Jo's BookShelf

WRAP-UP : Fall Into Reading 2009

Johanna — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:44:44 +0000

Another good challenge completed satisfyingly earlier than the deadline. I’ve enjoyed the no-pressure to read challenge although I took it upon myself to stick to the list I created and not deviate. I started with eight titles and added two more to total 10 books (my list here) —actually a very lazy count given the generous three months the challenge runs on. But at least I’ve made a small inroad, albeit a miniscule one, in my TBR pile and also in my On The Shelf books I’ve listed since I started this blog about a year ago.

As far as the Fall Into Reading 2009 is concerned, I have finished it; but I know my efforts are mediocre at best (in terms of volume) and I hope to do better next time this challenge comes around. So, I should have to dive into more books for next year’s Fall Into Reading challenge or pile on the pressure by joining more challenges, aside from this one.

For this exercise, I discovered wonderful Gothic authors like Elizabeth Kostova and Tobsha Learner with their books, The Historian and The Witch of Cologne, respectively, as two of the best books I’ve read . Both have exceptional writing styles and concepts that are worth your time imbibing. But Richard North Patterson’s Exile comes out at the top as well being one of the best contemporary thrillers I’ve read in a long time for its current relevancy and well-researched, impartial presentation of the Mid-East crisis. This is definitely a very informative book written to encourage your interest in very real world issues with a well-written exciting legal drama, that anyone concerned with the Arab-Israeli crisis should read.

A close second to these three would be William Young’s The Shack presenting deep Christian philosophies made simple for the average person, rendering the concepts even more inspiring with better understanding.

To Callapidder Days : a huge thank you for hosting the challenge. I’ll certainly be back for the next.

Now that I’m done and done early, I promise to list several more next time this challenge comes around.

Posted in Challenge, Challenges / Memes / Greetings, Wrap-Ups/ Greetings Tagged: conclusion, Fall Into Reading, reading challenge, wrap-up

The Witch of Cologne

Johanna — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:53:14 +0000

Finally, my last book for the Fall Into Reading Challenge 2009. I made very good time despite adding two more books to the list. But early as it is, I’ll have to wrap up as the Holidays draw near and my chances to read more books decrease as things are starting to get hectic.

I’ve wet my feet in breadmaking and I’m experimenting on perfecting scrumptious cinnamon rolls and ensaimadas (Filipino brioche) for gift-giving. As I’ve never baked anything except for the occasional brownies, I forsee myself ambitiously wrestling with bread recipes, baking my day away, and snatching up my book only in between rising times. So, let’s see how many more reviews I can dish out.

This book was a great finale to the challenge, albeit a dark and brooding one.

Author : Tobsha Learner

Publication Date : January 2, 2007 (Mass Market Paperback)

Publisher : Tor Books

ISBN-10: 0765350467

ISBN-13: 978-0765350466

No. of pages : 480

The Story :

Ruth bas Elazar Saul is daughter of the chief rabbi of the Jewish quarter of Cologne and a very good midwife with very unconventional methods. Her advanced midwifery skills coupled with her studies in Kabbalah, taints Ruth’s reputation with suspicions of witchcraft in an era paranoid about heretics and devil worshippers.

She becomes the unfortunate target of the malevolent obsession of a Spanish friar and head of the Inquisition to Cologne. Solitario takes his vengeance on an unknowing Ruth simply because she is the daughter of the woman who had jilted him and shredded his pride many years back. Ruth is tried for witchcraft; but in the process gains the interest of the cleric, Detlef von Tennen, cousin and close aide to the Archbishop of Cologne.

Detlef falls madly in love with Ruth and does everything in his power to avert her fate. He succeeds and both start a love affair that in its time, was unforgivable to both Jews and Catholics alike. Amid this difficult union, Ruth and Detlef must struggle to live in a dangerous century at war with new philosophies threatening to overthrow its established beliefs, power and social structures.

The Review :

The book opens with “a woman writhing in labor” which gave me the correct impression that I’d have a toe curling time with this one.

Learner is an intense, graphic writer who writes with a sensuality that is both raw and elegant. Her torture scenes feel horrendously realistic ; her descriptions of everyday life and her characterizations are rich and intimate, full of vivid details of seventeenth century Cologne, its lifestyle, its predominant psyche, and its prevailing social and religious atmosphere.

This novel is first and foremost a microcosmic representation of a Europe inexorably marching toward the Age of Enlightenment, torn at one end by traditional society clinging tenaciously and fearfully to established institutions of power, thoughts, and morals and on the other, by radical philosophies and emerging new acceptances by free thinkers or the libertines of that time.

Solitario, the Spanish Inquisitor, is the embodiment of the 17th century Roman Catholic Church, an institution reacting dangerously to threats to its centuries-old European dominance by the emergence of new thoughts, values, mores and the new Protestant religion. He is obsessed about bringing onto the Inquisition table the Jewess, Ruth, and the breakaway cleric, Detlef, both of whom represent radical opposition to the faith which have begun to erode the Church’s right to absolute power.

Stories like these make me glad I was born in the 20th century, where we have education, modern conveniences, good medical knowledge and practices, and in most parts of the world, respect and freedom for all sorts of religions and ideas. Imagine living in fear of torture and death because your ideas are heretically opposed to the prevailing beliefs of a Church which hold both secular and spiritual domains in its grip.

It was also interesting for me to find out that Judaism has its own brand of occultism. It has its own demons, grimoire, incantations, spells, and talismans. The Kabbalah is practiced by a certain Jewish sect which does not find ready acceptance in the general Jewish populace; but nevertheless is a recognized albeit esoteric branch of the Jewish religion.

To Read Or Not To Read :

I have read reviews that slam this book for its love angle and gratuitous sex (which I didn’t find unwarranted at all). The romance here is simply a support angle to the overall story of the book and is not the author’s point at all. So if you are looking for a nice historical romance, pass this up; this novel would be way out in left field.

However, if you just want a well written story with a good historical background, The Witch of Cologne will be just the thing. Although, be prepared for a very dark and somber tone (well matched with the era) throughout its entirety and for a substantial amount of graphic elements assiduously detailed in this book.

In A Nutshell :

Learner’s unconventional writing style marries quite well with her objective of presenting a glimpse of medieval Europe in the cusp of social change, a dark and fearful transition for many, when institutions of power, both political and religious, clawed desperately to maintain the status quo. The story poses intelligent questions, some of which must have influenced how modern Europe evolved.

Don’t let the suggestive cover fool you into thinking this book is a shallow, sleazy read. The book has the complexity and depth that makes it interesting and well worth your while — a perfect example to heed the the adage: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

My Mark : Outstanding

Posted in 2006 - 2010, Fiction, Historical Fiction Tagged: 17th century, Benedict Spinoza, Black Death, book, book review, church corruption, Cologne, Dark Ages, Fiction, Germany, Historical Fiction, Inquisition, Jews, kabbalah, kabbalist, Lilith, Maximilian Heinrich, mystical Judaism, plague, Roman Catholic Church, Tobsha Learner, torture, Zohar

Second Nature

Johanna — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:21:18 +0000

As an additional book for the Fall Into Reading Challenge 2009, Second Nature was a good choice for its brevity and its unusual romance.

Author : Alice Hoffman

First Publication Date : February 1994

Publisher of First Edition : G.P. Putnam’s Sons

This Edition’s Publication Date : April 1995 (mass paperback)

This Edition’s Publisher : Berkley

ISBN 0-425-14681-2

No. of pages : 290

The Story :

An injured wildman is discovered by a pair of trappers and sent to a hospital for treatment and rehabilitation. Having lived most of his life with wolves, Stephen, the “Wolfman”, is considered unmanageable and his failure to assimilate himself in human society signs his lifelong commitment to a mental hospital. Before his transfer, Stephen risks asking help from Robin. She helps him escape and teaches him to adapt socially. Stephen learns to do so, little by little and in the process, falls in love with her. Meanwhile, animals around the neighborhood are being mysteriously murdered, their throats slit. Soon, it is a little girl. The neighborhood is terrified and they want their monster…

The Review :

If you pick up an Alice Hoffman novel, expect to always have a contemporary story steeped in a bit of fantasy or magic told in her lovely prose. Second Nature tackles the human foible of judgement borne from fear and grief and the wonderful inherent human propensity to love.

Hoffman’s writing style is graceful where her thoughts segues seamlessly from one point to another. She can move from pleasant to sinister without missing a beat. The change is so subtle, smooth and flawless; this is what I really appreciate in Hoffman’s style.

The Wolfman character is dealt with quite well, with Hoffman sketching a believable portrait of his emotions and his thoughts while the character tries to fit in a world he does not understand.

To Read Or Not To Read :

Some readers stay away from fantasy because one is required to “live in another world” while at it. Hoffman, though, combines a sprinkling of fantasy in a vat of reality to come up with a sub-genre called “magic realism”. Stories are contemporary with realistic characters and settings but the reader is still required to accept the magic or fantasy as a reality to be able to enjoy the genre well.

Hoffman revels in this genre. With this book, she seems to show a wonderful understanding of human nature, its strengths and failures.

Unfortunately, there are some flaws in this novel, some absurdly unbelievable. To cite an instance, Robin was able to take the Wolfman from the hospital without a furor being raised later over his whereabouts. While gaffes like these would surely irritate some readers, others, like me, may choose to ignore them and just go with the flow. In doing so, you will discover a novel with a lot of heart.

My Mark : Quite Good!

Posted in 1990 - 1994, Fantasy, Fiction, Romance Tagged: Alice Hoffman, Fantasy, fantasy romance, instinct, loner, love, misfit, murder, mystery, Romance, wolf, wolfman

Avalon

Johanna — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:23:56 +0000

This should be the last book in my list for the Fall Into Reading Challenge 2009. I’ve finished the challenge but it’s a whole month earlier than the deadline, December 20. So, I’ve decided to stretch my list. See my additions here.

Author : Anya Seton

Date of First Publication : 1965

First Publisher : Hodder and Stoughton

This Edition’s Publication Date : May 1, 2006

This Edition’s Publisher : Chicago Review Press

ISBN-10: 1556526008

ISBN-13: 978-1556526008

No. of pages : 448

The Story :

A young noble, Rumon, makes his way to England in his quest for Avalon when he is thrown into Merewyn’s way and through a deathbed promise is forced to take responsibility for her. Merewyn has been brought up to believe she is a descendant of the legendary King Arthur; but Rumon knows the truth of her barbaric and pagan bloodline.

In the course of their lives in England, Merewyn falls in love with him; but Rumon is oblivious as he gives his heart and soul to the beautiful Queen Alfrida. After his ill-fated affair with her, he slowly comes to love Merewyn as well. But his love, just as hers before, is thwarted by events. And thus spins the saga of their love through their lives.

The Review :

There is something about old books and the way they are written that imbues them with a charm all their own. Avalon is such a book, first published in 1965. I picked this up because the author, Anya Seton, was one I had admired after reading Katherine.

Both books showcase Seton’s style of romance which pits love against circumstance. Her romance is more realistic and mature, less involved with the fluff that makes for fairy tale finishes. Love has to navigate through uncontrollable events life throws in the way. Endings are poignant but not the totally happily-ever-after kind that rarely happens, if ever, in real life. The feeling is satifsying, though, in the sense that we get a better grip on how versatile and enduring true love can be. In this particular novel, love for more than one person is possible although it exists in different shades and gradations, dependent on character and chance.

Many readers will enjoy the vivid backdrop of this story. The 10th century comes alive with Seton’s characterization of real historical figures like Queen Alfrida, King Ethelred the Unready, Saint Dunstan, and with her accounts of how life was in a European era that saw Viking invasions and explorations.

To Read Or Not To Read :

Although not as good as “Katherine“, which was an outstanding read, “Avalon” is also a beautiful story in itself; but, it isn’t for every romance reader. A mature reader would appreciate the emotions and the way the story unfolds rather than judge the characters’ likability quotient, as a younger reader would. This is not a syrupy, shivery love story; but one that carries more depth as it plays out in the harsh circumstances of medieval life.

My Mark : Very Good

Posted in Fiction, Historical Fiction, Prior to 1970, Romance Tagged: 10th century, Anglo-Saxon, Anya Seton, Avalon, castle, Danes, Dark Ages, England, historical romance, Iceland, King Arthur, King Edgar, King Edward the Martyr, King Ethelred the Unready, love, medieval England, Merewyn, monarchs, Norsemen, Queen Alfrida, Romance, royalty, Rumon, St. Dunstan, Viking

The Scot, The Witch and the Wardrobe

Johanna — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:58:00 +0000

I wanted a short, easy no-brainer. I got everything I wanted in this :

Author : Annette Blair

Date of Publication : December 2006

Publisher : Berkley Sensation (Mass Paperback)

ISBN-10: 0786296577

ISBN-13: 978-0786296576

No of pages : 389

The Story :

Vickie, a witch in denial, inherits a wardrobe and opens it to find a beautifully carved carousel unicorn inside. Desperate to pay her grandmother’s medical and funeral expenses, she advertises its sale on TV. Rory, a descendant of the once respectable Mackenzie clan now turned community pariah, sees the woman of his dreams (I mean, literally) holding the answer to restore the good name of his family.

Long ago, his ancestor, a famous carver, broke his engagement with a beautiful witch (Vickie’s grandmother) who people said, cast a curse upon the Scottish village. Regretful all of his life, Rory’s grandfather, before he died, sent his beloved witch his most splendid creation — a carousel unicorn, part of a merry-go-round that brought prosperity to the village; but one that would never run again until the curse is lifted.

So, Rory goes to find this unicorn, with a mission to take it, bring it back, rebuild the carousel, and restore the community’s prosperity and his good name. Only thing, he has to contend with the witch and choose between love and family honor.

The Review :

As I mentioned, I just wanted a short easy read, a no-brainer after “Exile“. Well, a real no-brainer is what I got! I know, I know…the synopsis sounds cheesy and serves me right for picking this out of a sale bin again just because the title was a parody of “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe“. I’m not above reading shallow, fun lit and I thought this was a cute, little romance with some magic thrown into it. NOT!

The characters were odd and totally without some self-respect, either. I don’t know what Blair was trying to accomplish. For instance, I think she wanted everything for her main character, Vickie. She wanted her sexy, yet dressed her in dowdy vintage clothes; a bold sex siren yet a frightened virgin (technically speaking since she deflowered herself years ago with dildos all named Brock—*shudder, shudder*–but has never been with a man); bohemian, cluttered, and fun but essentially good for nothing — can’t do business, cook, clean, balance books, etc. to save her life! So here comes the knight in shining armor, the ruggedly handsome Scot who can do everything! Cook, clean, balance books, organize, repair anything, and make her and others’ blood boil for want of this stud. Thankfully, he falls short of being perfect by his hermitic attitude.

With amateurish writing, a main character whose personality ridiculously morphs from one thing into another, and annoying minor characters in the mix, you just gotta be drunk to like this trash.

My Mark : Poor — Laughable; Don’t Bother

Posted in 2006 - 2010, Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance Tagged: book review, books, carousel, dreams, kilt, love, magic, Romance, Scot, sex, spell, unicorn, wardrobe, witch

Exile

Johanna — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:21:46 +0000

After two books on the supernatural in succession, I had the taste for something more grounded, more real. Ironically, Exile was in my list for the Fall To Reading Challenge. It’s a novel that can’t be anything but so painfully present— a fictitious story but one wholly based on current world events, dealing in particular with the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Author : Richard North Patterson

Publication Date : January 9, 2007 (Hardcover – 1st edition)

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

ISBN-10: 0805079475

ISBN-13: 978-0805079470

No. of pages : 576

The Story:

The hopes for a beginning toward peace between Israel and its Palestinian inhabitants are dashed when Jewish Prime Minister Amos Ben-Aron is assassinated by a Palestinian suicide bomber on American soil.

A brilliant Jewish lawyer and promising politician, David, witnesses the horrifying murder of the man whom he admires and believes to be the catalyst for peace in the Middle East. Suddenly he gets a call from a woman whom he had allowed himself to forget. Hana Arif, the Palestinian law student he had been helplessly in love with thirteen years ago, suddenly calls and says she has been accused of being instrumental to the crime. Would David help her?

Against the certainty of becoming a pariah in his Jewish community, of irredeemably breaking his engagement with his Jewish fiance, and of wiping out the brilliant political career path he had been so ambitious of, David with his ideals and buried passion, takes up the cudgels of a seemingly impossible case to exonerate Hana.

The case impels him to take a closer look at his culture and at the long-standing enmity between Palestinians and Jews, by going through their histories and understanding both sides’ perspectives. David follows a dangerous trail for information which takes him to Israel, the West Bank, and Lebanon as he chases the elusive truth to save his client.

The Review :

I am writing this review just after I have turned the last page of this book. I’ve been so riveted by it, turning page after page well into the night, as I came to understand much more about the volatile Palestinian-Israeli crisis.

Patterson has written a rare combination of a page-turner and an educational read which explains the present complex issues in the Middle East conflict. Although couched in fiction, this book is a definite eye-opener to those who do not understand or had been indifferent to the crisis that presently is, I believe, the greatest and most urgent threat to world peace.

Exile is the type of fiction novel that through its entertainment value, compels you to know more beyond it. I am inspired to research more on the subject of the ongoing war between the Jews, Palestinians, and the Arab world at large. It is scary in its magnitude of hatred and seemingly hopeless for its dearth of solution as each side believes so absolutely in the right of its cause. Basically a war of land rights and sovereignty, it draws its complexities from bringing religion, racial history and culture, internal factions, and international politics into the fray, a tangle of elements that cannot be extricated singly to make solutions.

Patterson’s courtroom scenes are energetic, intense, and a good read. There is a lot going for this book as a suspense-crime-courtroom-thriller. But the true merit of this book comes from the extensively researched issues backgounding this novel and the humane and impartial way the author represents the conflict for both sides that one cannot help but be emotionally moved at the plight of both Palestinians and Jews.

The novel never takes sides. It simply presents the conflict from both perspectives and leaves it up to you to decide who is right. Since it is impossible for one to make such an opinion with this book alone, Exile goads you to delve and learn more about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with an open and unbiased mind. Current events will never seem so one-dimensional and so distant after this.

To Read Or Not To Read:

Indeed, an important read! To those, like me, who have been partially oblivious to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, this book should constitute the top of your TBR pile. This novel is a good starter to point our way toward informing ourselves of a current volatile dilemma facing the world today. Muslim, Christian, Jew, atheist…whatever your leanings, we still cannot ignore that we are all inextricably connected and therefore will be involved, one way or another, in this war.

It’s a thick novel but once you’re in it, you’d never feel its length. In fact, you may end up wanting to know much more.

In A Nutshell:

Exile has successfully given an impartial yet emotional account of the Mid-East crisis. It is not a finger-pointer ; no side is singled out to blame for starting this whole mess. As it is, it is everyone and no one and but really the sordid side of human nature that has foisted this problem on us all. As the author aptly writes:

“…The Promised Land, which many of each side believed was promised to them alone, might be consumed not merely by hatred and violence but also by the most banal of human faults—a failure to imagine the life of another. The only common denominator of occupation was that it degraded everyone.” —- p. 401

“You know what amazes me, Zev? it’s that so many Jews and Palestinians don’t give a damn about one another’s stories. Too many Palestinians don’t grasp why three thousand years of death and persecution make Jews want their own homeland, or how suicide bombings alienate Jews and extend the occupation. Too many Jews refuse to acknowledge their role in the misery of Palestinians since 1948, or that the daily toll of occupation helps fuel more hatred and violence. So both become cliches: Jews are victims and oppressors; Palestinians are victims and terrorists. And the cycle of death rolls on… In three short weeks I’ve seen all kinds of suffering, from the families in Haifa to the misery of Hana’s parents. But they live in different worlds…” — p. 407

Please pick up this book and be aware. It’s a superb read, a must-read, and will be well worth your time.

My Mark : Excellent! +++

Posted in 2006 - 2010, Crime Thriller, Fiction, Suspense / Thriller Tagged: al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, Arab, Arab-Israeli conflict, Arafat, assassination, book, book reviews, CIA, conspiracy, contemporary fiction, courtroom, Crime Thriller, Fatah, Fiction, Gaza, Hamas, Hebron, Holocaust, Intifada, Iran, Israel, Jenin, Jew, Jewish occupation, jihad, Middle East crisis, Mossad, Palestine, Palestinian, Palestinian Authority, peace process, Rabin, Ramallah, Sharon, Shin Bet, trial, United States, West Bank

The R.I.P. IV Challenge Accomplished!

Johanna — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:47:28 +0000

Yes! I’ve done it! Finished my first challenge and just in a few days before the deadline, October 31st.

I read a total of five books. See my list here. Perhaps, I shall add to the list next time around. Because of this challenge, I’ve discovered two authors I’ve added to my roster of favorites. I’ve rated my best reads for this challenge to be The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by Gordon Dalhquist and The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. These novels are so original they are just in a league of their own.

It was a great experience and a lot of fun immersing myself in the gothic / horror genre. Next year will certainly see me in the R.I.P. challenge again, if only to get my hands on their next beautiful logo. Tee hee!

My thanks to Stainless Steel Droppings for developing and hosting this annual event.

And to all of you:

HAPPY ALL HALLOW’S EVE!

The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters

Posted in Challenges / Memes / Greetings Tagged: dark fantasy, gothic, horror, mystery, reading challenge, RIP challenge

A Halloween Treat : The Ghost Of Flight 401

Johanna — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:15:43 +0000

Whew! Finished this book in the nick of time before the end of the R.I.P. IV Challenge. My copy is an old, borrowed book from my Aunt Cristie with yellowed pages and the title cover almost falling apart at its seams. It’s so old that some of you haven’t probably even been born yet when this was published.

So, this is my book for the Halloween season, my last one for the R.I.P. IV , and my sixth novel down for the Fall Into Reading 2009 Challenge.

Author : John G. Fuller

Copyright : 1976

This Edition’s Publication Date : January 1978 (Paperback)

Publisher : Berkley Publishing Corporation

ISBN-10: 425-03553-0

The Story :

In December 29, 1972, Eastern Airlines Flight 401 crashed into the Florida Everglades en route from New York to Miami. One hundred one people died including veteran pilots Captain Robert Loft, First Officer Albert Stockstill and Second Officer Donald Repo. Miraculously, though, there were some survivors, among them a baby and a dog. The cause of the crash was attributed to the failure of the flight crew to monitor the flight instruments while trying to solve the problem of an indicator landing gear light. From a holding flight level of 2,000 feet, the plane steadily decreased in altitude, imperceptibly until the last few seconds.

This disaster is a true documented story that happened way back in the early seventies. Significantly, EAL Flight 401 was the first wide body plane to crash and at that time, catalogued as one of the worst airline catastrophes in the U.S. But what really made this flight so famous were the subsequent reports of apparitions onboard other Eastern Airlines aircrafts which were fitted with good working parts salvaged from the luckless plane. These ghost stories were well known inside the airline industry.

Flight crew members including some pilots and several passengers attest to seeing Captain Loft seated in the jumpseat a few times, simply looking straight ahead. The ghost of Second Officer Don Repo, however, made frequent appearances to the flight crew and spoke to them to either warn of impending danger or to show damaged parts or equipment. At one point, he was reported to have said that he would never allow another Eastern Airlines plane to crash again. Although he occasionally appeared in ways that were really hair-rasingly creepy (at one time appearing with only his head in a galley oven) all who encountered the ghosts agree that these spirits were benevolent and were there to protect their flights.

Intrigued with the consistency of the accounts and the fact that Eastern Airlines had resorted to concealment tactics which involved removal of many pages from the flight logbook, repeated subtle company threats and outright denials, the author did extensive research into the encounters to establish whether there really is a life after death and if we all indeed have a soul.

The Review :

The first half of the book details the crash in all its miserable, heart-wrenching detail. It is quite a gripping account as you visualize the enormity of the catastrophe — how all lives are changed for the survivors, for all the passengers’ families and close friends, and also for the rescuers who have to face the gruesome carnage.

The ghost stories appear on the second half . If you’re leaning toward believing their realism, it is positively hairy to know that ghosts appear in 3-D so much so that they appear genuinely alive, like you and me. More so, that they can chillingly appear with only a body part visible; in this case, only the flight engineer’s head looking at the stewardesses from inside an oven. Brrrr!!! (The uniformed man with the opaque white eyes on the front cover actually give me the creeps.)

As entertaining as these ghost stories were, and should have been the life of the book, I lost a bit of interest somewhere around the middle. I found the number of accounts paltry. I wish the author treated his readers to a lot more, as he had stated he had a lot of material on 401’s appartions that goaded him to delve into the question of life after death. So, the middle of the second part does, sadly begin to nosedive a bit with the author’s lengthy account of how he went about his research. He relates that he discovered mediums in the aviation industry to communicate with the ghosts of the flight crew, dabbled in ouija board, etc. Although these are supposed to be fascinating in themselves, his way of writing just didn’t quite make it so. The ghost stories were those buoying up the flagging narrative.

His account toward the end though, was interesting; but if you didn’t quite believe it, you’d say absurd.

To Read Or Not To Read :

If you’ve even half a mind to believe in ghosts, other dimensions, and psychics, this should kick up your Halloween night, as everything is purportedly bone-chillingly real.

Funny, The Ghost of Flight 401 is the second semi-non-fiction read I’ve proposed for Halloween. (The Historian would have been my choice though; The book is a class on its own; but I picked it up way too early for the 31st.) I’m actually not sure whether to categorize this book as fiction or non-fiction; but I’m more inclined to say non-fiction because I do believe in souls and in the afterlife. Last year, I reviewed a nail-biting worry into the possibilities of the future in The Cobra Event, a fictitious story running on a lot of very true, very terrifying documented facts.

In A Nutshell:

For his conclusion, Fuller argues on the reality of the apparitions on some of these ff. points:

1. Pilots involved are all sane, well-adjusted, down-to-earth individuals with excellent powers of observation and definitely not prone to exaggeration.

2. “There are too many people involved in the story. They all check out.”

3. “The descriptions given us from widely separated sources are all similar, and in many cases identical. Most of the parties involved did not know each other, so there was no chance of collusion.”

4. “Groups of people, including passengers, claim to have seen the reappearances. They could not all have been hallucinating.”

5. “Why would all crew members we interviewed make this story up — IT’S NOT THAT GOOD A JOKE!“

On this note, I leave it up to you to decide whether Fuller was right or simply a kook.

But whatever you decide, just enjoy the book for what it’s worth. Have a scary HALLOWEEN!

My Mark : Very Good!

Posted in 1970-1979, Analyses, Non-Fiction Tagged: apparitions, Captain Bob Loft, Don Repo, EAL, Easter Airlines, Everglades, flight crew, flight engineer, ghost stories, ghosts, L-1011, life after death, Lockheed jet, mediums, mind, Non-Fiction, ouija board, paranormal, pilot, plane crash, plane crash investigation, soul, spirit, stewardess, TWA

The Historian

Johanna — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:20:08 +0000

A most appropriate read for my R.I.P. IV Challenge and a great one for my and Fall Into Reading 2009 challenge.

Author : Elizabeth Kostova

Date of First Publication : June, 2005 (Hardcover)

Publisher of 1st Edition : Little, Brown and Company

This Edition’s Publication Date : January 2006 (Paperback)

This Edition’s Publisher : Back Bay Books

ISBN: 0-316-05788-6

No. of pages : 820 (Paperback)

The Story :

A young American girl stumbles upon an unusual book in her father’s library. Its pages are empty except for a woodcut of a menacing dragon with the title, Drakulya, on it. Along with it is a stash of old letters written by a her father’s favorite professor, Bartholomew Rossi, who mysteriously disappeared at the time when her father was still his student.

Her discovery reveals her family’s dark and dangerous quest for the continued existence of Vlad Tepes, the Impaler, otherwise known as Dracula. Slowly , drawn by her father’s accounts, she joins her family’s adventure of pursuing the undead through old letters and ancient texts, from libraries , aged monasteries and closed countries of Eastern Europe.

The Review :

You’ve got to be “in love at first read” with Elizabeth Kostova’s lush, vivid, elegant prose. Her attention to detail is a constant that keeps the ambience of the book flowing, cloaking the reader with gothic creepiness that blends surprisingly well with romantic elements, all throughout its eight hundred and so pages. (By romantic elements I mean the sumptuous descriptions which enamor a reader to places, culture, people, etc. ) To read Kostova’s work is to experience a story so intimately — you “see” the colorful pageantry of Byzantine culture, “taste” delectable Turkish food, “smell” the smell of the undead, “feel” the anguish of the tortured.

If she fails to capture your interest in her first one or two hundred pages, chances are you simply cannot love this. It’s one of those books that will either mesmerize you with its sensual vividness and alluring writing or because of these very qualities, tire you with its ponderous pace and lengthy minutiae.

For me, however, it is exactly Kostova’s way with language and her meticulous manner that are the charms of this novel. It makes me wish I could absorb Kostova’s prose into my very pores in the hopes I would be able to write as eloquently and as gorgeously as she can. Aside from being able to string words so marvelously, she can switch the narrative perspective between a number of characters so effortlessly that the reader is hardly left wondering who is telling the story at certain points.

As a gothic novel, The Historian is superb. It’s got all those dark elements, creepy atmosphere, but tempered so that it just falls short of being a horror novel. The story moves like a slow crescendo, building up bit by bit to a startling peak that gently tapers out toward the end. With all that, the reader is treated also to a well-researched history of Dracula, which makes reading all the more interesting.

In A Nutshell :

A horror novel, The Historian is not. It may raise a few hairs, make your spine tingle, give you little shivers but it stops short of being truly terrifying. It wasn’t written to be really such. Yes, a chiller; but one laden with a lot more history and mystery than visceral terror.

This is a thick, page-laden novel . But length becomes no object when you have totally immersed yourself in it.

Those who take to the novel quite early are more likely to appreciate this gem. On the whole, it is worth the time. To echo a fellow blogger, KyusiReader, The Historian is indeed a very, very satisfying read.

My Mark : Excellent

Posted in 2001-2005, Historical Fiction, Horror / Gothic / Dark Fantasy, Uncategorized Tagged: Bartholomew Rossi, blood, Bram Stoker, Bulgaria, burial, Byzantine, crucifix, crypt, Dracula, dragon, Drakulya, Elizabeth Kostova, evil librarian, garlic, historian, Istanbul, Lake Snagov, monastery, monks, Order of the Dragon, Ottoman Empire, Romania, silver bullet, stake, Sultan Mehmed II, Svet Georgi, Sveti Petko, the plague, tombstone, Transylvania, Turkey, vampire, vampire lore, Vlad Tepes, Vlad the Impaler

Confessions Of An Ugly Stepsister

Johanna — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:02:21 +0000

Everyone knows the story of Cinderella. But Gregory Maguire takes us a step backward to see the story behind the story. He deromanticizes the fairy tale and creates a realism behind it, adding a new dimension to a traditional story while staying true to the original framework.

This is my fourth read for Fall Into Reading 2009 challenge. Four more to go.

Author : Gregory Maguire

Date of First Publication : October 6, 1999 (Hardcover)

Publisher : William Morrow

ISBN-10: 0060392827

ISBN-13: 978-0060392826

Hardcover: 384 pages

The Story :

Margarethe and her two daughters, Iris (plain but clever) and Ruth (an ugly simpleton), flee England in the dead of night and sail for Holland. Destitute and friendless, the family is forced to beg for their survival. At last, a painter offers them board and lodging in exchange for housework and the permission for the plain daughter, Iris, to sit as a model for his canvas. So for a while, the family is happily fed and secure.

A prosperous tulip merchant, Cornelius van den Meer, drops by at the painter’s studio one day and offers to buy the painting of Iris. However as a condition of sale, Iris must accompany the painting to live in the great house and serve as a companion to Clara, the merchant’s extraordinarily beautiful but reclusive daughter. Margarethe sees this as an opportunity for greener pastures and loses no time insinuating herself and her other daughter in the deal. Soon, she makes herself indispensable to the van den Meer household.

As tragedy would have it, Cornelius’ wife and Clara’s mother, dies in childbirth. Gritty Margarethe sees the opportunity to secure her family’s future and finds a way to marry the merchant. Meanwhile, Clara, depressed and insecure upon her mother’s death and the marriage of her father to Margarethe, consigns herself to the kitchen, covers herself with ash and acquires a new name, Cinderella. She declares her beauty a burden and seeks solace in the anonymity of kitchen drudgery.

But, tragedy does strike twice. The tulip trade is disrupted; so soon, the merchant finds himself on the brink of poverty. Unwilling to face hunger and indignity again, Margarethe makes a last ditch effort. She prepares herself and her daughters for the coming ball where she, in her determination, believes plain Iris would capture the Prince’s interest with her intelligence. Beautiful Clara, to Margarethe’s delight, refuses to go and parade herself for the Prince. Margarethe knows that Clara’s beauty would surely awe the Prince and that her marriage to him, coupled with her disdain for her stepmother, would land her family back in the poorhouse.

But unbeknown to Margarethe, Iris convinces Clara to get out of her shell and attend the party of the decade. She secures a gown and a veil for Clara to hide under. Clara appears at the ball, radiantly mysterious and gets the Prince’s undivided attention. The rest is history with the glass slipper, coach, the midnight run and all.

The Review :

Between the stark delineations of the good and the bad in any fairy tale, Maguire steps in to create a gray world — is the bad really that bad or just misunderstood?

Much like history or any story for that matter, fairy tales are told from a point of view, this being mostly from the hero’s . Gregory Maguire is known as an author who loves to turn a fairy tale inside out with a resounding concept : “Let’s hear it from the other side”.

As with “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West”, Maguire gives a voice to the villains, , telling the story from their perspective, and imbuing these much maligned characters with more humanity. His intention is to relate how the forces of personality and circumstance that influence reactions and decisions, coupled with the judgmental character of human nature, easily cast people into roles of iniquity or seeming goodness. Hence, there are always two sides to a coin; and it is never two-dimensional.

In this vein, the author tackles duality in such concepts as beauty, love, compassion, greed — for instance, beauty as both blessing and curse, greed as both corruptible and necessary; so that this is no mere fairy tale rehash but one with a purpose to provide some rumination on the abstracts of good and bad.

To Read Or Not To Read :

“Confessions Of An Ugly Stepsister” holds almost true to the Cinderella plot outline, except for the setting, Holland, and an event toward the end. It is quite entertaining how Maguire weaves a realistic background to the simple framework of the fairy tale. Told through the perspective of Iris, one of Cinderella’s or Clara’s stepsisters, we get a grip on why the Cinderella story had been spun so.

Because of the author’s inclination toward establishing the events and characters on which Cinderella’s story evolved to be what it is, readers may find half of the book a bit slow paced.

Although Maguire’s framework is commendable and his writing intentions, successful; there are nevertheless, a vagueness in Maguire’s writing here that I wish were clearer. To cite a few: Clara (Cinderella) is somewhat a vague character and the reader may not be able to get a good understanding on what makes her tick. We are given the impression of a recluse, someone afraid of life. However, she suddenly does an about face by being very bold with the Prince, a stranger, at the ball. Also, Clara’s experience as a child at the windmill is left to imagination. What was it really? This, and some others, may irritate a reader who appreciates straightforwardness and specifics; but for those can live with conjecture, this shouldn’t be much of a bother.

In A Nutshell :

Although, not as good as his other novel, “Wicked….” , “Confessions Of An Ugly Stepsister” is nevertheless, still a pleasurable read, a satisfying deconstruction and reinvention of Cinderella that would appeal to those who love stories thought “out of the box”.

My Mark : Very Good

Posted in 1995 - 2000, Fantasy, Fiction Tagged: ashes, beauty, Cinderella, cinderling, cinders, Clara, confessions, fairy tale, fairy tale reinvented, family, glass slipper, Gregory Maguire, Holland, Iris, love, Margarethe, modified fairy tales, prince, pumpkin, reinvented stories, Ruth, stepmother, stepsister, tulips, twisted fairy tales, van den Meer