Hey kiddies, nothing like using an obscure word for book is it? I thought I would get an early start on this month's reviews. I think I've read more fiction this month. I indulged in only one travel essay (my favorite genre). Why the sudden shift to mostly fiction? Well, one day as I came to work, there was a box with my name on it. "Hmm", says I. I opened the box to find a load of science fiction magazines and assorted books (mostly fiction). I read the note from the person who sent it and thought, "Oh my!" There is this customer that I've been acquainted with since this store opened who works a s a translator of English novels into Japanese. From time to time she would as me for help which I was always willing to give. I told her I didn't mind helping and that I love to read. She had brought me some issues of "Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine" even though she wasn't sure if I would enjoy it. I said, "Cool! I used to love reading sf & fantasy...blah, blah, blah". I had to read a few mindless entertainment pieces after finishing "War, Evil & the End of History". Currently I am reading the latest Pulitzer Prize winning book for general non-fiction, "Ghost Wars" by Steven Coll. The subtitle is "The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, & bin Laden, from the Soviety invasion to September 10, 2001". Heavy stuff but quite entertaining and quite eye-opening. So without further ado, this month's reviews:
WAR, EVIL AND THE END OF HISTORY by Bernard-Henri Levy - For those of you who know me quite well, you would know that I have a morbid fascination for crimes against humanity. Not that I want commit any. It just amazes me what kind of atrocities Homo sapiens are capable of. Of course most of us remain ignorant about the world around us. It's the attitude of who cares what's happening in the Sudan or Sri Lanka or the jungles of Columbia. Bernard-Henry gives a first person account of these lesser known conflicts - the world at large doesn't acknowledge them as war. This is one difficult read though. I don't know if it's the fault of the translator or the author himself but take a look at the kind of sentence you have to deal with - "And, since I've saide the word, did some share of expiation, of penitence, enter into this way of adding to the requirement, of overplaying militant activism, of raising a litter higher, in short, the bar of radicality in order to forgive myself for an involvement that I deemed too half-hearted - a bit like, mutatis mutandis, the Sartre syndrome that, although behaving, beyond reproach during the Occupation, though founding "Sous la botte" and then steadily maintaining his line with people like Cavailles, Kahn, Leiris, and, more generally, the team of Les Lettres francaises, he still felt remorse for not having done more, despite everything, and for not giving enough of his life as an intellectual in order, afterwards, to fell forgiven for it?" Jeez, how many commas do you need in a sentence? And this book, is so full, that it becomes, almost, as if, totally annoying, which is why, long break needed, before finishing said book. Then it dwells on philosophy. He should have just left out the philosophy and stuck with the narrative reports.
SOLO : ON HER OWN edited by Susan Fox Rogers - From the wilderness of Alaska, to the Adirondacks or biking through New Zealand, twenty-two women share their solo adventures. If camping and kayaking are your pleasure, then this would probably be a worthwhile book to read. I like to travel but I'm not a backpacker but neither am I a package tourist fiend. I like the in-between. Better to read someone else's adventure about roughing it. I don't like to stray too far away from modern conviences. Call me a pseudo-backpacker, I won't be offended.
A SECRET AFFAIR by Barbara Taylor Bradford - Maybe one step above the Harlequin romances. This book was part of my goodies package and it looked like a simple enough read. I'm not a big fan of Barbara Taylor Bradford or romance novels in genearl and I doubt that I'll be reading any of her other books soon. It was a straight up made-for-tv movie story - foreign war correspondent covering the Bosnian conflicts meets up with a buddy in Venice. Both buddies meet charming American woman. The three Americans decide to spend Thanksgiving together and to search for a real turkey dinner in Venice. The war correspondent and woman fall in love and promise to meet in Venice again. And then a second time. The third time, one of them doesn't show up. It just didn't do anything for me but it was a lot easier to read than "War, Evil and the End of History"!
THE RECKONING by Thomas F. Monteleone - I didn't realize this was a sequel to a book called "The Blood of the Lamb" until after I finished reading it. I had no idea what the story was about but when I did start to read it, the timing seemed to be impeccable if not creepy. I had just listened to the news of the death of the Pope. This story starts with the assassination of the Pope. Father Peter Carenza becomes the next Pope but shakes up the Vatican with radical new ideas in contrast with Catholic doctrine. I also found out while reading that Peter Carenza was not a normal human, he was cloned from the blood of Christ that was left on the Shroud of Turin. The people who created him believed that Peter was going to be the Second Coming, the New Messiah. But as Peter gets older and his ideas grow wilder, you find that he's been influenced by Satan. He is an abomination but accepts his role as he strives to bring an end to the world for the Anti-Christ. Yeah, the story is kind of out there but what the hell, it was entertaining - and you know Good always wins against Evil in the end.
THE YOKOTA OFFICERS CLUB by Sarah Bird - After her first year of college, Bernadette Root is heading home, and home is Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa. Being an army brat myself, I found this to be quite entertaining. The fact that my father was stationed in Tokyo during my elementary years biased me towards liking this book. I recognized a lot of the bases that were mentioned - Johnson Air Force Base (where my brother was born), Yokota, Yokosuka, Tachikawa, Fuchu, Fussa. It brought back some memories even though that has nothing to do with this book. Although this story if fiction, Bird based it on her life as a military brat too. Bernadette's father is a strict Air Force Major, her mother is down to earth but is tired of the nomadic life, her siblings have their own set of quirks and Bernadette feels out of place at home or abroad and deals with the hassle of growing up. 
THE CHURCH OF DEAD GIRLS by Steven Dobyns - The title should give you a clue as to what direction this book takes. The prologue starts with the finding of three dead girls dressed up and tied to a chair in a sitting position, the oldest being 14yrs old. Each has their left hand cut off at the wrist. Hmmm? Creepy! Small town in New York that's supposed to be safer than the city starts off with the unsolved murder of a young man's mother who alo has her left hand severed. Even though the murder wasn't solved, the small town had gradually forgotten about it and once again became a sleepy, dull, nothing ever happens here town - until a fourteen year old girl disappears. And then another. And then a third. The townspeople who at first thought it must be an outsider, start to look at their neighbors in a different light. The power of suspicion throws the town into turmoil and by the end of the story, a few innocent lives are lost or changed forever.
CANDYFREAK : A JOURNEY THROUGH THE CHOCOLATE UNDERBELLY OF AMERICA by Steve Almond - I hadn't given it much thought but when I read the back of this book, it started off with "Remember Caravelles, Choco-Lites, Oompahs, and Marathons?", I knew I had to read this book. I loved Oompahs. I also miss the Skrunch bar The chocolate industry has been taken over by the huge conglomerates of Nestley, Hershey, & Mars. They're squeezing out the little guys. Almond goes on trip to check out the little guys before they disappear for good. He tours the factories of the producers of products such as the Twin Bing, the Idaho Spud, the Valomilk and quite a few others I've never heard of. Great read! I think at least two or three of you are going to go out and buy this book now!
THE BOOKMAN'S WAKE by John Dunning - I actually thought this was the first Cliff Janeway novel, a Denver cop-turned bookdealer. I guess I'll have to read "Booked to Die" to see how he went from being cop to rare books dealer. Anyway, if it involves books, I just had to read it. This story revolves around a limited edition of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven". From Denver to Taos, New Mexico and then again to North Bend, Washington - owners of this rare volume are being killed off one by one. Ther person holding the clue is a lady named Eleanor Rigby, but she's also been kidnapped and Janeway is running out of time (and patience).
RADIO ACTIVITY by Bill Fitzhugh - Following on the heels of Donald Westlake and Carl Hiassen, Fitzhugh has gone from fiction into the mystery genre while keeping the humor of his previous novels in tact. Down and out deejay Rick Shannon is in dire straits in Bismark, North Dakota. After sending off a few dozen resumes, the only hope he has i a small radio station in rural McRae, Mississippi. He makes the trip but is swindled by his new sleazy boss, Clay Stubblefield. The previous DJ has disappeared without a trace and Clay says he's in a tight spot. At the trailer home of the vacated DJ, Rick stumbles across a tape that incriminates a few people and becomes the focus of a mystery that Rick then decides to solve.Okay, I admit it, I was taking a break from "Ghost Wars". It's a large book and I wanted to do a little more light reading. I've decided to read the first Cliff Janeway novel, mentioned earlier. I'm also waiting for the new Barry Eisler to be released in paperback. Gotta keep up with my favorite half-American, half-Japanese hitman. My father said he finished reading "The Lost Books of the Bible", volumes 1 and 2. He knew better than to recommend them to me although I have read my fair share of books featuring all the major religions. I once wrote a paper on the Essenes who were said to be the scribes of the "Dead Sea Scrolls". If I read it now, I probably wouldn't understand a damn thing I wrote! Not so bad this month, no photo books or children's lit to make it look like I had taken part in the Evelyn Wood speed reading class. Oh, I wish I had more time to read. I always think about the Twilight Zone episode taht was similar to "Fahrenheit 451" where the protagonist isn't allowed to read but in the end is the sole survivor of some world-ending event and finds himself stranded in a library. He figures to have the last laugh and read as much as he wants. Unfortunately, he breaks his glasses and can't read without them. What a sad ending.
Tell yourself and your kids to read, read, read!
