Feb 28 2010

In the Mail: The Truth About The Shround of Turin

The Truth About the Shroud of Turin: Solving the Mystery by Robert K. Wilcox

From the Inside Flap

Is the shroud of Turin—an ancient linen bearing the mysterious image of a man, purported to be Jesus of Nazareth—the ingenious work of an artist, or the true shroud of Christ? For centuries, this question has perplexed and enticed the most brilliant minds. Now, in The Truth about the Shroud of Turin: Solving the Mystery, journalist Robert K. Wilcox investigates every aspect of the shroud’s history, from the ancient Egyptian weave of the cloth to the possible role of radiation in forming the image on its surface. Drawing on evidence collected over thirty years of travel, interviews with experts, and painstaking research, Wilcox presents the full story of the shroud in astonishing detail. The shroud of Turin—a clever hoax or the authentic burial cloth of Jesus Christ? Read this reporter’s journey and discover the truth.

By Kevin Holtsberry • In The Mail • 1 • Tags: , , , , ,

Feb 27 2010

Barkbelly by Cat Weatherill

I was inspired by Wild Magic to check out more books by Cat Weatherill so I started with Barkbelly. I am not sure if it was my mood or the style of this particular work but it didn’t have quite the same – ahem – magic as I had hoped.

It is creative and again clearly influenced by oral storytelling but if feels a bit more like episodes tied together rather than a seamless story. The hook – an orphaned wooden boy seeking to find his place in the world – was interesting, and the story has some well done ingredients, but it just never quite “took off” for me.

Here is the teaser from the publisher:

One silver-starry night, a shiny, wooden egg falls from a flying machine high in the air . . . down, down, down through the midnight sky . . . down to the small village of Pumbleditch, where Barkbelly is born. Where he’s the only wooden boy. And where he’s the cause of a tragic accident.

Suddenly, Barkbelly’s only choice is to flee for his life—to run. As he tries to escape his haunting past, he faces extraordinary adventures and dangers. Every wooden step leads Barkbelly toward the dark and startling truth about where he comes from and the burning question of where he really belongs. With deliciously imaginative storytelling, Cat Weatherill creates an utterly magical world—and one wooden boy who’s sure to melt readers’ hearts.

More of my take below. (Some spoilers involved)

Keep Reading

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

Feb 26 2010

Leepike Ridge by N.D. Wilson

Cover of "Leepike Ridge"

Cover of Leepike Ridge

No matter what genre or style you prefer, no one expects every book to be perfect. But there are those books that come along that remind you – yes, this is why I keep reading.

This happens frequently enough for me that I keep going back to young adult fiction. The latest example is Leepike Ridge by N.D. Wilson.

I remember noting this book, and the positive reviews, at the time it was released – and I think I even added it to my Amazon Wish List – but never got around to reading it.

But when The Chestnut King: Book 3 of the 100 Cupboards came out this year it reminded me I wanted to read this author and figured I would start at the beginning before moving on the 100 Cupboards books.

I am glad I did as it turned out to be a great adventure with great characters and a unique author’s voice. A great read for any age.

Here is the basic plot stolen shamlessly from the School Library Journal:

Eleven-year-old Tom Hammond lives with his widowed mother in a windblown old house chained to the top of a gigantic rock. One night, unable to sleep, he heads down to the stream that borders their property, where he has left a heavy piece of refrigerator packing foam. What starts out as aimless drifting down quiet water turns deadly when Tom’s foam slab feeds into the rougher mountain water and he is pulled under a rock, ending up in an underwater cavern.

More of my thoughts below.

Keep Reading

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

Feb 26 2010

In the Mail: The Overnight Socialite

The Overnight Socialite by Bridie Clark

Publishers Weekly

Clark (Because She Can) moves the Pygmalion myth to Manhattan, adds a dash of Thelma and Louise and proves what goes around, comes around to those born to the manor or trailer park. Professor Higgins is recast as suave bachelor Wyatt Hayes IV, “the sleekest lion in the pride,” who picks down-on-her-luck fashion designer wannabe Lucy Jo Ellis to make over into the toast of the town. The deal is eventually struck—makeover and a shot at well-born fashion contacts for a gentleman’s bet that masks a lucrative and career-saving book deal. Along the way, these perfectly matched antagonists battle mean-as-a-snake society snoots and their own misguided ambitions to find happiness and each other. (And, it should be said, the “Rain in Spain” remix is pretty great: “The snow in Gstaad puts Aspen’s to shame!” the newly svelte and prepped Lucy proclaims.) Yes, of course the ending’s no surprise, but the rollicking, smart-aleck fun along the way is worth the price of admission.

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

Feb 25 2010

In the Mail: It’s A Don’s Life

It’s a Don’s Life by Mary Beard

In her now-famous blog, Mary Beard has made her name as a wickedly subversive commentator on the world in which we live. Her central themes are classics, universities, and teaching, but she covers many other topics:

  • What are academics for?
  • Who was the first African Roman emperor?
  • Looting, ancient and modern.
  • Are modern exams easier?
  • Keep Lesbos for the Lesbians.
  • Did St. Valenting exist?
  • What made the Romans laugh?

That is just a small tast of this selection (including some of the choicer responses posted) which will inform, occasionally provoke and cannot fail to entertain.

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

1 2 3 4 5 6