October, 2011

"83 Hours til Dawn" by Gene Miller and Barbara Jane Mackle         

In 1968, twenty year old Barbara Jane Mackle was kidnapped from a hotel room she was staying in with her mom.  Two individuals, took her into the Georgia woods and buried her in a coffin-like box.  Although she was told they would check on her every two hours, she was left utterly alone for eighty-three hours.  At her parents house in Florida, her father received a ransom call, demanding $500,000.00 in unmarked twenty dollar bills.

     I found the first half of this book riveting.  I was unable to put it down until Barbara was rescued and restored to her parents.  I found the search for her kidnappers and their trials to be a bit anti-climatic after the action-packed beginning.  Overall, I enjoyed the book and reading about a historical kidnapping. 

"Vacant Possessions" by Hilary Mantel         

Muriel spent ten years locked in a psychiatric ward plotting and planning against those who put her away.  Her former social worker, her old neighbors and anyone who had crossed her path seems to be fair game.

     I had a very hard time getting into this book.  I found the characters a bit...flat, and the plot a bit predictable.  Overall, I was pretty disappointed with this book.

"Fragments: Memories of a Wartime Childhood" by Binjamin Wilkomirski         

Binjamin was a very young child when he was sent to a concentration camp.  Despite his youth and his inexperience, he was able to survive the atrocities and horrors of World War II.

     I have read the reviews, and the articles about this being a fictionalized story.  However, I must say that it is well written, engaging and intriguing.  Many scholarly articles suggest that Binjamin himself truly believes the fiction he has created.  As such, I am not outraged about this story.  Many horrible things happened during World War II.  If his memories are not reality then he is a troubled individual, one who perhaps survived different horrors, and does not deserve scorn but rather compassion.

"Naamah's Blessing" by Jacquelyn Carey         

This is the third book in the Naamah series by Jacquelyn Carey.  This one begins with Moirin returning to Terre d'Ange and finding the royal family in shambles.  Queen Jehanne has died, King Daniel is wracked with grief and unable to rule, Prince Thierry has disappeared to the new world and Desiree is desperately lonely and strives for attention and love.  Moirin attempts to solve everyone’s problems, but ends up on a journey to the New World.

     I highly enjoyed this book.  It was much more interesting than the third book and the plot seemed to move rather swiftly.  The characters were once again engaging and full of life.  Although parts of the story did echo the storylines from Kushiel, I found it to be well worth reading.

"Let's Get Digital:  How to Self-Publish, and Why You Should" by David Gaughran         

David Gaughran, through his own success in self-publishing, talks about how to succeed in a digital world.  He provides some resources and tips on how  to self-publish.  Overall, i thought this was a good resource.  It provides interesting information in a non-condescending way.  Overall, I would recommend this book for authors seeking to self-publish.

"The Clock King and the Queen of the Hourglass" by Vera Nazarian         

Far into the future, the earth is a barren desert where few have survived.  Human kind has evolved into an emotionless, passionless group who are no longer able to procreate in the traditional manner.  Using DNA from ancient humans, Liaei is created to be the Queen of the Hourglass.  As Queen, once she reaches a fertile age she is taken to meet the Clock King, a man preserved and periodically reawaken to provide new genetic material for humankind.

     Overall, I found this book to be a bit odd.  Not bad, just odd.  I thought the book was well written and the characters well-developed.  The plot was not very appealing to me, but I think science-fiction fans would find the book to be fascinating.

"Too Jewish" by Patty Friedmann         

Bernard Kuper, a German Jew, escapes Europe right before the horrors of World War II.  Once in the United States, he joins the military and is transferred to New Orleans where he meets Lettie, a rich Jewish girl.  Once in New Orleans he hears from his mother, who is desperate to escape Germany.  Despite his efforts, Bernard is unable to raise the money to get her out.  As he builds his relationship with Lettie, Bernard is struggling with the guilt of being unable to help his mother and the scorn of Lettie's family, who believes he is too Jewish.

     The book is divided into three sections.  One from Bernard's point of view, one from Lettie's and one from their daughter.  I found it hard to transition between the different points of views and would have preferred the book to have been written from one perspective.  At times the people did not seem real to me, despite the biographical nature of the book.  Although I didn't think it was a home run, I did enjoy the book and would recommend it to others.

"Wrapped in Rain" by Charles Martin         

Raised by a wealthy, yet abusive father, Tucker is struggling to overcome his past.  With the voice of his nanny, Miss Ella, in his head, he attempts to do the right things in life.  One stormy night he stops to help a car that has become stuck in the mud, only to discover that it is a girl from his past.  A girl who is running from her abusive ex-husband with her son in tow.  Further, Tucker's brother Mutt, escapes from the mental hospital where he has been staying the past seven years.         

The author alternated between first point-of-view to third point of view depending on which character he was addressing.  I found this to be a bit annoying and would have preferred one writing style throughout the entire book.  Further, the characters seemed a bit stereotypical and their actions were predictable.  Overall, I didn't think the book was bad, but I wouldn't re-read it.

"Midnight is a Lonely Place" by Barbara Erskine         

Kate Kennedy has broken up with her boyfriend and is left without a place to stay.  She is in the middle of writing a book and decides to rent an isolated country cottage.  Once there she is plagued by mysterious and supernatural events.  Out of all of Erskine's books that I have read, I probably enjoyed this one the least.  What I've enjoyed in the past was her characters in the present day and their connection or experience with historical characters.  Although some of that was present here, it read more like a ghost story than an historical novel.