Apr 13 2010

Plenty of Short Book Reviews

Category: Hobbies — Annette Lybacki @ 10:41 am

The Fall by Simon Mawer: Simon Mawer has given us a good novel, just not a great one. It can be electrifying and dizzying at one point and then detached and mired in its characters’ own lack of inertia the next. A more even novel would have been received better, but The Fall is still an enjoyable read that will leave you guessing the truth until the very end.

Forever by Pete Hamill: Pete Hamill’s endeavor was probably an impossible task. There is too much history, too many stories and interesting historical figures, to fit into one story of New York City. Cormac O’Connor fails to carry the story, and ultimately, the city is unable to carry it either. Pete Hamill’s love for the city is evident throughout this book, and those already steeped in its history may find this novel more enjoyable than others. I suspect most readers, though, will finish it with a dissatisfied thud unless they’ve tossed it aside long before they get there.

The Diviners by Rick Moody: There are those who will probably enjoy this book more than I did. Those who know the people and industries satirized here or are part of that big city madness to make money, be seen at the right events, and profit at your adversary’s mistakes. Perhaps more of those “aha” moments ring true to those intimately involved with them. For me, though, The Diviners was a disappointment on a promising premise that never played out to my satisfaction.

His Illegal Self by Peter Carey: His Illegal Self is not an easy story to read, and it’s tedious at times waiting for any sense of hope to come to its characters’ lives. It’s the characters that are the highlight of this novel, though, and Peter Carey’s expert handling of their relationships and emotions that binds it all together in a flurry of emotions that buffets the reader as well.

The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh: For the most part, The Hungry Tide is a compelling book about ordinary people bound together in an exotic place that can consume them all. It’s the basest of human emotions, love, jealousy, pride, and trust, that will make the difference. That’s a lesson we all can learn, again, as we follow Piya, Kanai, and Fokir into the heart of tide country.

Easter Island by Jennifer Vanderbes: Easter Island is a satisfying read that explores the mysteries of the human soul in the most isolated place in the world, the navel of the earth. Both Elsa and Greer find that searching for oneself can be fraught with peril, since no man, or woman, is an island.

Islands of Silence by Martin Booth: The chapters in this novel alternate between the present-day Alec and his story as a young man, striking out on his own as an archaeologist in 1914. The elder Alec tells of the discipline necessary to maintain his silence, the kindly doctor who wants to draw Alec out of his shell, his dreams that content or frighten him, and the horrors and evil he has seen in the past. He is a man most certainly sane, lucid in his thoughts, and convinced of the nature of evil that exists outside of his controlled environment.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer: If you only read perfect novels, then there would be very few books to read at all. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close can be uplifting and soul searing at different times. With the horrors and wounds of the 9/11 attacks still fresh, this novel may hit too close to home for some people. By the end of this book, how that awful day happened for all members of Oskar’s family is known, and beyond the pain lies hope, and Oskar is not as alone as he thinks he is. Oskar Schell’s story is one to cherish, and perhaps that metaphor for the lost innocence of the world is one we all ought to acknowledge and embrace.

Annette Lybacki hopes that you found this piece helpful and invites you to read her articles on Do You Need a DUI Lawyer? for some Hints and Tips on DUI Lawyers.

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Mar 09 2010

Unseen Academicals, Book Review

Category: 1 — Britt Hellman @ 5:43 pm

UK’s best-selling author Terry Pratchett’s latest novel Unseen Academicals (2009) is a parody on the cultural phenomenon of European football (soccer) and everything that surrounds it. As such, it may be better understood and enjoyed by Europeans than Americans; in particular since football hooliganism, a distinctly UK phenomenon, plays a central role in the story.

But really, the book is about so much more than football (soccer) and makes for fabulous entertainment for anybody, American or British. It is also a book about fashion super models (and their association with football super stars); pies of every conceivable variety (and their association with football fans); as well as goblins and orcs (association to football unknown).

In the hallmark Terry Pratchett tradition, things on the Discworld are just like in our own world, only hilariously exaggerated. Instead of cheerleaders, the Discworld has naiads dancing on the sidelines, and in the place of our tail-gate markets, there are cart-tail vendors.

The main character in Unseen Academicals is an orc named Nutt. As one of the few surviving members of a persecuted race, Nutt wins the favor of two of Discworld’s most prominent leaders, who wish to see the orcs survive.

It bears mentioning that the two leaders in question, Lord Vetinari and Lady Margolotta have been at this before. Their previous projects have included rock trolls, werewolves, golems, and vampires, all of which they assisted in becoming integrated and accepted members of human society.

As part of his process of merging into human society, Mr. Nutt has been assigned by Lady Margolotta to accumulate ‘worth.’ A task which he goes at with no restraints and in the process makes many friends and allies. Nutt’s co-worker Trev Likely stops at nothing to save his life when it’s in peril. And in the night kitchen of the Unseen University where he works, Nutt finds a romantic interest in Miss Glenda Sugarbean, supreme creator of the crusty onion pie and other gourmet delicacies.

Mr. Nutt so impresses his superiors at Unseen University with his strategic thinking and vast knowledge that they decide to place him in charge of the school’s new football team as its head coach. After that, there is no stopping the events that follow.

Unseen Academicals is a parody not only on European football (soccer) but also on food (especially pies), clothes and modeling, and the perplexing nature or human beings. So if you don’t wear clothes or eat food, then this book may not amuse you. But if you do, it will most assuredly provide you with barrels of laughs.

Britt Hellman resides in North Carolina with her husband and their three boys. She’s a professional copywriter and does book reviews as a hobby. Visit her web-site named after The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett, where you can order Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett and all the other 36 novels in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett.

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Mar 01 2010

Book Review: Spartan Gold

Category: Crime — Britt Hellman @ 5:18 pm

Spartan Gold is the first in a new series by New York Times bestseller Clive Cussler in cooperation with action novel writer Grant Blackwood.

Referred to as \”Fargo Adventures,\” the new series is, as the name suggests, based on the adventures of the Fargos, a married couple by the names of Sam and Remi.

After a few years of entrepreneurship early in life which made them a fortune, the Fargos have been able to devote their new lives to their main passion, archeological treasure hunting. And they generally let nothing and no one deter them from finding their prize.

While this new series features a new set of characters and a different venue – archeology – the typical Clive Cussler calling cards that we have come to expect still remain: Exotic foods and drinks, rare collectors\’ vehicles, and a lot of action taking place in water, above or below the surface.

Spartan Gold follows Sam and Remi on the trail of Napoleon Bonaparte and twelve bottles from his legendary lost wine cellar, each with a clue written in code on the back of the label.

Of course there are also adversaries to be faced and dealt with. A former Soviet freedom fighter turned mafia billionaire sends his hired hooligans to interfere with the Fargos\’ investigation, several times imperiling their very lives.

At the end of the trail await two ancient Greek statues of pure gold, which were looted from Greece by Persian conqueror Xerxes the Great. Bondaruk has discovered through genealogy research that he is a direct descendant of Xerxes, and believes the treasure is his rightful inheritance, never mind that is was stolen from Greece.

The riddles on the wine-bottles lead the Fargos and their adversaries from a WWII German submarine in the Great Pocomoke Swamp of Maryland to the Bahamas and through much of Europe including Monaco, Croatia, Italy, Germany, and Ukraine: not necessarily in that sequence.

Spartan Gold is a solid, action-filled treasure hunting novel in the spirit of The Da Vinci Code. It is also distinctly a Clive Cussler novel with all of what that entails. Another guaranteed New York Times bestseller, in other words.

Britt Hellman resides in North Carolina with her husband and three children. She runs her own copywriting business from home. Clive Cussler has been long time favorite author. Visit her dedicated Cussler site to order the Spartan Gold novel or read her review of the most recent Dirk Pitt novel, Arctic Drift by Clive Cussler.

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Mar 01 2010

The Wrecker by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott

Category: Travel and Leisure — Britt Hellman @ 4:23 pm

The Wrecker is the second novel in a new Western series by \”one of the greatest adventure novelists of our time\” (imdb). It promises to become perhaps the most popular Clive Cussler series yet. Because, let\’s face it, stories about the Wild West never lose their appeal to American (as well as International) audiences.

As with the first novel in the series, The Chase, the hero of The Wrecker is a detective named Isaac Bell who combines the sleuthing brilliance of Sherlock Holmes with the physical prowess and fearlessness of James Bond.

As luck would have it, Isaac Bell is an independently wealthy heir of a major American banking family, his detective work more of a passion and obsession than a job-for-money.

In The Wrecker, Isaac Bell gets hired to stop a saboteur targeting the Southern Pacific Railroad, threatening to financially \”derail\” the mega-corporation as they push to build a new and expensive cutoff track that will greatly decrease traveling time between the northern and southern portions of the American West Coast.

Reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes\’ arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty, the villain known as The Wrecker is nearly as brilliant as Isaac Bell himself. Unbeknownst to all, until the end of the book, The Wrecker hides in plain sight, right within the innermost circles of his adversaries.

The agenda of the Wrecker is to seize control of the Southern Pacific Railroad through various dummy corporations he has put in place, which will help him capture the fallout from Southern Pacific\’s impending bankruptcy. Not only that but it appears he plans to eventually to control the entire United States railroad system, the greatest source of billionaire wealth in America at the turn of the last century.

Set in the early twentieth century, the novel of course presents a golden opportunity for automobile enthusiast Clive Cussler to have fun with several classic automobiles from the age when the invention of the car was in its infancy and the experimental variety in styles was greater than ever in history.

Featured in The Wrecker, we find the winner of the 1908 New York to Paris race, the 1907 Model 35 Thomas Flyer, as well as a Packard Grey Wolf, a turn of the century Rolls Royce, Isaac Bell\’s Locomobile, and a Bugatti Type 41 Royale.

Although Clive Cussler may be best known for his love of diving and sea exploration, both through his fictional stories and non-fictional enterprises, he obviously also cherishes the rugged landscapes of the American West. Why else would he have chosen to live in the mountains of Colorado, as far from the sea as you can get in the United States?

The Wrecker gives a glimpse into this other side of Cussler, his love of the mountains and the still-not-entirely-tamed American West, a contagious passion that is likely to rub off on a whole new generation of Wild West enthusiasts and reinvigorate many old ones. The new Isaac Bell series may well be Clive Cussler\’s best work yet.

Britt Hellman lives in Western North Carolina with her husband and three sons, where she works as a professional copywriter. She writes book review as a hobby. Visit her site to order The Wrecker, or the latest Dirk Pitt novel, Arctic Drift, Clive Cussler.

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Feb 27 2010

Book Review: Arctic Drift, by Clive Cussler

Category: Crime — Britt Hellman @ 4:50 pm

Clive Cussler\’s Dirk Pitt novels often focus on one or more current geopolitical events. The latest one, Arctic Drift, is no different, centering on a worldwide financial crisis in 2011, coupled with global warming woes.

The crook in Arctic Drift is a Canadian energy empire billionaire by the name of Mitchell Goyette who is publicly admired for his green technology businesses, while concealing his heavy involvement in natural gas and oil.

Meanwhile, the United States faces an unprecedented financial crisis, made worse by the international threat of a trade boycott if the country does not find a way to cut greenhouse gas emissions from coal burning power plants. Canada, with its vast resources of natural gas, may hold the key to saving its southern neighbor.

The American president pins his hopes on Canadian natural gas to replace the coal used in many of the country\’s electricity generating power plants, as well as the gasoline used in cars. The U.S. would thereby make substantial savings on expensive imported oil, while at the same time being able to meet the international demand to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.

However, Goyette is in a perfect position to take advantage of the United State\’s desperate gamble, and he does so without conscience. To the Canadian public, Goyette is an environmental hero who invests millions in wind power and carbon sequestration. Unbeknownst to the masses, he\’s unscrupulously involved in every dirty industry that will make him more money, in particular the oil sands of Athabasca, Alberta, and the Melville natural gas fields of the Canadian Arctic, over which he has full control.

Promising the U.S. government a nearly unlimited supply of the Melville natural gas to help solve the American energy crisis, and consequently also the financial crisis brought on by soaring oil prices, Goyette underhandedly signs a secret deal with the Chinese to instead sell them the gas at 10% above market value, with no intention of keeping his word to the U.S.

(In reality, it seems a little farfetched that the American government would not have had an iron-clad, legally binding, written contract in place for a deal of this magnitude and importance. But it makes for a good story.)

However, Goyette\’s double-dealing with the U.S. and China may actually be the least of his crimes. He\’s also guilty of assassination, bribing politicians, creating toxic waste that kills people and wildlife, and almost instigating a war between the U.S. and Canada.

Of course, what Goyette fails to take into consideration is Dirk Pitt, the hero of twenty novels by Clive Cussler, including this most recent installment. In the end, Pitt manages to wreak havoc with all of Goyette\’s ill-willed plans.

Arctic Drift is an excellent and seamless co-authorship between Clive Cussler and his son, Dirk Cussler. It is hard to tell the penmanship of one apart from the other throughout the book. Whatever sections Dirk Cussler wrote, he did an excellent job of adopting Clive\’s inimitable style. (That\’s an intentional oxymoron.)

The book is an excellent and thrilling read; perhaps not cover-to-cover on-the-edge-of-your-seat excitement, as some of the older Dirk Pitt adventures. But the book makes up for it with a solid, steady and thoroughly enjoyable story that is brilliantly written, with thugs that are as sharp and capable as they are unscrupulous, and heroes as pure as Arctic ice.

Britt Hellman resides in Western North Carolina with her husband and three children. She runs her own copywriting business from home. Clive Cussler has been one of her favorite writers since reading his Trojan Odyssey in 2003 and she writes reviews like this one on Arctic Drift for the fun of sharing that excitement.

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Feb 27 2010

Terry Pratchett\’s The Light Fantastic

Category: Humor — Britt Hellman @ 12:38 am

Relatively unknown in America, Terry Pratchett was the number one best-selling author in Great Britain during the 1990\’s, and only J. K. Rowling has sold more books than Pratchett in the UK since 2000. The Light Fantastic is the classic second novel in his Discworld series from back in the 1980\’s when it all began.

Even though Pratchett\’s novels take place in an alternate universe, on a \”planet\” known as the Discworld, his books are really parodies on the peculiarities of our own world. The Light Fantastic pokes fun at the myths of Armageddon and the religious zeal it engenders in some people. Consequently, entranced, mindless throngs coalesce into book burning frenzies and fanatical lynch mobs.

Moving through all of this, we follow the (mis-)adventures of a \”failed\” wizard named Rincewind as he travels around the Discworld, trying to get away from anything that seems threatening, which covers just about everything.

Everything, that is, except the one thing that causes everyone else to panic: The new Red Star that has been showing up on the sky and keeps growing in intensity and heat. As Rincewind\’s friend Twoflower so aptly puts it: \”If there was anything at all to be frightened about, he\’d be frightened. But he\’s not. The star is just about the only thing I\’ve ever seen him not frightened of. If he\’s not worried, then take if it from me, there\’s nothing to worry about.\”

And naturally, Twoflower is correct in his assessment of the fate of the world by way of observing Rincewind, the Discworld\’s foremost expert on when to panic.

Rincewind and Twoflower\’s adventurous journey includes saving an unappreciative sacrificial virgin, visiting a forest of talking trees and a lair of friendly trolls, flying through the sky on a rock levitated by druid magic and through the universe in a magic gift store, and narrowly escaping the scythe of Death in the netherworlds: Things that are the stuff of myths and legends in our reality but almost commonplace on the Discworld.

However, what the story is really about is a \”lost\” magic spell that every wizard on Discworld is searching for. Together with the seven other spells from the magic book Octavo, it needs to be read at the appointed time in order to turn the tide of events, save the Discworld from destruction, and veer Great A\’Tuin away from the Red Star.

Great A\’Tuin, needless to say, is the enormous sea turtle carrying the Discworld on its back through the Universe. Just in case you were of the mistaken impression that all planets were spherical and revolved around stars.

The Light Fantastic is a great read and highly recommended, though I must caution, it requires great discipline in order to not laugh out loud if read in quiet public spaces such as libraries. It can be read as a standalone book or as part of the series.

Britt Hellman resides in Western North Carolina with her husband and three children. A professional copywriter, she writes and publishes book reviews as a hobby. In the late 1980\’s, her husband turned her onto the books by Terry Pratchett. Visit her website the-light-fantastic.info for a complete list of Terry Pratchett\’s Discworld novels, from The Color of Magic (1983) to Unseen Academicals (2009).

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Jul 25 2009

Miao People And Their Legends: The Rooster

Category: Humor — Clare Liu @ 8:25 pm
by Clare Liu

Why do roosters always crow in the morning? An interesting story told by Chinese Miao people explains this.

A long time ago, there were seven suns and seven moons in the sky that come out in turn to give people light and warmth. However one year, after a big fight among them, these seven suns and moons got very angry. So they came out together. Almost everything was destroy by the heat. The lakes and rivers dried up; the plants and crops died.

A man called Nuo Ya made a decision to help people out of this situation. He crafted a big bow and arrow with the branches and trunk of an old tree, then climbed to the top of the highest mountain to shoot the suns and moons. Soon, he shot down six suns and moons. Then Nuo Ya talked to himself: the sun is male, and the moon is female. I should keep each one of them for the world. So he stopped shooting and left.

It got immediately cooler without the six scorching six suns. But a new problem came: the sun and moon were afraid of being shot, so they hid and dared not appear. Without the sun and moon, the world was terribly dark and freezing.

People were very dismayed, and they complained to Nuo Ya, We can’t live like this! Nuo Ya asked them, In this world, who makes the biggest sound? We will let him to invite the sun and moon out. The men answered, A tiger’s voice is the biggest. So a tiger came to roar to the sky like thunder, which only scared the sun and the moon even more.

Nuo Ya asked again to his people, In this world, whose voice is the most beautiful? The girls answered, A rooster sings the most beautiful songs. We can ask him to call out to the sun and the moon.

The next morning, the rooster got up very early to sing loudly to the sky. His beautiful songs awoke the sun and moon, who winked their eyes and yawned. The rooster sang loudly again. The sun climbed in the sky and eventually came to the top of the mountain. The beautiful sunshine brought hope to the world. The excited people sang and danced around the beautiful rooster.

However the timid moon only liked to appear in the evening.

Today, almost every Miao family has a rooster in their home.

About the Author:
Author C. Liu has been writing about sterling silver jewelry, for years. Sometimes she endorses certain Miao artisans. Click over to her website to view some excellent fine silver jewelry.

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Jul 25 2009

Learn The Formula For Writing A Best Seller Based On A Fictional Hero

Category: Career — Sunny Skys @ 12:33 am
by Sunny Skys

Have you ever dreamed of writing a best-selling story? Just imagine writing a novel based on your character’s hero or heroine?

There are stories as diverse as Star Wars, Harry Potter, The Da Vinci Code, and The Color Purple along with most good action adventure, thriller, romance, fantasy and literary novels that use the classic mythical 12-part journey from zero to hero as their basic plot premise.

You must first establish parameters when telling a compelling story. Discover ways to start a story that will encourage sympathy from your reader. You should understand the heart and mindset of the hero or heroine.

Remember, in any good story you should examine the hero’s character and motivation because he must transcend his normal existence and be tested. The character’s separation from his ordinary world leads him to take the necessary plot to reach his goals.

How this metaphorical transformation can and must occur at the quarter point of the hero’s journey is the only way to ensure growth and eventual plot resolution. Knowing this will help you in all areas of fiction writing.

Writing is not just a way of entertaining readers, it is also a spiritual journey of enlightenment for the writer. At the midpoint in a story both the hero and the writer must be stretched to the limits of their imagination.

Explore the hero and the writer transformation at the crucial plot point. Ensure the reader is transported by our story, its plot elements and our character.

The ability of the character to overcome the obstacles and achieve the agendas set out at the beginning of the story is the ultimate reward. Structure and resolve character development. Create endings that leave your reader begging for more. It’s all part of the hero’s journey.

About the Author:
Would you like to learn the formula for writing success from the “World’s Foremost Writing Guru”? “The Hero’s Journey” is a tried and true course for successful writing. Use “The Hero’s Journey” as a template to drape your own story over and you will have sure-fire way to write a bestseller!

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