Veil of Night - Linda Howard

Title: Veil of Night

Author: Linda Howard

Publisher: New York: Ballantine Books

ISBN 9780345506894

Copyright 2010

Pages 340

Quick Review: 3 Stars (out of 5)

Why I Read It: I've read this author before and wanted to try another.

Where I Obtained the Book: I requested this at the local library and waited a few weeks for it to show up at our library.

Synopsis: A "New York Times"-bestselling author delivers another on-the-edge-of-your-seat tale of romantic suspense in her latest novel. There is nothing quite like a sexy and suspenseful story by the amazing Linda Howard!--"Romantic T

Review: A wedding planner gets the worse client of her career and then after a verbal sparring with many witnesses, the bride is murdered. The police detective investigating the murder had been with the prime suspect the evening before and so he had to treat her more harshly during the investigation. Suspense and more murder make this an interesting read.

I enjoy this author, but warning to those of you who are not big romance readers. Sex, suspense, love, protection and battles over life and death. If you like suspense filled romance novels, you will enjoy this one.

Author Biography: Linda Howard was born as Linda Howington on August 3, 1950. She began writing at the age of ten while attending a small country school. She went on to a small community college, as the only journalism major, but soon dropped out to work at a trucking company as a secretary. Howard sold her first book to Silhouette Books in 1980. She has written over 25 titles including Up Close and Dangerous; Drop Dead Gorgeous; Cover of Night; Killing Time; To Die For; Kiss Me While I Sleep; Cry No More; and Dying to Please. She has won the Silver Pen for Affaire de Coeur as well as the Romantic Time's Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Sensual Romance, the Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer's Choice Award for Series, and the W.I.S.H. Award for her character Joe Mackenzie. She has also won the Romance Writers of America's RITA and the B. Dalton Bestseller Award.

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The Lit Review

Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert

Title: Eat Pray Love

Author: Elizabeth Gilbert

Publisher: New York: Viking

ISBN 0143038419

Copyright 2006

Pages 334

Quick Review: 4 Stars (out of 5)

Why I Read It: I saw the Oprah episode with the author, but it took until I saw the book at our local library sale to finally read it.

Where I Obtained the Book: I picked this up at my local public library used book sale.

Synopsis: Around the time Elizabeth Gilbert turned thirty, she went through an early-onslaught midlife crisis. She had everything an educated, ambitious American woman was supposed to want,a husband, a house, a successful career. But instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she was consumed with panic, grief, and confusion. She went through a divorce, a crushing depression, another failed love, and the eradication of everything she ever thought she was supposed to be. To recover from all this, Gilbert took a radical step. In order to give herself the time and space to find out who she really was and what she really wanted, she got rid of her belongings, quit her job, and undertook a yearlong journey around the world all alone. Eat, Pray, Love is the absorbing chronicle of that year. Her aim was to visit three places where she could examine one aspect of her own nature set against the backdrop of a culture that has traditionally done that one thing very well. In Rome, she studied the art of pleasure, learning to speak Italian and gaining the twenty-three happiest pounds of her life. India was for the art of devotion, and with the help of a native guru and a surprisingly wise cowboy from Texas, she embarked on four uninterrupted months of spiritual exploration. In Bali, she studied the art of balance between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence. She became the pupil of an elderly medicine man and also fell in love the best way,unexpectedly. An intensely articulate and moving memoir of self-discovery, Eat, Pray, Love is about what can happen when you claim responsibility for your own contentment and stop trying to live in imitation of society's ideals. It is certain to touch anyone who has ever woken up to the unrelenting need for change.

Review: This takes time to like. I was over page 50 and still whining about why was she still such a self

indulging git. Then I was stuck one day at work with nothing but this book to read and a free

period, so I continued and that is when the book got good. I would love to have the time and money

to go on a self discovery journey like she was able to do. 4 months in Italy, India, and Bali, imagine the

things you would learn and do? Her time in Italy was enjoyable and she ate everything she could.

In India she discovered meditating and how she could forget about Elizabeth and concentrate on

God. In Bali she found love and I have to say I'm glad I stuck it out.

At times the book was long and I wanted to slap the author, but most of the time I wanted to

hug her and tell her everything would be okay.

What I got from this book: All the unhappy people in the world are the cause of all the worlds problems(war, famine, murder etc.) Happy people never would think of doing those things. Finding happiness is a quest and a conscious decision, one you must work at it everyday of your life. Even if you are happy, if you don't work to stay that way you could lose it. Being happy is not only a gift to yourself, but to the world in general. Be happy for you and see the world change for the better because of it.

Author Biography: Elizabeth Gilbert is the author of the short story collection Pilgrims, which was a PEN/Hemingway Award finalist, a New York Times Notable Book, and one of "Glamour's" Best Books of the Year. Gilbert went to college in New York City in the early 1990's, and spent the years after college traveling around the country and the world, working odd jobs, writing short stories. She lives in New York's Hudson Valley. Her most recent book is the #1 New York Times Bestselling memoir Eat, Pray, Love. It was named by The New York Times as one of the 100 most notable books of 2006, and chosen by Entertainment Weekly as one of the best ten nonfiction books of the year. In 2008, Elizabeth was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World, by Time Magazine. (Bowker Author Biography)

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FYI: Currently selling for $7.01 on Amazon in hardback.

Pilgrims - Garrison Keillor

Title: Pilgrims

Author: Garrison Keillor

Publisher: New York: Viking

ISBN 9780670021093

Copyright 2009

Pages 287

Quick Review: 2 Stars (out of 5)

Why I Read It: I like listening to Prairie Home Companion, so I decided to try one of his books.

Where I Obtained the Book: I picked this up my local library.

Synopsis: Wobegon goes abroad in this rousing and moving story of a group trip to Rome. Like Mark Twain, Keillor takes time to spell out details and, in so doing, convert the base metal of small-town tedium to the gold of comedy.--"The New York Times Book Review."

Review: This was a longer book then it should have been. Cheating and lying lead to more cheating and lying. I didn't enjoy this book. It had its moments, but most of them were more cheating and lying. The ending was sort of happy, but not reasonable. I would not suggest this book to anyone.

Author Biography: 1969, Keillor hosted a morning radio program on Minnesota Public Radio, which was called A Prairie Home Companion. Five years later, he transformed the show into a live broadcast, borrowing the name from his earlier program. And it is still going strong today after a brief hiatus from 1987 to 1989. A popular part of A Prairie Home Companion is Keillor’s weekly monologue set in the quiet, fictional Minnesota town of Lake Wobegon, “where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.” The show also features musical guests, imaginary commercials, and skits.

In addition to his popular program, Keillor is a well-regarded writer. His books include Happy To Be Here (1981), the best-selling Lake Wobegon Days (1985), Leaving Home (1987), We Are Still Married (1989), and WLT: A RadioRomance (1992). Most recently, he had two works of fiction published: Pontoon: a Lake Wobegon Novel (2007) and the children’s book Daddy’s Girl (2007).

Other Reviews:

Washington Post

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The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey - Walter Mosley

Title: The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey
Author: Walter Mosley
Publisher: Riverhead Books
ISBN: 978-1-59448-772-9
Copyright: 2010
Pages: 277

Quick Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

Why I Read It: The synopsis caught my interest when I saw it on Goodreads.

Where I Obtained the Book: The publisher sent me a pre-released copy through the Goodreads give-away program.

Synopsis: At ninety-one years old, Ptolemy Grey is one of the world’s forgotten: by his family, by his friends, by even himself. Marooned in a cluttered Los Angeles apartment overflowing with mementos from his past, Ptolemy sinks deeper into lonely dementia and into a past that’s best left buried. He’s determined to pass the rest of his days with only his memories for company. Until, at his grandnephew’s funeral, he meets Robyn and experiences a seismic shift, in his head, his heart, and his life.

Seventeen and without a family of her own, Robyn is unlike anyone Ptolemy has ever known. She and Ptolemy form an unexpected bond that reinvigorates his world. Robyn will not tolerate the way he has allowed himself to live, skulking in and out of awareness barely long enough to cash his small pension checks, living in fear of his neighbors and the memories that threaten to swallow him. With Robyn’s help, Ptolemy moves from isolation back into the brightness of friendship and desire. But Robyn’s challenges also push Ptolemy to make a life-changing decision that will affect both of them: to recapture the clarity and vigor of his fading mind and unlock the secrets he has carried for decades.

Review: First things first: Toll-Lah-Me. I had to look it up and it made reading the book a much smoother experience. (An alternate is Toll-Lei-Me).

There is a lot in this book about what it is like to get old and to experience dementia and most reviews I have seen focus on this. To be fair there are a lot of insights to be gained about those topics. As someone in their forties I found myself thinking about my future and getting old. How will I cope?

What really stuck with me though is the beauty that can be found in the world, the clarity of thought if we stop making blind, stereotypical assumptions about people and just engage. It would be rare the person who would see a beautiful young woman involve herself in the life of an old man with the onset of dementia and think it was on the up and up. Especially when we learn he gives her control over his complete, and somewhat substantial financial life. But it is in this relationship that truth is found, dignity restored, and justice served.

We all lead cluttered lives that distort our perception of reality (Ptolemy’s apartment and dementia) and so we rely on prejudices and our varieties of experience to quickly make decisions. To often those decisions will not lead to happiness. Such as Ptolemy relying on family to get him through, because isn’t family what you can trust? It isn’t until a truly helpful person turns up, someone who we would all dismiss as a gold-digger, that Ptolemy gains clarity of thought. It is then he can confront his inner demons and set the world right before he leaves.

The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey exemplifies the work of Danny Gilbert (Stumbling Upon Happiness). Our various devices we use to navigate and shortcut the world for the most part causes us to miss the greatest treasures in life, caring relationships. Or in Ptolemy’s case, a literal treasure.



Author Biography: Walter Mosley is one of the most versatile and admired writers in America today. He is the author of more than 34 critically acclaimed books, including the major bestselling mystery series featuring Easy Rawlins. His work has been translated into 21 languages and includes literary fiction, science fiction, political monographs, and a young adult novel. His short fiction has been widely published, and his nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times Magazine and The Nation, among other publications. He is the winner of numerous awards, including an O. Henry Award, a Grammy and PEN America’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He lives in New York City.

Other Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews
Bookpage

FYI:
Interview in Chicagoist Magazine

Best Friends Forever - Jennifer Weiner

Title: Best Friends Forever

Author: Jennifer Weiner

Publisher: New York: Atria Books

ISBN 9780743294294

Copyright 2009

Pages 362

Quick Review: 3 Stars (out of 5)

Why I Read It: David picked it up for me. I'm trying new authors.

Where I Obtained the Book: I picked this up my local library.

Synopsis: Weiner is an unabashed fan and writer of chick lit, but critics generally agreed that Best Friends Forever rises above the genre. Sure, it touches on familiar themes of friendship, love, family dysfunction, physical appearance—all touchstones of the genre—but Weiner delves beyond these issues to explore the growing pains of adolescence—as well as those of adulthood. The novel contains her usual wit, comedy, and emotional wisdom; Addie is an especially compelling "nice girl" creation. Only the Washington Post cited a preposterous plot and far-fetched characters, but even that critic admitted that Weiner's novel hits close to home on many levels.

Review: This was a long book, I felt like it should have been over way before it was. I enjoyed the friendship remake and the way they could analyse their past mistakes. The love story part was a bit over done. Friendship through the ages and the growing pains of not having money and friends. Remember what it was like to be 14?

Author Biography: Jennifer Weiner grew up in Simsbury, Connecticut. She attended Princeton University, where she studied with John McPhee, Toni Morrison and Joyce Carol Oates. She is currently a reporter/columnist at the "Philadelphia Inquirer" and a contributing editor at "Mademoiselle". Her short stories have been published in "Seventeen" and "Redbook". Her freelance work appears in Salon.com, "Time Out New York", "Animal Fair", the "Columbia Journalism Review" and "Seventeen". She lives in Philadelphia and appears regularly on "Philly after Midnight," Philadelphia's local late-night television show, as a commentator.

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