RebeccasReads

101 Ways To Be A Long Distance Super Dad… or Mom, Too!

George Newman
Robert D. Reed (2006)
ISBN 9780939894024
Reviewed by Gina Holland for RebeccasReads (5/08)

Do you ever wonder how mothers, fathers and children of divorce make it in today’s world? Do the parents communicate well with the children? Do they fight over the children? Does one parent keep the other from talking to the children?

I know a lot of divorced parents and most of them share custody of their children. There are very few children who go through the tragedy of a father or mother not wanting to, or not making an effort to see them.  Here is one example of a couple that was married for fifteen years.  The father decided to be with another woman.  Though not long distance, he did leave his wife and children for this other woman. In his mind, he only cheated on his wife, not the children; he refused to believe that his adulterous relationship had any effect on them whatsoever. Though the mother was willing to let the father come to the house and see the children, the girlfriend would not let him see the children at all. The sad part is that the father lived and worked only ten minutes away from his children. He didn’t try to show his children that he loved them no matter what happened between him and his wife. This is a sad case and doesn’t always happen in marriages but it does happen.

I believe that this book, “101 Ways To Be A Long Distance Super Dad… or Mom Too!” gives us great tips on how to communicate with our children if we are divorced, and if one of us has moved away to another state, etc. This book explains how to find out about children’s interests and likes so that if the relationship were long distance, it would be easier to keep the children interested in a phone conversation. Plus, it will also let the kids know that we are interested enough in them to take the time to find out what they like and dislike. Your relationship with your child is the most important, or should be the most important thing in your life. Let’s not forget that today we have computers, which makes communication a lot easier. We learn in this book that we can keep in touch with the children by email and fax. We can also play games online with our children if we are long distance from them. These little things can make a child very happy. They just want time and love from you, no matter where you are.

George Newman has put together a great book for us, so that times like these can be easier and fun for our children and us. He lets us know that no matter how far we are from our kids, we can reassure them, that we can love and care for them. They don’t have to be a statistic whose parents never bother to see them after a divorce.  I, for one, thank George Newman for this book.  I know a lot of parents who have enjoyed it. I give it a “thumbs up” and hope that he brings us more books like “101 Ways To Be A Long Distance Super Dad… or Mom Too!” in the future.

Coils of the Serpent

Raymond Clark Lutz
Infinity Publishing (2007)
ISBN 9780741442284
Reviewed by LuAnn Morgan for RebeccasReads (5/08)

It’s been a bone of contention for many, many years. On the one side, churches have denounced the ideas of evolution as they proclaim the Bible’s explanation of how man came to inhabit the Earth as the absolute truth.  The other side is flanked by scientific thought, saying the idea of a divine Creator has no merit in a world where proof is needed.

Now, along comes Raymond Clark Lutz, who has merged the two theories into “Coils of the Serpent.” Although a work of fiction, Lutz has studied both ideas and utilizes actual writings to weave the plot of this fascinating tale.  The story revolves around three friends who met though a book group. They begin discussing the differences between the two theories and cannot seem to come to a meeting of minds, per se, on the topic. One day, a stranger appears and challenges them to find proof of DNA in God’s Word.

Thus begins a startling quest to discover once and for all how man was created. The plan is thwarted by a group of fundamental Christians who run a camp for troubled youth. One of the three friends is clearly a believer in Creationism and is perplexed by his angry feelings as the others try to sway his beliefs. Although having agreed not to discuss their research with outsiders, he takes his questions to his minister, who then talks to the Bishop about them. Unbeknownst to any of them, the Bishop is behind the youth camp and has some fairly shady dealings with the government.

As the story unfolds, the intrigue builds. It soon becomes a  hard book to put down.
Written in short, punchy chapters, Lutz draws the reader into the book and doesn’t let go. Before you know it, you are so enthralled with his ideas you will continue to read long past when you should have taken a break.

Even though this is a fascinating study of Creationism and Evolution, it’s not a book you can read quickly. Lutz takes the time to explain the concepts of DNA and the fall of man. The reader would do well to think about what Lutz is saying in order to understand the plot.

I found this book particularly intriguing. While studying for my degree in social sciences, my anthropology instructor once said that, someday, a connection would be found between these exact same theories. Armed with that belief, I dove into this book with enthusiasm.  Whether or not I agree with Lutz’s take on the ideas, I truly enjoyed the way this story played out. I especially liked watching the three friends as they worked to resolve their differences, while at the same time, attempting to maintain the camaraderie that is being threatened by their opposing viewpoints.

Due to the technical explanations Lutz provides, “Coils of the Serpent” did take longer to read than most, but it is well worth the time. Readers on both sides of the fence will find something to like about this tale.

101 Quick-Thinking Games and Riddles for Children (SmartFun Activity Books)

Allison Bartl
Hunter House (2008)
ISBN 9780897934978
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (5/08)

“101 Quick-Thinking Games and Riddles for Children” is a collection of games and riddles designed to “encourage concentration, reasoning, patience, an understanding of numbers, the use of logic, and working with letters and words.  They enhance memory skills.  They help to develop social abilities and teamwork.” (p.1)  The activities in the book are designed for teachers of children age six through ten.

From a quick glance in the corner of each activity’s page you can tell whether or not this activity will work for you by the icons pictured there.  There are icons telling the size of the group needed, whether or not props or space are required, if there is physical contact involved or if it is an outdoor activity.  The icons are very beneficial in that you do not have to take the time to read through each description in order to find out if the game is something that would be applicable to your situation.

The first part of the book has 101 games and then the second part of the book has 65 riddles.  The games start out fairly simple with one called “Quick Lineup” in which children are split into two groups.  Each child writes down a number on a piece of paper and then everyone in each group lines up in numerical order.  The first group that completes the task is the winner. 

The games become increasingly more challenging and end with an activity called “Mystery Letter” in which one child goes outside the room and the remaining children decide on a “secret letter.”  When the child comes back into the room he asks the other children up to ten questions which the children answer using the letter somewhere in the word.  The guessing child attempts to find the connections and guess the letter. 

The author, Allison Bartl, is the author of many books for children, some of which are of similar format to this one.  She is an experienced elementary-school teacher so she definitely has the background necessary to create fun, educational activities for this age group.  Though most of the activities are geared toward children in a classroom setting the majority of the activities can be modified so that parents can utilize these ideas at home with their children.  “101 Quick-Thinking Games and Riddles for Children” contains a lot of creative, fresh ideas and I think that any teacher, parent, or group leader would find numerous activities inside that they would be able to use!

101 Pep-Up Games for Children: Refreshing, Recharging, Refocusing (SmartFun Activity Books)

Allison Bartl
Hunter House (2008)
ISBN 9780897934954
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (5/08)

“101 Pep-Up Games for Children” is a collection of different activities designed to replenish children’s energy.  The book is geared towards elementary school teachers and group leaders with the games inside being designed for children ages 6 through 10. 

A page is devoted to each of the 101 activities but you are able to tell from a quick glance at the icons in the right hand corner of each page whether this activity is going to be appropriate for your age group or situation.  The icons tell you what size group is needed, whether you need props, music, and/or space, if there is physical contact and if the activity involves going outdoors. 

The activities in the beginning of the book start out simple with a game called “All Right.”  Ironically right before I picked up this book to start reading it my own children were playing their own version of this game which is similar to “Follow the Leader.”  Basically in “All Right” there is one child who calls out directions and before following them the children yell out “All right!” After three instructions then a different child gets to be the leader. 

Toward the end of the book there are more advanced activities for older children such as a game called “Syllable Shuffle.”  In “Syllable Shuffle” everyone sits with their chairs in a circle leaving one chair empty.  The child designated to be the leader sits to the left of the empty chair and tells the group to think of some very long animal names.  For instance, if the word is orangutan there are 4 syllables.  The person coming up with the word would say “o” and then move over one chair, the next person would say “rang” and then move to the next chair, etc.  When the word is complete then another child names a word and they start again.

I found “101 Pep-Up Games for Children” to be a very useful and fun book!  Although it is primarily written for teachers I think that any parent would benefit from utilizing some of the ideas in the book.  It is a great help to those like myself who have run out of new ideas. Granted some of the activities in the book we have already come up with on our own, but there are still lots of fresh, new games that will keep us busy for a long time!

It was never about a hot dog and a Coke!

Rodney L. Hurst, Sr.
WingSpan Press (2008)
ISBN 9781595941954
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (5/08)

“It was never about a hot dog and a Coke!” is author Rodney L. Hurst’s first-hand account of the sit-ins in Jacksonville, Florida in the 1960s.  Throughout his lifetime Hurst has been a very active and influential member of the Jacksonville community.  He has served on the Jacksonville City Council.  He was the first African-American to be a TV co-host in Jacksonville.  He was the Executive Director of Florida’s Construction Industry Licensing Board.  Besides these and other accomplishments, the one that this book centers around is the time period in which he was involved with the Jacksonville Youth Council NAACP.  He joined at age 11 and became President of the group at age 15. 

During this era everything was segregated. There were restrooms specifically designated for “Coloreds” and ones for “Whites.”  There was even s a separate section of The Florida Times-Union newspaper that had a black star at the top and was “News For and About the Colored People of Jacksonville.”  This section of the paper was not included in home deliveries to white households so white people of the time knew little about the achievements and news in the black community.  Among other areas, this segregation also applied to the educational system and to lunch counters in department stores, which is the main focus of Hurst’s book.  As President of the Jacksonville Youth council NAACP group he played an influential role in leading the sit-ins at these lunch counters in the 1960s in a protest of segregation and racism.  As the title of the book implies, these sit-ins were not “about a hot dog and a Coke,” they were about “…human dignity and respect.  Lunch counters were just visible and convenient vestiges to attack racial discriminations.”

Although the sit-ins were peaceful demonstrations, the reactions by the white community were not always so peaceful.  There was one incident that was dubbed “Ax Handle Saturday” that occurred on August 27th, 1960 in which mobs of white people attacked black shoppers with ax sticks and baseball bats.   

“It was ever about a hot dog and a Coke!” is a look at the events by someone who truly lived and breathed them.  It is a first-hand look at the civil rights movement of that era that has not become misconstrued by going through numerous sources. Throughout the book are numerous pictures of the people involved and also some of the few pictures of the events that took place.  One of the pictures included is a disturbing one taken on “Ax Handle Saturday” which features an innocent bystander splattered in blood from being attacked.  These pictures give you a true sense of just how horrific the events were that took place.

I lived in Jacksonville for a short period of time so the references to certain streets were familiar to me but most of the history of the black community in that area was not at all.  I feel like I learned a lot by reading Hurst’s book, “It was never about a hot dog and a Coke!,” and I think it would be a wonderful addition to the required reading list of any history class or to anyone who wants to educate themselves of the events that occurred in America’s past.

Cronan the Librarian

Steve Westcott
FrontList Books (2008)
ISBN 9781843501022
Reviewed by Sandie Kirkland for RebeccasReads (5/08)

Cronan, the Ogmus Librarian, is starting the most important journey of his life.  Once, the Ogmus people lived in the world and flourished.  That ended when their allies, the good dragons, were tricked into moving to another world where they were trapped.  That led to the Ogmus population being forced underground, living inside a mountain, as they were persecuted by the BlackAbbot masters who now ruled the world, and their evil black dragons.  Now Cronan and his apprentice, Tobias, are charged with going forth and discovering if the predictions in the cryptic Book of Prophesies are true.  Those prophesies reveal the return of the good dragons, led by the famous dwarf magician Snor'kel and the defeat of the BlackAbbots and their black dragons.

On the journey, Cronan and Tobias meet an amazing cast of characters. There's BlackBishop, the leader of the BlackAbbots, and his son, Jophrey, along with their unflappable manservant, Wooster.  Wild Bill Halfcock, a wild mountain man, joins the travelers.  They travel through the Great Forest where they meet the Beastie Boys, a band of little people.  The expedition is drawn to a village, where they pick up Nina, a beautiful young girl and her grandmother, Nanna Pussy.  How all these characters interact leads the reader on a puzzle-solving maze, where each character provides a clue to make the entire story mesh and become whole.

Those readers who enjoyed the Harry Potter series will enjoy this book.  The characters are vividly drawn, and are enticing.  The reader is absorbed into their world, wanting to find out what happens next. The plotting is tight, and the initial dilemma is satisfactorily solved.  The book appears to be the beginning of a series, with the ending leading to another adventure.  “Cronan the Librarian” is highly recommended for young adults and fantasy lovers.

404 Deskside Activities for Energetic Kids (SmartFun Activity Books)

Barbara Davis, MS, MFA
Hunter House Publishers (2008)
ISBN 9780897934671
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (5/08)

In today’s world children do not have as many opportunities for physical activity as they did in the past.  Years ago children walked to and from school, whereas now times have changed and it may no longer be as safe for a child to do so by himself.  Because of changes and circumstances in today’s world limiting the amount of activity children can get, it is important to try to incorporate some sort of opportunity for physical movement into a child’s daily routine.  “404 Deskside Activities for Energetic Kids” is written to provide some ideas of just how to do that.

The book is geared toward teachers of children age 3 through 9 and is filled with tons of opportunities to create movement.  Not only is movement important in a child’s physical development but it also has positive effects on a child’s social and cognitive development, as well as promotes creativity. 

With each activity listed there are icons next to it that allow you to determine with a glance certain characteristics about the activity, such as targeted age, appropriate group size, whether or not the activity is advanced, if you need props or space, if physical contact is involved, and/or if you need to draw on skills that were previously taught in other activities.  These icons are very helpful in sifting through the activities to find one that is appropriate to your situation. 

The activities in the book range from the very basic to the advanced.  At one end of the spectrum are “Arm Circles” and “Standing Star” which are movements that look exactly like their name implies.  At the other end, one of the activities listed is called “Human Links: Division” and reads as follows, “Call out a number such as two.  To answer, the students would link in groups of four and two, or six and three, etc., to show numbers that would divide to produce that answer.”

“404 Deskside Activities for Energetic Kids” is a great book for both teachers and parents.  My children had a fun time doing some of the activities in the book and every time that I am working at the computer they ask for a new one to do.  With 404 activities listed I am going to be able to keep them busy for a very long time!

Copper Star (Copper Star Series, Book 1)

Suzanne Woods Fisher
Vintage Romance Publishing (2007)
ISBN 9780979332746
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (5/08)

After a dangerous stint as a Resistance Worker in Nazi Germany, Louisa Schmetterling finds herself evacuated to the safety of Copper Springs, Arizona.  Her friend and fellow Resistance worker Dietrich Bonhoeffer connected her with Reverend Robert Gordon, whom Dietrich had met in Seminary, and set it up so she could stay with Robert until the war was over and she was out of danger.  In the Gordon household also lives Robert’s aunt and Robert’s hearing impaired son William.

It is interesting to watch as Louisa develops relationships which each and every one of the members of the Gordon family.  Some are easy to form, like with William, while others are more challenging, like with Robert’s aunt.  With William she plays a pivotal role in enabling him to communicate.  Before he had never uttered a word but with Louisa’s concern and guidance he began to be able to express himself like never before.  She causes changes to come about with Robert as well.  When she first arrived, Robert’s sermons lacked conviction, but once Louisa started editing them, they became more dynamic and full of energy.

Not everything goes as planned though when former Berlin resident (but now Copper Springs’ banker) Friedrich Mueller sniffs out Louisa’s past.  As an avid Nazi supporter he is a huge threat to her safety.  Between the Mueller drama and the secrets of William’s mother’s past, this book is a definite page-turner! 

Fisher has a real knack for creating an engaging fictional story while maintaining historical accuracy.  The characters in the book are very interesting and you truly develop a sense of just who each and every one of them is.  The plot is intriguing and anyone interested in history, romance, and/or faith, will surely enjoy this easy-to-follow, fast read.   

I actually read the 2nd book in this series, “Copper Fire,” before I went back and read this first one, “Copper Star” and I can promise you that you will not be disappointed by the sequel to this first book.  Fisher is an excellent writer and I can’t wait until her next book or series comes out.

Janeology

Karen Harrington
Kunati Press (2008)
ISBN 9781601640208
Reviewed by Narayan Radhakrishnan  for RebeccasReads (5/08)

I enjoy reading legal thrillers, and I read, at the least, about 35 legal thrillers a year. And more often than not, the novel will be- as author Charles Martin Simon puts it-  ‘about an ultra-chase, soulful-but-white, attorney/sleuth hero brought into the case backwards, fighting it all the way, against his better judgment, wishes, and all he stands for, against-all-odds, bad-guys-lose, good-guys-win type of thing.’ That said, I very much enjoy the genre, and dream of breaking into print as a lawyer/author in the near future.
            
“Janeology” proved to be refreshingly different, and gives a new direction to the legal thriller genre. A new ambit, a new scope hitherto unexplored in legal thrillers is the hallmark of this debut novel by Karen Harrington. And no, she is not a lawyer.
            
Tom Nelson is a college professor by profession. A family man to the core, his wife and children are the center of his universe. But Nelson’s wife Jane is suffering from post-partum depression following a miscarriage. Though, Tom Nelson is concerned about his wife’s present state of mind, never in his life did he imagine that she would resort to murder.  The murder victim is Simon, the 2 ½-year-old, toddler son of Tom and Jane. Sarah, Simon’s twin is also battling to save her life. And the reason for the murder, as Jane puts it is ‘I was done being a mother.’ The lawyers have carved a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, so far as Jane is concerned; but the real culprit in the eyes of the media and the law is Tom Nelson--the charge--the failure to offer protection of his family and leaving the children to potential harm in the hands of Jane.

Tom’s lawyers now prepare for an unexplored line of defense--the concept of genealogy--i.e., Jane’s gene setup, as inherited through her ancestors, is the root cause of all evil; and even if Tom had offered adequate protection, Jane was a bomb waiting to explode. Would such a defense come to the aid of Tom Nelson, and more importantly, can Tom Nelson return to life and offer solace and comfort to Sarah?  These questions form the plot of the novel.
 
I was intrigued and hooked on the novel, right from page 1 to page 246. Novel lines of defense, new questions of law in novels have been fascinating. William Diehl’s “Primal Fear” spawned of a dozen novels exploring the realm of Multiple Personality disorder in criminal trials; Phillip Margolin offered the battered women’s syndrome as a line of defense in women charged with murdering their husbands in a couple of novels, spawning of several such imitations; and so did Jodi Picoult start a new wave with the question and legality of organ transplantation and right to privacy in “My Sister’s Keeper.” Karen Harrington now joins this elite club of authors by giving a new dimension to the legal fiction genre. I greatly, greatly enjoyed the novel “Janeology.”

The Middle Place

Kelly Corrigan
Hyperion (2008)
ISBN 9781401303365
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (5/08)

While giving her two young girls a bath one night Kelly Corrigan discovers a lump in one of her breasts.  Immediately a flash of panic sweeps over her and her suspicions are confirmed at the doctor’s appointments that follow her discovery.  It is cancer.  As if this isn’t bad enough news she discovers that her father, whom she calls Greenie, also has cancer.  In fact he also had cancer in the past which Kelly just found out now.

“The Middle Place” follows both of their battles with cancer and alternates the present day events with flashbacks to growing up in the Corrigan household.  Kelly has a very close relationship with her father and at times it seems that she focuses more on getting him the best treatment rather than focusing on her own malady.  This book explores their tight-knit relationship in depth, back from when Kelly was young, all of the way up until today.

Kelly defines “The Middle Place” as “that sliver of time when parenthood and childhood overlap.”  It is that time of your life when you are still someone’s daughter but you are also a mother to your own children. Close in age to Kelly and having young children that are in the same general age group as hers, I can completely relate to being in “The Middle Place” as this is the phase of life that I am in as well.   

Kelly’s story is a wonderful, touching memoir that is very hard to put down. The book is a fast read and although about illness is also about celebrating and living life to the fullest.  Kelly is a very real person and she puts it all out there for us to read which makes for a very honest and compelling book.  I enjoyed the alternating between current events and chapters about what it was like to grow up as a Corrigan.  This format provided a lot of insight into how Kelly became the person that she is today.  I recommend “The Middle Place” to anyone who is at that phase in their life, to anyone battling a disease, or to anyone who loves a well-written memoir.

My Tour in Hell: A Marine's Battle with Combat Trauma (Reflections of History, Vol. 1)

David W. Powell
Modern History Press (2007)
ISBN 9781932690231
Reviewed by Gina Holland for RebeccasReads (5/08)

“My Tour in Hell,” is just like the title says. These are the memories of David Powell’s tragic events, of a man who served in Vietnam, and they are not only tragic, but are also something that I would not have imagined. This man goes through some of the most traumatic events that I have ever read or heard about. While I was reading this I felt as though I was actually inside his head and going through the same horrific things that he was going through. This war caused this man to have doubts about himself, his manhood, his religion and other things that no man should have doubts about.

 

Though it was Powell’s choice to enlist, despite the fact that he was twenty-five and married, you realize that it was because he wanted to get it over with and get on with his career. His thoughts were that he was going to go in early and fight for his country and maybe go home with honor and dignity. Not only did he leave with tragic memories but also memories that would almost ruin his life. The accounts of murders and tortures that was seen in this novel, is not only horrendous but mind-wrenching as well. Mr. David Powell, is not only a strong man, but was a strong young man and I, as a citizen of the United States, am proud of him for what he did, what he accomplished and am very grateful that he came out of the whole situation alive. How awful it must be, to watch children die, to watch children fight, to watch children be used a pawns in the game of war.

 

David lets us in on his own personal trauma and I for one am grateful that he chose to share his experience with us. I was not aware of the close-up tragedies that take place in wars. I’ve never been there, but David brought us up-close and front-center, into a very, very horrific situation, and I commend him for being strong and making his way out alive. I hope that David’s life is better for him now.

 

“My Tour in Hell” is something that all of America must read. It shows just how much our young soldiers do for us and for their country. It makes us wonder, if those young people deserve to go through hell like David did. Luckily, David came out okay, but lost a lot of things in his life. This novel can be read by young adults and adults. The pictures would not be suitable for young children. I for one, thank you David for writing this story and sharing with us. You have made your point of showing the world, just how truly horrible war and fighting can be. Good luck in your future.

Min’s Monster

Lila L. Pinord
Virtualbookworm.com Publishing Inc. (2007)
ISBN 9781589399914
Reviewed by Lynn Bee for RebeccasReads (5/08)

The other inmates at the minimum-security prison farm know Bruno as spooky and strange. The authorities don’t know it yet, but he’s a serial killer living under an assumed name. And when he breaks out, during an extreme winter storm, a young girl named Min is in serious danger.

The action takes place in a primitive Quinnu fishing village in Washington State during the 1950s. The inner beast within us all is shown to create both good and evil. Tribal legends color the action and coincidence and gut feelings direct the plot.

While the setting is interesting, author Pinord leaves the reader with a sense of uneasiness as well as many unanswered questions.

The killer cut out his own mother’s tongue so she couldn’t tell on him, but she could read the newspapers and presumably write, so why did she fail to notify the authorities? Min escapes her house once, hiding behind the woodpile while the madman gets more fuel for the fire. He doesn’t see her and reenters the house. Yet instead of running across the field to a neighbor’s home, she climbs back in a window for warmer clothing. The village has houses without electricity and running water, yet the deputy feels someone may call in information about the escapee.

Bruno is a rampaging bear of a man in both size and spirit. The mystery of his malevolence is accepted, rather than explained. Deputy Adam Cooper fights his way through the snow, toward the danger he only senses. He seems to be an average nice guy, caught up in the hunt for an escaped prisoner without real information about his whereabouts or evil crimes. Preteen Min uses every bit of spunk and knowledge she possesses to avoid the demon who has taken refuge in her cabin. Her parents have left her alone, but their absence is extended by the storm.

While the suspense in “Min’s Monster” is palpable and the Indian legends intriguing, author Pinord could have skipped the happily-ever-after ending for all the peripheral characters.

Legs Talk: Let Your Legs do the Talking

D.E. Boone
Global Force Media LLC (2008)
ISBN 9780979745348
Reviewed by Lynn Bee for RebeccasReads (5/08)

This is a tale of love found and  lost without heaving bosoms or quivering thighs.

The lovely legs of model Natsuko  Koizumi tell it all -- in sexy sling backs, rugged boots, and even ice skates.

It’s quirky, told mainly in  photographs, and it’s a perfect short read for anyone who’s just ended a  relationship.

The pictures tell the story, but the captions pack a wallop as well. “How can I miss you if you won’t go away?” is a great line signaling the downfall of this all too familiar romance story.

“Legs Talk” is honest, sexy,  clever -- and a lot of fun!

Beautiful Children: A Novel

Charles Bock
Random House (2008)
ISBN 9781400066506
Reviewed by Lynn Bee for RebeccasReads (5/08)

Charles Bock takes us into the dark and dirty world of Las Vegas, when a twelve-year-old boy fails to return home. The child’s mother, Lorraine, becomes obsessed with saving cats when she can no longer find her own child to rescue. Then she volunteers with Nevada Child Search, giving herself, and the reader, poignant hope for the many children who simply disappear each year. Her marriage disintegrates. Husband Lincoln manages to fulfill his job duties, but finds pornography as a pitiful and dismal release. The prose is powerful and the characters more than disturbing. Newell Ewing, the missing boy, is spoiled, snotty, self-centered and all too typical. His rootless friend Kenny is old enough to drive and introduce Newell to many of the seedier dives and activities of Vegas. There’s a stripper with a good heart and implants that have hindered her sexual pleasure. She’s a well-developed and almost likable addition to the cast. Her demanding boyfriend is a scheming porn courier. The insider views into stripping and the porn business are fascinating. Then there’s a semi-successful comic book artist with lots of issues, out for a little degenerate pleasure in Sin City. The myriad alienated teens, thoughtful, yet unthinking, tug at the reader’s heart, mind and soul. This is a crude, rude, and consuming story. Bock deals with teen sex, drugs and isolation, adult despair, and society’s problems as a whole. The details of Newell’s disappearance are both connected and disconnected in this disturbing first novel. Bock even manages to add touches of humor, and a list of resources for tracking missing children. The subject matter of “Beautiful Children” truly interested me, yet I felt parts of the tale were overlong and repetitive. However, Bock demonstrates a masterful grip on both the real and surreal in the city of Las Vegas.

Trust in the Lord: Reflections of Jesus Christ

Deen Kemsley
Sweetwater Books (2008)
ISBN 9781599551142
Reviewed by Elizabeth E. Gibson-Evans for RebeccasReads (5/08)

The theme of this book, “Trust in the Lord,” by Deen Kemsley, is the journey to know Christ; it is the journey to know the deepest, best element of ourselves. If we embrace this divine element within us by genuinely believing in Christ, we experience the wonder of being born of God, and we discover that Christ’s power to heal is deeper than our deepest pain.

As Christ transforms us, He instills in us the genuine concern for others and the desire to serve and sacrifice without regard for worldly praise or reward. If Christ were merely an effective teacher, He couldn’t evoke such enduring praise -- this is a witness of the literal Son of God.

We may not always receive specific answers to the questions we pose, but if we listen carefully we will receive a deeper answer -- Christ is in the Eternity overhead; Christ is in the eyes and faces of our young children; Christ is in the tears and joy of these whom He transforms; and Christ is deep within our hearts. “God is there, He hears our prayers, and He loves us.”

Often it’s in the common bond of Christ that we most clearly perceive our common eternal inheritance. “As we step out of the mire and temptations of this world and begin to ascend the mount of the Lord unto the tabernacle of Eternity that is within our hearts, we will find the true Holy of Holies -- Jesus Christ Himself. No matter how far we may have strayed from Him over time. We will learn He has always been there on the look out waiting for us to return.

“Trust in the Lord” takes you through a true spiritual journey of what it means to truly depend on the Lord our Savior as He Himself trusted in His own Holy Father during His walk as one of us. You learn the way to handle loneliness. Discover answers to the many tough questions we all have or have had. But, most importantly you learn true faith and that no matter what “He hears us and He loves us!”

Narrow Lives

Tyler R. Tichelaar
Marquette Fiction (2008)
ISBN 9780979179037
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (4/08)

“Narrow Lives” is a stand-alone novel that consists of a collection of short stories which are all linked together.  However, as an added bonus if you are familiar with the author’s “Marquette Trilogy,” several of the characters in this newest novel will be familiar to you.  For those that haven’t read any of the “Marquette Trilogy” books, like myself, there is a handy list at the beginning of the book naming all of the main characters with a brief description of exactly who they are.  I found this reference list to be extremely useful and found myself referring to it quite often so that I could keep all of the characters straight.  Without this character outline I would have been very confused as there are so many different people involved in the story.

Each chapter in the book is set in a different time period in the 20th century and is told from a different person’s perspective.  The main linking factor among all of the people in the book is that their lives were affected by Lysander Blackmore in some way.  Lysander Blackmore is a wealthy banker who takes advantage of people and isn’t exactly the most faithful person to his wife.  It is interesting to see the effects that his character and his indiscretions have on everyone.

Tichelaar does an excellent job of developing interesting, memorable characters and an even better job at tying them all together with a common thread.  This is the first of his books that I have read, but reading this book definitely made me interested in going back and reading his trilogy to find out more about these diverse characters.         

The novel is set in the U.P. of Michigan and, as a former resident of Northern Wisconsin I was familiar with the towns mentioned in the book which made it all the more interesting.   I think that anyone from the U.P. or the surrounding areas would really enjoy this book.  Tichelaar himself is a resident of Marquette so he is definitely familiar with the area that he writes of and it shows.  Full of drama, “Narrow Lives” is a great work of historical fiction and I look forward to reading more from Tichelaar in the future!

Yoga for Computer Users: Healthy Necks, Shoulders, Wrists, and Hands in the Postmodern Age

Sandy Blaine
Rodmell Press (2008)
ISBN 9781930485198
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (4/08)

“The human body evolved to hunt and gather, to run and jump and climb, to play hard and rest fully – not to sit in front of a computer all day. Evolution has not kept up with the rapid changes of the technological age; we are simply not equipped to deal with all the requirements of modern life.” (p. 15) Sitting at a computer for a prolonged period of time can wreak havoc on your body.  Not only can it affect your back, neck, and shoulders but it can also be the cause of tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome among other things.  In order to counteract the negative effects that heavy computer use can have on your body it is important to develop some sort of regular fitness regimen.

Throughout “Yoga for Computer Users,” Sandy Blaine provides us with a variety of yoga poses along with detailed explanations and photographs showing how to perform them correctly.  There are poses in the book that can be performed right at your computer desk at work and there are others that are for when you are away from your computer.  Under each exercise’s name is a list of what body areas this particular stretch will help to work.  To receive the highest level of benefits Blaine advises us to take “at least two focused, 10-to-20 minute yoga breaks during the course of a full workday.” (p. 25)                        

Being an avid computer user, this book was definitely geared toward me.  Even though I had always wanted to, I had never tried yoga in the past.  I found that the instructions and photographs that Blaine provided were very adequate in helping me to achieve the desired positions.  There were some exercises that I could not fully do because my body just didn’t stretch that way; but I am hoping in the future, with more practice, that I will be able to master them.  With the short amount of time that I have been practicing the poses in “Yoga for Computer Users,” I have noticed the benefits already, particularly in my neck and shoulders.  I think this book would be beneficial to anyone who spends a lot of time on a computer or at a desk. 

The UFO Experience Reconsidered: Science and Speculation

Robert L. Mason
Schooner Moon Press (2008)
ISBN 9780615190457
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (4/08)

The inspiration for “The UFO Experience Reconsidered: Science and Speculation” came from a book published in the early seventies called “The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry” by Dr. J. Allen Hynek.  At that time Hynek’s book was considered to be the authority on UFO’s but there have been a lot of developments in the past 30+ years and Robert Mason’s “The UFO Experience Reconsidered: Science and Speculation” seeks to explore those new findings. 

There is no question that UFO’s exist.  Any object that is not identifiable is considered, by default, a UFO or Unidentified Flying Object.  “The key question is whether there is an extraterrestrial intelligence behind any of them, and that is where the confusion starts.”  (p.1)

Mason mainly focuses on explaining the presence of UFO’s through three main areas.  The first of these areas explores natural causes such as swamp gas and particle accelerators.  The second of his possible explanations centers on domestic technology and experimental aircraft.  The third group of speculation focuses on actual alien technology and looks into areas such as quantum physics, active and passive sensing systems, and teleportation.  Throughout the book these speculations are explored and applied to certain scenarios and cases to try to explain the UFO presence. 

“The UFO Experience Reconsidered: Science and Speculation” as the title implies focuses a lot on scientific fact. Mason does a wonderful job at simplifying and exemplifying most of the scientific processes of which he writes.  As a layperson I had a clear understanding of exactly what active and passive sensing systems were once I read his explanation.  He uses examples that we can clearly relate to.   For instance, he writes, “The human eye is an example of a passive sensing system.  It gathers ambient light and transmits it as data to the brain.  Hearing is also a passive sensing system.  Radar and sonar are examples of active sensing systems.  A signal is sent out and that portion that bounces back to the receiver is sensed.” (p. 42) Simple explanations such as these are extremely helpful in forming the groundwork for when he presents his more advanced ideas.

Mason looks at the presence of UFO’s from a number of different angles and his book really makes you think.  He brings forth many valid perspectives for speculation.  Although I enjoyed the focus on the actual UFO’s themselves my favorite chapters were the ones on Humanoid Speculation and Motive Speculation.  I found the different scenarios to be very interesting and ones that I thought about even after I finished the book.

“The UFO Experience Reconsidered: Science and Speculation” is a unique book in the sense that the focus is mainly on explaining the existence of UFO’s through science.  I think anyone interested in the topic will find this book to be thought-provoking as it will present you with some new avenues to explore in looking at the UFO phenomenon. 

Turtle Dolphin Dreams

 

Marian K. Volkman
Loving Healing Press (2005)
ISBN 9781932690101
Reviewed by Gina Holland for RebeccasReads (4/08)

“Turtle Dolphin Dreams” is a small book of wonder.  The story begins with a turtle telling us a tale. The tale includes turtles, humans and dolphins. As the story goes on, we learn how much turtles, humans and dolphins are alike. We learn about dream states of dolphins and humans and how close they both are. We learn about how different breeding is for turtles compared to humans and dolphins. Turtles lay their eggs, and then move along. The eggs hatch and the baby turtles are on their own, no one to watch over them. No one is there to guide them. They need to have strong survivor instincts right from the beginning.

We then learn that dolphins and humans breed alike, carry babies alike, and have babies alike. After the humans and dolphin babies are born, we stick to our babies like glue, we protect and keep them, and we have to teach them how to survive, unlike the turtle that has eggs and abandon them.  We learn different types of communications between humans, dolphins and turtles. Somehow I think that the author was trying to say that humans and dolphins had more communication then turtles do with us.

Turtles are alike with humans and dolphins by being able to breathe in the water and out the water. Dolphins can do the same. Humans can breathe in the water with tanks of oxygen, but breathe normally outside the water to live. Dolphins and humans like to play games. Sometimes that’s how they communicate. Dolphins are very intelligent creatures. On some levels, people have studied dolphins and believe that dolphins speak in their own language, as do humans.

This book was very fascinating to read, it was very enjoyable. I think the author had some very good opinions and facts in this very pleasant book. I would recommend “Turtle Dolphin Dreams” to children of all ages and adults as well. I would like to see a book number two in this title. I commend the author for a writing job well done. The book was very easy-to-understand. I give this book thumbs up in my mind.

Sail

James Patterson & Howard Roughan
Little, Brown and Company (2008)
ISBN 9780316018708
Reviewed by Narayan Radhakrishnan for RebeccasReads (4/08)

James Patterson is an institution by himself. I mean this, both literally and figuratively. With at least one fresh Patterson title coming in print every third month, it’s now an open secret that James Patterson does not always write these novels. But as the author himself pointed out in an interview, he just gives the idea for the stories; the words are put in by his writer/collaborators. Thus, James Patterson is no longer an author; he is a brand name.

With that said, did I enjoy the book? Did I find “Sail” as engrossing and enthralling as previous James Patterson titles? And, the answer is yes--I absolutely, fantabulously loved and enjoyed “Sail.”

The third outing of Patterson and Roughan, who previously collaborated with “Honeymoon” and “You’ve Been Warned,” has all the sizzles and chills usually associated with a Patterson thriller. The Dunne family is on the brink of breakup. Three years after her husband died, Katherine Dunne finds herself in a mess. True, she has achieved stupendous success as a surgeon, but on the home front it’s disaster to the core. With a suicidal teenage daughter and a pot-addict son, Katherine is on the verge of a nervous breakdown; and the only saving grace is her younger son Ernie. The only thing Katherine can think of to bring her dysfunctional family back together is a trip in their luxury yacht, The Family Dunne. They are joined by Katherine’s brother-in- law Jake, and together the four set sail across the Caribbean. But disaster strikes from day one, and it’s not a natural disaster. Someone out there is all set to kill Katherine and her children. The initial few attempts fail due to the rugged and fighting spirit of Jake. But when the whole family is shipwrecked following an explosion, Katherine finds herself knowing more about her children. And finally, in the midst of disaster, the family is back to normal.
            
But who is behind the blast? Who wants Kathy and the children dead?  Is it lawyer Peter Carlyle, the second husband of Katherine, who will inherit everything if something nasty happened to the kids and his wife….or is there something more than what meets the eye?
  What follows is suspense at its Pattersonish best and one  that would keep the fans of this institution quite happy.

Nothing more, nothing less-- what we always demand and get from Patterson. “Sail” is recommended for James Patterson fans, and all lovers of suspense mysteries. And I just can’t wait to get my hands on the July Patterson novel, “Dangerous Days of Daniel X.”