The Empty Chair by Jeffery Deaver

I have always made a habit of reading only one book per year by certain novelists. On that list include my favorite "treats"; Patricia Cornwall, Stephen King, John Grisham, Jonathan Kellerman ... just to name a few. I really enjoy the books by these authors, but reading  too many of their in a short span can be like too much cheesecake. You can love the cheesecake, but one slice usually does the trick.

I feel bad about this but, Jeffery Deaver is going to have to go on my occasional "treats" list.

My husband and I discovered his books over the past year, and I read a bunch of them in a short time. Unfortunately, when you do that with a mystery author... you get to know the writing style a little too well.

So  The Empty Chair will be really absorbing for those of you new to the Lincoln Rhyme series.  In my opinion, though, The Empty Chair is not one of the best. I felt that I had to go through 300 pages until things really got humming along.

Just a bit of advice... do try the BONE COLLECTOR if your are new to Lincoln Rhyme and his lovely red haired companion, Amelia Sachs. You'll get all the backs story you need to get you started.

ENJOY!

3 out of 5 stars

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LEARN MORE:

jefferydeaver.com/

Sherry and Narcotics by Nina-Marie Gardner

Sherry & Narcotics is an outstanding debut novel by author, Nina- Marie Gardner.

Intelligently written with not one word wasted, Gardner has created a fictionalized version of her own experiences with addiction, a love affair gone wrong with a well known writer, and feeling purposeless in a foreign country.

Gardner describes her writing as "chic-lit noir"; the anti-thesis to the popular women's fiction genre of perfect women shopping for the perfect handbag and living perfectly ever after.

Underneath the driving plot is an unflinching view of alcoholism and living life carelessly on a precipice of failure.

4 out of 5 stars

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LEARN MORE:

ninamariegardner.com

Deadly Indifference: The Perfect (Political) Storm by Michael D. Brown & Ted Schwarz

 Deadly Indefference: The Perfect (Political) Storm: Hurricane Katrina, The Bush White House, and Beyond  provides Michael D. Brown's rebuttal to criticisms of his performance as head of FEMA during the Hurricane Katrina crisis.

Brown (better known by the George W. Bush anointed nickname of "Brownie") hurls blame anywhere where it may stick. Yes, there is plenty of blame to toss around, but what Brown completely fails to do is to take accountability for his lack of leadership during the crisis.

 And, even worse, Michael D. Brown sinks so low as to blame the "welfare state" for allowing people in poverty to become dependent on resources within their own community. (I kid you not!) instead of them driving around and knowing how to navigate the city and its outlying suburbs like well heeled suburbanites. The "welfare state" people who did not have the resources to evacuate themselves because... um... Mr. Brown... they live in poverty and they are usually one financial misstep away from ruin. Oh, and they usually do not have the luxury of owning a car, let alone financing the fueling, paperwork, and maintenance of such a car. No, they have to take those stupid public transportation vehicles... like buses. I guess if an author is going to blame everyone, but himself... he might as well blame the victims who were hardest hit.

FEMA was responsible for planning prior to a disaster. FEMA under the guidance of Michael D. Brown did fail to plan for the rescue and after care of the neediest members of society.

In this book Brown proves to be as flippant and out of touch with the realities of the needs of the survivors of Hurricane Katrina as his critics purported.  His use of adjectives like "sexy" in the context of this book shows a serious lack of gravitas towards the reality that he is writing about the worst natural disaster in the United States and the fact that some people may very well have died due to his lack of leadership.

Deadly Indifference  does successfully reveal the flaws in combining Homeland Security with FEMA. Financial resources were drained from FEMA during the Bush administration's "War on Terror". This flaw in planning was plain to see during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

What is not acknowledged in this book is that in November 2005, the United States House of Representatives determined that Michael D. Brown lacked the leadership skills necessary for his government position.( http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2005/images/11/03/brown.emails.analysis.pdf ) This determination was based on Brown's much publicized e-mails during the crisis. Deadly Indifference does not even mention these now infamous e-mails.

I highly recommend this book as a cautionary warning to all of us regarding the lack of servitude of many of those entrusted as public servants.

2.5 out of 5 stars

Deadly Indifference on sale now at You Are What You Read Book Store

LEARN MORE:

"Can I quit now?" CNN.com 11/04/2005

A Punch Line Who Refuses to Go Away N.Y. Times 8-25-2006

http://www.michaelbrowntoday.com/

Doctor Confidential: Secrets Behind the Veil by Richard Shef

ARC

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

Doctor Confidential: Secrets Behind the Wall by Richard Sheff, M.D. offers readers an opportunity to vicariously share in the experiences of a medical student in training.

Dr. Sheff shows the emotional wounds that doctors garner through the highly pressured years of their medical school education. In order to survive student doctors are forced to build up emotional walls by the time they walk out with a degree. In reality these doctors have become wounded healers.

Not until the reader is deep into the book, does it become apparent just how much Dr. Sheff suffered personally by witnessing medical treatments done wrong, horribly callous doctors, and by the mistakes that Sheff himself had made.

I am a lupus patient with years of perpetual doctor visits and treatments. Some of the book reignited my own emotional pain from the suffering I had experienced by rigid insensitive doctors. And in turn, I found an even deeper gratitude for my doctors who are truly gifted healers.

Dr. Sheff points out that it is not necessarily the medical treatment that helps the healing, but that healing happens within the relationship between doctor and patient.

I found this to be an engaging read that would most likely appeal to a young adult audience that is interested in a career in medicine.


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3 out of 5 stars


Doctor Confidential: Secrets Behind the Veil available at our bookstore!


LEARN MORE about the Author at: ricksheffmd.com

A Life On the Road by Charles Kurault

We need more journalists like Charles Kuralt. Engaging, professional and an outstanding storyteller, Kuralt left me reminiscent for the days when television news reporting was actual journalism and where good news could still nab the undivided attention of American viewers. 


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A LIFE ON THE ROAD available at You Are What You Read Bookstore

Waltzing with the Enemy by Rasia Kliot & Helen Mitsios

Waltzing With the Enemy: A Mother and Daughter Confront the Aftermath of the Holocaust

ARC Review

This book is a dual memoir written by a mother, Raisa Kliot, and her daughter, Helen Mitsios.

Raisa Kliot was an Eastern European Jewish woman who survived the Holocaust by hiding often times in plain sight, thus the title "Waltzing with the Enemy".

Raisa's story is unlike the published memoirs that I have read thus far about Jewish survivors. She was seventeen when the Nazis invaded her family home and sent her family to the Vilnius ghetto. Raisa's bold survival was definitely due to the feeling of invulnerability and survival drive of the young. An older person probably would not have survived Raisa's journey.

Raisa tells her story in a clear compelling voice without any sentimentality. Her story is a page turner and for that I give Raisa's story 5 stars.

The trouble with the book enters in the second half; Helen Mitsios' sharing her own story of growing up not knowing anything of her mother Raisa's history.

Helen Mitsios' story had the potential to be as compelling as Raisa's, but the writing lacked the clear sighted through line to keep the reader moving.

Helen's story is scattered with what appear to be random details that cause distraction instead of adding depth to her recollections.

When someone is so close to the story, it might have been prudent to have added a biographer into the writing team.

I was quite sorry to see this because Waltzing with the Enemy is a valuable contribution to the voices of Jewish survivors of the Holocaust. Especially of those like Raisa who had to create a new identity and felt compelled to continue that false identity even after decades of life in safety.

So the book in total; is rated 3 out of 5 stars simply for the fact that the second half of the book diverges so far from the quality of Raisa's story. 

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Waltzing with the Enemy on sale now at You Are What You Read Bookstore

Video: Waltzing with the Enemy narrated by Helen Mitsios

CLARA'S WAR: One Girl's Story of Survival by Clara Kramer

Clara's War : One Girl's Story of Survival   left me absolutely humbled.


Once in a great while you come upon a book that will completely change your perspective on life. This book certainly taught me how much in life is taken for granted.


With the skilled writing of Stephen Glantz, Clara Kramer shares her story with simplicity and humility.


I could not put this book down... and I continue to think and talk about Clara's story. I do not want to give anything away.


Suffice it to say... this book needs to be on every person's Must Read list.

5 out of 5 stars


Clara's War on sale at You Are What You Read Book Store






note: I read the hc edition which included photographs from the past, as well as, current photos of Clara and some survivors.

LETHAL WARRIORS by David Philipps

I had no idea. I had no idea how bad, no, not bad... horrific the situation is for our soldiers.

Yes, I have read books about war; fictional, historical, biographical and autobiographical. Yet,  Lethal Warriors by David Philipps  has created a gut wrenching depiction of the very real toll suffered by American soldiers. And it is happening right now.

This book is a page turner but, I had to read the book slowly needing several breaks as the story of the 506th Infantry Regiment brought me to tears and deep soul searching.

This book MUST be mandatory reading for all Americans. When we beat the drum to wage war, we truly have not taken into account the devastation that we create. War crimes are committed, and returning soldiers bring home the war effecting not just themselves, but their families and their community. The military trains young people to become killers and then provides nothing useful to return soldiers to life outside of the war zone. America is failing those sent out to defend it.

I am grateful that I received this copy as a Librarything.com Early Reviewer, and all I can say is this book better be on the #1 best selling slot for non-fiction. A life changing read.

5 out of 5 stars

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LEARN MORE:

Journalist: David Philipps