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

Lethal Warriors for sale at You Are What You Read Book Store

LEARN MORE:

Journalist: David Philipps

Old City Hall by Robert Rotenberg

Author, Robert Rotenberg, is a native of Toronto who brings his years of experience as a criminal lawyer and a radio producer for the CBC together to create a highly readable work of fiction titled OLD CITY HALL.


I really loved this book. First of all the city itself, Toronto, becomes a living breathing character in its own right under the writing skills of Rotenberg. And Rotenberg's characters are truly three dimensional people that the reader will identify with and care about.


Although the book follows the formula pattern for traditional criminal thrillers, Old City Hall is definitely going to take you on some very unexpected twists and turns.


I call this one a page turner and I am delighted that this will be an ongoing series.

 1/2

(3.5 out of 5 stars)  




Old City Hall on sale at You Are What You Read Book Store

LEARN MORE:





Author's Website : Robert Rotenberg

Old City Hill: Toronto


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See How Much I Love You by Luis Leante

See How Much I Love You  by Luis Leante (Translation by Martin Schifino ) is an enticing tale of love between two Barcelona teenagers, Montse and Santiago,  that spans thirty years.

I would not dare call this book a romance novel; definitely, the wrong genre, but it is a love story. And the backdrop of the Western Sahara leads the reader into a world that few of us truly understand.

The plot has the impact of a thriller novel. (So much so,  that I have passed my copy on to my husband.)

Santiago escapes to the Spanish military in 1975 and is stationed in Spain's only African colony. Unlike his fellow soldiers, Santiago is befriended by the native Sahawari people. When General Franco dies, Spain pulls out of the colony and Santiago chooses to stay to help his Sahawari friends as Morocco invades their land.

Montse discovers a photo of Santiago thirty years after the conflict and goes on a life threatening quest to find him.

This book has been compared to Michael Ondaatje's   The English Patient by the INternational Literature Festival of Berlin 2010. ( 1 )

The translation is flawless, the story is gripping and the author's cause behind the writing of this story is enlightening.



(4 out of 5 stars)

See How Much I Love You available at You Are What You Read Book Store


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Luis Leante teaches classic in a high school in Alicante. He holds a degree in Classical Philology from the University of Murcia. He has written six novels and two novels for children. See How Much I Love You was inspired by a 2005 humanitarian trip to the Western Sahara. In 2007 it won the Alfaguawa priza for fiction.

The Whispers of the Tribe (Author's Blog via Google translator)



LEARN MORE:

Sahawari Women of the Western Sahara

National Union of Sahawari Women

ZEINA - Blog by two Sahawari women

glitter-graphics.com

The Lost Child by John Hart

The Last Child by John Hart is the story of a thirteen year old child's quest to find his missing twin sister.



Being that I am a parent... I usually do not seek out tales involving child abduction; just way too scary a subject to contemplate. Now that being said, Hart's page turning suspenseful plot touches at the deepest core of human emotions: profound grief and how one comes to terms with catastrophic loss. I am glad I took the time to read this book.


John Hart accurately portrays subjects such as domestic violence, drug abuse, and child neglect. Hart's characters struggle with the limitations encountered in law enforcement and child protection agencies.


If you are a fan of murder mysteries and well polished suspense novels, this book will keep you on your toes with unexpected twists and surprising turns from the first to the final page.


 
(3 out of 5 stars)


The Last Child available at You Are What You Read Book Store

LEARN MORE:

JOHN HART: Author's Official Web Site

glitter-graphics.com

Scars and Stilettos: The Transformation of an Exotic Dancer by Harmony Dust

The story of Harmony Dust is frankly honest and compelling.



I could not put the book down.


She truly describes the life altering trauma of sexual abuse and how a person can succumb to life in the sex industry.


She found her way out through a spiritual conversion.


The telling of her conversion is never preachy, just simple and real.


She turns her suffering into a labor of love by establishing an outreach ministry to other sex workers.






I highly recommend this book, and would (if I could) make this mandated reading for professionals in the field of treating people who have experienced the trauma of sexual abuse.




(4 out of 5 stars)

Scars and Stillettos available at You Are What You Read Book Store

Learn more about the author's outreach program here: TREASURES

The Good Plain Cook by Bethan Roberts

   The Good Plain Cook by Bethan Roberts 

AVAILABLE: November 2009

Life is lived through the simple small tasks of daily life...


the making of a cup of tea,


peeling potatoes,


going for a walk...


The Good Plain Cook  demonstrates author, Bethan Roberts',  talent for telling a story simply and in eloquent detail through the experiences of a young "plain cook" named Kitty. Roberts creates mood and scene with just the perfect balance of words that set cinematic views for the reader without burdening the text. She has crafted a convincing quietude that magnifies the eccentric lifestyle of "champagne socialist" Ellen Steinberg, her Marxist poet lover, Mr. Crane, and Steinberg's lonely daughter, Geenie. This little group of "bohemians" reside in a  cottage out in the English countryside during the summer of 1936.


This story is loosely based on the life of art collector Peggy Guggenheim.


I found the book to be an enjoyable read... just like a good home cooked meal.

(4 out of 5 stars)

The Good Plain Cook available at You Are What You Read Book Store

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Bethan Roberts

The Angelic Way by Rami Shapiro

There are times when I am so grateful to receive advanced reading copies of soon to be published books.

This is one of those times.

The Angelic Way: Angels through the Ages and Their Meaning for Us by Rami Shapiro is a scholarly work that is highly readable and quite thought provoking.

How fascinating was this work?

Let's put it this way... I wrote 18 pages of notes to myself about topics from Shapiro's text. I am not parting with my copy of this book, no way.

Rabbi Rami Shapiro defines angels as a metaphor (or symbol) used to describe the human ability to transecend our "ego-centered mind" into a "God centered conciousness".

Being that I am a Catholic reader I could not accept Shapiro's stance that angels exist only as myth.
Yet, not once, did I take issue with his thesis. In the end the emphasis is placed upon each individual's ability to let go of the self (ego) and embrace joining with the Divine.

Shapiro's approach is ecumenical or what you maycall interfaith. He opens the doors for addressing the history of angels from a wealth of knowledge from many religious perspectives. His work is firmly rooted in the study of mythology with reference to the powerful work of Joseph Campbell.

Unlike the overflowing miasma on book store shelves of pop culture angels compartmentalized into simplistic explanations used to serve  authors '  needs to appease a reading population that wants quick fix spirituality...

Shapiro's text is a fine work of scholarship that appeals to the reader's intellect.  The Angelic Way: Angels through the Ages and Their Meaning for Us  is written with such clarity that it encompasses complex concepts that are accessible to the unitiated theological reader.

And with that being said, I am going to hit my notes and start exploring the new worlds that author, Shapiro< has introduced to this avid reader.

ENJOY!

(4 out of 5 stars)

The Angelic Way available at You Are What You Read Book Store

Publication Date: 10/30/09



Learn More:

AUTHOR'S BLOG:   Rabbi Rami

Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell

Last of my 2009 summer reads.
(boohoo... back to more serious reading now)

I really liked this one. Lots of loose ends tied up from the last Scarpetta story, but...

an editor! An editor! This story needs someone to chop away at least 25% of this book. Annoying nuisances pop up like repetitious sentences, the criminal deluge of adverbs... and rehashing the plot progress too much.

What happens to editors when they have to deal with best selling authors? Actors need their directors and authors need their editors to pull in the reins and do all that fancy schmancy editorial stuff.

Sigh.

Of course, who am I to critique when I have never written a book?

Well...

I've read a ton of them including Patricia Cornwell's novels.

I'll be eagerly awaiting the next in the Scarpetta series.

Please, please make this avid reader want to give Dr. Kay a four star review.

(3 out of 5 stars)

Scarpetta available at You Are What You Read Book Store

LEARN MORE:

Official Patricia Cornwell Site http://www.patriciacornwell.com/

From the Dust Returned: A Novel by Ray Bradbury

You have to read From the Dust Returned: A Novel by Ray Bradbury with the Charles Addams cover artwork.

Bradbury had planned to do collaborative work with the Addams family artist, but the plan never came completely to fruition. You have here the author who has inspired countless science fiction authors, and the artist whose work has obviously influenced artists like Timothy Burton.

Bradbury shares in his Afterword that the characters from this book, the Elliot family, started as imaginary characters when he was 7 years old. Character portraits are based on loving memories of his own family and special Halloween celebrations devised by his Aunt Neva. The love for these happy memories and family shine through the writing.


I found that reading this book made me reminiscent of the days in my youth where I could curl up with a book on an endless summer day without any interruptions or responsibilities hanging over my head. The language is beautiful, and the plot is simple.

The only criticism I can offer is that the chapters are obviously "taped together" works of short stories ranging from 1946 to 2000. The throughline chapters are not always satisfying.

(4 out of 5 stars)

Five stars for the poetry of Bradbury's eloquence, and two stars for the continuity.

From the Dust Returned available at You Are What You Read Book Store

LEARN MORE:

Ray Bradbury Official Site ( http://www.raybradbury.com/ )

Mayo Clinic Guide to Living with a Spinal Cord Injury

Patients with spinal cord injuries (SCI) are now having shortened hospital stays. The result of this circumstance is less time in hospital for patient education. The Mayo Clinic Guide to Living with a Spinal Cord Injury: Moving Ahead with Your Life is an outstanding educational resource for patient and family use that offers the extensive information needed to help a SCI patient on the path to recovery.

Anyone who has had a major health crisis with permanently life altering effects can attest to the mind numbing shock that occurs immediately after the doctor shares the news. Patients are deluged with information in an effort to start the healing process promptly.

Speaking from my personal experience from the day I was newly diagonsed with systemic lupus... I can vividly recall all the overwhelming changes occurring with no time for my mind to catch up. I was seeing numerous specialists, being prescribed medications, having to make abrupt lifestyle changes and being recommended books to purchase, websites to visit, handouts to read... everything getting lost in a clutters of papers because I was too confused by the immediate situation.

I wish I had had a manual like Mayo Clinic Guide to Living with a Spinal Cord Injury: Moving Ahead with Your Life . This manual takes all those informational handouts and gathers them together in a highly readable and organized manner. The emphasis for SCI treatment is patient AND family involvement for a successful rehabilitation. The handbook is written to include the patient's caregivers (who usually are family). The writing is concise and addresses topics that I would think many patients would either be too embarrassed to discuss... or wouldn't even had thought to ask questions about.

Beyond the educational value for patient and family, this book would definitely be beneficial as an instruction manual medical social workers. The book outlines a multitude of social and emotional challenges that a SCI patient and family will face. As a social worker I would definitely use this book in counseling sessions as a springboard for discussion.

(4 out of 5 stars)

Mayo Clinic Guide to Living with a Spinal Cord Injury is available at LBL Book Store

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Mayo Clinic

http://www.mayoclinic.org/spinal-cord-injury-rehabilitation/

Paralyzed Veterans of America http://www.pva.org/site/PageServer