shakespeare's best comedies.

TOMATO RHAPSODY is a story built on the how the tomato was introduced to Italy. If you are anything like me, Italy and tomatoes are indistinguishable (pizza, bruschetta, lasagna, caprese salad, etc.). I never thought that Italy ever was without this luscious fruit.

The tomato finding its rightful place is the foundation of the story, but the strength of the book comes from the diversity of characters, forbidden love, descriptions of delicious food, an author that often "talks" to his reader, and a heavy dose of humor throughout.

If you are in need of a light-hearted, fun, fantastical book, this is your pick! In the cold months of winter, it was a pleasant vacation in my mind. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:16:00 +0000

Sherman Alexie writes of his life as a teenager, with one foot on the rez and one timidly reaching to step beyond it. I grew up in a town that bordered a Native American reservation, and a lot of the topics and feelings expressed throughout were ones that I was familiar with.

Cartoons pimple the text, enhancing the story visually and reminding the reader that this is a youthful book, a book that is light-hearted but with seriousness and emotion. The honesty and teenage angst that are nakedly communicated is refreshing, and the feelings of sadness, loss, and fear are universal. THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN is a wonderfully written book.

Enjoy.

STUFF WHITE PEOPLE LIKE by Christian Lander

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:09:00 +0000

This book is an absolutely funny, "calling out" of the most critical, band-wagon class there is! If you are someone with "thin skin", or are easily offended by the obvious, then I would not recommend it. Otherwise, if you are one able to laugh at yourself, you will LOVE it!

Recommended by my friend Dayna, thanks!

PEOPLE OF THE BOOK by Geraldine Brooks

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 04:45:00 +0000

This is a story that takes readers on a journey, spanning centuries, continents and cultures.

Geraldine Brooks is a fantastic craftsman. She allows the reader the opportunity to connect with the many characters lives, in all their intricacies, while we learn of a faith that cannot be undone, and of a people that have endured hardships for eons.

Initially I thought that the "People of the Book" would be about the people IN the Haggadah, but it is more about the people that have protected, preserved and pushed it onward in its journey through the hands of humanity. The book has such a power, an appeal because of its beauty, its fragility and the persecution of the people that revolve around it.

Geraldine Brooks does a wonderful job of giving us an honest look at its path without giving an opinion that could sway the reader in any direction. It is simply a story of a book. It is simply fantastic. It is simply a must read!

The Forgotten Garden

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 01:17:00 +0000

THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN is an epic adventure which spans generations and continents. It is a tale of mother/daughter connection that binds so tightly, so intimately, and yet almost invisibly.

As in all great books there is a journey. This one involves not only a physical journey, but an emotional journey as well as one of discovery.

Wonderful writing encourages the readers imagination, not challenging it with overly wrought sentences or vocabulary. Ms. Morton has expertly woven in each woman's authentic voice, reflecting her specific time in history, her station in life and her location. Envy is as much a character here as any of the other physical ones, wielding its power over feelings and causing life to be altered, as is Greed and Loneliness.

I absolutely loved reading this book. It came recommended from my dear friend Susan, and I give thanks for the wonderful adventure.

Catching Fire

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:35:00 +0000

CATCHING FIRE, by Suzanne Collins effortlessly grabs the baton from her previous novel, HUNGER GAMES and continues the story at a full sprint.

The world created in HUNGER GAMES, at least the limited world of District 12, is a poor working community used to constant hunger, death and bleak futures. The Capitol, the smothering force in everyone's lives, becomes even more controlling for the outer-lying district inhabitants. The seed of independence that Katniss inadvertently planted while struggling to win in HUNGER GAMES, has grown into crops of unrest across the country.

In CATCHING FIRE, Katniss continues her struggle for independence, her obligations to those she loves, her secret pleasure with fame and her need for privacy. She is confronted time and again with where her loyalties lie.

I enjoyed reading both HUNGER GAMES and CATCHING FIRE immensely. I describe them as a sort of HANDMAIDENS TALE for teens. The world is different from what we know it to be today, but humans, and our emotions, desires, and need for independence are synonymous.

The Scarecrow, by Michael Connelly

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:25:00 +0000

As many know, I love any novel by Michael Connelly, so this review is going to be a biased one, but not to the point of being irrelevant.

The Scarecrow was actually the first novel of Michael Connelly's that took me a while to get into. In the past I have been hooked on the first page, ripping through his well crafted scenes, absorbing his frightening characters to the point of sleepless nights. But in The Scarecrow, I found myself on page 50, wondering out loud when this was going to get going!

I learned after finishing that he had to rewrite it several times because of the day to day changes to some of his subject matter. Unfortunately that seemed unintentionally translated to the reader - at least to me. In the beginning, the story seemed stilted and over worked.

Never the less, The Scarecrow did not leave me disappointed AT ALL. It was a brilliant novel. It made me think about all of the technology that we employ to speed us through our days, to market ourselves, to learn about the rapidly changing world around us while trying to maintain personal connections to one another. His evil characters prey upon this need, our entrenched reliance upon technology (the Internet) to harm physically, financially and psychologically. Connelly has an uncanny ability to tap into the gritty center of evil and describe it in such a way that stays with the reader for a while.

Michael Connelly did not disappoint with this addition to his library of suspenseful thrillers. I cannot imagine how hard it is to write about "to the minute" subject matter. The re-writing did have an effect, but not one enough to deter a reader from The Scarecrow.

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:20:00 +0000

For some reason I cannot find the gumption to write complete reviews of all of the books that I have read lately. I have stacks and stacks of notes regarding each one of them, but my inspiration ebbs when I sit down to communicate my experiences. I have been feeling guilty, lazy and a bad blogger. So, in order to set aside those feelings, to move onward with my haphazard blog life, I am just going to list the books recently consumed and give you a brief "brief" about each one.

The White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga

Set in India, Balram, the main character struggles with the pressures and confinements of the age-old caste system and his inner desires to move beyond what is allowed by his caste. He is a selfish, emotionally detached person whose desire pushes him to do immoral acts in order to realize his goals. 3 out of 5 stars.

The Gargoyle, by Andrew Davidson

My dear friend believes this to be a story about a man finding his true self...not a definition based on his physical attributes, but a soul. I believe it to be a love story that spans centuries, each time the lovers meet, a new beginning takes place, an unfolding of personalities into a love that binds them until they meet again. It combines, fantasy, literature and love into one...and I say that is a winning combination. 31/2 out of 4 stars.

Mistress of the Sun, by Sandra Gulland

One of the best historical fiction writers out there today, Mistress of the Sun is another shining jewel in Gulland's formidable crown of literary accomplishments. We are immersed in the complicated world of the royal life of Louis XVI, and the many, many lives dependent upon his crown. Petite, the main character, is a woman of character, but of little station. Her passion for horses, hunting and honesty win her favor in court and in love. I am biased towards this author, so I give it a 5 out of 5 stars.

Parallax, by Jon F. Merz

Two hit men, intertwined by a paranormal mind connection, eventually have their fates dependent upon the others actions. This is a fast paced, on the edge of your seat read.

3 out of 5 stars.

Julie and Julia, by Julie Powell

Julie Powell successfully turned her popular blog into a fun, captivating novel about herself, who is desperately seeking direction. She embarks on a challenge to make all 524 recipes in Julia Childs Master the Art of French Cooking in one year and to chronicle her efforts. Through a constant supply of gimlets, butter, tears, cussing and humor, Julie Powell not only recreates amazing food, she creates a passion for herself and a fantastic future. 4 out of 5 stars.

Master Your Metabolism, by Jillian Michael

Many women I know, including myself, struggle with hormone imbalances that effect many aspects of life. I read this book to educate myself on some ways to help make better food choices that assist in balancing not exacerbating those imbalances. Gillian is a real communicator. She pulls no punches and is not a "holier than thou" writer or voice. She has written this book to share her own experience with upset hormones and how she bettered her situation through mindful food choices. 4 out of 5 stars.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, by Carson McCullers

This book, an Oprah Book Club selection (which I usually avoid), is set in a small depressed southern town in the 1930's. It was originally released in the 1940's. Everyone, black or white, is struggling through hard economic times, increasing racial tensions and the business of life. Carson McCullers mastery of capturing honest voices, no matter the color of skin, was seamless, intimate and perfectly human. 3 out of 5 stars.

Parallax

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 03:22:00 +0000

Jon F. Merz, an author I have been introduced to via Twitter, is a talented modern voice in the fast tempo world chorus of crime/mystery/fiction. Parallax is the first I have read of his works, though he has many, and I enjoyed this performance very much.

I like books that move, and this story sprinted. Here the reader is thrown into the story in the very first chapter. There is no fluff, no idle conversations, only the gas pedal to the the floor of a story that is sure to thrill. Usually one must wait until halfway through a book to get to the "twist", but in Parallax it is within the first 30 pages!

Good, solid characters, that were easy to relate to, and like, help the story build credibility and strength. The two main characters are both hired guns, exterminating lives in order to maintain their own. By choice or chance they have chosen this path, though at the point at which we meet them, they are both desiring a very different, more sedentary path. Their paths collide, their presents intertwine and their futures become dependent upon on another for survival.

Though in my version of the book, there were mass grammatical errors, I blame this completely on the editor and the publishing house and not the author. That said, it did not cloud what fun I had. It fulfilled its purpose for me = an escape.

I would recommend Parallax to anyone who enjoys that type of book (crime, murder, mystery, fiction) and is not looking to puzzle it all out before the author wants you to.

Happy reading!

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 06:08:00 +0000

Finally I found a book that was difficult to put down, one that held my thoughts even when I had surrendered to life, and set it aside.

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets, by Eva Rice was an easy, enrapturing journey to England in the 1950's, where we are introduced to a generation of youth raised with food rations, bombings and war. Eva Rice offers an inside look into once privileged lives, whose titles, last names or addresses carried them to the pages of society magazines and notoriety. Some privileged, especially those with large property, were displaced and their homes used for the benefit of the country during the war. Most were left with a crumbling sense of self, of family and of the greatness that had defined them for generations.

Every character, young or old, is struggling to find new focus, new joys, and new horizons on which to build their futures from shattered pasts. They have all been altered and marred by war. Each character has a personal story. Yet the story of the book is their collective decisions to move forward, to focus on their vitality, on love and on music that screams with the promise of change.

Three characters, on the cusp of adulthood, come together by an incident of fate and form friendships that assist them in stepping forward to claim their futures. Their unexpected connection is multi-layered and fraught with complexity, but the desire to throw off heartache and loss like an old coat is what binds them.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was yearning for a captivating, understandable and moving story and The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets filled every expectation I had.

Peace Like a River

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:52:00 +0000

"And so I sound like a man making the most marginal sense - as if I were describing one of those dreams that seemed so genuine at the time." - Reuben

Peace Like a River, by Leif Enger was exactly that, a story of marginal sense. It was clouded and confusing as some dreams are, and I yearned for when I would wake.

The story of the unfortunate Land family is set in the cold, bleak, wintry world of North Dakota and Minnesota. Hardship and faith are the cornerstones of the family's foundation. Their ability to cling to one while enduring the other is what constitutes most of the book.

Reuben, a sickly eleven year old boy is the young narrator of the story. He tells of his family's struggles and strength with a boyishness that is aptly written. He is witness to many strange miracles done at the hands of his devout father, a school janitor, yet does not question or doubt their happening. He also witnesses two boys get shot to death at the hands of his brother, yet blindly continues to worship him.

The frequent episodes of the seemingly insignificant miracles do little to offer hope or salvation for any of the Lands, or to the book. I thought the strong characters like Swede (the sister) and Davy (the brother) were as infirm as Reuben's asthmatic lungs, not allowed to fully develop in the story. The weak characters, (everyone else) were as numerous and as paltry as the miracles. The power of the prophetic father, as a single parent, and a healer was thrown away to Reuben's fleeting attention span and naive grasp on the tragedies befalling their family. I felt there could have been so much more depth and interest to the story if we had been offered another point of view.

There were redeeming factors in Enger's writing and imagination, but for the most part I thought Peace like a River was as bland and bleak as the scenery so expertly described.

The Meanest Doll in the World

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 19:37:00 +0000

*Submitted by guest reviewer Virginia Felder, age 8*

Hi, this is Virginia and I'm going to tell you about The Meanest Doll in the World, by Ann Martin and Laura Godwin.

The story is about two dolls who go on a huge adventure starting from the attic where they live, to a school, and then to BJ's house where they meet the meanest doll in the world. Her name is Mean Mimi. She is mean because she is unable to be friends with four dolls that she really wants to be friends with.

This is the second book in the Doll People series, and I really liked this one. I did have some scary dreams while I was reading it, but I still would tell you to read it.

-Virginia

Masterpiece

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:49:00 +0000

*Submitted by Kurt Felder, guest reviewer, age 9*

Masterpiece, by Elise Broach is an exciting, scary adventure story. Marvin is the main character. He is a beetle who lives in an apartment. Marvin's best friend is a human named James, a ten year old boy.

James, art, and his family are the most valuable things in Marvin's life and they are in danger!

Marvin, James and James's father are on a case to see who has stolen the four "Virtues" by the artist Durer. They have to look all over New York City for the four stolen drawings.

I think you should read this book because it is exciting, full of adventure, and mystery. It is a little bit hilarious and anyone would like it.

-Kurt

LAMB - The Gospel According to Biff

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:27:00 +0000

"I suppose that every boy wonders what he will be when he grows up. I suppose that many watch their peers accomplish great things and wonder, 'Could I have done that?' For me, to know at ten that my best friend was the Messiah, while I would live and die a stonecutter, seemed too much of a curse for a ten-year-old to bear." -Biff

LAMB by Christopher Moore is a laugh out loud, thought provoking, insightful and refreshing look into the life of perhaps the most famous person that has ever lived. The story is told from the point of view of Christ's best friend, Biff, but LAMB doesn't preach or make fun of religion. It simply tells the story of two great friends and their time together.

Joshua (Jesus) soon learns he needs to venture out into the world and learn how to be the Messiah. There is no hesitation in Biff as he takes his place is beside his friend, with no thought at all as to where their journey will take them. Joseph tells Biff, "You go with Joshua. He needs a friend to teach him to be human." More than anything we see Joshua, aka; Jesus, as a human. As Joshua learns, Biffs learns along side him, each coming away with vastly different, but complimentary knowledge.

Joshua very much depends on Biff, on their friendship. He seeks out his counsel, his advice, his humor. They have amazing philosophical conversations, they study Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, yoga, as well as argue the Torah. Without Biff Joshua would not have been the Messiah he came to be.

The humor, humanity and heart in this book are wonderful. It takes the reader on an amazing journey of good friends who grow to become men, who learn to abandon their selfishness, strive for greatness and change the world. LAMB truly is a must read.

Sin in the Second City

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 22:34:00 +0000

"It is not adequate to define a prostitute simply as a woman who sells her body...That is done every day by women who become wives in order to gain a home and a livelihood." Havelock Ellis

Sin in the Second City, by Karen Abbott, follows the lives of the Everleigh sisters, Ada and Minna, madams of Chicago's most notorious brothel, the Everleigh Club. The sisters move to Chicago's Levee district just after the Worlds Fair in the late 1890's, when whoring was a well practiced and accepted vice, from the very wealthy to the destitute. The sisters created a brothel like no other Chicago had seen. Their "butterflies", the finest females courtesans, were surrounded with the best care and finest clothes, and the club itself was furnished like a palace where its "customers gained entry only with a solid letter of referral".

The sisters were honest, upstanding women who managed to survive and succeed in a city sick with corruption. By night, the Everleigh Club entertained Chicago's most powerful politicians and lawmen, famous businessmen and entertainers from all over the world. Yet would suffer mightily under constant public scrutiny, growing political pressures and religious reformers by day.

"I don't mind mankind's crimes, but I do mind its hypocrisy" - Minna Everleigh

Not only does Karen Abbott open our eyes to this first class brothel, she parallels this story with other brothels that were in stark contrast. The majority of the other brothels in the city were filthy, with drug addicted prostitutes or "white slaves", under the control of madams/owners who sought only to make money no matter the consequences.

This trafficking of women became a national concern as nearly 100,000 girls a year were abducted, tricked or forced into prostitution. The religious and political prosecution of ending "white slavery", a major part of this novel, would eventually lead to the end of the Levee district in Chicago.

Karen Abbott is a skilled writer, compiling an amazing amount of information with astonishing detail of all aspects of life in Chicago during the first decade of the 1900's. She has expertly woven different strands of life, facts, and happenings into a seamless story that is both interesting and educating. Sin in the Second City is not a fast read, or one that effectively held my attention the whole time, but I did gain from reading it. It read like a novel yet has the meat of a history course.

Educational and entertaining, yet requires a commitment to complete.

Bleeding Hearts

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 00:37:00 +0000

I had high expectations with this murder/mystery book, "Bleeding Hearts" by Ian Rankin, as it was marketed to me that he is like "an English Michael Connelly". I love a good mystery book and Michael Connelly's writing and his stories are some of my favorites!

But this was no Michael Connelly mystery.

"Bleeding Hearts" was slow to start. In the middle of chapter 4 (30 pages in) I found myself wondering if and when this story was going to get moving. The plot line was muddied with purposeless confusion; character names that were too alike and too many characters offering little to the main character's development or to the already scrambling plot (book extras).

There was love, which is always appealing, and characters who struggle between the good and bad within themselves. But there wasn't anything that kept the reader thinking, guessing, trying to puzzle it all out before the end (which of course in a good book would be a total surprise).

There was a late-in-the-game charge of action that I had hoped would lead to an end with a bang and save my overall feeling about the story, but the ending was a total let down. It sputtered to a final close that mirrored its laborious beginning.

Basically it just wasn't what I expected and hoped it would be. Ian Rankin is a talented writer, and has awards to prove it, but I was disappointed in this piece.

Mildly entertaining but ultimately disappointing.

The Reader

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:16:00 +0000

I was talking to a good friend of mine last night, who also shares my love of a good book, about the difficulty I have been having in trying to write about "The Reader" by Bernhard Schlink.

She has been wanting to see the movie, but also to read the book. I told her to see the movie first, as it could possibly enhance her read, but watching the movie after reading is certain disappointment. I feel there is no question that a movie cannot fully relay what truly goes on in a book. I think movies often only skim the surface of subjects, leaving the depth and full emotion lacking - especially when that movie is adapted from a book.

"The Reader" is a complex story set in a time in history I have always been interested in, post World War II Germany. We are offered a look at the social conscience of the Germans some years after the war. It has been fourteen years since the war ended at the beginning of the story, the camps are deserted and left as awful reminders. The Nazis are reabsorbed into a battered and bruised society and economy.

A young German man, fifteen years old, narrates his experiences as he and a woman of a much older age conduct an ill fated relationship. Their physical relationship, though only a summer, creates a connection between them that lasts for the rest of their lives. His narration carries us through his personal growth and that of Germany until the early 1990's.

Their connection I found to be reflective of the larger connection between the old Nazi Germany and the new Germany that struggles to differentiate itself in a modern world.

Obviously the story is layers upon layers. It is a love story, a social story, a world story. Bernhard Schlink writes a narrative that is personal, harrowing and unapologetic. I thought it was an excellent read.

Come on baby light my fire!

noreply@blogger.com (erinlfelder) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:09:00 +0000

I have to shout out to everyone that, "I love my Kindle"!!

I received the first edition as a gift for my birthday in June of last year, and I have to say I was unsure about it.

First of all, it is expensive ($350). Second, I really love the feel of turning pages, the weight of a good book in my lap and the smell of paper (though not the "germy" paper of library books). I do not like reading books online, and assumed that reading on the Kindle would be the same. I was worried that the money had been spent and I would end up not liking it, and worse, not using it.

I was so wrong! I fell in love with "my Kindle" immediately. I downloaded my first book, after browsing the easy to use Kindle Store, and literally 30 seconds after selecting, I was in literary bliss. It has barely left my hands since then.

For all of you who are "greenies", this is perfect! No more wasted paper or wasted gas on transporting all those books to all those various retailers. For those who are cost conscious, the initial cost is sweat producing, but as you download book after book for a third of the costs of buying printed books, you will feel better. And finally for all of you who (like me) "were in the back of the line when they handed out patience", as my mother says, will love it most of all. While ravenously reading the Twilight series over Christmas vacation, I would finish one book at 2am and by 2:01am the next was downloaded and the temporarily insance obsession would go on.

I have been inspired by the possibilities of Kindle. I only read books, but you can read magazines and newspapers as well. Needless to say, my reading addiction as been continuously kept aflame because of the Kindle.

Be inspired, get aroused and be ignited by Amazon's Kindle (nasty cat not included)! Let it light your literary fire!

Happy Reading.