I just finished the last page in this book and the first word that comes to my mind to describe it is “Amazing.”
I can tell you right now that Maureen O’ Hara is definately much more than you see in the movies; she is not different from what you see on screen, but not exactly the same, and has much more depth than any character on the screen. This isn’t a reflection on her talent, but an admission of the fact that no fictional character can ever carry the depth of emotion, strength of will, and power that a real human being carries in their heart. Certainly, I’d say some people are just doomed to be a little feeble, but this lady isn’t one of them. Please also realize that I use “lady” in the best sense possible, not in the way that some kid off the street would use it to describe or address some random person that happens to be female. She is fully deserving of the title.
I admired Maureen O’ Hara before reading this book – because of the fire and strength of will she brought to her movies. I am also a big fan of the John Wayne – Maureen O’ Hara pairing in movies, partly because of the stories, but partly because the only actresses I have ever seen on screen with John Wayne without being entirely overpowered by him were Katherine Hepburn, and Maureen O’Hara. The actress that was with him in True Grit came close, but not quite close enough. After reading this book, I regret a little that I was not of the generation that John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara belonged to, because I adored these two actors when I was little – and I still do – and I admire this woman even more, just because I how beautifully she has come through her life. She may have been dubbed “The Queen of Technicolor” for her looks, but she just seems like a beautiful person now that I’ve read this book. I don’t give that kind of praise lightly. Read the rest of this entry »

I finished this book yesterday, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. The ending was a little Lord-of-the-Ring-movie-ish in that there were several places it could have ended and still have been complete, but it was worth reading the ending(s) because the wrap-up of the events of the book made it both realistic, surprising, and helped lead into the next book. What I like is that, instead of leaving plot points open and hanging out there for the next book to resolved, the major mysteries of this book are solved, and brand new ones are created right at the end in such a way that you don’t want to burn something down because you don’t know what happens next, but you’re still really curious about it. It leaves you with a nagging thought rather than “What?! That wasn’t and ending! What happens??? What’s wrong with you!??”
And believe me, I’ve read books that do that. I’ll admit it’s a solid tactic, but it makes me angry because I feel like, if most of the major plots and mysteries aren’t resolved by the end of the book, then it’s not an ending and the book shouldn’t be printed until it has one. I’d rather have a 400 page book turn into a 900 page tome than have no resolution to the problems and obstacles presented in the story. Read the rest of this entry »

I decided to get this book because from what I’ve heard from friends, this book is supposed to be either horrible trash, or absolutely great. I wanted to decide for myself rather than just taking their word for it. Usually, if all my friends agree it’s trash, I won’t bother with it if I’m on the fence, but in this case – one friend had heard great things and liked what she’d read so far (hadn’t finished it) and another friend said it was terrible with a lot of pointless sex in it.
It does have sex in it, I’ll give him that, but it also has espionage, war, mythology, betrayal, politics, and many other things to bring up its merit and plot-worthiness in my eyes. I have not yet finished it, but so far, so good. I’m on page 771 of 901, so I should be done soon and I’ll post about this again when I’m done.
At this moment, I would recommend it.

Yes, indeed, I am in an e-mail based book club: Dear Reader.com. For this book club, you can join a group, or several groups, based on genre and from that genre you are sent excerpts from one book each week. You get to read 2-3 chapters by the end of the week, and if you think you’ll like the book then you can either get it from the local library, buy it on the website, or track it down to find yourself.
Each e-mail also contains a little note of some form or fashion from Suzanne, the woman in charge. She shares stories, experiences and things like that with you, and I for one like that because it makes it more like sharing a book with a friend than sifting through my inbox. Suzanne B. just seems like a great person. I’ve also come across books that I enjoy, and new authors by getting these excerpts. Not to mention I’m always tempted to enter the drawings for the giveaways. Sometimes it’s books, bookbags, or in a case recently – a very large stuffed cow, for which there was a story.
If you read often like I do, or you’re looking into discovering a new author or genre, then I highly recommend Dear Reader to you. Also, if it turns out that you aren’t happy with it, it’s very simple to unsubscribe and you don’t get hassled about it. I know this for fact because I unsubscribed to the Sci-Fi list because I realized that I got bogged down with what books I had and what books I wanted. Definately an investment for those of us unsure of grabbing a book, or reading something from a new author, when we aren’t sure what we’re getting. 10 out of 10 for Dear Reader.

Of course, that doesn’t excuse you from reading NeoLibrarium…;)

We now have a forum, thanks to site member/co-admin gambit3. I also recommend reading his most recent post, “Discussion: Life-Changing Books”. Please do add your own book recommendations – even if it’s just a book you really enjoyed.
You can visit the forum by going to: www.neolibrarium.com/forums
(I’ll be adding it to the sidebar the next time I have the chance to sit down and go over the site’s template code.)

5. “Un Grito Desesperado”, by Carlos Cuauhtemoc Sanchez.

“Un Grito Desesperado” or, “A Desperate Cry”, for those Spanish-challenged in the reading audience, was the first book in Spanish that I read as an adult that didn’t require 3 sets of dictionaries to understand. You see, if you were to ever visit a bookstore in Mexico, you would find books that break down into prretty much only two categories: New Age junk mixed with old wives’ tales, and books so thick with wordiness that most read like theses about exobiogenesis. Or something.

This book was different from all of them.

Read the rest of this entry »

I have been pondering this post for a while now.  How to get you fine, intelligent readers to post lists of books.  Not just any books, mind you, but lists of books with a common theme. The first theme I have chosen for this discussion is “life changing books”.  Quite simply, books that changed the way you view or face life.

So, come up with your 5 most life-changing books you’ve ever read. I will sort mine from 1-5, and start posting from number 5 down to number 1 over the next few days.  I invite you to post your corresponding books in the comments section whenever we start this Discussion exercise in Book Lists. We shall start in a few days. Until then, get listing!

Blue Like Jazz was not a good book for me. This book, when I heard of it, was widely hailed as being something great. Personally, I found it boring. Is that bad? The writing style seemed very dry to me. Now, when I say dry, I really mean it. I don’t mean matter-of-fact, or to-the-point, I mean dry. I don’t need the syntax to be florid to be impressed. In fact, several of the books I own – and re-read frequently – are written in a very “That’s how it is” fashion. In the case of this book, however – I didn’t even get all the way through it. Read the rest of this entry »

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