Originally posted Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Reviewed for Front Street Reviews
This book did make me feel like dancing! Lively, full of life and living both with a bad past and a sunny future. Allison Bottke is a Christian author who certainly knows how to draw the reader into the story. Her VaVaVa Boom series revolves around the Baby Boomers putting to rest the image of mid-life leading to old age, boredom, and empty nest syndrome. These Boomer Babes live vibrant, fascinating lives, hip and professional, and share their style of living and positive outlook on life with people of all ages. This is not to say life is just a bowl of cherries, there are many secrets in the lives of these characters which are discovered throughout the book and make the characters more real. Some discoveries are very difficult to swallow and return to in order to banish them but the journey is well worth it.
The Disco era is thoroughly researched, and makes for an exciting, throbbing background to the story. The main character, Susan Anderson, just on the verge of turning fifty, owns and operates a hair salon in Las Vegas. This is not at all your everyday type of salon, this is a tribute to one of the bounciest, vibrant and exciting eras of the 20th century. The passion and the history are the theme of her shop “Disco Divas”, and the decor is authentic. No ambient music in this salon, it’s Disco, baby, all the way! The beat comes through the background of the whole book, I felt as though I was listening to it while reading.
As a Christian book, it is not “in your face” but gently demonstrates through the relationships and commitments of the characters the strong faith shared. This is a novel that is rich with music history, the “in” people of the day, and a wealth of priceless memorabilia. I enjoyed this book so much I read it very quickly, mostly due to the continuing action that would not let me put the book down. This novel just flows between past and present. Congratulations Allison Bottke, you have a great sense of today’s new “coming of age” generation, the Baby Boomers! I’m sure this will be a wonderful series and look forward to reading more.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
The Dyodyne Experiment - a novel by James Doulgeris & V. Michael Santoro
Originally posted Saturday, August 8, 2009
Reviewed for Front Street Reviews
You know you are onto a unique story of plausible future when you check out the authors of this book. James Doulgeris, an expert in the healthcare industry for twenty-five years, and V. Michael Santoro, VP of product development for C-5 Biotechnologies with over twenty-five years in the high tech industry. This appears to be their first novel although Santoro is an established non-fiction author. A powerful debut novel!
Think of what a second September 11 event even more momentous than the original would escalate to. Think of amazing advances in biotechnology and DNA. Here you have the setting for amazingly devastating possibilities and perhaps probabilities. The time period appears to be perhaps as few as 2 decades or several decades in the future, and the first event is scheduled to coincide with the original September 11 terrorist attack on the U.S. The story is action-packed, character-driven, and told as a real-time scenario which keeps the pace of the book moving full throttle.
The discovery of a way to link DNA and biotechnology in this new future has created a “marking” or “tagging” method by which known terrorists and associates can be pinpointed anywhere in the world at any time, and as the story progresses further tweaking even allows interaction with the known and the suspected through their immune systems and general health within seconds. The change the world is facing is rushing at full speed ahead and everything must mesh minute by minute.
If you want a high speed international thriller, then this is the book for you. I applaud the authors on putting together such a diverse and frightening book. Many readers will find themselves revisiting the terrorism of today and will find that this book will get them thinking seriously of the roles involving several countries. There are unique methods used in this roller-coaster ride that will be unexpected, for instance the sometimes use of non-nuclear warfare. The book goes way beyond what our normal fears are and takes us on an unexpected journey of just who are the allies of the U.S.? Which countries are forming previously unnoticed alliances? Who or what governments can be trusted?
Slightly out of my normal reading genre, I found it exhilarating, frightening, believable in many ways, and a very good read. Because of the genre, I hesitate to say it, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book and could hardly put it down. I have a feeling there will be a follow-up to this book and if so I will certainly be one of the readers who will be waiting to read it.
____________________________________________
There were 3 comments posted when this was on my "accidentally split" version of my blog (R&B: Reading and Blogging), now hopefully combined forever! ;-) I am adding these comments here because I don't think I can do it on-line myself:
Anonymous said...
I loved the book too. Very edge of your seat stuff. It read like an action movie.
August 12, 2009 5:04 PM
Anonymous said...
Funny how you can find the exact same review on sooo many different sites by supposedly different people. Makes you wonder who really wrote the review....
September 13, 2009 7:36 PM
nightreader said...
In response to Anonymous re "...who really wrote the review..." Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I can assure you that I wrote this and all my reviews 100% myself. Some confusion may exist on different sites where my chosen ID name was already taken, hence I am mothergoose3, readerbynight, or simply Betty. If you can find me a sample of any other that does not appear to be me I would like to know about it. My words are my own. I review books on GoodReads, LibraryThing, Chapters Community, am a reviewer for FrontStreetReviews. Some of my shortened reviews show up on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca & ChaptersIndigo, sometimes at Barnes&Noble. Some of the reading sites happen to link to Facebook automatically. Some authors and bloggers have asked permission to use my review on their blogs, which I am always happy to approve. My profile can be found on almost every site I have personally reviewed on and should prove that I am indeed the person who wrote the review. In fact, by the way I have written this response should prove the truth as I tend to be wordy sometimes. I am not a professional reviewer, I am not paid, I apply for advanced reading books and contests and if I am lucky enough to get books (they are mostly draws) I get to keep them; the rest are books I've purchased myself. I do not read other reviews of the same book until after I have submitted my own so I won't be influenced and often find I am in disagreement with others to my surprise. ;-) I would definitely like to know if someone is using my reviews and taking credit for them.
September 20, 2009 9:51 AM
Reviewed for Front Street Reviews
You know you are onto a unique story of plausible future when you check out the authors of this book. James Doulgeris, an expert in the healthcare industry for twenty-five years, and V. Michael Santoro, VP of product development for C-5 Biotechnologies with over twenty-five years in the high tech industry. This appears to be their first novel although Santoro is an established non-fiction author. A powerful debut novel!
Think of what a second September 11 event even more momentous than the original would escalate to. Think of amazing advances in biotechnology and DNA. Here you have the setting for amazingly devastating possibilities and perhaps probabilities. The time period appears to be perhaps as few as 2 decades or several decades in the future, and the first event is scheduled to coincide with the original September 11 terrorist attack on the U.S. The story is action-packed, character-driven, and told as a real-time scenario which keeps the pace of the book moving full throttle.
The discovery of a way to link DNA and biotechnology in this new future has created a “marking” or “tagging” method by which known terrorists and associates can be pinpointed anywhere in the world at any time, and as the story progresses further tweaking even allows interaction with the known and the suspected through their immune systems and general health within seconds. The change the world is facing is rushing at full speed ahead and everything must mesh minute by minute.
If you want a high speed international thriller, then this is the book for you. I applaud the authors on putting together such a diverse and frightening book. Many readers will find themselves revisiting the terrorism of today and will find that this book will get them thinking seriously of the roles involving several countries. There are unique methods used in this roller-coaster ride that will be unexpected, for instance the sometimes use of non-nuclear warfare. The book goes way beyond what our normal fears are and takes us on an unexpected journey of just who are the allies of the U.S.? Which countries are forming previously unnoticed alliances? Who or what governments can be trusted?
Slightly out of my normal reading genre, I found it exhilarating, frightening, believable in many ways, and a very good read. Because of the genre, I hesitate to say it, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book and could hardly put it down. I have a feeling there will be a follow-up to this book and if so I will certainly be one of the readers who will be waiting to read it.
____________________________________________
There were 3 comments posted when this was on my "accidentally split" version of my blog (R&B: Reading and Blogging), now hopefully combined forever! ;-) I am adding these comments here because I don't think I can do it on-line myself:
Anonymous said...
I loved the book too. Very edge of your seat stuff. It read like an action movie.
August 12, 2009 5:04 PM
Anonymous said...
Funny how you can find the exact same review on sooo many different sites by supposedly different people. Makes you wonder who really wrote the review....
September 13, 2009 7:36 PM
nightreader said...
In response to Anonymous re "...who really wrote the review..." Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I can assure you that I wrote this and all my reviews 100% myself. Some confusion may exist on different sites where my chosen ID name was already taken, hence I am mothergoose3, readerbynight, or simply Betty. If you can find me a sample of any other that does not appear to be me I would like to know about it. My words are my own. I review books on GoodReads, LibraryThing, Chapters Community, am a reviewer for FrontStreetReviews. Some of my shortened reviews show up on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca & ChaptersIndigo, sometimes at Barnes&Noble. Some of the reading sites happen to link to Facebook automatically. Some authors and bloggers have asked permission to use my review on their blogs, which I am always happy to approve. My profile can be found on almost every site I have personally reviewed on and should prove that I am indeed the person who wrote the review. In fact, by the way I have written this response should prove the truth as I tend to be wordy sometimes. I am not a professional reviewer, I am not paid, I apply for advanced reading books and contests and if I am lucky enough to get books (they are mostly draws) I get to keep them; the rest are books I've purchased myself. I do not read other reviews of the same book until after I have submitted my own so I won't be influenced and often find I am in disagreement with others to my surprise. ;-) I would definitely like to know if someone is using my reviews and taking credit for them.
September 20, 2009 9:51 AM
Owls Well That Ends Well by Donna Andrews
Originally posted Thursday, August 6, 2009
6th book in the Meg Langslow series
I must admit I am a huge fan of Donna Andrews' books. In particular I love this series featuring birds names in the imaginative titles, the Meg Langslow series. Meg and Michael have purchased as-is, a very large, rundown and furnished (more to the point, stuffed) with the former owner's belongings which they are to dispose of and share the proceeds with the deceased owner's family.
What would you do if you had a huge yard sale that grows to include half the town taking it over? And what would you do if someone brought you a trunk they wanted to purchase if you can get it unlocked and when you do unlock it, it is filled with a body?
This is the dilemma facing Meg this time out. Meg also has her hands (and house) full of her ever-expanding over-the-top loony family; with this background this murder mystery is laugh-out-loud hilarious as are all the Meg Langslow series. If you haven't read any of this series, I would suggest you start with the first one, "Murder With Peacocks" where we first meet Meg, a blacksmith, and her zany family. In this first book Meg meets her future mate, Michael. This is a wonderful series to follow up heavier reading with, and a lot of research goes into the series.
Donna Andrews also has a futuristic series featuring a sentient computer named Turing Hopper. This is also a light series, totally different, techie, and fun.
6th book in the Meg Langslow series
I must admit I am a huge fan of Donna Andrews' books. In particular I love this series featuring birds names in the imaginative titles, the Meg Langslow series. Meg and Michael have purchased as-is, a very large, rundown and furnished (more to the point, stuffed) with the former owner's belongings which they are to dispose of and share the proceeds with the deceased owner's family.
What would you do if you had a huge yard sale that grows to include half the town taking it over? And what would you do if someone brought you a trunk they wanted to purchase if you can get it unlocked and when you do unlock it, it is filled with a body?
This is the dilemma facing Meg this time out. Meg also has her hands (and house) full of her ever-expanding over-the-top loony family; with this background this murder mystery is laugh-out-loud hilarious as are all the Meg Langslow series. If you haven't read any of this series, I would suggest you start with the first one, "Murder With Peacocks" where we first meet Meg, a blacksmith, and her zany family. In this first book Meg meets her future mate, Michael. This is a wonderful series to follow up heavier reading with, and a lot of research goes into the series.
Donna Andrews also has a futuristic series featuring a sentient computer named Turing Hopper. This is also a light series, totally different, techie, and fun.
Death, Guns, and Sticky Buns by Valerie S. Malmont
Originally posted Thursday, July 23, 2009
This was a new cosy author for me, although this book was copyright 2000. The style is reminiscent of Tamar Myers or Mary Daheim, with a smart but clumsy and hilarious heroine, Tori Miracle. I quite enjoyed this quick and complicated murder mystery, which takes place in a small town named Lickin Creek, Pennsylvania, where Tori has arrived from New York to fill in for the editor of the local paper. A town full of quirky characters who are about to put on a traditional Civil War reenactment. Naturally things go horribly wrong and with her boyfriend the Sheriff out of town it looks like Tori will have to do a lot of digging to prove that the wrong man has been arrested by the temporary sheriff. There are lots of red herrings, and lots of sticky buns, for which the town is famous, recipe included. It was a good read, a nice break from heavier fiction, and I will be watching to see if I can find any more of Valerie Malmont’s books. An enjoyable murder mystery and interesting bits of history blended in, including some interesting information on antique carousels.
This was a new cosy author for me, although this book was copyright 2000. The style is reminiscent of Tamar Myers or Mary Daheim, with a smart but clumsy and hilarious heroine, Tori Miracle. I quite enjoyed this quick and complicated murder mystery, which takes place in a small town named Lickin Creek, Pennsylvania, where Tori has arrived from New York to fill in for the editor of the local paper. A town full of quirky characters who are about to put on a traditional Civil War reenactment. Naturally things go horribly wrong and with her boyfriend the Sheriff out of town it looks like Tori will have to do a lot of digging to prove that the wrong man has been arrested by the temporary sheriff. There are lots of red herrings, and lots of sticky buns, for which the town is famous, recipe included. It was a good read, a nice break from heavier fiction, and I will be watching to see if I can find any more of Valerie Malmont’s books. An enjoyable murder mystery and interesting bits of history blended in, including some interesting information on antique carousels.
Papa's Problem, a novel by Patrick Kendrick
First posted Thursday, July 16, 2009
Reviewed for Front Street Review
Fascinating murder mystery novel with Ernest Hemingway as a main character
Let me say first that any awards this book wins are well-deserved (currently the winner of the Discovery Opus Magnum Award for best manuscript from the Hollywood Film Festival). I am also going to comment on the cover art of this issue: original artwork by the author Patrick Kendrick, it so fully encompasses the story in a few vibrant strokes.
The story takes place in Key West but is multi-national in scope. It is written in the time of the Depression and the beginning of what would become WWII. The author has done an amazing job of integrating history, world events, greed, intrigue into an exciting, fast-moving murder mystery centering it around the famous author Ernest (Papa) Hemingway. The action is amazing throughout, with little breathing space between. There is great interplay with Hemingway, his wife Pauline, the Sheriff, and a Scotsman, Emmet MacWain, newly retired inspector from Scotland Yard and now living in Key West. Into this mix are the many Cubans living there and also many Jews fleeing from Germany.
There are actually several stories going at the same time but all come together and all tie themselves to the mysterious death of a young woman and to the investigation into her murder. There is no confusion with the various stories and the book flows along or rather races along smoothly. Excellent writing, theme, and roller-coaster ride. Very descriptive, in parts unpleasant, but representative of the time period in which it is written, a time of brutality boiling in Europe, a time of the poor living in any way they can, a time of civil unrest in Cuba, a time of madness, this work of fiction is as close to reality as you can get.
This novel grabbed me right from the start and I remained buried in the book until I came to the end. I wanted more. I even did some on-line reading on Hemingway as a result. I’m looking forward to more Emmet MacWain adventures if this is to be a series. If not, I’m definitely looking forward to more books by Patrick Kendrick.
Garden Spells: a novel by Sarah Addison Allen
Originally posted Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Spellbinding, gentle yet full of characters
A charming, magical fantasy, Sarah Addison Allen has created a book that draws the reader in quickly and holds the attention. Spellbinding, gentle yet full of characters, it is also the growth of the main character that is interesting. I absolutely loved the character of the apple tree, we should all have one! It is a book of discovery, relationships, but over it all the mystical aura of the garden is the central theme tying everything together. There is humor in the part of Aunt Evanelle and a growing fondness for her. She always turns out to have done the right thing in the end, comical as it may have seemed at the time. I look at this book as enriching, I enjoyed every part of it. I will look forward to more from Sarah Addison Allen with bated breath. Very smoothly done!
Spellbinding, gentle yet full of characters
A charming, magical fantasy, Sarah Addison Allen has created a book that draws the reader in quickly and holds the attention. Spellbinding, gentle yet full of characters, it is also the growth of the main character that is interesting. I absolutely loved the character of the apple tree, we should all have one! It is a book of discovery, relationships, but over it all the mystical aura of the garden is the central theme tying everything together. There is humor in the part of Aunt Evanelle and a growing fondness for her. She always turns out to have done the right thing in the end, comical as it may have seemed at the time. I look at this book as enriching, I enjoyed every part of it. I will look forward to more from Sarah Addison Allen with bated breath. Very smoothly done!
The Stone Gods by Jeanette Winterson
Originally posted Saturday, July 11, 2009
Circles in circles, which is the beginning and which is the end?
What would we do if we found a new world? Is there any good answer to this question? Would any group come to agreement? Would the answer be based on greed? The question is asked via example in this quixotic, fascinating story of "Post-3 War" (decades or possibly centuries later): inspiration, desolation, promise, disappointment, and cleverly woven past, present, future. Amazing and horrifyingly possible, this book is whimsical and highly imaginative sci-fi, history, eco-horror, and passion all rolled together in one great story. In Part 1 life has become so full of routine that even thinking is becoming outmoded. Bring into this world the discovery of a new sustainable planet, with an exploratory team including a gorgeous new model of robo-sapien and the book takes off like a rocket.
I found myself completely absorbed in each part of the book and constantly looking forward to what the ending might be. Jeanette Winterson has a very interesting method of writing. Several parts are written as thoughts and many are conversational. Highly unique, genuine story-telling, it is impossible not to become drawn right into the plot. Written in several parts, I advise that the reader keep on reading to see where each is going. Every story ties into to every other and if any part is skipped over lightly something important may be missed. It is very difficult to describe this book without spoilers. I might have made a guess or two where it would all would end but the ending took me by surprise regardless. An excellent piece of cautionary yet entertaining piece of fiction filled with adventure into possibilities: governmental, corporate, scientific, human, robo-sapien. As "Billie", our host on this journey thinks
"Is this how it ends?
It isn't ended yet."
and says, "The book isn't finished, but this is as far as I could go." But this statement was not the end of the book.
With all that said, my feeling is that this book is suitable for several different genres, and for teens and adults. It carries with it valuable messages for our own futures in an entertaining manner. Although the author has written novels prior to this one, I had never come across any of her books; I now look forward to reading more from Jeannette Winterson. Well done, I'm pleased to recommend this book!
Circles in circles, which is the beginning and which is the end?
What would we do if we found a new world? Is there any good answer to this question? Would any group come to agreement? Would the answer be based on greed? The question is asked via example in this quixotic, fascinating story of "Post-3 War" (decades or possibly centuries later): inspiration, desolation, promise, disappointment, and cleverly woven past, present, future. Amazing and horrifyingly possible, this book is whimsical and highly imaginative sci-fi, history, eco-horror, and passion all rolled together in one great story. In Part 1 life has become so full of routine that even thinking is becoming outmoded. Bring into this world the discovery of a new sustainable planet, with an exploratory team including a gorgeous new model of robo-sapien and the book takes off like a rocket.
I found myself completely absorbed in each part of the book and constantly looking forward to what the ending might be. Jeanette Winterson has a very interesting method of writing. Several parts are written as thoughts and many are conversational. Highly unique, genuine story-telling, it is impossible not to become drawn right into the plot. Written in several parts, I advise that the reader keep on reading to see where each is going. Every story ties into to every other and if any part is skipped over lightly something important may be missed. It is very difficult to describe this book without spoilers. I might have made a guess or two where it would all would end but the ending took me by surprise regardless. An excellent piece of cautionary yet entertaining piece of fiction filled with adventure into possibilities: governmental, corporate, scientific, human, robo-sapien. As "Billie", our host on this journey thinks
"Is this how it ends?
It isn't ended yet."
and says, "The book isn't finished, but this is as far as I could go." But this statement was not the end of the book.
With all that said, my feeling is that this book is suitable for several different genres, and for teens and adults. It carries with it valuable messages for our own futures in an entertaining manner. Although the author has written novels prior to this one, I had never come across any of her books; I now look forward to reading more from Jeannette Winterson. Well done, I'm pleased to recommend this book!
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