"The Last Track" ~ New Suspense Author: Sam Hilliard!

About the Author:  Sam lives outside of NYC with his girlfriend and an army of four cats--one feline under the legal limit.  Working at an all-girls boarding school, he knows world-class drama firsthand.  It's also the reason he studies Krav Maga and Tai Chi.

Book Summary from Cover:
Mike Brody--the man you want, when the one you love is missing.

More than just a master tracker, Mike is a former Special Forces operative, smoke jumper, and now extreme adventure tour guide who can tap into the memory and emotional state of those he pursues.
In The Last Track, Mike is recruited to find an asthmatic boy lost in the dense woods surrounding a dude ranch in Montana.  An unwitting murder witness, the boy burrows ever deeper into the rugged terrain, fearful of being found by the killer.
While Mike tracks the boy, his ex-wife, a journalist, uses her contacts to unravel the truth behind the murder.  Her discoveries threaten to snare them all in a treacherous conspiracy...

My Review:
Sam Hilliard needs to quit his day job and write full time. He's a born writer of the first caliber. "Get out of prep school," as my preppie, grown children say, Sam, and go for your true profession. You have what it takes.

In "The Last Track," Mr. Hilliard introduces us to a cast of unforgettable characters. If he isn't writing a series of books about his main character, Mike Brody, the infamous tracker in question, I'm liable to send out a posse to track him!

With all the panache of a seasoned, gripping suspense writer, new author Sam Hilliard scores a direct hit with this book. Character development and His creation of an environment for them is at it's height. I actually saw myself there and felt the angst.

His tracker, Mike Brody, is a complex, infinitely intriguing man displaying a keen ability to track the lost in wilderness situations. He also is an apparent student of how to handle people, include those in positions of authority. His military background lends itself to his tracker abilities.

Using a sort of sixth sense that guides him, comes from an unknown source, and that he keeps close to the vest, Mike Brody is a quietly capable, and virtually unknown man. Personally, I loved this twist on an otherwise familiar protagonist. One not necessarily psychic, but just the right amount of odd. We never quite get a bead on this ability and I'm thinking that leads to another book.

Much could be said about the insights we gain into advanced computer espionage, wilderness survival and law enforcement cooperation, but these things play in accompaniment to the human story of the lost boy and Mike's connection to his family.  His spicey ex-wife is an asset to Mike and the story overall. This balance of story lines renders a wealth of knowledge that keeps the entire piece flowing. "The Last Track" is a page-turner.

Self discovery, coming of age, awareness of womens' issues, and loyalty are themes, as well, in this book. It is a mark of excellence that Sam Hilliard manages to get so much value into his novel without spoiling it. What an accomplishment, particularly for a first time writer.

If I were to give a black-eyed critique of the book, I would say this one thing: it starts off too slowly to capture the average reader. Having said that, I can only encourage readers to persevere. Believe me when I say that this book is worth the effort.

Given Sam's astuteness and his obvious writing skills, we can only believe there are more Mike Brody tracker books in the future. He's left too many unanswered mysteries. We are left begging for more explanations. This is one of the great things about this book.
Who amongst us doesn't love anticipation?

Recommended for all lovers of mystery and suspense novels. For all who love Jeffrey Deaver, James Patterson, Patricia Cornwell and Michael Connelly. Yes, Sam Hilliard is that good!

Deborah/TheBookishDame

Read More

Book:   "Riding on Empty"
Author:  Craig Stephan
Copyright:   2010
Pages:  145
Summary:      "What happens when a loved one dies--and you suddenly find yourself riding on empty?

Riding on Empty is the chronicle of an inspiring true story of two indomitable spirits: a mother who inspires her precious son to awaken to life and triumph over dyslexia and seemingly insurmountable odds to discover his authentic path and find the strength to heal from watching her tragic struggle with cancer.

Join Craig Stephan on this exhilarating tour of the Grand Canyon and beyond, as he and his wife Beth traverse the southwestern U.S. on his 1995 Electra Glide Harley Classic, looping through Sedona in search of inner peace, where he encounters a new perspective on life."

My review:

"Riding on Empty" was a risk book for me.  I have experienced the loss of a loved one by cancer, my husband; and, more recently the death of my best friend.  Craig Stephan's book about dealing with the death of his mother, therefore, made me take a second look, but I certainly didn't see how on earth I could relate to a biker guy!!  I was so wrong.  Good thing in my older years I'm determined not to let my superficial ideas and prejudices hold me back from learning something new to evaluate the world around me.  Craig Stephan has a story to tell~~and one that will encourage and enlighten others.

Mr. Stephan is a good writer whose work distinctly comes from his heart and spirit.  Throughout the book, his words continually reach to communicate with the reader. He readily shares the significance of his pain in the process; and, then the actuality of losing his mother to cancer, as well as the aftermath of grief.  I heard recently that "grief is a ride you have to take, you can't get off of it until it's over."  That is so true, and Craig Stephan gives us the ride of our lives when he shares his path with us.

How does it help him and us?  It helps because it's a testimony that we will all pass this way in our lives and we can survive it with God's help, and the help of those He puts in our lives to anchor and support us.  It helped Craig because he was surrounded by a constant of love that never left him, a foundation of faith and love from his mother that he knew lasted past death, and would be with and inside him for all eternity. It helps because Craig was given the gift and the sense of urgency to tell us his story in such a way, a simple way, that could impact the lives of those who are walking through the gates of grief.  His way works.

I learned so much about motorcycling!  It was unexpected.  I absolutely loved every second of it!  There is so much symbolism about life in the 'cycle and the trip Craig and his wife took...the 'cycle that took them.  It was just magical.  We gain much from just that reading experience.

And, Craig shares very profound descriptions like this:

"My heart was road rash, burning like skin of a biker who had just hit unforgiving pavement at high speed and slid for hundreds of feet.  I sipped my drink and tried to swallow.  I visualized road rash throughout my gut.  This is death by broken heart, I concluded.  This must be how it starts."

There are many examples of his descriptions that make you stop reading in your tracks.  One can actually feel the harshness of that pain, right?


In "Riding on Empty" this fine author is looking for an end to his grief.  He wants understanding and a resolution about the loss of his mother.  He realizes the needs a spiritual awakening.  He finds all of these things, and he blazes a trail for those who may want to listen to him and to find the same peace.

If I may, I would have one comment that wasn't explored too much by the author.  That would be the thing that is obvious to the reader and not so much expressed or perhaps "seen" by the author:  that is that much of his insecurities and needs were transferred to his wife to fill in where his mother had left a gap.  More and more during the trip he relies upon Beth to "read the map," to move the right way with him to keep the bike on the road safely, to get them entre' into the hotels, and to make decisions for their well-being.  This is mothering in its rawest form!  There are more important lifestyle examples.  So, I think Beth is responsible for much of his healing, as well.

I recommend the book particularly, of course, for those who are experiencing grief and/or the death of a loved one, for Hospices everywhere, for those who know their lives are "missing something," but they don't know what, and for those seeking a spiritual awakening.


Deborah/TheBookishDame

Read More

"Clarity" ~ YA Book

GoodReads Summary:
"When you can see things others can't, where do you look for the truth?

This paranormal murder mystery will have teens reading on the edge of their seats.

Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift.

And a curse.

When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case--but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare's brother--who has supernatural gifts of his own--becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?"


There is just something about this book that draws me in.  I'm not usually a reader of YA for the most part, as you know, but this book keeps popping up everywhere I go!  So, it's got to be my next read in that genre.

You can find a review of it meanwhile on my new friend's blog:  http://themakeshiftbookmark.blogspot.com/

Have a very happy weekend!  I'll be reading and reviewing as always...  :]

Deb/TheBookishDame

PS:  Don't forget to sign up for my Giveaway!

Read More

"Huntress" by Malinda Lo

Go to AfterEllen to see a great review and interview of the author of this book.  Malinda Lo is also the author of "Ash" which is a retelling of the Cinderella story.

I'm so drawn to this cover art, and to the mysteries of this author's style. It must be said that it does include some LGBT writing in the main.

Will be interesting to read and review, don't you think?

Deb/TheBookishDame

Read More

"Lady Dr. Wyre: Jane Austen Austen Space Opera, Book l" ~ Jane, at it again!

Will there ever be an end to the tortures of poor Miss Austen?  Here we have what appears to be an erotic space opera about her.  Oh, Miss Austen, how doth the flower wilt in summer sun!?  I'm sure your bonnet would be pulled down to hide your face and your lacey handkerchief delicately patting that precious face of yours had you but suspected that your very name would cause such a stir in another time!

Here though, is the review...and I'm sure I have to have the book....in fact I've already procured a copy.  I'll be reviewing it soon, simply to save the beloved Miss Austen's name and nature:


"A dangerous technology could conquer the universe. Love could set it free.

Jane Austen Space Opera, Book 1
Charlotte, Duchess of Wyre, once held the Queen’s highest confidence—and the technological secret that keeps the royal heart beating. Fearful of what atrocities that Britannia might commit with her research, Charlotte turned to the galaxy’s most infamous assassin, Lord Sigmund Regret, to stage her own death.
Even without the simplest of luxuries, seven years hiding in the Americus colony is preferable to one day in the Tower of Londinium. Until a bounty hunter’s bullet forces her to revive her research. Now the same nanobots that keep the Queen alive also run rampant in Lord Regret’s body. Making his yearly Solstice visits increasingly…intimate…and complicating her courtship with the safe and honorable Sheriff Gilead Masters.
When the Americus colony declares independence, and her humble sheriff makes a shocking confession, Charlotte has had enough. Weary of running, tired of living without tea and silks, she fires a warning shot across Britannia’s bow: cease hunting Lady Wyre, or lose the technological power the crown holds so dear.
Her next task isn’t so simple. Somehow she must keep the two men she loves alive—and prevent them from killing each other.

Warning: Ladies in positions of power, stylish spaceships, BDSM. A ménage a trois featuring a duchess on the run, a gentlemanly assassin, and a rough-and-tumble sheriff willing to gun down anyone who gets between him and his lady."

Oh, yes, you can see it's Bustlepunk (steampunk) once again!  Until I've read this new genre, I'm off...but I shall return with good news, I hope and pray.

Yours,
Deborah/TheBookishDame

Read More

"After" by Amy Efaw ~ A book you'll remember!

"After" is a book that will challenge your sense of morality. It's a book that will draw you in to her heart of a teenaged girl, Devon, who finds herself accused of giving birth to a baby by herself, and then getting rid of it in a dumpster.

With attention to characterization in the finest detail, Amy Efaw gives us memorable moments with Devon, her mother, her attorney, and others. I found myself really resenting the guards, policemen, and prosecutors on her case, having strong feelings about her fellow juvenile offenders, and worries about the judge.


Ms Efaw, if I may be so bold as to make a comparison which I hope is not offensive to her, is a writer much like Jodi Picoult. Not in every way, but in that she calls upon us to put aside our inital reactions to a moral situation, and to walk alongside the perpetrator whether we like it or not...only to consider and make an educated decision about her in the end.

While every case isn't packaged and "right or wrong" we are left with ourselves and our own conclusions, but more enlightened, hopefully. That is one of the rewards of this beautiful book. The other is simply the wonderful writing, descriptions and the look into human frailty.

I highly recommend this book to everyone!

Please leave a comment for me, it matters so much...

Deb/TheBookishDame

Read More

"Made in America, Sold in the Nam" Book Written by Veterans & Loved Ones!

"Made In America, Sold In the Nam" is a long-awaited book for me.  As a child of the '60's, and a military brat, at the same time, I lived through the residuals of the Viet Nam War and have always felt a sense of displacement about it.  This book was a salve to my emptiness.  It was a "yes" to my heart's cry for my friends who had to go there when they didn't want to, and who sometimes came home, and sometimes, didn't.

The writers in this beautiful, heartwrenching, chilling and uplifting book are simply angels of another time.  They are artists and witnesses, survivors and grievers, husbands, wives, children, friends, neighbors, teachers, preachers, doctors, pilots and others who know what it's like to taste a little bit of Hell on Earth, and to share it with us.  They are to be commended and honored for that simple act alone, as if their other actions and reactions didn't mean the world, as well!

It is writers such as these that remind us ever that War is futile in the end; that it is destructive to the minds, spirits, hearts and bodies of those we cherish.  For that alone, I beg you to read this precious book.
Please leave me a note if you were in any way touched by the Viet Nam War.  It would be good to share our experiences, and I will post your comments on my next entry...   Thanks!
Your friend,
Deborah/TheBookishDame

Read More

"Started Early, Took My Dog" by Kate Atkinson Soon to be Released!

From book cover summary:

"It's a day like any other for Tracy Waterhouse, running errands at the local shopping center, until she makes a purchase she hadn't bargained for. One moment of madness is all it takes for Tracy's  humdrum world to be turned upside down, the tedium of everyday life replaced by fear and danger at every turn.  Witnesses to Tracy's Faustian exchange are Tilly, an elderly actress teetering on the brink of her own disaster, and Jackson Brodie, who has returned to the land of his childhood in search of someone else's roots.  Variously accompanied, pursued, or haunted by neglected dogs, unwanted children, and keepers of dark secrets, soon all three will learn that the past is never history...and that no good deed goes unpunished."

Kate Atkinson's new book will leave you wanting more, positively! She's a wordsmith with a story that insists that we make moral choices we'd rather ignore.

One of her primary protagonists, Tracy, an otherwise "hard-nosed" member of the police force ...handling sexual offences, vice, human trafficking, and just about anything nobody else wanted to... is retired and wondering what to do with her life! Shopping on an afternoon at the local shopping center, she watches as an old druggie she recognizes from her days on the force, Kelly, appears to be dragging a tiny little girl and screaming at her. Tracy is drawn into the fray by instinct and curiousity. She follows Kelly, continuing to observe as she kicks at the child, screams at her to stop singing, dragging her through the crowds and down the street.


Since Tracy knows Kelly's other children have already been taken away from her, and that she obviously isn't "clean," she wonders what the freakish woman is doing with this little girl! When all is said and done, Tracy offers Kelly a chunk of money to "buy" the child from her. Kelly's eyes are wide with greed. The transaction is made...the child's hand is transferred to Tracy's, and Kelly rides off into the sunset on the local bus. However, not before she mouths something like, "But she's not....." And Tracy is left wondering what she's done...helped or kidnapped a child! A child who instantly become one she can't bring herself to part with!

Thus, begins this novel from the pen of Kate Atkinson. With a menagerie of lush, loveable characters complete with their particular idiosyncracies that only serve to make them more endearing, she has us captured from the get-go. Not only does she give us the quintessential darling, little urchin, but she also includes a scrappy little dog that was rescued from a snarling, abusive hood! Attention given not just to description but also to the quirkiness of inner thoughts and dialog; as well as to bucolic surroundings makes for a great deal of this author's genius. Plus, I wonder how she could have made the tension knot up inside me over that scruffy mutt!

Ms Atkinson seasons her novel with wit, perfect timing and a humor that will catch you off-guard when you least expect it. I found myself laughing and smiling often as I read this book. While she is astute and serious about her main and parallel storylines, and there is much to learn here with regard to morality and choices, her subtle, silver-handed delivery with its tinge of the absurd is unique to her style. It's no wonder that she has won awards for her previous work.

Jackson Brodie, the soul searching, former private detective of "Started Early, Took My Dog," is a character featured in others of her books. His odd relationship with his ex-wife throughout the story is so charming. It has the qualilty both to madden and sustain him, making it a sadistic little treasure for the reader to enjoy in and of itself! I need to read more about him, absolutely.


Kate Atkinson is a writer of exceptional quality. I highly recommend reading her newest book, "Started Early, Took My Dog." It's an enjoyable read that goes well with a glass of wine, some Respighi (Ancient Dances and Airs Suite 2..) on low, and a comfy chair...sophisticated and easy on the heart.

Highly recommended without reservation.

Deborah/TheBookishDame

Read More

Jodi Picoult's Live Video Interview in NYC March 7th

Tonight we had a terrific hour-long time with Jodi being interviewed at her reception in New York.  She is such a joyful person.  A delight to hear and a wonderful sense of humor.  It was interesting to know how connected she is to her family and how much her connections do play into her writing, although she has never included them in actuality in her novels.

If you missed seeing Jodi tonight, you can go online under Jodi's name through Goodreads or Twitter and see several of her videos. 

Also, please see and purchase your copy of "Sing You Home."   It's one of her best, yet!

Deb/TheBookishDame

Read More

Giveaway! "Haunting Jasmine" Ends April 1st, 2011

"Haunting Jasmine" is a novel that reminds me of early Alice Hoffman. Created with attention to her characters, including the ones that haunt her main character, Jasmine, Ms Banerjee gives us a story that will capture your imagination and your sense of the  "suspension of belief" adventure.

From the book summary:

"Divorcee Jasmine Mistry is intent on restarting her life when she gets the chance to do just that. A call from the past brings her home to Shelter Island, a green dot in the middle of Puget Sound, to run her beloved aunt's bookstore.....Auntie' Bookstore, nestled in a quaint Queen Anne Victorian and believed, not incidentally, to be haunted."

This author is witty, wise and an accomplished writer. From the first paragraph she'll hook you into her world and her quirky ways. She's a master storyteller who can make you hoop with laughter one moment, have you heartsick in another, and sitting in eerie curiousity the next. Having written a number of children's books and other novels, she is seasoned and this books shows it.

Naming and talking about classic authors and books, delighting us in descriptions of her surroundings, she is bright and wiley, spinning a tale that will have you sitting up to finish "Haunting Jasmine"...even if it's the middle of the night. Truly, what bibliophile wouldn't love tidbits like the following:

"Lucia pulls a pocket notebook from her purse, licks her thumb, and flips to the first page. 'Was Jane Austen a realist? Charlotte Bronte said her work was like a "carefully fenced, highly cultivated garden." Ralph Waldo Emerson said that her depiction of life was "pinched and narrow."'

I was in love with her ghostly sweetheart, Connor. He is the man every one of us would want to know. So touching and such a deeply rendered love story that it rakes at one's heart like nothing I've read lately. And, he's such a contrast to Jasmine's cheating, self-absorbed ex-husband!

It is an added bonus that Ms Banerjee shares some Bengali traditions, fashions and recipes with us. This is always a treat to see in literary fiction, and allows us a small window into the exotic world of other peoples. The author seasons her prose with these additions, making it so natural within the American setting that it may delight and inspire one to go to the nearest shop selling such treasures! A great addition while reading the book.

All in all, I highly recommend this beautifully written book. It's a novel not to be forgotten. I expect it will do very well once readers get their hands on it! Ms Banerjee is an author I would love to hear more from very soon.


GIVEAWAY !!!    Enter before April 1st, 2011

                    Here's how to Enter:

1 pt.     Follow my blog

1 pt.     Follow me by Networking

1  pt.    Comment on the book

1  pt.    Blog about this on your blog and provide link

1  pt.    Tell why you would like this book

2 pts.    Add up your own points

That's all you need to do.  Each point will be added for winning chances. 

Please leave me your email so I can contact you if you win!

Good luck!  This is a really fabulous book.

Deb/TheBookishDame     



Read More

Alice in Wonderland ~~ Ava in "Swamplandia"

Like Alice in her Wonderland, Ava in Swampland has much to say about the goings-on in our world. Oh, what a riot of fun and fancy! And, yet, oh, what a dark and shadowy little novel at the same time.

This dark little story is of a very odd, quasi-native american, gator wrestlin' family who makes it their life work to create a side-of-the-road gator festing, museum and theme park tourist trap. At first it's difficult to know how truly invested Chief Bigtree, the patriarch of the little family is in their Swamplandia world off the coast of Florida.

Included in the Swamplandia homestead and gator park are his two young daughters, an older teenaged son, and a wife who dies early of cancer. When the mother and primary "gator wrestling" person of the theme park dies, their lives begin to unravel and the brutal realities of grief and loss of security overcome them. Soon, the Chief disappears and the children have to manage without him. Each and every one have a story to tell and a life-view that is both genius and pitiful.

I can't remember when I've had more bittersweetness reading a book. I can't remember when a book has set me back and made me want to think about what just happened in the chapter I'd just read. And, I can't remember the last time recently I've met characters I've so thoroughly enjoyed from so many perspectives!

Ava, the youngest of the daughters, is a level-headed, precocious girl who wants to take care of everyone, and yet, who struggles with her own grief, fears and fantasies. The swamp, the spirits surrounding the family and their life options, combined with the horrors and charms of the outside world and the dying of the natural, sacred swamp grounds provides the reader with an otherworldliness as we follow the characters along this tale. Ava worked as a guide for me. She was the anchor I needed to sort through the illusions vrs the realities of her world. There was a "scary houses" carnival, nightmarish feel at times to the story.
When another "Dark World" park threatens to swallow them up, it brings with it the anxieties of the 21st century encroaching on our own lives.


The core love and sense of family these people share becomes iconic and deeply moving. There's survival and humanity so touching and terrible, so earthy and real that you'll be offended if anyone should break the spell and interrupt your reading.

Karen Russell is an author with unique talents. She is a true creator. She has something real and true to say, and if one listens and can hear her, they will find a gold nugget in this book. Like "Alice in Wonderland," Ava in Swampland has much to say about the goings on in our world. There's much to say about our environment and how deadly it is to man and beast, flora and fauna, alike.

It's an extraordinary trip to "Swamplandia," but you'll love it! Highly recommended
Let me know what your thoughts are on this one!

Deb/TheBookishDame

Read More

Occult Novel: "Finding Emmaus: The Lodestarre Book 1"

"Finding Emmaus: The Lodestarre (Series Bk 1) by Pamela S.K. Glasner

Here's a summary from the book jacket:

"The psychiatric community has confused Empathic personality traits with mental illness with tragic results, leading two Empaths -- Francis Nettleton and Katherine Spencer -- who live three hundred years apart, on personal journeys to learn the true nature of Empathy.  Transcending time and death to right a centuries-old wrong, they inadvertently uncover a multibillion dollar conspiracy in which millions of Americans are being misdiagnosed and drugged for no other reason than the enormous income they generate."


"Finding Emmaus" is one of those books in which the author has a fabulous idea and great characters, but the book needs better editing.  I enjoyed Ms Glasner's first book in the series, despite the fact that I thought it began to bog down in places. If one will understand this up-front, and will give allowance for the fact that it's a first book...I think it can be a worthwhile read, and certainly one that may produce a great series in the future! By her own confession, Ms Glasner, a high school English teacher, was surprised when she felt compelled to write this novel having had no prior experience.


In this first book, we hardly have time to get to know Katherine, though she is our first contact with the strange occurrence of "Empathy."  It's through Katherine's psychiatrist that she's led from thinking of herself as insane and into researching information on Empaths. [Empaths are described as those who "can see, hear, feel, and communicate with spirits as if they are real people, based on the premise that spirits are pure energy, and that Empathy is, by definition, a reaction to pure energy."]


This sort of  person or "condition" described to her by her psychiatrist, inevitably demands Katherine's taking a leap toward a journey of self-discovery...a discovery that might explain her seeming "madness" as something "other."  She sets out with her doctor's guidance to search for Francis Nettleton who lived 300 years ago, and who called himself an Empath.  If Nettleton's research proves true, much of what has been historically and currently diagnosed as insanity has actually been this phenomena.


With renewed hope, Katherine begins her quest by travelling to a sleepy, New England town in Connecticut, thought to be the home of this unproclaimed "Father of Empathy"...a man who actually lived and who is thought to have created a book of instructions or answers about Katherine's possible condition. Through a very rapid series of events, she becomes the owner of Emmaus, the home of Francis Nettleton, and she is ensconced in the local community.


Ms Glasner spends most of her book giving a background story of Francis Nettleton and his gathering information for the writing of the Lodestarre, his book of history, instructions, and answers for Empaths.  She explains the Lodestarre to be more than a set of guiding principles, and "everything that Frank came to believe in throughout the course of his life."  It is this journey of discovery that Frank makes and documents that we primarily learn of in "Finding Emmaus."


The author's writing style is clear and easy to read, not fussy, which I appreciate in such a novel.  Ms Glasner tells her story as a sort of chronicle of this mysterious condition that early colonial settlers experienced, and which seemed to be hidden or at least kept guarded from others.  I found this situation believable, particularly given what we now know about early settlers, their beliefs about witches, devil worshippers, and the inevitable Salem Witch Trials. We know from other historical records that those suspected of "madness" were kept in hidden parts of the house, or were found missing, or were sent to asylums/madhouses in the course of human history.  So, I felt she portrayed this timeframe and the mindset of the people with accuracy.


What I found missing and what I had hoped for was a better sense of "showing" and not just "telling" the story. While we were given the meat of the stories about other Empaths, there were no real examples of interest to anchor them in our minds. This made Frank's journey hopeful for me, but not as enthralling as I'd hoped. The characters were well drawn in terms of period detail and personality, but they had little of interest to show to convince one of their strange and frightening skills. In a word, they were often dull, and their personal stories were somewhat shallow in the telling.
The collaboration of Katherine in the present and Frank of the past is an interesting concept. It's one that will certainly pool both of their resources for the good of Empaths they seek to free and absolve of the stigma of insanity in the 21st century.


In this sense, their unity will begin a battle with the physicans and drug companies that join forces, and gain money and influence by keeping such Empaths suppressed and imprisioned in mental hospitals...thus, giving hope to those prisoners of mind, spirit and body. Those seen in Katherine's time as the hopeless and insane; those viewed by big business as needing pharmaceuticals to keep them under control, subdued and socially acceptable, become the possible Empaths that are trapped and misdiagnosed for profit's sake. It's a good and worthy cause to bring enlightenment and to squelch the profits of a blighted medical/pharmaceutical corporation conspiracy. 


But, I'm left questioning...is this the underling intent of the author's story?


Let's say that "Finding Emmaus: The Lodestarre Book 1" is about something more than the surface story and the secondary storylines.  Let's say that this book is a story about the occult...the real occult. This is a story about: Those who, to quote our author, "can see, hear, feel, and communicate with spirits AS IF they are real people..." Let's say that this is actually a Lodestarre - Manual on How to Commune with These Spirits as mentioned above.
The author goes on to mention "the Shimmer," Frank's guide to his Empath gates.  She talks about seeking occult gifts, about "familiars," and about heresy and that "everything is religion" including witchcraft.  As an educated reader and student of comparative religions, I found "Finding Emmaus..." a thinly veiled attempt to present ancient, occult precepts, and communing with "spirits."  Those of us who are familiar with the controversay of using Ouija Boards to contact "others who have died," will understand the incidious nature of this book's message. 


I have no issue with authors who write books about the occult. I'm a staunch advocate of freedom of speech. I do wonder, however, in this case, why one would disguise it as a book about helping the insane who might only be misunderstood and empathetic (which meaning in the Oxford English Dictionary is: the ability to understand or share the feelings of someone else). At least, that's how I initially viewed the book from the book summary. It seems only fair to be open with those who are choosing whether or not to read a certain book.


I believe Ms Glasner's course is varied and unclear in this initial book.  There are so many directions she could take, and so many interesting turns! Perhaps those possiblities kept her focus a little off in the distance. Perhaps she needs to check with her spirit guide before she finishes Book 2...  ;]  I wish her well, and I wish her clarity.

3 stars for a good read with editing issues and an underlying agenda.  Read at your own peril...


Deb/TheBookishDame

PS:  I forgot to mention that the cover of this book is so beautiful, and that the interior pages are wonderfully printed with light designs that the text print is then written upon.  That sort of detail is paid close attention to, which is lovely.

Read More

Jodi Picoult's "Sing You Home" Live Interview!!! March 1, 2011 Release

.

Jodi Picoult releases her 17th novel and all we can do is wait in line to be the first ones to grab a copy!  On March 7th, at her Opening Reception in New York City, Jodi will be answering questions about "Sing You Home," and I'll have the live video on this blog.  So exciting for me to be a part of it.  I was thrilled to get an actual invitation to the event, itself, but travelling isn't possible for me, so I'm left to use this method of communication instead.  I love Jodi and Simon & Schuster!!!

If you link to http://www.simonandschuster.com/ you will see some pre-publication video by Ms Picoult with regard to "Sing You Home," and her personal connection to the story. One of her sons is gay and through him the family has been introduced to unique experiences.  The family is fiercely supportive of who this young man is.

After having read some of the book at this point, (I was given a pre-publication copy of it....so grateful!) I've found it in the best tradition of Jodi Picoult's writing.  Just makes one want to stay up 24/7 reading.  She's written this one from a perspective of her own heart, however, which gives it a certain depth of feeling that I believe we'll find unique.  I have a feeling this book will be one her fans will rank as her best to date.

Along with her novel, Ms Picoult has collaborated with her dear friend, Ellen Wilber, to create a companion soundtrack!  How unique in the industry...or, as I quote another author friend of mine..."the brave new world of publishing" is upon us.  This beautiful recording, which Ms Wilber performs and has written the music for, and for which Jodi has written lyrics, is an accompaniment for each of the chapters of "Sing You Home."  I'm distracted by singing when I read, so I've opted to listen after I've read a chapter.  It will be interesting to see how you feel about this, and how it's used by readers in general.

As a sneak preview, I would like to give you the publisher's synopsis of the novel:

"In the aftermath of a series of personal tragedies, Zoe throws herself into her career as a music therapist.  When an unexpected friendship slowly blossoms into love, she plans for a new life, but to her shock and inevitable rage, some people--even those she loves and trusts most--don't want that to happen.

Sing You Home is about identity, love, marriage, and parenthood.  It's about people wanting to do the right thing for the greater good, even as they work to fulfill their own personal desires and dreams.  And it's about what happens when the outside world brutallly calls into question the very thing closest to our hearts:  family."

I will be posting my full review of  "Sing You Home" in a few days.  I hope you'll come back on the evening of March 7th, at 7PM to watch the live video with me!

*On another note~ I've failed to keep current on my blog reviews due to a nasty bout with a pneumonia virus.  I'm better and hoping to catch up this week!  Thanks for checking in with me. 

Please leave me your comments.  I so appreciate hearing from you!  And, please check in as a "follower," which is also so important for me.  It's nice to know you're out there!  Thank you for stopping by,

Your Bookish Dame,   Deborah

Read More