The Book Worm's Library

I am looking for authors that are interested in the opportunity to share their books, and their insights about their writing.  I would love to do interviews for authors that are looking for another source for publicity, and feature them here at The Book Worm’s Library.  I am happy to publish, in addition to my interview, any publicity media that you would like to include.  The articles/interviews will be featured on an independent “featured author page” for a week at a time, and then kept as their own post on the blog as a means of promoting your writing, and works.  I would also be interested in providing book reviews for your most recent book, or the book of your choosing, as a follow up to your interview (If I have not already read it), and if I have I would provide the book review to run either in tandem with your interview article, or as a back to back feature.

I have a particular interest in interviews for local, Utah authors, as I also do free lance writing for Examiner.com, and I am working on starting my author base in this new venture.  So, for any authors that are willing to provide me with an interview, I would love to hear from you.  The interview questions can be completed either through interview, phone contact — or for local authors that prefer, I can do them in person, and feature them here on my blog.  Also for local authors, I would be featuring the interview/article on my site through Examiner.com.  This could include authors that have connections to Utah, weather through schooling, business, publishing, or living here.
I would love to hear from you!  You can contact me here, through the website at lisaa@thebookwormslibrary.com, or through any of links, or comments here in our community!  Thank you so much for your readership, and I look forward to hearing from you.

The Book Worm, aka:  Lisa A.

Synopsis:

When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years because of Saren’s refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment.

As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable. With the arrival outside the tower of Saren’s two suitors—one welcome, the other decidedly less so—the girls are confronted with both hope and great danger, and Dashti must make the desperate choices of a girl whose life is worth more than she knows.

With Shannon Hale’s lyrical language, this little-known classic fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm is re-imagined and reset in a land inspired by the Asian steppes; it is a completely unique retelling filled with adventure and romance, drama and disguise.

Characters:

• Lady Saren:  Confined in a tower following her refusal to marry the man her family feels she should.
  
• Dashti:  Lady Saren’s handmaid that commits herself to share her Lady’s fate in the name of loyalty.  Becomes the soul reason they are able to survive the protracted confinement.

Book Review:

Shannon Hale is a master at re-envisioning old, obscure fairy tales and mythical stories.  Many are from the deeper recesses of the story well, and therefore are not nearly so well known as the more famous, surviving stories of this type.  It is perhaps this careful choice on the part of Ms. Hale that she is able to recreate fresh, enchanting stories, which don’t have the worn hallmarks of Snow White, and Cinderella. This particular story is no exception.  The original story of this little known tale comes from the Brother’s Grimm, under the title of Maid Maleen.  And it is the obscurity that makes the story such a fun read.  Most of us can identify Cinderella in Hollywood’s immortal reworking of Pretty Woman.  But the more obscure titles from these old tale spinners offer a great new source of stories for modern readers.  And given that Ms. Hale has an extraordinary talent for giving these obscure tales a rebirth — we get to enjoy the benefits of her labors.

This particular story is intriguing for a number of reasons.  In addition to the lesser degree of the fame of the story, the setting is a unique addition that helps draw the reader in.  Set in the Asian Steppes, this story has all the appeal of the culture, mythology, and lifestyles of the old Khans.  And if you have never been introduced to this culture, you are in for a real treat.  They are a unique culture with a deeply engrossing appeal.  Probably because of the foreign nature in comparison to Western culture.  I found that the setting for this great little story was quite enjoyable to read, and different from my usual books.

Another thing that I found particularly interesting about this book was the similarities that this story had to the old Rapunzel story — also of the Brothers Grimm fame.  That strange feel of a woman closed off in a tower with no way for the world to reach her.  The only form of communication with the outside world is that of a small, open window.  Combine that with the suitors that come to lay claim to the woman’s heart, in order to release her from her prison, and you start to wonder if the brothers didn’t have a strange hang up of their own.

But what appealed to me most about this book is the duality of the fairy tale story, combined with the real world culture of the Mongolian people.  This really made for a super fairy tale — in that it was a culture that I had read about, and that brought an element of the vaguely familiar to it.  I was able to identify with it.  It basically took the nowhere fairy tale, and brought it into the real world.  It made for a great Young Adult read that was both captivating, and fun — even for an adult!

For more information about this book, or its author — be sure to check out the websites below:

Shannon Hale Website

Sqaueetus Blog

When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, The Book Worm’s Library earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog by contributing to giveaways, postage, travel, and attending book industry related events.  Our affiliates are Amazon.com, Abe Books, Barnes and Noble, and Indie.  We appreciate all those that help to support our blog, and have provided links below for the direct links to this book.

AbeBooks.com

Barnes and Noble

Shop Indie Bookstores

Synopsis:

A miraculous lesson in courage and recovery, Bending Toward the Sun tells the story of a unique family bond forged in the wake of brutal terror. Weaving together the voices of three generations of women, Leslie Gilbert-Lurie and her mother, Rita Lurie, provide powerful—and inspiring—evidence of the resilience of the human spirit, relevant to every culture in every corner of the world. By turns unimaginably devastating and incredibly uplifting, this firsthand account of survival and psychological healing offers a strong, poignant message of hope in our own uncertain times.Rita Lurie was five years old when she was forced to flee her home in Poland to hide from the Nazis. From the summer of 1942 to mid-1944, she and fourteen members of her family shared a nearly silent existence in a cramped, dark attic, subsisting on scraps of raw food. Young Rita watched helplessly as first her younger brother then her mother died before her eyes. Motherless and stateless, Rita and her surviving family spent the next five years wandering throughout Europe, waiting for a country to accept them. The tragedy of the Holocaust was only the beginning of Rita’s story.Decades later, Rita, now a mother herself, is the matriarch of a close-knit family in California. Yet in addition to love, Rita unknowingly passes to her children feelings of fear, apprehension, and guilt. Her daughter Leslie, an accomplished lawyer, media executive, and philanthropist, began probing the traumatic events of her mother’s childhood to discover how Rita’s pain has affected not only Leslie’s life and outlook but also her own daughter, Mikaela’s.A decade-long collaboration between mother and daughter, Bending Toward the Sun reveals how deeply the Holocaust remains in the hearts and minds of survivors, influencing even the lives of their descendants. It also sheds light on the generational reach of any trauma, beyond the initial victim. Drawing on interviews with the other survivors and with the Polish family who hid five-year-old Rita, this book brings together the stories of three generations of women—mother, daughter, and granddaughter—to understand the legacy that unites, inspires, and haunts them all.

Book Review:

This is a book that I was originally approached to review through the intermediary of the author’s publicist.  When they requested that I read and review this book I took a deep gulp (as I always do when solicited for a book review.) because I always worry about what if they don’t like the review.  That is not to say I don’t try to be honest in all the reviews I present.  And my philosophy about books is that I always try to accentuate the positive (there is always some in every book), and make sure the criticisms are countered as constructive feed back.  There are very few books that I have ever come out an said that I just don’t like it.  But when it is solicited, I understand that they are looking for advanced commentary, as they are gearing up for a book release.  But since I love to read about the Holocaust, and World War II — I certainly couldn’t pass up the chance.

This book offers an interesting insight into something that I think very few people have ever paid much attention to.  That is — how does extreme trauma affect subsequent generations?  We all understand that those who survive trauma are forever changed by the experience.  And we all understand that the Holocaust redefined the definition applied to the term traumatic incident.  But I have always wondered about the generations that follow these incidents.  And though this is probably the most well known in history — it does not stand alone.  Those that are descendants of former slaves, political refugees, the Native American Indians, the Mormons — just to name a few — all share the same distinguishing  mark of being a trauma defined people.

Perhaps it is because I come from a group of people that share similar characteristics with the Holocaust survivors that I take such an interest in this topic.  Please don’t misunderstand me.  I would never dream to suggest that what the Latter Day Saints went through in the early years of their church, could ever begin to compare to the systematic attempted genocide of a whole nationality of people.  But the concept is still the same.  Not only were the survivors of the LDS people, as well as those of the Holocaust changed forever in the case of the primary victims,  but there is another layer of consequences that few people realize exists in the background.

In my case what I have noticed is that the stories of the trauma will live forever, and in some form or other they are passed from generation to generation.  I still know what it was like to be a member of the fated Martin Handcart Company.  I also know what it was like to be Amanda Barnes Smith (my fourth great-grandmother) and face losing a husband and a son at the Hans Mill massacre, and be left with one twin that had his hip completely shot away; or to be unable to move that son in the face of extreme mob violence.  No I didn’t live through it — or anything even close to it.  But I have lived with the stories all of my life.  Not only were they passed to me through my own family legends and historical accounts — but their stories have passed to me through the history texts, and the surviving records within the community that I still belong to.  And even more significantly, even after all this time, these stories still produce a physical and emotional response.  And I can tell you that church history is as much a part of me, and my world as it was on the fateful days that these events happened.

It was this bridge of understanding that helped me to relate to Ms. Gilbert-Lurie’s book and the history that she had to tell.  I could understand her premise that this kind of trauma does pass on.  And though you may not be able to see it in the survivor’s descendants — the mark of that history is there, under the surface, influencing their choices and decisions regularly.  I understand what it means to turn towards your “own kind” in the name of safety.  It is hard to trust the world around you, when that world has a history of hunting y0u down and persecuting you without relief.    And I understand what it means to live in the shadow of so fantastic a history that you feel you can never escape it.

I would go so far as to say that unless you come from a group of people that have been on the receiving end of that kind of persecution — it is impossible to understand what it means to have the consequences pass from generation to generation.  But Ms. Gilbert-Lurie has done a tremendous job at helping her readers feel what it is like — if only briefly — to come from that kind of background.  And her writing is such that you gain a real appreciation for what it means to be the descendant of a hunted, and haunted people.  And though you may feel that she has not fully made her case from the logical standpoint, the only thing I can say is that the damage done to the first generation was so deep and so lasting that it continues to pass on — even now, and it is not a logic matter but one of experience and inherent understanding.

For more information on this book, or for more information about this author, be sure to check out the websites below:

Leslie Gilbert-Lurie Website

When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, The Book Worm’s Library earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog by contributing to giveaways, postage, travel, and attending book industry related events.  Our affiliates are Amazon.com, Abe Books, Barnes and Noble, and Indie.  We appreciate all those that help to support our blog, and have provided links below for the direct links to this book.

AbeBooks.com

Barnes and Noble

Shop Indie Bookstores

Synopsis:

From the bestselling author of Snow in August and A Drinking Life comes this magical, epic tale of an extraordinary man who arrives in New York City in 1740 and remains…forever.

From the shores of Ireland, Cormac O’Connor sets out on a fateful journey to avenge the deaths of his parents and honor the code of his ancestors. His quest brings him to the settlement of New York, seething with tensions between English and Irish, whites and blacks, British and “Americans,” where he is swept up in a tide of conspiracy and violence. In return for aiding an African shaman who was brought to America in chains, Cormac is given an otherworldly gift: He will live forever — as long as he never leaves the island of Manhattan.

Cormac comes to know all the buried secrets of Manhattan — the way it has been shaped by greed, race, and waves of immigration, by the unleashing of enormous human energies, and above all, by hope.

Through it all, Cormac must fight a force of evil that returns relentlessly in the scions of a single family whose path first crossed his in Ireland. As he searches out these blood enemies, he must watch everyone he touches slip away. And so he seeks the one who can change his fate, the mysterious dark lady who alone can free him from the blessing and the curse of his long life.

Drawing on Pete Hamill’s bone-deep knowledge of New York City, Forever is his long-awaited masterpiece, a Shakespearean evocation of the mysteries of time and death, sex and love, character and place. It is both an unforgettable drama and a timeless triumph of storytelling.

Characters:

• Cormac O’Connor:  Irish immigrant that arrives in New York on the quest to fulfill a debt of honor by avenging those that killed his parents.
• Revolving cast of characters that spans New York history from 1740 to 2001

Book Review:

I love historical fiction — particularly when it entails the history of a place that is filled with the most fascinating people and events that the world has ever known.  Such is the tale found in Mr. Hamill’s rendition of Forever. I never appreciated how significant a roll that New York played in the growth of this nation, until I had read this piece of historical fiction.  Only then did I appreciate how much history can be found in this one amazing city!  And while the story is beautiful, and very creative, and while there are characters that are both profound and profane all encapsulated in this little gem of a book — it is the city itself that commands the center of attention.

Cormac, as the main character of this story, offers us an interesting look at history that we rarely get to see.  The problem that most people have with reading history is that it is either dry and boring, or that it simple doesn’t get presented as a cohesive whole.  The reason for this, of course is that so much happened all at once, that it is hard to put the entire history of any one city (not to mention all the countries, all the people, and all the events of mankind) into a linear format.  But Mr. Hamill found an interesting way to give us a ring side seat for the development of this city from before the American Revolution up through the falling of the Twin Towers.  Simply put — he provided us with a character that had the unique perspective of having lived through all this history — and he presents it as an eyewitness account.

What would you record if you could live for several hundreds of years.  If the only limit to your entire existence was that you couldn’t leave this one little piece of property, which at the time was a tiny little town struggling to survive — but would eventually grow into one of the largest metropolises in the world?  What kind of events would you consider important?  And what kind of events would you consider as insignificant, passing details that really have no bearing on the overall development of the place you called home?  Would your perspective change in relation to these questions if your life span were guaranteed to be several hundred years, as opposed to a few decades?  And would you come to see humanity as all part of the same family, or would they each occupy a unique place, in both time and space — and have a small role to play on the stage of this world?

These are the questions that Mr. Hamill constantly wrangles with as he developed this particular story.  And the answers he came up with are surprising.  In some cases, some of the most significant elements of history — at least as we consider them today — take a back seat to some of the more passing elements of this long lived character’s life.  And some of the most insignificant details take on great importance, when they are seen through the telescope of one man’s interpretation of events in relation to everything else that he has seen.

As I was reading through this book I kept coming back to the question of what is really important in life?  Are there things that we see as so dramatically important that other events, which are changing the whole face of the world around us, seem inconsequential?  And even more significant — are there certain events that happen that — no matter who you are, or what is going on in your life — do those events form passages linking the past, present, and the future into one unifying whole.  Their meanings as significant today as they were on the day of their occurrence? Did the attack on the World Trade Centers mean more to those that had the memory of Hiroshima or Pearl Harbor?  And did slavery seem as big a sin to a man that was truly confined — eternally to one little piece of land that only spanned the boundaries of New York proper?

This is a book of questions, which I came away from with a profound respect for the depths that a truly gifted author can encourage his readers to explore.  And more than that it made me appreciate how sometimes seeing through the lens of someone else’s perceptions can have dramatic implications for our own interpretations of people, events, and places.   And even more than that, we are able  to learn that who we are is defined because of how we relate to the world in which we live, and not simply because we exist.

For more information on this topic, or about this author, be sure to check out the websites below:

Review of Books.com

Pete Hamill Website

New York History

When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, The Book Worm’s Library earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog by contributing to giveaways, postage, travel, and attending book industry related events.  Our affiliates are Amazon.com, Abe Books, Barnes and Noble, and Indie.  We appreciate all those that help to support our blog, and have provided links below for the direct links to this book.

AbeBooks.com

Barnes and Noble

Shop Indie Bookstores

Synopsis:

Holmes has been tracking Moriarty and his agents for months and is on the brink of snaring them all and delivering them to the dock. Moriarty is the nexus of a highly organized and amazingly secret criminal force and Holmes will consider it the crowning achievement of his career if only he can defeat Moriarty. Moriarty of course is out to thwart Holmes’s plans and is well capable of doing so, for he is, as Holmes admits, the great detective’s intellectual equal.

Characters:

• Sherlock Holmes:  The great detective of Victorian England
• Dr. John Watson:  Holmes’ great friend, and partner in the investigations of many crimes throughout Victorian, England
• Professor Moriarty:  The criminal mastermind of a ring of organized crime in Victorian London.  Also the intellectual equal of Holmes

Book Review:

There are some books that I understand why they became the great representation of literature that they did.  And there are characters in the world of literature that achieve immortal status due to the magnitude of their depth and the influence they have on so many readers.  These characters are immortal because they were created to be.  They are characters that readers love across all kinds of nationalities, social classes, and educational levels; simply put — readers are able to identify with them, and they bond with them on some very personal levels.  Simply put — these types of characters give something to everyone, and no one comes away without having been influenced by these types of characters, in both large ways and small.  Holmes is certainly one of those characters.  Written as a bread and butter character — he rose to the status of legendary due to the popularity of the newly established concept of serial writing on the part of Doyle.  So much so that when he was killed off once, there was such an outcry that Doyle was forced to bring him back.

But sometimes one encounters characters in literature that are a little more illusive, and it is up to the reader to flesh out, or make judgment calls on exactly how the character develops.  This can occur for a number of reasons.  Either the character is poorly conceived and written; sometimes they are designed to be illusive as a plot means of creating an element of the story; and sometimes these characters are hard to identify with on the part of the reader.  However, sometimes there is a character that becomes bigger than life — but it is uncertain why.  This story is a great example of this irony in Professor Moriarty.

Professor Moriarty is a strange character in literature because of the status he has achieved through the merits of another character — namely Sherlock Holmes.   Doyle created Holmes to be a legendary detective, with an amazing intellect, and beyond average powers of observation and deduction.  In essence he defined the concept of deductive reasoning in the investigation of crime.  But when Doyle wanted to turn his writing abilities to something more challenging, and with considerably more substance — he was faced with a dilemma.  How to end Sherlock Holmes.  This is a corner that of course was his own creation, and that he back himself into.  In creating the Holmes character, he essentially created not only his own bread and butter, but he also created a character that people loved to love!  Essentially Holmes, as the main character had developed a fan base, which of course created the quandary of what do you do with the series to effectively end it.

This is the reason that I get frustrated with serials in literature.  Like soap operas, and serial television shows — you become so engrossed in the characters that you tend to lose track of any one story line.  It is the characters that drive the serials — and the foundation for the success of a serial story exists entirely in the existence of the characters.  Thus the crux of the problem the Doyle encountered when he arrived at today’s story.  What do you do with Holmes, in order to satisfactorily end the saga?

Since the Holmes stories were not based on a continuous linear story line — but rather on the character himself.  It didn’t matter where the reader jumped in and out of the different story lines.  So the only solution to ending the Holmes saga was an effective end of the character.  There are only so many options to explore in this realm — Holmes could retire (not very likely since he wasn’t that old of a man in the stories, and he wouldn’t very well leave his passion without good reason.), or he could be forcibly removed from the ability to continue on with his work.  Hence, how does one kill a master investigator, that has powers of observation beyond the average, and the ability to identify danger even before it exists.  (Or at least that is the way he has always been portrayed.)  It wouldn’t be very believable to have Holmes suddenly develop a blind spot to some form of danger that could effectively end his career, when his entire reputation is based on solving and eliminating these kinds of problems.

Enter Professor Moriarty.  I am sure that when it came to creating a criminal that had the ability to best Sherlock Holmes, or at the very least create a stale mate between the two great minds — it must have been a challenge for introducing him into the story.  Especially since the first time that he appeared in all of the Holmes saga was in the first story that was written about him.  Yes, he appeared in stories that Doyle was able to create the illusion that they had happened prior to this one.  But the fact is — Moriarty, the master criminal that had a mind that could equal that of the great Holmes; the man that was dubbed “the Napoleon of Crime,” by no less than Holmes himself is a character that literally came out of no where. He had never existed before — even though he is portrayed as running a huge, criminal organization.  And he had never crossed paths with Holmes before — even though Holmes states that it is his mind that is behind many of the cases that he worked on throughout his career.

Simply put, in this story we are introduced to the one man that can rival Holmes — but his survivability in the realm of fiction is entirely based on his counterpart — Holmes himself.  Everything that we come to know about Moriarty is what we learn, essentially through this one story.  And yet, here is a character that has become larger than life.  I find myself wondering, and asking others frequently — do you think that Doyle intended Professor Moriarty to become such an infamous character, not to mention one of the most loved  villains in the literary world?

This is the one question that I always come away from this story with — Did Moriarty become the great literary criminal master mind because of the character created by Doyle?  Or was he, as I am inclined to think, a character riding on the laurels of the character of Holmes, himself?  These are the challenges presented in this piece.  The whole story comes down to this quandary of was Moriarty intended to be a character that could rival Holmes in his development over the years?  Or was he just a character that was created for a purpose and then developed into something more?

For more input into this topic, or information on this author, be sure to check out the websites below:

Literature and Crime

Sherlock Holmes

Who are the Most fascinating Fictitious Villains?

Fictional Portrayals of Psychopaths in Literature

When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, The Book Worm’s Library earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog by contributing to giveaways, postage, travel, and attending book industry related events.  Our affiliates are Amazon.com, Abe Books, Barnes and Noble, and Indie.  We appreciate all those that help to support our blog, and have provided links below for the direct links to this book.

AbeBooks.com

Barnes and Noble

Synopsis:

Baron Gruner is brilliant and dangerous. He collects women like butterflies. Some don’t survive the experience. Nor do those who stand in his way.   When the daughter of General de Merville falls under the spell of a notorious criminal, the strong soldier becomes a broken man. At the request of an anonymous client, Sherlock Holmes intervenes, in what is possibly the supreme triumph of the great detective’s career.  Gruner is vulnerable to deception and daring–if Holmes can still strike back.

Characters:

• Sir James Damery — Messenger seeking to hire Holmes to investigate the case of his client, who wishes to remain anonymous.
• Sherlock Holmes — The legendary detective of Victorian England.
• Dr. John Watson — Medical doctor, personal friends, and assistant to Sherlock Holmes
• Violet de Merville — Young woman engaged to Baron Adelbert Gruner, and current assignment of Holmes.
• Baron Adelbert Gruner — A violent Austrian with a past history for criminal activities.  Rumored to have killed his previous wife.  He is now engaged to be married to the young Violet de Merville.

Book Review:

As I come to the close of this semester, I am down to two final stories from the works of Doyle.  And as I contemplate this particular review, and reflect over the other works that I have read — many of them not for the first time — I am struck at the accomplishments that Doyle’s works represent.  Aside from creating one of the most memorable characters in literary history, Doyle’s works represent several other milestones as well.  With his pioneering serial pieces, and the success of Sherlock Holmes, Doyle effectively developed a new genre in literary fiction.  Holmes helped to give birth to the detective novels, and set the standard for all other literary detectives that would follow over the years.  But Doyle’s pieces also marked the scientific transition in the field of forensic science, from the realm of get lucky investigation, to the art of proving guilt through facts and evidence.  Doyle’s writing tracked the introduction of the new forensic science that was just starting to develop during the time of Doyle’s writings,  and the dramatic changes it brought to the investigative process.  With the advent of fingerprints, and the discovery of the scientific process that were quickly developing with the rise of modern technology, this field of study changed almost overnight.  It was these changes that Doyle’s works gave readers a glimpse into.  But he also introduced the concept of the serial novel.  This methodology of an ongoing character, where only the story line changed, though not Doyle’s preference for writing, became his hallmark.  And he opened a new methodology for the novel, as we know it today.  Many during Doyle’s time found this concept of constant characters with ongoing lives was a new form of entertainment.  However, as may of the literary works of today demonstrate, this concept become very popular, and altered the face of writing forever.

This particular piece is one that is actually unusual for the great detective.  Mainly because it doesn’t demonstrate Holmes’ renowned skills at solving a crime, but rather he is putting his considerable talents to work in trying to prevent one.  As many lovers of the serial genre will tell you, the biggest problem that the author faced was coming up with new plot lines that would remain true to the character, while at the same time expanding their appeal and changing up the circumstances in the story, so as not to bore the readers.  I have no doubt that Doyle faced the same problem in the character of Holmes.  Mainly because the crimes may change, but Holmes is always doing the same thing.  This piece is the evidence of that problem.  The reapplication of Holmes’ considerable intellect in trying to prevent a crime from happening.

I found in this book, as with the others that I have read, and studied this semester that Doyle had a great gift for creating a character that was almost mesmerizing.  But I don’t know that his plots were as much a strong suit, as the characters he developed.  In this piece, as with many of the Holmes works, we find that the characters are the main appeal of the story, which is evidenced by the immortal appeal of Holmes that carries on — even today.  There isn’t much substance to the storyline itself.  But Holmes is ever the analytical, and frequently prideful, bordering on conceited self.  But with this one we have the introduction of Baron Gruner.  This man, though getting closer to Holmes’ equal, as far as his ability to deceive, presents a great character for this never ending game of cat a mouse, or chess if you prefer that goes on between Holmes and his adversaries.  And while he still doesn’t represent the ultimate in criminal ability — he is getting close to proving to be Holmes’ equal.  But we do find in this particular piece that Holmes while intellectually superior, is not immortal.  Which puts him more on the level with his readers, and makes him more real.

And perhaps that is the main appeal of this series throughout all the works.  This constant struggle of the intellect.  As Holmes is portrayed as the master, who is constantly pitting his skills, and mental acuity against those of the criminal element.  We have an ongoing game of chess — where the greatest intellect wins.  Holmes is, of course, the standard for this intellectual master, and we, as the readers, understand that it will only be a master, such as himself that will ever have the chance of giving Holmes a run for his money, and maybe even besting him in the end.  And so, we read to find out if Holmes has yet found one that can play the game on his level, which has not yet been achieved.  But this does insure that the Holmes saga will continue — and we will have another one to move on to next week.

For more information about this story, or the author — be sure to check out the following websites:

Sherlockian

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Literary Estate

When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, The Book Worm’s Library earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog by contributing to giveaways, postage, travel, and attending book industry related events.  Our affiliates are Amazon.com, Abe Books, Barnes and Noble, and Indie.  We appreciate all those that help to support our blog, and have provided links below for the direct links to this book.

AbeBooks.com

Barnes and Noble

Shop Indie Bookstores

Synopsis:

An astonishing, hotly anticipated new novel from the great literary fantasist and creator of Thursday Next, Jasper Fforde. As long as anyone can remember, society has been ruled by a Colortocracy. From the underground feedpipes that keep the municipal park green to the healing hues viewed to cure illness to a social hierarchy based upon one’s limited color perception, society is dominated by color. In this world, you are what you can see.Young Eddie Russett has no ambition to be anything other than a loyal drone of the Collective. With his better-than-average red perception, he could well marry Constance Oxblood and inherit the string works; he may even have enough red perception to make prefect.For Eddie, life looks colorful. Life looks good.But everything changes when he moves with his father, a respected swatchman, to East Carmine. There, he falls in love with a Grey named Jane who opens his eyes to the painful truth behind his seemingly perfect, rigidly controlled society.Curiosity—a dangerous trait to display in a society that demands total conformity—gets the better of Eddie, who beings to wonder:Why are there not enough spoons to go around?Why is everything—and everyone—barcoded?What happened to all the people who never returned from High Saffron?And why, when you begin to question the world around you, do black-and- white certainties reduce themselves to shades of grey?Part satire, part romance, part revolutionary thriller, this is the new world from the creative and comic genius of Jasper Fforde.

Characters of Merit:

• Eddie Russett:  The protagonist that has been sent, with his father to East Carmine for humility training.  His curiosity has a tendency to lead him into trouble.  Engaged on a half promise to marry into the Oxblood family.
• George Stanton DeMauve:  Head prefecture of East Carmine.  Has a passion for collecting pencils.
  
• Jane Grey:  A headstrong grey that refuses to bow to the requirements and demands of a society she does not agree with.  She is often aggressive, threatening, and sometimes even violent.
• Violet DeMauve:  Daughter to the head prefecture — she is in desperate need of a husband from the high red persuasion.
• Tommo Cinnabar:  A low red that has a propensity towards the “beigemarket,” blackmail, and all sorts of criminal activity.
• Mr. Russett:  Eddies father, and temporary swatchman of East Carmine.
  

Book Review:

Those of my readers that started following my blog prior to the big crash know that I discovered Mr. Fforde’s writing, and absolutely fell in love from the beginning.   All of his characters are unique, and refreshing — simply because they are so different from the standard run of the mill.  And his societal commentary that is found in each of his books if quirky, and absolutely commands attention because it is so different from the usual presentations of this topic.  Mr. Fforde essentially uses the bizarre end of unusual to present a story that is so memorable that the reader can’t help but become engrossed.  From there it is easy for Mr. Fforde to make any point he chooses.  But like all authors — favorites or not, they will all have their more preferred books, and then their less so.  This book is one that fits in the latter category for me.

Don’t misunderstand me.  This is still the realm of the bizarre, every bit as out there as Thursday Next, and the inter-literary world that was established through that series.  And the Nursery Crime division has done for detective novels what Sophie Kinsella has done for romance.  Namely turned the world upside down with memorable characters, and real world situations — skewed to help the reader lift the curtain and look behind the status quo, to see a changed perception of reality, which alters their understanding of the world they live in.  I just didn’t feel like this particular book, however, had the same powerhouse approach that the other two series seemed to have.  There was something in the magic of this one that didn’t quite have the same sparkle that the others did.  (At least for me.)

That is not to say this isn’t a fantastic story.  This book once again dissects the elements of social order, and then realigns it according to the most bizarre traits that Mr. Fforde could dream up.  In this case it happens to be an extreme form of color blindness — in which depending on which color category you are born into — determines what color spectrum strain you are able to perceive.  And of course how diluted your perception of  color, determines not only in which social class you will live your life, but also how powerful you will or will not be able to become.  This book presents all of the social trauma that arises with the concept of societal strata, and even points out all the reasons why it fails as well.  Since in this bizarre world, which comes across as an alter ego for George Orwell’s 1984, the issues which divide societies are still as prevalent as ever — they are just based on color perception, not money, appearance, or some other element of perceived class stratification, the story has the feel of the altered reality.

Likewise you get the characters that just make you step back and wonder where did he ever come up with this stuff.  Their depth and range, though not quite as acute as those of his previous series are still profound and very real, in their own bizarre way.  They have all the demonstrated elements of society that one can find in our own world — the corrupt politicians, the naive, the criminal, the worker, the intelligentsia — all are present and accounted for.  And yet the world around them is so dramatically insane that the reader can’t help but step back and see these defined societal “roles” as something that resembles their understandings of each, but in some ways redefine all understanding.

Mr. Fforde is a commanding author.  And even in his weaker presentations — there is much to be said for the world in which we live.  And if everyone had the ability to help people see past their own understandings, as Mr. Fforde can, then this world would be a very different place.  For more information on this book, or on the author — be sure to check out the websites below:

Shades of Grey Website

Fforde Grand Central Website

When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, The Book Worm’s Library earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog by contributing to giveaways, postage, travel, and attending book industry related events.  Our affiliates are Amazon.com, Abe Books, Barnes and Noble, and Indie.  We appreciate all those that help to support our blog, and have provided links below for the direct links to this book.

AbeBooks

Barnes and Noble

Shop Indie Bookstores

Synopsis:

Late at night in a seedy hotel, Richard is drawn into a strange conversation with a fellow guest. Through a narrow strip of mosquito netting he hears for the first time of a secret beach, and island Garden of Eden hidden somewhere in the scattered islands of a Thai marine park. The next morning, Richard finds a map pinned to his door, and the man who put it there has slashed his wrists. The challenge is irresistible, and Richard sets off on a perilous journey in search of Shangri-La.

Characters:

Main characters

• Richard – A young man traveling through Bangkok, who finds himself in a room next to a man who commits suicide, but not before he passes on a map to a hidden beach.
• Daffy (Mister Duck) – One of the original founders of the Beach, he leaves a map for Richard to find his own way to the beach.  Has a strong connection to Richard and chose him specifically as someone he wanted to go to the beach.
• Étienne and Françoise – A French couple that befriends Richard, and join him on his search for the nysterious beach.
• Keaty – Becomes a close friend of Richard when he shares his Gameboy with him.  Was first invited to the Beach by the two surviving founding members.
• Jed – The quiet and mysterious guardian of the island.  Slowly opens up to Richard, and demonstrates that there is much more to his character than any of the community members ever suspect.
• Sal – One of the three original founders, and the unofficial leader of the community.  Holds the community together through her force of will.

Other characters

• Zeph and Sammy – Get to know Richard on the night before he leaves for the beach.  Joins him on his quest to find the unknown.
• Bugs – The third member of the original founders.  He is the boyfriend of Sal, and had an extreme dislike for Richard.
• Gregorio – First invited to the island by Daffy.  He works with Richard on a fishing detail.
• Unhygenix – Community head chef, and friend of Richard.
• Ella – First brought to the island by Sal.  Works in the food preparation for the community with Unhygenix.
• Jean – In charge of the gardening detail of the island, and first introduced to the community by Bugs.
• Cassie – Girlfriend of Jesse; works with Bugs in the carpentry detail.
• Jesse – Boyfriend of Cassie, and works with Jean in the gardening detail.
• Moshe – Head of the second fishing detail. Invited by Daffy to the beach.
• Karl, Sten, and Christo (The Swedes) – all Swedish; Considered the best fishing detail since the three men fish out of the lagoon waters with the community boat. Only Sten is fluent in English, with Christo having fair knowledge, and Karl knowing only a few words. Like Jed, the Swedes arrived uninvited, as they knew of the beach’s existence.
• The Thai island guards – Menacing-looking men who guard the marijuana plantation on the other side of the island with their automatic rifles.

Book Review:

Does man have a place in paradise?  Does he have the capacity to live in the perfect world, without difficulties, or challenging situations to help him grow and develop?  Is man’s expulsion from paradise an inevitability, and one that, even if he were to return to paradise, would he ultimately find himself being expelled again?  Or more significantly, would man chose to walk out on his own, and return to the world that is filled with everything that is the antithesis of that paradise he left behind?  This is a story that challenges the being of men, and presents a recreation of the paradise, and origins of man’s story, recast in modern day.

The characters of this book are what truly make up the story.  Drawn from a wide range of nationalities, and backgrounds, which sets the stage for the diverse differences that mark the members of this self created community — the problems that are undermining this community are present from the beginning.  From the beginning of this story, the characters are divided up in every way imaginable — including the self defined groups that set them at odds against each other.  The native countries they come from, the languages they speak, their beliefs — all the things that divide men exist in this community.  And yet, each of the members choose to live in this community, and work to protect the knowledge of its existence. From the beginning the struggle against the differences that divide them, and work to find a whole within the community.

The community stands as a representation, both figuratively and literally of a place, but also a representation of paradise.  Everything that goes on in the community is at the whims, and designs of the people that have chosen to be a part of the group.  But is it possible for men to live in harmony, when there is so much that divides them?

And yet, even in this society the people that become a part of the whole, can’t help but bring with them the elements that would lead to self destruction.  The origins of the destruction of paradise are found in men, not in the external surroundings, or influences of disease, death, and corruption that exist, even in this small representation of paradise.  The elements that would destroy men, and compel them to leave that which would represent perfection is the nature of the people themselves.

This story is a great question, which challenges weather men have the capacity and the ability to overcome the self, and return to that place of existence, prior to his fall? This story also explores the reaches of man’s ability to change, and conform to a group as a whole — before his individual identity forces him to break from the group and seek his own self expression.  Does man have the capacity to suppress himself, and mold himself into society — or are there limits to how far we can go, before we are no longer capable of conformity to, and association with the group?  And in the end, will we be forced to choose between the self and the group?  When the crisis of the group or the individual is reached, does man have any ability to be more than himself — and put the well being of the group before his own?

This is a story of questions that challenge the roll of society, and pits it against the roll of the individual.  It is very well written, and the characters are compelling from beginning to end.  There is so much for the reader to take in throughout this story, that it is difficult to take it all in with only one read through.  The challenges between the self, and the group; the needs of the many weighed against the needs of the one.  These are the questions that are basic to every society.  This is a great book — if you are looking for a challenging read, with pressing questions that each person, and society must explore.

When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, The Book Worm’s Library earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog by contributing to giveaways, postage, travel, and attending book industry related events.  Our affiliates are Amazon.com, Abe Books, Barnes and Noble, and Indie.  We appreciate all those that help to support our blog, and have provided links below for the direct links to this book.

AbeBooks

Barnes and Noble

Shop Indie Bookstores

Synopsis:

The story of two radically different lives caught up in the middle of a tumultuous and changing Russia. One is the Grand Duchess Elisavayeta (Ella), wife of Grand Duke Sergei of Moscow. Sergei was a Romanov and an unmoving monarch who ruled with an iron hand, creating animosity and hatred as he drove Jews out of Moscow and kept the downtrodden where he felt they belonged, poor and wanting. The other is the revolutionary, Pavel. Both Elisavayeta and Pavel’s lives are tragically altered by the events leading up to and surrounding the revolution. The book is a look at how tragedy can change a soul into something dark and hateful or something beautiful and hope filled. In the end, the impact of these two souls is so far reaching that both of them changed thousands upon thousands of lives, some for the better and some for the worse.

Review:

I found the novel fascinating and frightening. Civil unrest is a theme that is carried out again and again in countries all across the globe. This look into some of the reasons for it and some of the ways it is carried out to fruition of the complete overthrow of a government is amazing. When people are hungry for change, they will look to anyone who offers it, even if those who give it, change the system into a more oppressive system. As people in a society who have some say into officials and government posts, this book should be a wake up call that we don’t only need change but we need change by those who will offer change for the better. Some of the parallels I saw between the Russia that led to the Revolution and then ultimately the creation of the communist USSR are frighteningly similar to America of today.

By the end of the novel the story itself was beautiful and life changing. Although Alexander walks you through some of the darkest and worst of early 20th century Russia, in the end I felt moved and lifted. I cried along with Ella and Pavel over the fate of not only themselves but of all Mother Russia as well.

When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, The Book Worm’s Library earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog by contributing to giveaways, postage, travel, and attending book industry related events.  Our affiliates are Amazon.com, Abe Books, Barnes and Noble, and Indie.  We appreciate all those that help to support our blog, and have provided links below for the direct links to this book.

AbeBooks.com

Barnes and Noble

Shop Indie Bookstores

Synopsis:

Just before eleven on an ordinary summer night in Washington, D.C., Tucker Jones picks up the phone, expecting to hear that his teenage daughter, Kat, is back from the movies. But the caller is another parent, a man who tells Tucker that Kat was actually at a party-and makes a shocking allegation about what happened to her there. In a blind rage, Tucker races to the party to find Kat already departed, but his full-boil interrogation of the boys still present spills over into a confrontation-and ends with one of the boys crashing into a glass tabletop. In a second, his rage turns to remorse, and he soon finds himself under arrest. Tucker could easily lose his home and his business, but he is most concerned about losing his daughter. Stephen Goodwin writes with insight and rare power about the way that passion rearranges lives.

As Tucker and Kat and everyone around them seek to repair the damages of that night, Breaking Her Fall charts their uncommonly difficult passage from despair to reconciliation and hope with extraordinary grace.

Character Lineup:

• Kat Jones:  A young girl struggling to grow up in a time and place consuming with peer pressure.  Overwhelmed with the struggle of wanting to fit in, and wanting to remain herself — she finds herself in positions that she isn’t sure how to get out of.
• Tucker Jones:  Kat’s father.  Overprotective, and a single father, he struggles with raising a teenage daughter in a time that she is fighting to break free, and he is fighting to keep her safe.
• Jed Vradenburg:  The wildly self centered young man that finds himself in a violent confrontation with Kat’s father, following accusations that Tucker took exception to.
• Mr. and Ms. Vradenburg:  Parents of Jed, and set on protecting their own son their their own means.

Book Review:

I knew that somehow this loneliness was linked to all my other fears and worries and premonitions and to my sense, that fall, of the terrible fragility of everything around me.

Perhaps the best description of this book — and its bottom line.  The fragility of life, and the pain it takes to live it, even in the face of disaster on a large scale.  Kat and Tucker provide us with a great story that demonstrates an important lesson that we all must learn in life.  Relationships are messy.  And the closer the relationship — the stickier they become. This story is a great one for the struggles of growing from the painful teenage years into adulthood, the struggles of being a single parent, and the difficulties of peer pressure under extreme conditions.  But beyond that this is a story of justice and mercy, as well as society’s perception of these two concepts.  It also challenges the role of morality in society, and the double standard that frequently exists — even today.  How some acts are seen as being appropriate for boys, but not for girls.

The book really covers a wide range of issues that constantly face families today.  And I don’t just mean the struggle of getting a teenager past those difficult years.  But the responses of families to certain, difficult situations that are almost inevitable in our world today.  Alcohol use, and premarital sex.  Promiscuity, teenage parties, and violence.  I found that the over-riding theme of this book was the idea that raising children is a family occurrence.  And when one member of the family faces a crisis — it is the crisis of the whole family, not just the individual.

This book is also great because it gives us a look into how much more these struggles are compounded when the family is a single parent home.  This is particularly more pertinent for our society now, than it ever has been before.  With the numbers of split families growing, and so many more parents facing the challenge of raising children not only in a difficult environment, but also across split homes and ideologies — this has become the most challenging problem that families are dealing with today.  It is also a beautiful example of how hard it is to keep a family on stable ground when in the midst of crisis, with only one parent fighting to keep it all together.

This book really is beautifully written, and I was impressed with the depth of the characters and how well Mr. Goodwin demonstrated the difficulties of teenagers today. Many teenagers are facing difficulties that would never have been thought of  in previous generations.  The struggles with mind destroying drugs, the rampant spread of underage drinking, and the dramatic rise of teenage pregnancies are problems that have grown in number far beyond all of the preceding generations, and is compounded with the rise of sexually transmitted disease, and teenage violence — all these combine to undermine the course of any adolescent on their progress to adulthood.  As these problems rise many of the problems start to develop into battles with depression, suicide, and even more prevalent the violence that escalates both inside the home, as well as in their school, social settings, and even on the street.  This book covers all of these bases and more.  But it is done on a very personal level, and in a voice that I would consider appropriate even for older teenage readers.  It is easy to identify with Kat, and her father and understand how easily situations facing today’s youth can escalate to a point out of control.  This book is also a beautiful demonstration of how hard it is to find solutions to the problems facing families today.  Carrying the power of the movie The Breakfast Club, this provides a great look at what it really means to grow up in the world today.

For more information on this book, our about the author be sure to check out the websites below:

Reading Group Guide

Author Interview

Random Ramblings Book Review

When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, The Book Worm’s Library earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog by contributing to giveaways, postage, travel, and attending book industry related events.  Our affiliates are Amazon.com, Abe Books, Barnes and Noble, and Indie.  We appreciate all those that help to support our blog, and have provided links below for the direct links to this book.

AbeBooks.com

Barnes and Noble

Shop Indie Bookstores