World War Z

World War Z by Max Brooks is a survivor account of the zombie war. Told in a very straight forward and serious manner the impartial author interviews and records the stories told by the survivors.

My over imaginative brain filled in a lot of the scenery for this film as will the mind of any other lover of the zombie movie. Moaning walking dead with their arms outstretched saying something close to "Brains......"

My mind made this story a comedy. But at the same time, it was a very serious and interesting story to think about and mentally chew on. What would we do if a virus erupted that turned people into the living dead? How would we handle a problem on this sort of scale?

I really enjoyed this book. I was fascinated by the politics, the humanness of it all, and by how close to an imagined reality this story gets. As you read survivor accounts you can believe whole heatedly that a real life reaction would be dead on similar. No pun intended.

Love and Other Impossible Pursuits by Ayelet Waldman - Typically I wouldn't read a book on the subject of marriage, children, loss and the struggles of step motherhood. But this story got a great write up when it was first published. And I'm a sucker for great write-ups.

Basically this story is about Emilia and her struggles with the loss of her new born child, trying to deal with an over privileged, spoiled, and incredibly intelligent young stepson, the ex-wife, and coming to terms with what her marriage is really about.

Had I just read the book description it would have been back on the shelf. But because of the write up I read it. And I really enjoyed the story. I can't relate to the character but I can empathise and understand where she is coming from. And were I in her shoes I don't think I would have acted much differently. I guess I saw a lot of myself in the story and the type of person I might have been if I had made different choices in my life.

I think the New York Times review says it all:

The New York Times - Chelsea Cain
Love and Other Impossible Pursuits is clearly out to irritate some Mommy groups. It may also be the first chick-lit novel (it features, after all, a young career woman who falls in love with her boss, shops and worries about her relationships) that in addition to being a romantic, shocking and sometimes painful page-turner does the unthinkable: it actually says something new and interesting about women, families and love.

You Remind Me of Me

You Remind Me of Me by Dan Chaon - Ok, I can boil this book down to one word. "Eh"

A Million Little Pieces

A Million Little Pieces by James Frey was a very good read. Raw, harsh, and beautiful. Full of lyrical prose that made me stop, think, and read them for a second time. I don't care what the truth is behind this story. Nor do I care about how much or how little of the story was embellished. It was simply a wonderful read. And I loved it. So very human, full of the best and the worst in mankind.

I also think the book can be and has been an inspiration for addicts. From what I was able to find on the internet about the controversy there were many people whose lives were changed for the better because of this book. If that is the case it doesn't matter how true it was. I have not found anything that said that Frey wasn't an addict. And if he has stayed clean and changed his life than that is all that matters. If one person is saved by this book than that is all that matters. And regardless of all of that the bottom line is, this is a wonderfully written book and I loved it.

Blue Moon Rising

Blue Moon Rising by Simon R. Green is the first in a series of three stories about Prince Rupert and Princess Julia. However these two characters are the same two that are in the Hawke and Fisher series. This is their story before the time of Hawke and Fisher.

Simon Green has yet to let me down. I loved this story. How can you not love a story whose central characters include a Dragon and a Unicorn? There are two more books in this series, unfortunately they are out of print so I will have to hunt around for them.

But as always, Mr. Green has written a fantastic adventure. From start to finish I am always fully entertained by his stories.

The Vampire Papers

The Vampire Papers by Michael Romkey is book two in the Vampire series. This story focuses on two serial killers that have come together to destroy the families of a small southern town. And it is up to David and Mozart to stop them.

The second book is just as good as the first. I am enjoying this series and I look forward to the rest of the books. Most of them are out of print but I found the collection at a used book store and had them shipped to me.

I, Vampire

I, Vampire by Michael Romkey is a re-read. I wanted to read the second book Vampire Papers but felt that it had been too long since I read the first one. So I have quickly read through the story again.

This is one of the better vampire series. Unfortunately only the first two books in the series are still in print. I have the remainder on route to me. I found the collection at a used bookstore in Indiana.

The basic premise of the series is that there are two factions of vampires. Good and Evil. The good ones belong to the Illuminati. The bad ones are lead by Caesar Borgia and include Nazi's and Jack the Ripper.

One of the main characters is Mozart. Yes, THE Mozart.

A mixture of beauty, the arts, and horror. In other words, it is a perfect read.

Corelli's Mandolin

Corelli's Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres is a fantastic story about a small Greek island during World War 2.

The book is a bit long. Though I read it quickly I occasionally felt I would never finish. But that is more due to the language than anything. This is a translated work but there are still smatterings of Greek, Italian, German, and French throughout the story.

I found the story captivating and assuming that it is historically accurate I found it educational as well. The brutalities of war mixed with the humanity and kindness. This was simply a wonderful story.

Summer Knight

Summer Knight by Jim Butcher is the fourth installment of the Dresden Files. This was a fun book to read. The Summer and Winter courts of Faerie are going to war and Harry is right in the middle.

These books are fun reads from cover to cover. This series is dangerous for me in that I almost daily risk missing a bus stop. I become so absorbed in these books that the rest of the world disappears.

And that can be a wonderful thing!

The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana

The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana by Umberto Eco was on the clearance shelf at Barnes and Noble. The idea behind the story was fascinating so I picked it up.

The main character in the book suffers from a stroke and looses his memory of who he is. He doesn't know anything about his past, his wife, or his children.

But he does remember every book he ever read with precise clarity.

This is the story of his journey into remembering and piecing together his past.

I found this book fascinating, and very informative. A great deal of the story focuses on life in Italy during WWII. Overall I liked this book. At times I was getting a little distracted but for the most part I was so fascinated by the politics and culture of Italian life. This is not edge of your seat reading. But it is interesting and I might even have learned a few things.

A while back I picked up Baudilino by Eco but I wasn't able to get into the story and gave up on it. Or I should say that I shelved it for another time. I enjoyed this one so much for the sheer cortical stimulation that I picked up The Name of the Rose which is probably his most famous work. And I will give Baudilino a second try....................

84 Charring Cross Road

84, Charring Cross Road by Helene Hunff was a book I noticed on a friends blog. I told my dad about it and he bought it and read it that same day. He even let dinner get cold because he wanted to finish it. Then Mom read it that night. He called me to tell me I had to get it.

So of course I did. And I read it in one sitting. Grant you the book is just about 97 pages so it's not all that much to read, no super impressive feat here.

But this is a wonderful story covering the correspondence between a book lover in New York and a book dealer in London. Bitter sweet, full of laughter and fondness this is undoubtedly a fantastic read.

I went to get it at Barnes and Noble but I had forgotten my book list so I wasn't sure of the author. I went up to the customer service desk for assistance and I barely got out the "84 Charr................." when the guy interrupted me and said "OH, fantastic book, I hope we have a copy in stock because you simply MUST read it." They didn't but he found one at a store on my way home and he had them put it on hold for me. He also let me know that they made a movie out of it that was equally fantastic.

Pick it up at your local library. It's a hefty $13.00 for the 90 pages, I intend to pass it on, in fact if you read this, Kell, it's on the way......................

War for the Oaks

War For the Oaks by Emma Bull was a book I was very excited to read. It was a good story but it wasn't a great read. I never felt a connection to the characters in the story. I found it a little lacking in character development and because of that I didn't get really into it.

The only reason I stuck it out was the fact that it takes place in the Twin Cities so I was familiar with all the places in the story.

I really had high hopes for this book. The author is friends and maybe even band mates with one of my favorite authors, Steven Brust. But overall I just didn't LOVE this story.

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci by Diana Wynne Jones was recommended to us years ago when Harry Potter first came out. The series dates back to the pre-Potter years so this isn't a copy cat. The chronicles consist of two books from the Chrestomanci series, Charmed Life, and the Lives of Christopher Chant.

This is a fun and entertaining series. If you liked Harry you really will enjoy this series.

Deathstalker Honor

Deathstalker Honor by Simon R. Green is #4 in the Deathstalker series. To put it simply I love this series. Ok, so I love every single book he ever wrote. And I'm not sure he is capable of writing a bad one.

The series is fun, entertaining, and intriguing. The characters are fabulous. Even the villains are wonderful in their own evil way.

Drinking Midnight Wine

Drinking Midnight Wine by Simon R. Green is one of his few stand alone novels. I am not sure how much I LOVED this book but now that it is over I miss the characters. So I guess that means it was pretty good.

This is the tale of two worlds colliding. The world of magic and the ordinary world of humans. Powerful forces, godlings, lycanthropes, you name it, they make an appearance.

To sum it up here is a few lines from the story:

What value can one ordinary man have in a magical world?

What can a mortal bring to the affairs of immortals?

Insight. Honor. Morality. Perspective.

Because nothing makes love and life matter more than the knowledge that some day it must end.

Winkie

Winkie by Clifford Chase has been on my list for a while. It came out last summer and it sounded very intriguing. But due to the enormity of my overwhelming book list it sort of got lost in the bookshelf shuffle. But it called to me and so I listened.

This was a fascinating book. It's a very quick read but an utterly maddening one. Towards the end of the book my blood was boiling. Who'd have thunk a story about a teddy bear could rile me up so much. But rile it did.

Basically in a nut shell this story is about the extreme illogical paranoia we have with terrorism and how some people are so desperate to blame anyone and anything for our fears that we blindly stop at nothing to find someone to accuse. And we turn a blind eye to the atrocities our government has been committing all in the name of national security.

But this book is not just about terrorism. It is also about love, kindness, and the discovery of what it means to be alive. So check out Winkie. I think you will like this little bear.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling was a satisfying end to a wonderful series. No spoilers, I promise. I will simply say that it was a really good read and I am sad that the series is over. But I hope that if Rowling continues her writing career her direction changes. I feel that the story is complete and perfect as it stands. Don't mess with perfection.

She achieved something greater than just a good series with Harry Potter. She caused generations of children and adults alike to discover the joy of reading. People who would normally never pick up a book did so to read Harry.

I would nominate this book for the Pulitzer this year. NOT because of the book itself but rather everything that went along with it. The entire planet was reading Harry Potter July 21st. No one has ever achieved a feat on that scale. No one in the history of writing has gotten so many people together with one goal. And I admire that. I don't know if we will ever see such an achievement ever duplicated again. But I thank Ms. Rowling for helping millions discover the joy of reading.

A Kiss from Maddalena

A Kiss from Maddalena by Christopher Castellani tells the story of life in a small Italian village toward the end of World War II. The central characters are the beautiful Maddalena and the love of her life, the young Vito.

The war tears their lives apart as Maddalena's family finds itself fleeing their small village for safer parts of Italy. Vito must stay behind and care for his ailing mother.

Once the war is finished Maddalena and her family return. And life is never the same for either of them.

A wonderful story, beautiful, eloquent, and absorbing.

***I can't ruin the story for you so I'll just say this: this is not a "hollywood" story.

Shoot the Moon

Shoot the Moon by Billie Letts was a really great read. I picked this up because I really enjoyed Where the Heart Is. Both the book and the movie. I started the book on Friday. And finished it Saturday afternoon. It's a wonderful story about the return of a young man that had disapeared and was thought dead over 20 years before.

I giggled, I got angry, and I cried. The characters in this story are simply fabulous. From almost the first page you feel like you know the characters personally. They are so vivid and so alive.

The Cabinet of Curiosities

The Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child is the third in the Pendergast Series. I haven't read the previous two novels but they are on my list now.

I was chatting with a guy on the bus yesterday, he was reading a different Douglas Preston novel, and he said that this was the weaskest in the series. If that is truly the case than I am in for a treat.

The only thing I was having trouble with was that I couldn't read as fast as my curiosity. So I found myself looking through pages in the book to see if certain characters survived or not. Yep, that's cheating. But there is so much detail in the story that I did find myself wanting to get through it and skip the details just so I can find out who done it and why and who survived.

The story is about a serial killer in the turn of the 19th century. His crimes are unearthed at a construction site in New York. After breaking the story in the Times the city is suddenly faced with a copy cat serial killer. Will Agent Pendergast be able to solve the crime before another murder takes place? Will the NYPD? And what do all these murders have to do with the Museum of Natural History?

The museum is the next evolutionary step in what used to be Cabinet of Curiosities. People started private collections of nature and natural phenomenon. Those collections would sometimes go on view to the public. But as the world moved forward the Cabinets became less popular. And the Museum of Natural History inherited many of these collections. Strange skeletons, mason jars filled with unusual creatures, gem stones, dinosaur fossils, shrunken heads, elephant feet. You name it, the Cabinets had them.

Overall this was a well written and fun read. And I look forward to more of their books.