I hesitate writing this book review.  And it is not because I see myself as a tragically flawed writer (although accusations have been made).  The reason stems from the fact that this book hits somewhat close to home.  Yes, one might say that the plot unfolds in far away England where breakfast consists of french fries, slabs of ham, grilled tomatoes, fried eggs and Heinz beans or that the fictional work is merely the refreshing efforts of a successful author.  However, I heartily disagree with those imaginary arguments.  Like Dr. Rene Belloq says, “I am a shadowy reflection of you”.  In many ways, this book is a shadowy reflection of Charles Wright. Read the rest of this entry »

The Erard Piano was, by all accounts, the most popular piano of the late 1700′s and early 1800′s.  An international success, the piano inhabited the most illustrious homes around the world.  They were even commissioned by King Louis XVI for the royal French courts.  While they have fallen out of favor in the last century or so, their influence on the piano industry will forever be remembered.  It is this type of piano, the Erard, in the midst of the British occupation of Burma in 1886 upon which Daniel Mason’s subtle exploration of the human mind revolves. Read the rest of this entry »

I imagine that years ago, this series of novels would have been vilified for it’s nearly unimaginable subplots of sexual abuse, corruption, prostitution, sadism, and violence.  However, as times changed we have grown more accustomed to the seemingly unavoidable and horrendous crimes that crop up in the news and (hopefully) shock us.  Maybe it is a result of the large population of forensically based television shows, or perhaps it is a result of the real life dramas played out in the papers.   Fundamentally, there is a very realistic and frightening aspect to the story arc of this trilogy that creates the compelling plot, which once started, races to the finish line. Read the rest of this entry »

In the recent decade, society has been inundated with a variety of zombie movies.  While zombies have not reached the dizzying romantic hype of other types of undead (vampires, anyone?), they have subtly carved their own niche into the landscape of our fascination.  Read the rest of this entry »

This series of books came highly recommended by a student of mine (thank you, Logan).  Part of being an eighth grade teacher is admitting to yourself that somewhere deep inside your inner thirteen-your old is still alive and well.  Because I was such an avid reader at that age, I managed to go through an impressive number of fantasy and sci-fiction books, most of which had sequels or prequels or both.

Due to the popularity of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series, most fantasy books followed a similar plot arc complete with fictional maps, expansive histories, richly imagined languages, and epic adventures.  Hobbits were untouchable, but elves, dwarves, gnomes, orcs, trolls and wizards lived on.

Star Wars also influenced many science fiction books, replacing stories like 2001: A Space Odyssey with swashbuckling space tales.  Spaceships no longer plodded through space, swords became standard fare, and roguish pirates were all the rage thanks to Han Solo

But that was back in the day.

In my mind, The Bartimaeus Trilogy bucks those trends in favor of more modern ones. Read the rest of this entry »

What is your favorite Indiana Jones movie?  Is it the first Indiana Jones in which the hero (played by Harrison Ford) is pitted against Nazi Germany and the Fuhrer’s desire to possess the powerful Ark of the Covenant?  Perhaps you are a bigger fan of the third movie during which Professor Jones follows in his father’s footsteps to locate the Holy Grail and once again outmaneuver the Nazis.  My gut instinct tells me that despite your opinion about the most recent adventure, the second movie is your least favorite.  It’s darker.  The villains reflect more sadistic and evil traits than the Nazis ever do.  Children find themselves in the hands of brutal guards while they search to uncover sacred stones.  A man’s heart catches fire as his body becomes submerged in lava.

Ruiz Zafon’s second novel inhabits a similar space. Read the rest of this entry »

Review: The houses in Germany, in Berlin, lie nestled together as close as two lovers. Their multi-storied structures overlook the sidewalks on which pedestrians pass from home to work or to school or to the market and back again. Neighborhoods are filled with friends who call out to each other, who joke, and who share the day over similar chores or chance encounters. It is here, on these sidewalks, that fifteen year-old Michael Berg nearly collapses as he fights an illness and is rescued by Frau Schmitz. It is there, in her home, fresh from vomiting that the seeds of passion are planted. He falls in love with her, a woman twice his age. Read the rest of this entry »

Two rogues swindle and fight their way through the bloodthirsty and brutal landscapes of the 10th century. Amram, a towering pillar of virility, carries a giant axe known for its propensity to remove heads from necks. His companion is Zelikman, a scarecrow of a man clad all in black who uses a much less devastating but no less effective physicians lance. Their tongues are nearly as nimble as their weapons of choice and get them into and out of more trouble than a lifetime needs. Like two amiable brothers, they carry a strong bond between them, and they work together to separate the drunken and debauched from their money as easily as possible. They are mercenaries, criminals, thieves. They are gentlemen of the road, but when one of their plans goes awry, the two find themselves entangled in a war between nations, and they are forced to choose what is right and what is wrong. Read the rest of this entry »

Review: This book records the life and times of Enzo the dog. Enzo is part labrador, part poodle and german-shepherd, unofficially part terrier (because terriers are problem-solvers, and Enzo would like to believe that he comes from “a determined gene pool”) and wholly sagacious. Plucked as a pup from the lap of his mother by Denny Swift, Enzo becomes fast friends with his new owner. Frustrated by his lack of thumbs, lips that cannot pronounce words, and inability to sit on a toilet and flush it, Enzo works hard both to understand his master and to be understood. Surprisingly, television finally serves a useful purpose, and Enzo becomes assimilated to the urban world he inhabits through days spent watching T.V. while waiting for Denny to return home. The two share a common bond: race car driving. Denny possesses an uncanny ability behind the wheel, especially when weather conditions in the Pacific Northwest make track conditions far from ideal. The two, master and dog, share in Denny’s dream, but life gets in the way and they both must find ways to cope with the harrowing turns that are thrown at them. Read the rest of this entry »