Archive for June 2010

The Womb of Uncreated Night

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“The Womb of Uncreated Night”

Author: Chris Antonides

Let me begin by saying I truly enjoyed reading this book. “The Womb of Uncreated Night” by Chris Antonides is a fictional story and is extremely well written. I first decided to read it because I was intrigued by the concept. A seventeen-year-old boy with extremely poor eyesight and a love of bats believes himself to be Bruce Wayne aka “Batman.” In the opening chapter we meet the “Brewster” out for a spin in his shiny new Batmobile; test driving it so that in future he can cruise the city streets at night ready to right any wrongs. Unfortunately he winds up getting into an accident and the next thing we know Batman is being incarcerated. How would you like to be the officer radioing your precinct about that arrest? I’m sorry… You’ve got WHO in custody?

Some of you may be wondering what’s so great about a story with a kid who thinks he’s a comic book super-hero. There are probably other books written with similar themes so why would you want to read this one? Well, Antonides decided to throw a little something extra into the mix. Brewster’s girlfriend is attacked in Central Park and when he finds her body it appears as if she’s been bitten by a bat. Or worse and even more unbelievable…a vampire. This book is kind of like “Batman Begins” meets Anne Rice’s vampires and let’s just throw in someone like Sigmund Freud so we can have some scintillating conversation between Brewster’s psychiatrist and our obviously crazy yet genius boy wonder. Of course at the end of each of these court required sessions both psychiatrist and reader will be wondering how deluded our hero actually is.

Antonides did a great job of explaining how things like the batcave came to be. I marveled at the ease in which the infamous batsuit came to fruition and I laughed at the image of Brewster hanging from the ceiling by his feet. Did I mention he literally fell out of his boots the first time he tried it? As an aside, I bet Lionel Richie would have loved a pair of those boots when he made his “Dancing on the Ceiling” video…

Lastly, the author seems very knowledgeable about world history and the arts. This gives a credibility to his writing style and makes the story that much more believable. All in all it was a great book. I definitely enjoyed the read and I highly recommend it.

The End of Baseball

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“The End of Baseball”

Author: Peter Schilling, Jr.

A few weeks ago I was in northern California talking to a close friend of mine who happens to be an Oakland A’s fan. I remember mentioning to him that I had decided to read and review “The End of Baseball.” He gave me a blank look until I explained the book’s premise: a fictional novel about baseball starring Bill Veeck, the Philadelphia Athletics and an all black team set in the early forties. My friend sort of chuckled before asking if Eddie Gaedel was going to be in the story as well. Of course I had no idea who he was talking about and this prompted a Google search.

Learning about Gaedel caused me to do some serious research on Veeck. I have to give major props to Peter Schilling Jr., the book’s author. Who better to fill the sizeable shoes of the maverick promoter in “The End of Baseball” than Bill Veeck; the very man who was probably best known throughout the league for his flamboyant publicity stunts and the innovations he brought to baseball during his ownership of the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. I don’t think the author could have chosen a more suitable person than Veeck to help give this novel an authentic and realistic feel.

Continuing with the storyline; Veeck returns from Guadalcanal with a missing leg and five hundred dollars to his name. He manages to purchase the Philadelphia Athletics and gets rid of all the white players. In 1944 that was the entire roster. Unbeknownst to anyone except his business partner, Sam Dailey, Veeck secretly recruits the legendary stars of the Negro Leagues and signs them to play in the majors. In an era of war and racial segregation Veeck gambles everything on the hope that people’s love of seeing great baseball will overcome the integration of a black man into the major leagues.

In summary, I must say that “The End of Baseball” was a joy to read. I definitely prolonged it for as long as possible. Over the years I have read my fair share of baseball novels but in my opinion none of them can hold a candle to this one. Schilling has a fantastic writing style. His words flow smoothly. His descriptions will make the reader feel as if he or she is actually in the dugout watching baseball greats like Satchel Paige, Buck Leonard or Josh Gibson in person rather than reading about them in a book. While “The End of Baseball” is a work of fiction the author has done such a fantastic job that, at times, his readers may have trouble separating fact from fiction.

A definite “must read” for anyone who loves a great book…

Letters from Wheatfield

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“Letters from Wheatfield”

Author: Patrick Shannon

About a week ago I was perusing some book titles when “Letters From Wheatfield” caught my eye. I paused; my fingers hovered over the keyboard as I reread the title. I have no idea what stopped me but I memorized the spelling of the author’s name and off I went to Amazon.com. Researching a title is habit for me as I prefer to know more than just the book’s name before I decide to read it…

Moving on to the book; let me explain its premise: two people uproot themselves from the bustling borough of Manhattan only to relocate to Wheatfield, Montana. Population? Two thousand… Talk about culture shock. Can you imagine having to drive more than a hundred miles to visit your doctor? It’s no wonder doctors no longer make house calls…

Anyway, “Letters From Wheatfield” is exactly what the title suggests; a compilation of correspondence from Fred Moore, our city-slicker now turned country-bumpkin, to his cousin Amelia. Did I mention that each chapter aka “letter” is hilariously funny? I really must confess that I giggled and chortled my way through the entire book. Well, that is until I reached the letter titled “Taking One’s Lumps.” Throughout the reading of this one I laughed. In fact, I laughed so hard I cried. What makes “Letters From Wheatfield” so funny is that we can all relate to something in this book. If we don’t come from a small town ourselves; we have distant relations or friends who live in one. We visit them from time to time. We know…

In summary “Letters From Wheatfield” by Patrick Shannon was a hilariously funny read. I definitely give it a five star rating. This book is very well-written and Shannon’s descriptions flow smoothly plus, I think the humor is a style anyone would enjoy. I would also recommend that once you finish the book you leave it in the guest bathroom and dog ear page one hundred and thirty-eight. Let your guest’s giggles and outright laughter ensue…

Joshua and Aaron

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“Joshua and Aaron”

Author: David Gelber

I’ve spent the last couple days inLas Vegas which also happens to be where I read “Joshua and Aaron.” Being curious about this book I did my research and noticed it’s listed as religious fiction. I was chatting with a friend of mine shortly thereafter and I jokingly asked if reading a book with religious overtones while in Vegas could be construed as sacrilegious. It’s probably not since I’m sure every hotel in Vegas has the obligatory bible in the nightstand.

“Joshua and Aaron” is the second book in the ITP series by David Gelber. The book’s main character, Joshua Smith, shoulders the burden of having to save mankind from its own excesses. Joshua definitely didn’t ask for this responsibility rather it was unceremoniously dropped in his lap. How’s that for a “hot potato?” Luckily for the world’s population our hero is blessed with amazing luck, intelligence and above all a MacGyver-like ingenuity.

As for the author and his writing skills, David Gelber does a great job of holding the reader’s interest. I don’t normally read religious fiction but Gelber’s descriptions of places and events were very well written and held my attention completely. The interactions between the characters flowed well and his overall writing style made for an enjoyable read.

I would have to say my only complaint was that, at times, certain scenes were too unbelievable; namely the one toward the end of the book which starred Little Bit. I use the name versus the scene so as to not give away the story. Hopefully this allows the author to understand to what I’m referring. I realize “Joshua and Aaron” is a work of fiction. However, I also feel that even fiction needs to be believable. Once upon a time writer’s like Asimov challenged the world’s perception of technology and robotics. I’m sure some considered his works unbelievable. Our advancements today are proof that far-fetched fiction can become reality. The scene to which I refer is, to me, completely unbelievable. I can’t picture a scene like the one featuring Little Bit ever happening; consequently when I read it I was immediately wrenched out of the story.

Keep in mind my last paragraph is directed to the author only and not to his readers. Overall I found “Joshua and Aaron” to be a well written book and a fun read. While it definitely falls into the category of religious fiction the message contained therein was not too over the top. I give this book a solid four stars and feel that anyone who enjoys reading will enjoy this book.

Healing with Words

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“Healing with Words”

Author: Diana M. Raab

I recently finished reading “Healing with Words” by author Diana M. Raab. Initially I was hesitant to start this book; I lost my best friend Julie to cancer in April of 2006.  However, now that I’ve finished, I’m thankful I did and I feel truly honored to provide my thoughts about this wonderful book.

“Healing with Words” is a real look at cancer through the eyes of someone who has experienced and overcome the physical aspects of this life-shattering disease. “Healing with Words” is a well-written, eye-opening and painfully honest book. It’s a realistic look at cancer from someone who has experienced it and lived through it first-hand. Raab has taken the time to share with her readers a very intimate accounting of an extremely hard time in her life. There is no history of any type of cancer in her family and yet she was unlucky enough to be diagnosed with this disease. Twice.

Raab walks us through her life starting with when she was first diagnosed with DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) which is an early form of breast cancer. She shares her pain, devastation and disbelief that this was actually happening to her in a manner which anyone who has had or currently has cancer will be able to relate to. She also provides her reflections, poetry and even some of her private journal entries. Throughout “Healing with Words” Raab gives insightful information and helpful advice that only someone who has personally traveled this horrific road would be able to offer. The fact that she has experienced cancer first-hand and refused to let it beat her should provide comfort to anyone reading this book looking for guidance or a kindred spirit.

“Healing with Words” is a powerful book and I feel the message contained within its pages will help many in the generations to come. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone with a cancer diagnosis as well as to that person’s family members and friends. As a final note, the author proceeds from this book will be donated to the Mayo Clinic and I applaud Raab for her generosity.