Book Review: Di & I

Author: Peter Lefcourt
Title: Di & I
Publisher: Random House
Publish Date: Dec 1, 1995
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: Princess Di is in love. At last. After all the fuss about Charles and Camilla, Di’s finally found the right guy—Leonard Schecter, an American with a taste for long-legged blondes and epic poetry. The love-starved pair meet at a Togolese embassy reception in London, stare into each other’s eyes, and go weak in the knees. They carry on a tempestuous affair under the noses of Diana’s bodyguards, her regal in-laws, young princes William and Harry, paparazzi, and Barbara Walters. Their passionate romance sweeps them from the Royal Box at Ascot to a McDonald’s franchise in Rancho Cucamonga, where they flee to seek a better—and private—life. Hilarious, romantic and madcap, "Di and I" is the most unlikely love story since Edward VIII ran off with Wallis Simpson. Only this time, the tale is a lot funnier

Review: Di and I is an alternative history of Princess Diana. Most of these types of books were written after her death. This one was written before her divorce.

There's something humorous about the book, because it was really ridiculous and it felt like the author's only research was reading Andrew Morton's biography. As a romance, there's absolutely no reason why Di would fall for Leonard, except that they danced together.  It drove me absolutely batty most of the time.

I've been a fan of Princess Diana's since she married Charles, and I know a bit about royal protocol.  There was one point where it mentions that if she was recognized that she'd sign autographs. THIS ISN'T DONE. Do some research when writing a book.

I truly hated how Leonard treated the other royals and for that matter how he treated Will and Harry in this book. I wanted to smack him. His portrayal of the boys was disappointing too. Will came across as a stick in the mud and Harry was just daft little boy.

Then there was Diana. Her portrayal in this book seemed like it was pulled from the bio, but other than that she's devoid of personality. She was just a cardboard character, who just happened to have sex with Leonard.

This book is labeled a romance, but the only thing that the author knows about romance is that there should be a happily ever after. In fact there's not even any conflict between the two. If Diana discovered that he was really a Hollywood writer out to do a film about her life, rather than a poet.

There was so much potential here, but it didn't live up to it at all.

Rating: 2 flowers

Book Review: The Alienist

Author: Caleb Carr
Title: The Alienist
Publisher: Random House
Publish Date: Dec 14, 1994
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: The year is 1896. The city is New York. Newspaper reporter John Schuyler Moore is summoned by his friend Dr. Laszlo Kreizler—a psychologist, or “alienist”—to view the horribly mutilated body of an adolescent boy abandoned on the unfinished Williamsburg Bridge. From there the two embark on a revolutionary effort in criminology: creating a psychological profile of the perpetrator based on the details of his crimes. Their dangerous quest takes them into the tortured past and twisted mind of a murderer who will kill again before their hunt is over.

Fast-paced and riveting, infused with historical detail, The Alienist conjures up Gilded Age New York, with its tenements and mansions, corrupt cops and flamboyant gangsters, shining opera houses and seamy gin mills. It is an age in which questioning society’s belief that all killers are born, not made, could have unexpected and fatal consequences.

Review: I've been wanting to read this book since 1994 when it first came out, but since the tv show came out, I knew I had to finally read it. It was amazing!

I had to put aside the tv show as I read so I could appreciate it for what it really is, a fabulous historical mystery. It really shows the workings of CSI before there was a CSI.

Our group of investigators are Laszlo Kreizler, the Alienist, who is not always likable, but his methods are what propels the story forward, John Moore, a police reporter and Sara Howard, one of the first women to work for the NYPD, but not an officer, a secretary. Oh and the police commissioner is Theodore Roosevelt.

The are investigating the gruesome deaths of adolescent immigrant boys that are plying the sex trade. The book was published in 1994 and the subject matter really seems to hit home especially as the subject matter suits a lot of today's issues.

The secondary characters are very strong too. My particular favorite is the young boy, Stevie. These boys aren't children anymore. There lives are too hard for that. Stevie is one of Laszlo's hangers on. He has a few of them and they definitely add to the story.

The attention to detail is great. You really feel transported back in time while reading this. The character development is good, though not good enough for me at times. There were some things about John that were pointed out several times, but they didn't really play a huge part in the story otherwise, like his gambling and the woman that jilted him. The same could be said for Laszlo and Sara, though with Laszlo we do learn more about his past towards the end. More time was spent learning about some of the secondary characters and profiling other criminals then expanding on the characters that the story revolved around.

The murders are terribly gruesome and at times the pacing is quite slow. It really drags at some points, but in the last 100 or so pages that changes, when they finally find someone that they are quite sure is the killer.

The ending was what disappointed me and the book went on for quite some time after all was said and done. It added to the plodding pace that the book had overall. I wanted more for the ending especially after all the buildup, learning the killer's background and how each player in the story contributed something to his profiling.

Excellent book!

Vintage Cookbook Review: Rookie Cookie Cookbook

Author: Betty Debman
Title: Rookie Cookie Cookbook
Publisher: Random House
Publish Date: Aug 1, 2000
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: 

"Rookie Cookie Cookbook" takes young readers step by step through the cooking process, teaching such basics as measuring and how to use certain utensils, even how to set the table and have good table manners. Black-and-white illustrations are perfect for coloring while waiting for snacks, soups, main dishes, breads, cookies and candies to cook.

Review: Anyone that is familiar with The Mini Page in their local newspaper will know who Rookie Cookie is. I've checked the kids page in our paper since I was a kid. Rookie Cookie shares recipes that are kid friendly to make and eat.

I've always been a fan of cookbooks with easy recipes that anyone can make and most everyone will enjoy. I read through all the recipes in about a half hour. The cookbook is about 130 pages and it has some really great recipes I can't wait to try, like the chili and cheese burgers and the chicken chow mein.

There's more to the book than easy recipes it gives kids some tips on table manners and other useful things, like how to set a table and what some basic cooking utensils look like.

Its a fun little book and if this book were for a child it is filled with illustrations that can be used for coloring. (But this cookbook collector would never let anyone do such a thing).

I have a few kids cookbooks like this, and my only gripe is that there aren't more recipes.

Rating: 4 flowers

Book Review: Zealot The Life & Times Of Jesus Of Nazareth

Author: Reza Aslan
Title: Zealot: The Life & Times Of Jesus of Nazareth
Publisher: Random House
Publish Date: July 16, 2013
Buy: Amazon

Book Blurb: 

From the bestselling author of No God but God comes a provocative & well-researched biography challenging long-held assumptions about Jesus.

2000 years ago, an itinerant Jewish preacher & miracle worker walked across the Galilee, gathering followers to establish the Kingdom of God. The revolutionary movement he launched was so threatening to the established order that he was executed as a state criminal. Within decades of his shameful death, followers would call him God.

Sifting thru centuries of mythmaking, Aslan sheds light on one of history’s most influential & enigmatic characters by examining Jesus thru the lens of the tumultuous era in which he lived: 1st-century Palestine, an age of apocalyptic fervor. Scores of Jewish prophets, preachers & would-be messiahs wandered thru the Holy Land, bearing divine messages. This was the age of zealotry—a nationalism that made resistance to Roman occupation a sacred duty incumbent on all Jews. Few figures better exemplified this principle than the charismatic Galilean who defied both imperial authorities & their allies in the Jewish religious hierarchy. Balancing the Jesus of the Gospels against historical sources, Aslan describes a man of passionate conviction, yet rife with contradiction; a man of peace who exhorted followers to arm themselves with swords; an exorcist & faith healer who urged disciples to keep his identity a secret; & ultimately the seditious “King of the Jews” whose promise of liberation from Rome went unfulfilled in his lifetime. Aslan explores the reasons why the early Church preferred to promulgate an image of Jesus as a peaceful spiritual teacher rather than a politically conscious revolutionary. He grapples with how Jesus understood himself, the mystery at the heart of subsequent claims about his divinity.

Zealot yields a fresh perspective on one of the greatest stories ever told even as it affirms the radically transformative nature of Jesus’ life & mission. The result is an elegant biography with the pulse of a fast-paced novel: a portrait of a man, a time & the birth of a religion.

Review: I have a story to go along with this book. My mother, my nephew and I, all watched Reza when he was on The Daily Show in July talking about this book. My mother is elderly and blind from her diabetes, and no longer is able to read, but she wanted to read this book. So I immediately went to Amazon and purchased it and over the last few months began reading it to her.

This is not a biography of "the historical" Jesus, but rather a well researched documentation of what Jesus was like as well as the origins of the Christian faith...actually the birth of Catholicism. I would also say if you are a Christian that doesn't have an open mind regarding faith and religious matters, you aren't going to like this book, because as you read, Reza pretty much tells you that Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus Christ, while being rooted in the same individual seem to be two very different people with different motives.

This book really made me examine my faith. I've always had some issues with Catholicism, and though I'd never switch to any other religion, I found what Reza wrote about Jesus and what he really did and how his following grew after his death to almost strengthen my faith. (If only the priests would be as good as James, who was really the first leader of the Jesus Movement)

There is so much in this book that explains things that happened in this time period that couldn't have happened as the New Testament puts it. Of course, to the questioning person, some of these facts are obvious, but Reva offers documentation as to the hows the wheres and most importantly the whys.

Some of the things that people who are a bit casual with their religion may get all up in arms about: there was likely not a trial in from of Pilate, James, the brother of Jesus was the true head of the Jesus Movement after the death of his brother. (Yes, I said brother..and I am one that believes Jesus had brothers) and that Paul's teachings were totally separate from what the original apostles were preaching and my favorite, what the Jewish people felt the messiah was supposed to do. (Saving us from our sins is not it).

Jesus was a Zealot. He was a rebel, who wanted to liberate the Jews from the hold of the Roman empire. He wasn't planning on starting his own religion. (read about Paul to understand more about this)

To some, this book may come across as dry, but remember this is not fiction, it is non-fiction. Plus there is little about what Jesus was like outside of gospels that were written between 30 - 70  years after his death. (And considering most of his apostles couldn't read or write themselves..)

The best part, is that though some may feel Reza is trying to make you step away from your beliefs, he isn't. He ends the book saying "Because the one thing any comprehensive study of the historical Jesus should hopefully reveal is that Jesus of Nazareth-Jesus the man - is ever bit as compelling, charismatic, and praiseworthy as Jesus the Christ. He is, in short, someone worth believing in."

I don't usually read non-fiction, but this book was definitely worth reading.

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: Snivel: The Fifth Circle Of Heck

Author: Dale E. Bayse
Title: Snivel: The Fifth Circle Of Heck
Publisher: Random House
Publish Date: May 22, 2012
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley

Book Blurb: Dale E. Basye sends Milton and Marlo to Snivel, the circle reserved for crybabies, for their latest hilarious escapade in Heck. Snivel is a camp—a bummer camp—a dismal place where it's always raining, and Unhappy Campers are besieged by swarms of strange mosquitoes that suck the color right out of them. Soon the Fausters discover that some Unhappy Campers have been disappearing. So after Marlo gets chosen for a special project and never comes back, Milton makes up his mind to find her and all the missing children.

Can Milton find his sister and get the heck out of Snivel? With the help of some new friends, his pet ferret, and Vincent Van Gogh's ear, he just might have a chance.

Review: I think it is hysterical that this book is listed for readers 9 and up. Sure, they can read it, but will they get some of the jokes and puns? Probably not? Do I care? Nope, I don't? Did I enjoy the book? Hell yeah!

The Heck series is so awesome!

Besides your usually players of Milton, Marlo and the Principal Bea "Elsa" Bubb we have some new celebrities on board in Heck, like Edgar Allen Poe and Vincent Van Gogh! Oh and Principal Bubb is trying to get elected to Satan's job as he's on trial and has been ousted from his job.

A hint of some of the puns...Vladamir Lenin and Joseph McCarthy worked on Bubb's campaign song...Anyone want to hold her claw? But the best pun was "All you need is Bubb!"

Yeah..don't see any 9 year old's getting that, but I sure laughed my butt off.

Oh and the author is a character in the book playing himself as his books are turned into a video game that does more than turn kids into balls of jello in front of the tv set!

If you haven't read any of the Heck series, you'll want to start at the beginning as they'll make more sense to you. These books will appeal to fans of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. They are a little dark, but so funny and the characters are very quirky...I mean how can you not be amused by a book with Frequent Friar Miles?

Yup...very punny indeed!

I'm glad there are still a few more circles of Heck to go! I really love this series!

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: The Twelfth Enchantment

Author: David Liss
Title: The Twelfth Enchantment
Publisher: Random House
Publish Date: August 9, 2011
Buy: Amazon
Review Copy Provided By: TLC Book Tours and the publisher
Book Blurb: Lucy Derrick is a young woman of good breeding and poor finances. After the death of her beloved father, she is forced to maintain a shabby dignity as the unwanted boarder of her tyrannical uncle, fending off marriage to a local mill owner. But just as she is on the cusp of accepting a life of misery, events take a stunning turn when a handsome stranger—the poet and notorious rake Lord Byron—arrives at her house, stricken by what seems to be a curse, and with a cryptic message for Lucy. Suddenly her unfortunate circumstances are transformed in ways at once astonishing and seemingly impossible.
With the world undergoing an industrial transformation, and with England on the cusp of revolution, Lucy is drawn into a dangerous conspiracy in which her life, and her country’s future, are in the balance. Inexplicably finding herself at the center of cataclysmic events, Lucy is awakened to a world once unknown to her: where magic and mortals collide, and the forces of ancient nature and modern progress are at war for the soul of England . . . and the world. The key to victory may be connected to a cryptic volume whose powers of enchantment are unbounded. Now, challenged by ruthless enemies with ancient powers at their command, Lucy must harness newfound mystical skills to prevent catastrophe and preserve humanity’s future. And enthralled by two exceptional men with designs on her heart, she must master her own desires to claim the destiny she deserves.
The Twelfth Enchantment is the most captivating work to date of a master literary conjurer.
 
Review: This is one of those books that lovers of historial fiction will find hard to put down. I know I couldn't. It has so much of everything in it; romance, intrigue, witches and great historical figures and set in one of my favorite periods, Regency England.

From the very start, Lucy is a character that you can't help but love. She's strong, fiesty and really the type of character readers hope to find in every book.  As the story progresses we see how strong and determined she is and she becomes even more likable.

There are so many interesting plot twists in this story that involve the magic that Lucy has discovered within herself. Many times while reading this book I found myself thinking of several of the supporting characters that everything is not what it seemed and that proved to be the case many times over.

The most intriguing relationships in the book are between Lucy and Byron and Morrison. She clearly had affection for both of them in one way or another. The intrigue attached to Morrison really made him a unique hero for the story. Was he a hero or was he a villian...You had to keep turning the pages to find out, and believe me  you'll want to turn the pages.

I was a bit hesitant in reading a story with romantic elements written by a man, especially when the main character is female. I don't know why, but male writers never seem to capture the feminine essence for me, but David Liss did, and the story he told is definitely a great one. This is a must read book!

Rating: 5 flowers

About David Liss:

David Liss is the author of The Whiskey Rebels, The Ethical Assassin, A Spectacle of Corruption, The Coffee Trader, and A Conspiracy of Paper. He is also the recipient of the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. He lives in San Antonio with his wife and children.

Visit David:

http://www.davidliss.com/

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