loopyker's #CBR7 Review #09: World's Greatest Sleuth! by Steve Hockensmith

I first discovered Steve Hockensmith in my library with his Pride and Prejudice and Zombies books.  While I am a big fan of the original Pride and Prejudice, I thoroughly enjoyed Hockensmith's addition of the zombies and his humour, so looked for more of his books.

Happily, my library has the Holmes on the Range mystery series as audiobooks, and I listened to the first four in quick succession.  By the last one, The Crack in the Lens, it was getting a little repetitive and I didn't enjoy it as much, but still hoped there would be more.  And recently I discovered my library has added the 5th audiobook, World's Greatest Sleuth!

Brothers, Gustav (Old Red) and Otto (Big Red)  Amlingmeyer are the stars of this series.  American cowboys in the 1890s. The older one, Gustav, is reserved and illiterate, but is fascinated by Sherlock Holmes' skill at detecting after his brother reads him the stories.  They, somewhat understandably, believe the stories are about a real detective.  Gustav has his own skill at detective work and with the help of his brother, they solve several mysteries, becoming their own unlikely version of Sherlock and Watson.

loopyker's #CBR7 Review #08: The Princess Bride by William Goldman

"IF YOU ENJOYED THE MOVIE, YOU'LL CERTAINLY ENJOY LISTENING TO ROB REINER, THE MOVIE'S DIRECTOR, READ THE BOOK."  was what the online library listing promised me.  They even shouted it.  They couldn't have been more wrong.

I would like to be really clear about this.  I don't want to get yelled at.  This is a review for the audiobook.  Very different from the movie.  I love the movie.  It became an instant favourite when I saw it over 20 years ago.  I've enjoyed it many times since.

I also read the book many years ago.  It was disappointing.  Some of my favourite lines from the movie are not in the book. But, there is more back-story detail added which can be entertaining.  If there wasn't the comparison, I would probably have thought it was a good book.  But, I would wonder what the big deal was with the fans of the movie, if I went only by that.

So, with this in mind, I already had lower expectations for the audiobook.  But Rob Reiner directed this popular movie.  Surely he must know how to read it well.  No, no he does not.  Which is ironic.  The story starts as someone reading the book to a sick boy.  Peter Falk does this well in the movie.

In the movie the boy rolls his eyes at the idea of being read a fairy-tale type book.  But, as fans of the movie know, even though on the surface it has romance and a princess (to-be) and a prince, this is a story for any age and any gender.  There are heroic challenges and fights, good versus evil and "true-love" with a little magic thrown in and mostly, with a lot of humour for both young and old.  It is just a lot of fun.

However, you would not know it by the way Rob Reiner reads it.  He rushes through much of it like he has something else to do and just wants to get this over with fast.    It is so rushed it can be hard to follow even who is talking without the appropriate pauses or even subtle voice differences.

A huge disappointment.  This is one of the few times where, without a doubt, I recommend the movie over the book.  And with even less reservations, I recommend both over the audiobook.  Don't bother with the audiobook.  Anyone who just listens to that will miss what the fans like in the others.

1 star for the audiobook
3 stars for the book
5 stars for the movie


Title: The Princess Bride (audiobook)
Author: William Goldman
Narrator: Rob Reiner  (movie's director)
Publisher: Phoenix Books, Inc. (Feb 06, 2007)
Duration: 2 hours, 32 minutes

Other formats: paperback/Kindle ebook
Print Length: 480 pages
Publisher: Mariner Books; Reprint edition (October 8, 2007)
(original published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (USA) 1973)
ISBN-10: 0156035154
ISBN-13: 978-0156035156
Kindle ASIN: B003IEJZRY

Note: A lot of formats say "abridged".  This is part of the joke, that William Goldman says he is abridging another book.  It makes it confusing to know if there is a real abridged version of William Goldman's work.

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Rating system:
1 star (didn't like); 2 stars (OK); 3 stars (good); 4 stars (very good); 5 stars (favourite)

Also check out Cannonball Read for a variety of book reviews from many others.

loopyker's #CBR7 Review #06: Watermelon Summer by Anna Hess

I entered the generous Spring Fling 2015 book giveaway with no knowledge of any of the authors except, Selina Fenech from my previous review.  I was given many free ebooks from that and intend to read and write honest reviews on them all as a thank-you.   It is just taking more time than I had hoped.

Having no idea what to expect, I was very pleasantly surprised by Watermelon Summer.  It is just a nice, sweet book.  An easy, fun read.

18 year old Forsythia, decides she would rather know about her biological father's life and the intentional community where she was born than go on her planned trip to Europe before college.  It is a coming of age story where she decides what is really important in her life and  how to work hard for it.  But her idealism is also kept grounded by supportive family and friends.

Looking up author Anna Hess, you can tell that she draws on a lot of real-life experience in homesteading as her character Forsythia works to revitalize the intentional community.

Saying this book is "refreshing" seems to be cliché with a title like "Watermelon Summer".  And I do see it a lot in a glance at other reviews.  But, that is really the word I also jotted down when reading the book.  Especially refreshing to me was that there is a romance in the book, but it isn't rushed.  It isn't the over-the-top-all-consuming eternal love that seems to be so popular in young adult fiction these days.

This is a story about a girl wanting to get to know more about her roots, not because there is anything wrong with her current life - she just wants to know more about where she was born and what her biological father is like.  That she also meets a really nice guy along the way is just a bonus.  

It is written in first person with Forsythia telling us about her summer.  It worked well, with conversational humour thrown in.

3.5 stars

Note:  I'm not sure about the author.  I originally won Watermelon Summer as an ebook in the Spring Fling giveaway.   That was in Kindle format and listed the authors as "Aimee Easterling & Anna Hess".  However, the current listing on Amazon is only as a paperback and it is by Anna Hess alone, so that is what I'm listing it as here.

Title: Watermelon Summer
Author: Anna Hess (see Note above)
Paperback:  174 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; First edition (December 6, 2013)
ISBN-10: 1494405806
ISBN-13: 978-1494405809

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Rating system:
1 star (didn't like); 2 stars (OK); 3 stars (good); 4 stars (very good); 5 stars (favourite)

Also check out Cannonball Read for a variety of book reviews from many others.

loopyker's #CBR7 Review #05: Memory's Wake by Selina Fenech

Who would you be if you couldn't remember who you were?

Memory is a teenager who awakens in a land of magic with no idea who or where she is.  She is quickly discovered by another girl, Eloryn and together they flee some chasing men who have a dragon at their command.  The action in this story starts right away and keeps going.  The two find friends and more enemies along the way as they try to figure out who Memory is, while Eloryn works to save her country from an evil King.

As a long-time fan of Selina Fenech's artwork, I bought her first novel, Memory's Wake, when it first came out and was later gifted the audiobook to write a review after having read the full trilogy.

This is a good, solid first book.  It has somewhat of a Terry Brooks - Magic Kingdom feel to it somehow and compares favourably.  Having said that, I think after reading the other books in the trilogy and her Emotionally Charged book, I think this is the weakest.

loopyker's #CBR7 Review #04: The Martian by Andy Weir

I can't believe it has taken me a month to get to writing this review.  I was telling everyone about it when I finished it, but just didn't get it written down.  I had managed not to hear much about this book beforehand.  I can't even remember where it was recommended so that I put it on my library hold list...and then waited months for it to come up since it was so popular.

I will start with what a lot of other people say because it is so obvious - this feels a lot like the movie Apollo 13, but with one person.  Some people say it is like Cast Away, but it doesn't have that crazy edge.  While reading it, I kept thinking that it would make a good movie and when I looked, they were in fact already making the movie. It is scheduled to be out in November 2015.

The "Martian" is astronaut, Mark Watney, from Earth who accidentally gets abandoned on Mars after a failed mission.  A little food and a lot of equipment is left there with him.  But can he figure out how to survive all alone for the years it will take until the next mission arrives?

It moves from one problem-solving, crisis moment to the next.  I did not want to put this book down!  I also don't want to write spoilers.  I really didn't know what was going to happen from one minute to the next.

loopyker's #CBR7 Review #01: Shadows by Robin McKinley

Note: This review was written in early 2014 and is being posted for the first time now - well after I remember anything about the book to address criticisms I've read from some other reviews.

I've been a long-time fan of Robin McKinley, so I requested this new one through my Online Library and was excited when it became available days later. It is nice to know that the library requests can work and I wasn't disappointed by the effort. 

I hadn't even heard about Shadows and since McKinley doesn't often do sequels, you never really know what you are going to get. Unlike many of her books, Shadows doesn't have a fairy-tale land setting. It is more like our present-day world, but after the invasion of magic and the resulting technology to deal with that magic. 

Maggie is a 17 year old, in Newworld, where magic is now illegal. Her widowed mother meets and marries a new man, who creeps Maggie out. There is something wrong when she looks at him - extra shadows that seem to have a life of their own. Maggie's world is soon turned on end as the truth of things is slowly revealed to her.

I very much enjoyed McKinley's original take on magic and learning about the "shadows". As usual, she does a good job at capturing the insecurities, but also strengths of a teenage girl and her friends and family, creating believable characters and settings, with enough twists to keep it interesting. Knowing that McKinley is a dog owner, I can also see how that experience and love for her own dogs have made their way into this tale. 

My only complaint is that some parts felt a bit rushed. There is certainly a lot of action once it gets going. The ending is rather sudden and seems like it should be going on to a book 2. I hope it does! But I know McKinley well enough, to know not to count on it. If she gets inspired, it will be done. 

Shadows was a satisfying, fun YA fantasy read, joining the many books by Robin McKinley that I will happily reread and hope for them to be continued sometime. I still always hope her earlier Damar history will call to her to return there someday, but in the meantime, I will enjoy her many different worlds too.

4 stars

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Title: Shadows
Author: Robin McKinley
Age Range: 12 and up
Book format: ebook/hardcover/paperback
Print length: 367/368 pages
Publisher: Penguin Books (September 26, 2013)/Nancy Paulsen Books (September 26, 2013)
Kindle ASIN: B00BPDN2SI
ISBN-10: 0399165797
ISBN-13: 978-0399165795

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Rating system:
1 star (didn't like); 2 stars (OK); 3 stars (good); 4 stars (very good); 5 stars (favourite)

Also check out Cannonball Read for a variety of book reviews from many others.

loopyker's #CBR5 Review #01: Cinderella's Secret Diary: Lost (Book 1) by Ron Vitale

Disclaimer: This was given as a free e-book to interested CBR5 readers. This in no way influences the outcome of my review.

I was excited to accept the free e-book of Cinderella's Secret Diary: Lost since both young adult fantasy and the retelling of fairy tales are amongst my favourite genres and I'm always happy to discover more. This story also includes a little taste of historical fiction - another of my favourites.

As the title suggests, this book is written in first person from the viewpoint of Cinderella's diary a few years after her marriage to the Prince. They are very far from living "happily ever after" at this time and Cinderella is very unhappy with her marriage and her whole life in the castle where she is under great pressure to produce an heir for the Royal family. She is dealing with big decisions about her life, marriage and motherhood. Hints of political intrigue around England and Napoleon are also entwined with the magical elements of fairies and witches.

It all sounds great to me in theory, but fell short of my hopes in practice.

Personally, I have kept a diary at different points in my life. I use the writing to get my emotions out and organize my thoughts. Regardless of my age at 16 or 40, they inevitably end up as venting about some heartbreak of unrequited love or conflicts with friends and family. They are an emotional release and not intended as writings that would interest anyone else. The full first half of this book has exactly that feel. While I could understand Cinderella's frustrations, I did not feel connected to her and didn't even like her. (Just as I wouldn't really expect anyone to like me much if all they knew of me were pages and pages of my internal venting!) It was mostly just depressing. It also kept the other characters very two dimensional since they didn't have voices of their own.

It takes a lot for me to stop reading a book once I've started - I always hope it will get better. That rarely happens, but in this case it did. For the second half of the book, while confusing at times, the story got fleshed out more as Cinderella is actually working on improving her life, instead of just complaining about it. She grows as a woman, learning about herself and learning a little about the world - both terrestrial and magical. But it still lacks much depth.

This improvement was enough that I am willing to continue onto the second book in the series, Stolen, which was also provided as a free e-book for review. If I wasn't already given it, I would not have gone to the second one though, and it will not be a high priority to get to in my list now.

I'm really not sure if younger readers would appreciate the book more or not. The author designates this books as suitable for ages 15 and up. I read a lot of juvenile and young adult fantasy and it is my opinion that a good book written for these ages can be enjoyed by anyone older too.  Lost just doesn't hold up to that for me and I suspect many experienced readers of any age will tire of it before they get to the second half. But, it may be suitable for young adults who just want an easy read.

On a technical note, Lost could use some proofreading to fix up some spelling and grammatical errors. I'm not too bothered by that kind of thing, but there were enough for me to easily notice. I'm not the type of reader who usually notices errors unless I'm thinking to look for them, so I probably missed many more. However, I have also seen much worse by other authors and don't think the average reader will be much distracted with the current level of errors.

There are also a couple of lines that at first look like typographical errors, but are only backwards writing. This may be confusing for some less experienced readers. It also means that those lines won't translate to an audiobook, if that possibility was ever considered in the future.

For those really interested in fairy tale retellings with strong heroines, my opinion is that your time is much better spent on some of my favourites by Robin McKinley:  Spindle's End   (Sleeping Beauty), Rose Daughter  (Beauty and the Beast) and The Outlaws of Sherwood   (Robin Hood).

Cinderella's Secret Diary: Lost (Book 1) by Ron Vitale

Available in Kindle and paperback versions

Print Length: 197 pages

loopyker’s #CBR4 Review #22: War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

I'm sure I'm not the only one whose only previous experience with H.G. Wells was the 2005 War of the Worlds movie  starring Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning and the character on Warehouse 13 .  While the movie was entertaining, it had the usual Hollywood dramatic scenes with the hero fighting to protect their family, where everything is frantic and full special effects.

With that in mind, I found the audiobook refreshing.  It has a much slower start than the movie.  The aliens don't just pop up out of the ground.  Strange objects, apparently from Mars, land on the earth and are later reveled to contain aliens - Martians.  We don't know at first if they are friendly or malicious.  They construct their tripod killing machines while people watch and wonder.

When the machines are operable, their destruction of humanity and civilization begins.  Of course, this is a time before cars, so people are fleeing by foot and horse and buggy and they don't have access to instant news or telephones like we do which makes for even more confusion.  Everyone is on their own.

One of the best parts is that the main character has no children and is not looking after any children.  I found this a nice surprise after so many of today's movies are made to manipulate our heart strings by making it all about the children.  Instead, the man has a wife, who he gets separated from in the early stages and spends most of the book not knowing if she is dead or alive.  The story is about his survival and the random people he encounters and how everyone is dealing with this stress of attack and survival differently.

I am very glad to have finally heard the original.  There is a reason why there are many adaptations of The War of the Worlds - it is just fundamentally a good and compelling story.  Some things are understandably dated, with the idea of "Martians" probably the most jarring to today's readers.  But other elements from its time period make it even better.  The 2005 movie gave us a very good visualization of how horrible the alien machines were which heightens the contrast between the alien technology and the simpler human resources.   When people are fleeing by horses, it makes their plight even more staggering than those experienced in the movie version.

I forget what the "enhanced" part of the audiobook was.  I assume there was music or sound effects at some point, but I can't remember if I felt they added or detracted from the story.  I just remember that I very much enjoyed the audiobook and story overall. 

The War of the Worlds [ENHANCED] Audiobook
Author:  H. G. Wells
Narrator: Simon Vance
Duration: 5 hours, 56 minutes
ISBN: 9781400192847
Release date: Jun 30, 2009  (original printed publishing 1898)

loopyker’s #CBR4 Review #19-21: Various mysteries by Elizabeth Peters

Elizabeth Peters (real name Barbara Mertz who also writes under Barbara Michaels), is best knows for her popular Amelia Peabody mysteries.  Those are amongst my favourite mystery books, but Elizabeth Peters has written many other books.  For this review I'm combining three of her other books that aren't any other series.  My feelings and criticisms are very similar for them all, so it seems pointless to write the same review three times.

While the Amelia Peabody series begins in the 1880's, these other books have contemporary settings, but are now out-dated having been published in 1968-1977.  Amelia is ahead of her time, but the women in The Jackal's Head, The Night of Four Hundred Rabbits and Devil-May-Care perhaps were modern in the early 1970's.  That's when I was born, so I'm not really sure.  However, for present day, they come across as annoying, old-fashioned and not as likeable as they probably were originally.  They fight against the constraints that society places on women, but then often end up falling into silly and frustrating stereotypes despite that.

I listened to The Jackal's Head most recently.  Looking it up, it is the oldest one, which probably explains why I liked it the least.  It takes place in Egypt, a setting familiar to Peabody fans.  A young women returns to the place that destroyed her father's reputation and led to his death.  She masquerades as a tourist but meets childhood friends as she searches for answers to clear his name and her cover is quickly blown.   The eventual archeological finds go much more into fantasy than what I can remember from the Peabody series.

Surprisingly, compared to the other Elizabeth Peters books I can recall, there are two attempted rape scenes in The Jackal's Head.  They are kind of left ambiguous as to how far the attacker actually got.  I think we are supposed to understand that he didn't succeed, but in the first she is left unconscious and bruised.  I do not like reading/listening to sexual violence in books, so this was disappointing for me and I wasn't expecting it after being familiar with so many of her other books (Peabody and otherwise).  I suspect that this is a product of the time it was written.  If I recall correctly, Anne McCaffrey included a rape in an early fantasy story published around this time which she later regretted and changed in a rewrite when the short story became a full-length novel.  (and I can recall being very disappointed in that since I read the original before knowing about the rewrite)

Anyone familiar with Peters books will not be surprised at the ending of this book either.

The setting is slightly different in The Night of Four Hundred Rabbits.   A young women travels to the pyramids in Mexico City in search of her missing father.  Again, this was disappointing for Peters.  There is a strong anti-drug message that is unexpected and lacks creativity.   I think this is one of the most dated of her older work and doesn't hold up well now.  I can't even remember anything remarkable enough to comment more specifically about now and don't even remember the ending.  I don't think I cared too much by then. 

Refreshingly, Devil-May-Care, takes place in Virginia.  A young, wealthy woman house-sits for her Aunt and gets some much needed time away from her fiancé.  She unwittingly uncovers some secrets about the old families in the area - but she's not even sure what she found and everyone wonders if the strange things happening in and around the house are paranormal or real-world tactics to try to keep the secrets hidden.

Out of the three books, this was the most recently written, and you can tell.  It still is not as strong as many of her other books, and a little too predictable but definitely better than The Jackal's Head and The Night of Four Hundred Rabbits.  In all cases there were instances where I was just rolling my eyes at the talks the women have with themselves about how they are modern women, while still having such sexist attitudes. 

I don't recommend any of these if you have not already enjoyed Elizabeth Peters in other books.  I would only bother with The Jackal's Head and The Night of Four Hundred Rabbits if you really, really want to just read everything by Peters and don't expect much.

The audiobook quality and narration were good.  However, these might read better in print when you can skip quickly through the annoying parts.  

Author: Elizabeth Peters

Audiobooks:
Narrator: Grace Conlin
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

The Jackal's Head
Duration: 6 hours, 35 minutes
ISBN: 9781455100057
Release date: Mar 08, 2005  (first print book published 1968)

The Night of Four Hundred Rabbits
Duration:  7 hours, 46 minutes
ISBN:  9781433264900
Release date:  Nov 29, 2005  (first print book published 1971)

Devil-May-Care
Duration:  7 hours, 28 minutes
ISBN:  9781455101177
Release date: Jan 09, 2007  (first print book published 1977)

loopyker's #CBR4 Review #15-#18: His Dark Materials, Books 1-4 by Philip Pullman

I really wish I had gotten to this review when His Dark Materials was fresh in my mind, but some major things happened in my life right then so here it goes almost a year later!   I can't really separate the books well in my head now, so the review will be very general.  

I had reviewed The Lighthouse Land by Adrian McKinty shortly before listening to The Golden Compass, which was also my introduction to Philip Pullman  .  I take back what I said about wanting to continue The Lighhouse Trilogy.  The Golden Compass reminded me what a really good book was!  There is no comparison and I will not waste my time listening to the rest of The Lighthouse Trilogy.  Since then I've listened to several Philip Pullman audiobooks and have enjoyed every one. 

His Dark Materials is about a young girl named Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon or "Pan" for short.  Pan acts like a pet, but you will learn in the book that it is much more than that.


In the The Golden Compass (note: in some countries it is titled Northern Lights), Lyra and Pan overhear some dark plans that begin them on a journey to discover the truth behind the disappearance of children throughout the land. Of course, there are many dangers for herself and others along the way.   With a heartbreaking, cliffhanger ending, I immediately went on to the next book.



The Subtle Knife follows Lyra and Pan as they travel to another world with a new friend, Will.  Here it is the adults who are in danger from forces that can attack at puberty.  Lyra and Will are all too close in age to that for comfort.  They find a tool that helps them travel through worlds to continue the quest to find the truth about the missing children and the dark things happening in multiple worlds.  Again I wanted to continue immediately to the next book which is the conclusion of the trilogy.


Lyra and Will's adventure continues with The Amber Spyglass.  They are learning a lot about life and love with all they've had to go through.  There is a war with the Kingdom of Heaven and they still have to find the the final pieces to the puzzle.   The conclusion is satisfying, but heartbreaking.   I was very emotional at this point in my own life, so I cried a whole lot with this. 

Overall, His Dark Materials is so good because it treats its readers like intelligent and curious individuals.  It doesn't dumb things down like so many things do nowadays for readers - and not just for children.  Philip Pullman questions authority and organized religion and the corruptions of power.  He wants his characters and readers to have a critical mind and to find the truth behind appearances.  His characters also learn a lot about the different kinds of love and sacrifice for the greater good.  I didn't really agree with the jealous love shown by the witches - I don't think we are supposed to, but it is still called "love" in the series, which is what I question.  But the themes of the other types: self-love, friendship and romantic love are more important and treated well.  And all of this is portrayed through unique worlds and characters.

I was very sorry for the Trilogy to end.  I wanted to hear more about the characters.  I looked forward to Lyra's Oxford, but it is only a short story about an adventure Lyra has two years after the end of The Amber Spyglass and didn't offer much.

The first three books are now amongst my favourite fantasy books.   I will certainly be rereading them and adding them to my permanent library.  The audiobooks were very well done with a terrific cast of narrators.   One of the best I've heard.

The series is recommended for ages 12 and up.  Each book has received several awards in both the print and audio versions.

His Dark Materials
Author: Philip Pullman
Narrated by Philip Pullman and a full cast
Publisher:  Listening Library

Book 1:  The Golden Compass
Duration: 10 hours, 33 minutes
ISBN: 9780739345122
Release date: Jun 27, 2006

Book 2:The Subtle Knife
Duration:  8 hours, 55 minutes
ISBN:      9780739350355
Release date: Aug 15, 2006

Book 3:The Amber Spyglass
Duration: 14 hours, 53 minutes
ISBN: 9780739345054
Release date: Jun 27, 2006

Book 4: Lyra's Oxford
Duration: 48 minutes
ISBN: 9780739353288
Release date: Oct 31, 2006

loopyker's #CBR4 Review #14: Anne's House of Dreams: Anne of Green Gables Series, Book 5 by L. M. Montgomery

As I mentioned in my review #10 , I am a fan of the Anne of Green Gables series and have read them many times.  This was the first time listening to an audiobook version of one of them.

Having grown up with the TV series where Anne is played by Megan Follows it is hard not to compare the narrator of an audio version to her.  It's especially hard when at times, this narrator, Susan O'Malley, did actually sound like Megan.  But, it was a Megan without the "joy" that the real Megan has in her voice. (and still does when I've seen her as a guest star on numerous TV shows) .  Susan's voice was better suited to the sadder parts of House of Dreams, of which there were ample.  But her voice grew on me by the end of it.

I don't feel that House of Dreams is the strongest book in the series, but it is an important book.  Here Gilbert and Anne are finally starting a life out on their own.  Gilbert has his own medical practice and Anne is a new wife as they move to their first house and eventually start their own family.  It is a time of many changes.

Gilbert and Anne are meant for each other.  But that doesn't mean they don't have their own sorrows along the way.  House of Dreams is more somber than the preceding books in the series.  But, it is an important development for Anne to work through her latest grief and transition to full womanhood/motherhood.  In typical L.M. Montgomery style, the reader is prepared ahead of time for the sad parts, but it doesn't lessen their emotional impact at all.

Anne's House of Dreams: Anne of Green Gables Series, Book 5
Author: L. M. Montgomery

Audiobook:
Narrator: Susan O'Malley
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc. (Nov 09, 2004)
Duration:  9 hours, 23 minutes
ISBN:      9781455100842

loopyker's #CBR4 Review #13: True Strength: My Journey from Hercules to Mere Mortal and How Nearly Dying Saved My Life by Kevin Sorbo

OK, I admit that I kind of had a crush on Kevin Sorbo during his Hercules:The Legendary Journeys days. I've always had a weakness for tall guys with long hair - but, he also seemed like a decent guy when giving interviews. I hadn't really thought about him in years, but was extremely disappointed to find out recently that he is now into some of the more extreme Christian fundamentalist propaganda  . It didn't seem to fit with his past public image, so I was curious. In looking him up, I discovered that he had a serious illness and had written an autobiographical book  about it. “Aha!”, I thought. “That might explain the extreme religious views.”

I was pleased to discover that my online library had the audiobook of True Strength, narrated by Kevin himself and his wife, Sam Sorbo.  I hoped to find an explanation for this fundamentalist approach in this book. I was disappointed in that respect, but really enjoyed and connected with the book in other ways.

We all know we are mortal, but many of us like to forget about that at different times in our lives. Kevin Sorbo probably wasn't thinking of it too much when he was in peak physical condition and playing the half-god, Hercules on one of the highest rated syndicated television shows in the world in the 1990's. But, he was was forced to confront that in a sudden, terrifying way. Unknown to all but his closest family, friends and co-workers, at this peak time, Kevin suffered three strokes after an aneurysm in his shoulder caused clots to travel through his body. These resulted not only in damage to his arm, but both long lasting and permanent symptoms such as partial blindness, dizziness, weakness, headaches and ringing in his ears just for starters.

This struck while on hiatus from Hercules, between the 4th and 5th seasons, just after the release of Kull the Conqueror (1997). It was at a crucial point, both in his career and for the continuation of Hercules where a lot of other people depended on Kevin as the star to keep the show going. Hercules hadn't yet reached that magic 100 episode number for the best syndication deals. But fortunately, everyone had a little time to figure things out before filming began again - and it took a lot of creative solutions.

It's been a long time since I've seen Hercules, but I still can remember when the writing suddenly changed with Kevin missing in strange ways - like one episode where he had been turned into a pig or was missing altogether. At the time, I was annoyed at the writing. Now, after reading True Strength, I'm amazed they pulled off hiding Kevin's recovery and disability so well! I found it really interesting to hear about all the little tricks they did to make it look like he was there more than he was and what they used to hide his weakness. He went from doing many of his own stunts to needing a body double to even lift a sword for awhile. He was never able to return to doing even many of the previously easy-to-him stunts.

Besides relating to True Strength as a fan of Hercules and then Andromeda, I very much connected with the personal struggle Kevin went through with his sudden disability. I couldn't be further away from the TV business, or the physical fitness enthusiast Kevin was. But, as someone who became disabled after a car accident, I could relate to a lot of the things he felt and encountered - from the broader implications of not knowing what you are going to be able to do with your life, to the little strange things like developing random food allergies.

I too was knocked down at a high point in my life. It doesn't matter how much money you have or how famous you are - it is the same process of discovery to figure out what exactly happened to your body and what is your “new normal” state mentally, physically and emotionally - and then what to do to move forward with all of that.

Like many people, Kevin had a tough time with his doctors. Some dismissed his symptoms and thought he should get better quickly, while others said the opposite. It became a struggle to know who to trust and believe and to know when to trust and believe his own body too. It is hard enough for us “regular” people to work through this just with ourselves and our families. Kevin had to go through all of this while presenting a public image of a demigod. He had been so good at doing this before his strokes that even doctors and emergency care workers afterwards weren't always taking him completely seriously because he was Hercules.

I read a review of True Strength that criticized Kevin as just a whiner - that he had lots of money to afford doctors and alternative treatments etc. when this particular disabled reviewer didn't. I think they are missing the point of the book. Yes, he had it easier than many people in some ways. But, as I said above - money doesn't really matter when it comes to the internal, personal struggle you go through. Kevin openly admits there were times when he got self-absorbed and depressed and took it out on people like Sam. I think it would be a very rare person indeed who didn't experience that at some point with a big life adjustment like that. It is refreshing to see a real portrait of that kind of roller coaster rather than the myth that disabled people are only inspirational and good people if they are passive, meek and grateful just to be alive and for any charity they receive.

That view of the disabled is perpetuated to make the the charity givers feel good about themselves. It does not treat the disabled as well-rounded human beings - and that is why I am very happy that Kevin Sorbo wrote this book! His celebrity can make other people think about disability in a way that the average person can't. Hopefully, in a way that also makes them more compassionate towards us.

True Strength is an inspirational book. As a disabled person it is good to see that even celebrities deal with the exact same things as we do and that they can rebuild successful lives, both personally and professionally.

Back to the original reason I listened to this book - Kevin's Christian fundamentalism. He talks about coming to terms with his faith in the book, but I didn't really pick up on how he got to the more extreme views. In fact, he talks about some decidedly non-fundamentalist views about things too. I still suspect the strokes had an impact on his more extreme beliefs, but this book is more about Kevin as a whole person and at an earlier time in his faith, so there were no good answers about that.

As an audiobook, Kevin and his wife were excellent narrators and it made the book more personal. It was one of my favourite books of the year and I highly recommend it in audio or print version.

True Strength: My Journey from Hercules to Mere Mortal--and How Nearly Dying Saved My Life
Author: Kevin Sorbo
 

Audiobook

Narrator: Kevin Sorbo and Sam Sorbo

Publisher: Oasis Audio

Duration: 9 hours, 36 minutes

ISBN: 9781608149285

Release Date: January 19, 2012

Hardcover: 296 pages (also available in paperback and e-book versions)

Publisher: Da Capo Press (October 11, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0306820366
ISBN-13: 978-0306820366

loopyker's #CBR4 Review #12: Tailwavers by Sally Watson

Don't let the self-publishing and home photo cover fool you.  Sally Watson is an accomplished and well-loved author of several juvenile and young adult fiction books published in the 1950's - 1971.  After taking a break from writing she began self-publishing new books, juvenile-adult level in 2006. Among these, is Tailwavers, her first autobiographical book, about her life with a variety of cats and her cat rescue work in England and the US, including correspondence with other cat-loving friends about her thoughts on many things, but always coming back to the cats in her life.

With the conversational tone of Tailwavers, it is less polished than her earlier books, but still highly entertaining.  Sally's humour and intelligence shine through as strong as ever.  If you are already a fan of Sally Watson, you will enjoy this glimpse into her real life.  But, you do not need to be familiar with Sally to enjoy the stories of the joys and sorrows of living and care-taking of cats which any cat owner can appreciate. 

Sally is a true ailurophile (cat lover) and has written this book for like-minded people.  My own Mr. Cat sat on my lap through much of time reading this.  I was moved to both laughter and tears several times throughout the book and found it a nice, fun read.

(Full Disclosure: I am the web designer for booksbysallywatson.com and received a free copy of Tailwavers from Sally as payment.  But, I do not receive any compensation for sales of her books, or for my review.  I'm just a big fan!)

Tailwavers
Author: Sally Watson

Paperback:
242 pages  (also available in e-book versions)
Publisher: iUniverse (Sept 14, 2010)
ISBN-10: 9781450253772
ISBN-13: 978-1450253772
ASIN: 1450253776
e-book ISBN: 9781450253789

loopyker's #CBR4 Review #11: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I had this review ready to publish last week, but after the recent tragic news about the Newtown shootings in the US I took some time to rethink it.  I don't think that event changes my feelings about about my review below.  I feel that despite the violence in the book, The Hunger Games is more relevant to our current-day reality TV and our culture of competition and voyeurism than to school shootings or violence against children specifically.  But the media attention around such events has haunting similarities. 

- - -

I finally got on the bandwagon and had my first experience with The Hunger Games. I listened to Book 1 as an audiobook. Prior to that I had managed to avoid most of the hype. I didn't want to ruin it for myself if I ever did read the book or watch the movie. I hadn't heard of the book until the movie came out, but several friends had, and loved both the books and the movie, so I was curious but the general description of children having to fight to the death just created Lord of the Flies flashbacks, so I wasn't seriously interested. I absolutely hated Lord of the Flies reading it in class in early high school. I reread it once later to see if I had a different opinion as an adult. I didn't. 

I'm very happy to say that The Hunger Games was a completely different experience. I'm not sure if it was because the viewpoint for The Hunger Games was a girl vs the boys in The Lord of the Flies, or maybe it was because there was a much better back story for the characters leading up to the fighting so that you cared about them a lot more. I have no intention of re-reading The Lord of the Flies for a more direct comparison. Although, now that I'm thinking about it, I think that what stuck with me in The Lord of the Flies was the cruelness of the children, whereas in The Hunger Games is it is the compassionate moments that stay with you afterwards. I much prefer the latter. 

The Hunger Games is told from the point of view of a 17 year old girl, Katnis. She has been the head of her family since her father died when she was 11 years old and her mother went into a depression. They live in a poor, post-apocalyptic North American, coal mining community called District 12. Districts 1 thru 12 each specialize in a different industry and are controlled by The Capitol, mainly through keeping them in extreme poverty. 

As punishment for a rebellion by the Districts many years before, each year a boy and a girl from each District are chosen as Tributes to fight each other to the death. The victor earns much needed food and fuel for their own District for the following year. This is all great entertainment for the sadistic Capitol and its inhabitants, but understandably a source of terror each year for many in the Districts. 

The Hunger Games does a good job of contrasting these two viewpoints. I really felt for Katnis as she tries to understand this and navigate through all the Game preparations surrounded by excited Capitol helpers. I liked that they weren't just thrown into the fighting right away. It was much more subtly horrible to see the parallels of our own reality TV turned into this terrible form of entertainment with the superficial fashion shows and interviews actually becoming potentially life-saving events if they encouraged the audience to sponsor a Tribute with aid during the Games. 

Katnis is a very likeable character and I enjoyed learning about her life. She had already lost much of her childhood and continues to grow up more through this terrible experience. She constantly reminds us about how horrible the situation is without being whiny or preachy - she just reacts with her gut much of the time. She is strong and intelligent and admirable. I cried at a couple of points in the book - balling freely at one point. An audiobook makes that much easier, since the story continues even when your eyes are blurry with tears. 

However, this book is about children being forced to kill children, so you do have to be in mindset to be able to handle that. But, I didn't feel like the violence was really gratuitous or glorified. The ending was satisfying, but certainly left me wanting to go right on to the next audiobook in the series...although, I have to now wait for 62 people ahead of me on the online library waiting list to get through it first. 

I wrote the above right after finishing the audiobook.  I am now eleventh on the waiting list, so that is some idea of how long ago I listened to this.  I can't now recall anything about the audiobook quality, so I must have enjoyed the narrator.  In my opinion the best ones are the ones you don't really notice - it just feels natural to be listening to it.

The Hunger Games (Book 1) by Suzanne Collins  

Reading level: Ages 12 and up 

Audiobook : 

Narrator Carolyn McCormick 

Publisher: Scholastic Audio (Mar 01, 2011) 

Duration: 8 hours, 24 minutes 

ISBN: 9781445834207 

Hardcover: 384 pages (also available in paperback and ebook versions) 

Publisher: Scholastic Press (Oct 1, 2008) 

ISBN-10: 0439023483 

ISBN-13: 978-0439023481

loopyker's #CBR4 Review #10: The Blythes Are Quoted: Anne of Green Gables Series, Book 9 by L. M. Montgomery

I was excited to finally get to this after having been a fan of the Anne of Green Gables series for as long as I can remember.  The Foreword says, "The Blythes Are Quoted is the last work of fiction the world-famous author of Anne of Green Gables prepared for publication before her untimely death on April 24, 1942.... The typescript was delivered to Montgomery’s publisher on the day she died—by whom we do not know; Montgomery evidently intended it for publication, since it is amended in her hand-writing."  This is the first printing that includes Montgomery's entire manuscript.  It is speculated that earlier printings removed some things that were felt to be anti-war at a time when patriotism was heavily favoured.

I had read enough about this last book beforehand to know to expect something very different.  That certainly was the case.  Calling it "Book 9" in the series, is really only because of when it occurs chronologically and that the Blythe family is connected in some ways.  However, if you expect a continuation of the stories in the vein of the rest of series, you will be disappointed.

Rather than a novel following the Blythes as they grow up, this book is a compilation of short stories and poems.  Most of the short stories are about people unrelated to the Blythe family who gossip about the Blythes at some point to keep that connection to Anne.  In true gossip fashion, some of it is true and some not, but if you know the rest of the series you will know which is which. Sometimes a family member is also a very minor character.  The poems are scattered in the gaps between short stories and are mostly attributed to Anne in little scenes of discussion about the poem and family with Gilbert and the beloved family housekeeper, Susan.  The others are attributed to Anne and Gilbert's middle son, Walter.

Even though it is not a true continuation of the series, it makes the most sense to read this after the others in the series to know who the Blythe family is when they are mentioned and to understand the grief of the family that is mentioned when talking about a lot of the poems.  You have to be paying close attention though to get the details about marriages and grandchildren that are scattered throughout.

For that matter, I really recommend reading the whole series in order to see how Anne grows up.  Montgomery's development of Anne from a young, impulsive girl to a mature woman who has been through great joys and sadness and sees herself in her children as they grow in turn is one of the best things about the series.   (although, I have to say that Rilla of Ingleside  is the book least about Anne, but is my favourite as the children are forced to grow up quickly with the start of WWI.  It is also educational to someone who doesn't know much about Canada's involvement in the Great War and what it was like for the women)

Other people had mentioned this being a darker book, but I didn't feel that as much as I was expecting from those opinions.  I took it in the context of the characters who have been through WWI and are in, or near WWII, like the author herself.  There are certainly some darker, human emotions such as bitterness and dwelling on death and grief, but there are still the familiar themes of gossip and long-lost loves throughout.  If you are familiar with L.M. Montgomery's other work, you will not be surprised by many of the outcomes.

I am not a big fan of "Anne's" poetry.  I admit to having trouble focusing enough to tell the difference between a lot of them.  Familiar themes and style run through many.  

Overall, I was disappointed in that I wanted to know more about the Blythe children as adults and that will always be unfinished now.  Despite being a big change in organization style, The Blythes Are Quoted is still very recognizable as L.M. Montgomery and I'm happy to have read it for that reason.   Not a favourite by her though.
   

The Blythes Are Quoted: Anne of Green Gables Series, Book 9   
Author: L. M. Montgomery
Edited and with an Afterword by Benjamin Lefebvre
Foreword by Elizabeth Rollins Epperly

Ebook:
Publisher:     Penguin Group (Canada)
ISBN:      9780143175346
Release date:       Dec 22, 2009

Hardcover:
544 pages  (also available in paperback)
Publisher: Viking Canada; 1st Edition edition (Oct 27 2009)
ISBN-10: 0670063916
ISBN-13: 978-0670063918

loopyker's #CBR4 Review #09: Answer Me, Answer ME by Irene Bennett Brown

In my online library, a quote described Answer Me, Answer ME as “An excellent portrayal of a young woman's search for her true identity, a compelling story with just the right elements of mystery and romance.” Sounded like a potentially good, young adult book to me. I was sadly disappointed.

I listened to the audiobook, but I don't think that made a difference to my experience of the story. I can't imagine even the best narrator in the world making me anything but sorry I wasted my time. The only difference is that I didn't notice that the second “me” in the title is written “ME” until looking it up to write this review.

A young woman, Bryn Kinney, is on her own after her grandmother's death. Now at only 18 years old, she is wondering if her grandmother, the woman who raised her, was really in fact her biological grandmother at all and if she has any other family out there somewhere. She has never known who her parents were, so she sets off an a quest to search for answers about her past.

I did not connect with this book at all. I kept expecting something interesting to happen, for there to be some twist for that “mystery” element, but it didn't happen. No, you don't know who her parents are right away, but when things are revealed it is very anti-climatic and if you are paying attention you can figure most things out well ahead of time. As for what I didn't figure out, I didn't feel a strong enough connection to Bryn to really care about. The “romance” mostly meant that a guy was there and wanted to date her, but the big romantic tension was that she felt she couldn't socialize and look for clues to her past at the same time.

In general, there were no real conflicts in other areas either to create the tension necessary for a good story. And what attempts at conflict there were, seemed false to me so I just couldn't get into caring about the character at all. 

Young adults reading this now will also find the technology very out-dated and I expect they would have trouble relating to a search for family without the use of Google and other online options. It is getting harder and harder all the time for even someone my age to relate to that. In a lot of stories, a passing reference to this type of thing isn't a big deal, but in this book there is a lot of talk about how she is actually searching for information by following tips from a book. Many of those tips are still valid, but the lack of Internet searches is more glaring than usual. But maybe I wouldn't have noticed so much if I had been interested in the rest of the story more.

Answer Me, Answer ME 

Author: Irene Bennett Brown

Reading level: Ages 12 and up

Audiobook:

Narrator: Laurie Klein

Publisher: Books in Motion (December 16, 2008)

Duration: 6 hours, 23 minutes

ISBN: 9781605481456

Paperback:

208 pages

Publisher: iUniverse (October 20, 2000) (original publication 1985)

ISBN-10: 0595145051

ISBN-13: 978-0595145058

loopyker's #CBR4 Review #08: The Killings at Badger's Drift by Caroline Graham

I'm a fan of the TV show, Midsomer Murders, and the first five books in Caroline Graham's Chief Inspector Barnaby Series inspired this TV show, so I thought I'd see how the audiobooks compare starting with The Killings at Badger's Drift: Chief Inspector Barnaby Series, Book 1 .  I haven't read any of the original (7) print books. 

If you've seen the British TV show, then you know that Midsomer Murders follows the investigations of Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby and his younger sidekick Sgt. Gavin Troy, around the quaint little villages in the English countryside .  These are slower paced murder mysteries when compared to typical American shows.  Runtime per episode is 100  minutes.  If you find these too slow-paced for you, then the 8-13 hour or more length of the audio books won't be to your taste.

Compared to the TV show, I found both the Barnaby and Troy characters less likeable.  DCI Barnaby was missing that subtle, warm humour portrayed so well by actor John Nettles  and similarly, Sgt. Troy was missing the sweetness to his inexperienced bumbling that Daniel Casey (and later Jason Hugh as DS Jones) brought to the roll.

The narration and most character voices were read well by Hugh Ross, however some of the voices for the more flamboyant characters were exaggerated in a way that made them difficult to understand at some points. 

Since I started writing this review, I have seen a couple of the more recent Midsomer Murder epidsodes where John Nettles has left and has been replaced by his cousin with the convenient name of DCI John Barnaby, played by Neil Dudgeon.  I'm glad that I saw this after listening to the audiobook.  It makes this new TV DCI Barnaby character more understandable.  I feel like he is much more like the original DCI in the book version of Badger's Drift.  Similarly, and unfortunately for the sidekick - now DS Ben Jones, played by Jason Hugh, they seem to have made his character more immature to have the relationship between the DCI and his underling closer to the book, instead of looking like he has gained some experience working with the first DCI Barnaby.   I am curious to see if the sidekick character develops better in both the TV show and books in the Chief Inspector Barnaby Series.

As for the story, it is a traditional type of murder mystery.  An elderly spinster sees something she shouldn't have and gets killed to hide the secret.  DCI Barnaby has to figure out if it was in fact a murder, and if so, then what was the motive?  There is a little more adult content in this then in the TV show - enough that I made a note to mention it, but not enough that I can remember specifics now.  I don't like to say much about the plot or characters since it is a mystery. 

The Killings at Badger's Drift: Chief Inspector Barnaby Series, Book 1
Author: Caroline Graham
Audiobook:
Narrator: Hugh Ross
Publisher: AudioGO Ltd  (Mar 01, 2011)
Duration:  8 hours, 24 minutes
ISBN:  9781445834207

Hardcover:
264 pages (also available in paperback and ebook versions)
Publisher: Adler & Adler Pub; 1 edition (January 1988)
ISBN-10: 0917561414
ISBN-13: 978-0917561412

loopyker's #CBR4 Review #07: Daring Greatly by Brené Brown

I've watched exactly one full episode of Katie - the Katie Couric show. I heard that Jenny Lawson, aka The Bloggess was going to be on an episode, so I had to watch it. Brené Brown happened to be the main guest on the same show and she made such an impression on me that I immediately convinced my boyfriend to buy me her book, DaringGreatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live,Love, Parent and Lead. 

So, I took a little break from my usual fiction books to read this research-based, self-help type of book. It took me a little longer than usual to get through it - not because I wasn't interested, but because I had to keep stopping to make notes on post-its and discuss things that I found interesting with my boyfriend. He hasn't read the book himself yet, but he probably knows what half of it says already from me! So, this book just had to jump the queue in my ever growing, waiting-to-be-reviewed book list.

I think virtually everyone can see themselves and others in at least parts of this book somewhere. I found meaning in so many sections of it, that I did something I've never done before - I bought it for someone else before I even finished reading it (two people actually, with the help of my boyfriend). I also recommended it to others - and still do.

This isn't a touchy-feely self-help book. Brené Brown is always referring to her research, in a way that the scientific mind in me appreciates, but she still makes it very accessible to non-researchers by relating it to every-day people and situations, including many from her own life. For a short version of her style and some of the topics covered in Daring Greatly, check out the video of her very popular 2010 TEDxHouston talk, ThePower of Vulnerability , which she performed before writing this book.

If you like that Ted talk and you want to hear more, then read Daring Greatly as soon as you can! I will be rereading it for sure. It is the type of book that will mean different, but still meaningful, things to you when you reread it, depending on the personal struggles in your life at the time.

I made so many bookmarks that I don't really know what to pick to say for this review. I can't pick just one quote, so I won't even try. You can check out the book's site for that kind of thing. What spoke to me overall, is the idea of how we are in a culture of “scarcity”, thinking we aren't “enough”, that we are failing somehow as a person - physically, emotionally, financially - whatever, and how that leads to fear, shame and guilt, withdrawal/shutting down, and in worst cases, even addictions or lashing out. But, in the end, we need to be brave and let ourselves be vulnerable, whether what we do is successful or not, because that is the only way to fully experience life and joy. We can't shut out just the bad stuff selectively. When we try, we shut out the good stuff too. We need to learn to face things, and work through things to be happier and less stressed and to feel loveable and worthy of belonging and love. And in all of this, I also found her findings about some gender differences especially eye-opening and thought provoking.

In Daring Greatly, Brené Brown doesn't present things in the unrealistic positive thinking attitude that so many self-help books like to get stuck on. These are hard issues for people. Brené herself needed help to work through it in her own life, as you will have heard in the TED talk. The goal isn't to never feel fear, shame or inadequacy or to be 100% happy all of the time. The goal is to recognize what you are feeling, when you are feeling those things and to learn how to feel them and deal with them in a constructive way so that you can be the person you want to be, for yourself most of all, but also for your relationships with your significant other(s), your children, your co-workers and your community. It isn't always a comfortable process, but that is OK. That is normal and healthy and a part of living.

I really can't think of any adult I know who couldn't benefit from this book at some level. I would be surprised if people couldn't related to at least part of Daring Greatly and I highly recommend it for everyone. It can truly be a life-changing type of book to those who are open to it.

DaringGreatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live,Love, Parent and Lead

Author:  Brené Brown

Brené Brown, Ph.D., LMSW is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. She has studied vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame for more than a decade and has had her research featured on PBS, NPR, CNN and more. 

 

Reading level: Ages 18 and up

Hardcover: 256 pages (also available in Kindle and audio versions)

Publisher: Gotham (September 11, 2012)

ISBN-10: 1592407331

ISBN-13: 978-1592407330 

I didn't see this until after I had read the book. It looks useful to me though for people who like this kind of thing:  Daring Greatly Readers Guide (PDF)