The Invisble Wall

"The Invisble Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers" is a memoir by Harry Bernstein begins somewhat reminiscent of Angela's Ashes, but soon takes on a voice and heart of its own.

The title is a reference to the invisible "line in the sand" drawn straight down the middle of the street dividing two different cultures and religions forced to cohibitate the same smallcorner, miserable corner of England during the 1900s, Jews on one side and Christians on the other.

It is Harry's memories of growing up with a despot father who cares more for the bottle than he does for his family and a caring, devoted mother at her wits end who determination and dreams become the powerful yet crumbled foundation of her family.

The story also mostly centers around the taboo blossoming loves that are tossed about on the eve of WW I with all of the heartbreak of living in a poverty stricken world of child labour and religious persecution.

I found this memoir, written by the author at age 93, to be engaging and positively charming in execution. It was a well written taken of the power of love to break down all walls, whether real or invisible.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars for anyone who loves reading about small English working-class neighborhoods and World War I novels.

Shadow and Bone

"Shadow and Bone" by Leigh Bardugo was a pleasant read and I will admit to enjoying the escapism of the story.

If you are looking for something new, you will have to keep looking. Bit if you are merely looking for an engaging light book to read with a feel of Russian folklore mixed with fantasy and budding self-awareness, then you'll be quite happy with this one!

A poor, scrawny and painfully ordinary girl discovers she is one-of-a-kind only possible savior of the world and finds herself drawn to the dark and broody "is he a villain or merely misunderstood" dreamboat. She is then, of course, reunited with the simple and brave boy she has been in love with since a child and is now torn between her feelings for both.

It may sounds trite and shallow upon that description, but it was actually a fun and quick story that flowed along well and kept me, as the reader, engage from beginning to (yes, predictable) end. The side characters were believable, their choices understandable and I'd say that all were well written.

I look forward to reading the next book in the series later this year. I'll give this one a solid 2.5 stars out of 5! Worth taking a chance on if you enjoy YA literature.

Young Sherlock Holmes: Death Cloud

I am really happy that I did not read others' reviews for this book before I picked it up, as I might have skipped it altogether and missed out on one of my new favorite YA series. (Many were actually saying not to read it simply because of the American version's cover depicting a teenage Sherlock Holmes looking a bit too much like widely mocked Canadian pop singer Justin Beiber. Luckily the copy I first found was the British cover!)

I had just finished reading all of the original 4 novels and 56 short stories by Doyle and was positively going through some kind of fictional character detox needing my next hit of the witty British detective when I stumbled across this little gem of a book.  I had my doubts at first, but thought, "What the heck, I've wasted $3 on worse things", and so I gingerly tossed it onto the counter at Edward McKay with my other selections.

With the task of reading through the tall stack of books I bought that day, several weeks went past before it was time to start Death Cloud, but once I did...it was love at first page! I was hooked from the first chapter until the last!

Basically, this is the story of young Sherlock Holmes, age 14, before he became the arrogant super brain that we all know him as today. 

The book starts with the teen being collected by his brother, the enigmatic character of Mycroft Holmes, and being delivered to stay the Summer with his previously estranged aunt and uncle. Naturally, there is a mysterious dead body involved with the cause of death not immediately obvious. Would it really be Sherlock Holmes if it were just a cut and dry homicide in the first place?

We meet several new characters, most memorable being the American "Wild Bill/Mark Twain" tutor named Amyus Crowe and his headstrong, wild at heart daughter Virginia. But as for the most lovable and least lovable new characters?  Those awards would go, respectively, to street smart orphan Matty (reminds me a bit of the character of Dodger from Oliver Twist) and the evil and cold hearted Housekeeper of the Holmes estate.

The book continues on the tell the story of young Sherlock being taught by Mr. Crowe on how to observe and analyze as he finds himself drawn into several mysterious deaths and a much larger conspiracy involving a revenge plot of a unique and grotesque villain. Things do not always go smoothly for him and he does not always have the right answers just in the nick of time. That is part of the magic of reality that makes this series a little better than some other Holmes fictions I have read since then. He has to learn, and often it is learning the hard way with unexpected and scary consequences. The character grows and changes through all of these experiences and that pleased me greatly!

I felt the writing of the book flowed well and the pace kept up an even keel. It was absolutely stuffed full of action scenes and plenty of moments for young Sherlock to learn to think and analyze and develop into the master of observation that we all love! It was a real treat of this book to watch him grow into his character.

The bad guys were villainous on an epic scale as would be expected...no, demanded!...of any book claiming Sherlock Holmes as the main protagonist.

The main antagonist is, just to be suitably vague without spoilers, positively a magnificent work of art!

I will bring up the fact that part of the engaging action scenes of this book involve torture and several gruesome deaths.  I cannot recommend this book for all children, though it is a YA genre.

But, I gave it to my 9 year old and he LOVED it! He finished the book, set it down, and immediately picked up and began reading book two. However I would like to point out that he is very familiar with the idea that authors must write such scenes that might be shocking and that they are nothing more than works of fiction from a person's imagination.
Not all children can separate reality and fiction like that, so please be careful if you choose to give this one to a kid younger than the recommended age of teen and older.

That stated, let me also say that Alex did love the story as much as I did and every chapter he would update me on what was happening just to see if he could finagle a spoiler or two from me of whether or not Sherlock was going to escape a burning barn or whether we figure out who that weird housekeeper really is.

Both he and I give this book a huge thumbs up and he actually just gave it to his best friend to read.

Dear Mr. Lane, for writing such a fun and gripping story with such loveable and relatable characters, we forgive you for letting them put Justin Beiber on the cover. 

Kronos

I openly admit it, I picked up "Kronos" by Jeremy Robinson purely because of the cover. I am a sucker for a good sea monster/cryptozoology story and am, therefore, happy to report that this book delivered on all fronts! (I think I also picked it up because I am a fan of "Meg" by Steve Alton)

I saw somewhere that the story was being described as Moby Dick meets James Bond, and though I think that is a bit of an exaggeration, there is no denying that it is still very much a page turning thriller!

Kronos is basically a unique continuation of the Biblical story of Jonah and the big fish that most of us are familiar with already. It plays on the innate fear we all tend to harbor of what lurks unseen in the dark waters of the ocean.

Just a few years after losing his wife, the main character of Atticus watches helplessly as a horrific sea monster swallow his daughter whole. This naturally spurs him into action as he seeks his revenge and searches for the creature.

Naturally, Atticus will not be the only one interested in the creature. Enter the interesting, yet literary cliché, heartless billionaire trophy collector-Trevor Manfred. I actually found the side characters just as interesting as the main ones in this instance.

There were not many things I did not like, but admittedly, I found Robinson's attempt at writing the romance aspect of the book to be more than just a little forced, like reading a Wikipedia account of a relationship; yet, I thoroughly enjoyed the actual adventure and sci-fi aspects of the story and his tie-in to the tale of Jonah was a pleasant connection!


I especially enjoyed the way the author cultivates in the reader a sympathy for the monster and his sad, lonely plight.

All in all, the positives far outweighed any negative aspects I found, and I ended up reading the book in about 3 days and I'm glad I found it at a local used book store! Definitely one of the times that it paid off to judge a book by its cover!

This might not have been the strongest book that I have read lately, but I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who also likes creature feature adventure stories. This was a fun and very engaging book!

The Little Paris Bookshop

Another post, which fits better here, that was formerly published on my Geocaching blog:

In my effort to reach my goal of reading 100 books this year, I have found another diamond of a story!

Does love at first sight exist in the world of reading?  If so, that was certainly the case for me and "The Little Paris Bookshop"!  I ran across this book on one of my many trips to Barnes and Noble and as soon as I laid eyes on the cover, I felt an immediate draw to it. But I kept putting off buying it for several months due to the price since it was only in hard back at the time.

But every time I went into the store, there is was sitting on the shelf just begging to be read. So I finally sat down and read the first two chapters and decided that if it could hook me within the first few pages that it would come home with me.

Literally, from page one I was hooked! So I walked to the counter and made my purchase and clutched my new treasure close to my chest like a lover as I hastily left the store to begin reading.

I had no idea at the time how much this book would both open up my heart and temporarily lend light to my darkest inner corners. I was far from disappointed!

Many of my poor pen pals were forced to read of my new obsession with this story, and for that I am perhaps a little sorry! But I hope it inspired them to also consider picking up their own copy of this fantastic book!

When describing it to friends, I say that this book is not just your ordinary story of love and loss and redemption...though it has plenty of that to share.  The name of the floating bookstore owned by the main protagonist is nicknamed the Literary Apothecary and never has anything been more accurately named.

One of my favorite lines from the book goes, “There are books that are suitable for a million people, others for only a hundred. There are even remedies—I mean books—that were written for one person only…A book is both medic and medicine at once. It makes a diagnosis as well as offering therapy. Putting the right novels to the appropriate ailments: that’s how I sell books."

No, to me, this story is about the magic power of books to meet us where we are and to rip off the bandages that have been hiding our pain and to force us to heal from the inside out!! That is what this book did for me in so many ways.

I can usually finish a book of this size in around 3 days. This particular one took me almost FOUR WEEKS to get through because I would read a chapter and have to set it down and absorb the thoughts and ideals that it had just presented. Then sometimes I had to re-read the same pages again just to fully grasp the sheer veracity of the truth that the author was conveying in the most simplistic of terms.

"Everybody has an inner room where demons lurk. Only when we open it and face up to it are we free."

And that is another great point to this book...it's perfect candor and directness. It is a great and easy read for both the voracious reader and the casual skimmer.

There are so many endearing lines in this novel that caused me to stop and think and have a few "ah ha!" moments. I felt easily connected to the main characters and their emotions and fears and hopes became my own.  When they felt shame or doubt, I felt it right along with them and when they faced their greatest fears and longings, I walked there hand in hand with them as well.

I love it when an author can create characters that are so easy to relate to and ones that make you care about them, whether you agree with their actions or not.  To me, that is one of the things that can really set a novel apart from the thousands of others out there!

As the writer herself puts it: “Books are more than doctors, of course. Some novels are loving, lifelong companions; some give you a clip around the ear; others are friends who wrap you in warm towels when you've got those autumn blues. And some...well, some are pink candy floss that tingles in your brain for three seconds and leaves a blissful voice. Like a short, torrid love affair.”

There were so many lines in this book that took my breath away that I am struggling not to quote them all, but that would be a sad case of spoilers.  As it is, let me just say that if you find yourself, especially as a woman, in need of a story to help you heal from life and or to help you find the courage to start your life, then this might just be the book for you!

After all, a book is both medic and medicine at once. It makes a diagnosis as well as offering therapy!

Should you decide to add this one to your reading list or if you take the plunge and read it yourself, please let me know!! I will be eager to hear your own thoughts.

PS....I am aware that I did not go into great detail of what the story is about since I know most of us have Google.  Rather, I aimed to share what this book meant to me and the emotions that it stirred up inside my soul. To me, that is the true measure of an artist's work.

A Monster Calls

This is a book review that I had previously posted on my NinjaChipmunk Geocaching blog before I began this one dedicated solely to my readings:

It was a normal, unremarkable night before work and I was busy doing my usual of browsing through Facebook to kill some time when I came across a post of books that would soon be released as movies.  I didn't open the post, but the book that was featured in the photo caught my eye and looked interesting. Yes, I sometimes do judge a book by its cover.  I don't usually review books, because I don't feel well adapted at translating into plain words how a book affected me or what emotions I felt afterwards.  This book, however, demanded it of me.

The cover was actually so intense and captivating that I decided to pick up the book and read it.  The book was A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness.  I read between 80 to 95 books a year, typically, and yet this book was a first for me. This was probably the most intense and skillfully written book I have read in years!  (If you read the e-book, you miss out on the spooky yet gorgeous artwork that accompanies the story)

It is not a true fairy tale, a modern one perhaps, but not in the sense you are expecting by the cover. Please do not let that stop you from reading it. Here is what I have to say on my experience with doing so:

No words.  I have no words for what this book did to me on so many levels. The strange thing about it?  It was that it was such outstanding writing...though it was very well written. And it wasn't that it was a book that would change my life and perspective, such as The Alchemist or The Giver.

But one truth I can honestly lay out here... of the thousands of books I have read, I can honestly say this is the first time that a book has ever made me feel so disturbed and unsettled that I felt actual physical nausea from the raw emotions and truth it pulled out of me. This book reached in found every hidden pain and fear I have ever experienced and ripped them screaming from my soul and left me a fragile, sobbing shell of the person I was just hours beforehand.

I simply laid the book down and, still breathless and sobbing, stared at it for a solid 10 minutes before I could form a single rational thought in my own head.

I did not read any review or summary of this book before I picked it up and that was the key, that was a huge part of the magic that enabled this tale to blow me away.  And, as I encourage you to do the same, I will try my best not to provide any spoilers here.

All I will say that this book can show how that, though good and evil do tend to be black and white, we as humans are often color blind and fail to see the purity of truth. Remember, Fairy tales were not always filled with princesses and white knights, but rather, they were once used to teach us a truth that we all needed to learn and to show us a way and a reason to face those truths.

I feel secure in saying that this book will be unlike any you have read lately and, though I do not think I have the willpower and inner strength to read it again, I cannot imagine having scrolled on past that post and having not had the privilege and honor of reading it the first time.

I will leave you with this one last thing, a quote that is a particular favorite of mine that puts me in mind of this book: "Fairy Tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."