Oct 21 2009

Alex and the Ironic Gentleman by Adrienne Kress

Alex and the Ironic GentlemanOne of the drawbacks of the chaos of my life lately, is that I haven’t been able to participate in as many conversations about books and reading as I would like.  I read far too few book/literary blogs and only catch a small sliver of Twitter discussions, etc.

But I benefit from the little I am able to catch; often finding new authors and interesting books along the way.  Once such example is LitChat – “a fun, fast, and friendly way for booklovers to talk about books on Twitter.”

I try to catch their chats when I can and earlier this year I participated in a chat on young adult fiction (I think) and won an autographed copy of Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate by Adrienne Kress.  It seemed a good idea to read the first book in this series so I grabbed Alex and the Ironic Gentleman for my Kindle.  But I only got around to reading both books recently.

I clearly should have read them earlier as they are fun, imaginative and entertaining reads full of wit and adventure.

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By Kevin Holtsberry • Reviews • 0 • Tags: , , ,

Oct 20 2009

In the Mail

–> Stepmonster: A New Look at Why Real Stepmothers Think, Feel, and Act the Way We Do by Wednesday Martin

Library Journal

Martin has written an eye-opening book about the world of stepfamilies, with a focus on the stepmother. Her well-researched work delves into the animal world, fairy tales, psychology, and sociobiology as she examines from every angle the myth that a well-blended, happy stepfamily is easy to achieve. Sometimes offering differing points of view, she describes examples from animal and bird families, demonstrating the great diversity throughout the animal kingdom and the behavior of many creatures in nonnuclear families. Many animals are not leading the life portrayed in The Brady Bunch any more than the people with whom Martin talked. While the author admits that there are some families who manage to work well, she was reassured in her own role as stepmother that the frustrations she has experienced are not at all uncommon. Stepmothers, no matter how hard they try, are battling odds that appear to be stacked against them. Martin’s questions about the normality of her experience will help validate those who find themselves in a similar situation.

–> The Michael Jackson Tapes by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

From the Publisher

In 2000–2001, Michael Jackson sat down with his close friend and spiritual guide, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, to record what turned out to be the most intimate and revealing conversations of his life. It was Michael’s wish to bare his soul and unburden himself to a public that he knew was deeply suspicious of him. The resulting thirty hours are the basis of The Michael Jackson Tapes. There has never been, and never will be, anything like them.

In these searingly honest conversations, Michael exposes his emotional pain and profound loneliness, his longing to be loved, and the emptiness of his fame. You discover why he was suspicious of women and how only children provided the innocence for which he so desperately longed.

In his own words, he takes us into the jarring moments of his childhood and speaks of the measures he took to try and heal. He divulges how he came to be alienated from his strong religious anchor and describes his views on the nature of faith. Michael brings us into his tortured yet loving relationship with his siblings. He opens up about his father and his yearning for a time when they might finally reconcile. He talks about his most personal friendships and shares with us his terror of growing old.

Despite his unprecedented fame and recent death, there remain unanswered questions about his life. The answers, presented here in The Michael Jackson Tapes, will both intrigue and move you. You will be surprised, riveted, and troubled as you peer into the soul of a tragic icon whose life is an American morality tale and whose flame was extinguished much too early.

By Kevin Holtsberry • In The Mail • 0 • Tags: , , , ,

Oct 18 2009

In the Mail: Looking East

–>Children of Dust: A Memoir of Pakistanby Ali Eteraz

Publishers Weekly

Eteraz, known for his blog Islamophere, opens his memoir with a vivid description of his father promising Allah that if God bestowed him with a son, that boy “will become a great leader and servant of Islam.” The rest of the book finds Eteraz, whose given name is Abir ul Islam (which translates as “Perfume of Islam”) trying to come to terms with his father’s mannat, or covenant, and understand the role that Islam will play in his life as well as the role he will play for Islam. Born in Pakistan but raised in the U.S. from age 10, Eteraz moves easily between describing the holy history and tenets of his faith while exploring and explaining the differences between the Islamic world and Western society. As Eteraz’s feelings for Islam change to fit his evolving personal, political and religious views, readers get a glimpse of all aspects of this hot-topic religion, from fundamentalism to reformism, salafism and secularism. A gifted writer and scholar, Eteraz is able to create a true-life Islamic bildungsroman as he effortlessly conveys his coming-of-age tale while educating the reader. When his religious awakening finally occurs, his catharsis transcends the page.

–> The Last Empress: Madame Chiang Kai-shek and the Birth of Modern China by Hannah Pakula

Publishers Weekly

Pakula, an experienced biographer of royal women (An Uncommon Woman: The Empress Frederick), looks at the imperious (if not imperial) wife of the Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek, presenting a richly complex account of 20th-century China that, despite its length, remains thoroughly engrossing to the end. Born May-ling Soong (1897–2003) and educated in America, Madame Chiang and her five Soong siblings were wealthy, Christian, fluent in English and major players in Chinese politics. Marrying Chiang Kai-shek in 1927, the strong-minded and hot-tempered, shrewd and ruthless May-ling quickly became a partner in his efforts as Chinese leader until the Japanese invaded, and then in 1945 when Mao’s Communists drove him to Formosa (modern-day Taiwan), which he ruled until his death in 1975. From the 1930s to 1950s, Americans idolized Madame Chiang as a symbol of Chinese resistance to the brutal Japanese and as an anticommunist stalwart. But critics of her and Chiang’s ineffective, authoritarian, corrupt leadership soon became the majority. Pakula draws a vivid if often unflattering portrait of a charismatic Chinese patriot, her husband and family, in tumultuous and tragic times.

By Kevin Holtsberry • In The Mail • 0 • Tags: , , , ,

Oct 16 2009

The Little General and the Giant Snowflake by Matthea Harvey

Little GeneralI have been reading a lot of young adult fiction of late and have also found myself interested in children’s stories; new and old, classic and experimental, picture books and longer stories.  (Having small children will  do that to you I guess.)

So when I heard about The Little General and the Giant Snowflake I was intrigued.  Here is the publisher‘s blurb:

The Little General and the Giant Snowflake is a beautifully illustrated allegory by a leading poet, perfect for children and adults alike. The little general heads an army called the Realists, and every day he and his troops practice battle formations on a field, while the Dreamers use it to play strange, peaceful games. His soldiers include Sergeant Samantha, wishes the general would pay attention to her, and Lieutenant Lyle, who always seems to get into trouble. One day the little general sees a giant snowflake hovering in his garden. Ashamed, he pretends not to see it, but eventually he discovers that everyone in his army has a similar problem. What magical message is the snowflake trying to bring to the general, and to the world?

It turned out to be a sort of mix between an idealistic – almost naive – allegory and an absurdest story.

You have the appropriately named Little General who has suppressed his imagination and the rather tall Sergeant Samantha who has a crush on him.  And there is Lieutenant Lyle who likes to sing silly songs but is not very good at military marches.

The General leads the realist army while the idealists play make believe with imaginary animals nearby.  There is no real war or battle just two camps side by side.  The Realists do practive various marches under the general’s guidance but they have never actually engaged the enemy.

But this regimen is interrupted when the general encounters a large snowflake and starts dreaming about lemmings.

Spoiler Alert!

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By Kevin Holtsberry • Reviews • 0 • Tags: , , ,

Oct 14 2009

The Magician by Michael Scott

Cover of "The Magician: The Secrets of th...

Cover via Amazon

Here is how I descirbed the first book in Michael Scott’s The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series (The Alchemyst):

It turned out to be a grand adventure.  Not the most believable story, for sure, but imaginative and entertaining.

I think that was an accurate statement, but interestingly enough, this series has really grown on me.  The second book, The Magician, turned out to be a even faster paced and more engaging read.

Here is Booklists take:

The Alchemyst (2007), the first book in The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series,  introduced a wide-ranging group of historical figures who have achieved immortality and are engaged in a present-day struggle for the fate of the world. This second entry picks up exactly where the first left off. Allied with the legendary Nicholas Flamel  on the “good” side are teenage twins Sophie and Josh, who are supremely gifted but with powers that are untrained. Countering them is a new archvillain, Niccolò Machiavelli, who, along with other figures from history and legend (Joan of Arc, a trio of Valkyries), swells the already impressive cast. Plundering every imaginable culture of their heroes and heroines is a clever feat, sure to draw all manner of historically and mythologically minded readers. One weakness starts to show through, however. In a six-book series such as this, each installment begins to feel like a lengthy, glorified chapter rather than its own book complete with a satisfying story arc and resolution. That said, this keeps the pace as an exciting and impeccably thought-out fantasy, well suited for those left in the lurch by Harry Potter’s recent exeunt.

I think Booklist captures the pros and cons of this series well.  As noted, the overall plot is of course ridiculous – as any conspiracy that purports to explain the history of the universe and involves mankind being kept in the dark for millenia is bound to be.  And the books have the feel more of large chapter books rather than stand alone novels.

But once you plunge into them and accept these limits they are really great entertainment.  You are just focused on the characters – the reoccurring ones and the ones that Scott keeps blending in – and the race to capture Flamel and the twins.  Scott keeps enough murkey that there is good tension – wondering where everyone’s loyalty lies and what trap might be sprung when you aren’t looking.

Scott has taken a clever hook and managed to keep both the pace and the interest in the characters and the larger story line over the course of a number of large books.  That is not as easy as it looks.  It would have been easy for the creativity to dry up and the story to bog down – or for the reader to get tired of the chase – but I found myself furtively reading every chance I get to find out what was going to happen next and to find some clues about the larger mystery at the heart of the battle for the fate of earth.

But at its most basic it is really just a good fantasy action adventure story.  Interesting good guys and bad guys – and somewhere in between – battling it out across the world using magical powers and the knowledge gained from immortality.  Basic stuff: good versus evil on an epic scale.

My wife and I have both now plowed through the series and are annoyed we have to wait until May 2010 for the next book.  So if you haven’t yet discovered it, I recommend the series for those that love fantasy action adventures (young or old).

For more information also see the Random House site.

Note to authors and publicists: giving away the first book in order to entice readers to read and purchase the whole series works.  This is exactly how I came to be a fan.  Free Kindle version of the first book led me to buy the next book.

By Kevin Holtsberry • Reviews • 0 • Tags: , , , ,

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