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"She heard a knocking, and then a dog barking. Her dream left her, skittering behind a closing door. It had been a good dream, warm and close, and she minded. She fought the waking."
While in the cavalier guardianship of the forest of Marley, I first saw the lowland tapir. I was wenty-five or so, and still an idealist, ever faithful that Atlee and Keynesian guidance would protect the educated class from the spread of iniquity.
The path home was overrun with weeds and hanging vines. Norman hiked through the mess as best as he could, slapping the mosquito against his neck as he tried to keep his fishing pole from tangling in the park's tall grass.
Title: The Suicide Collectors
Author: David Oppegaard
ISBN: 9780312381103
Publisher: St. Martin's Press/2008
Pages: 294
Rating: 5/5
The Suicide Collectors is another of my best reads of 2009. It is a book which is difficult to review. Or to put a genre to it. After a while, I simply gave in and went with the flow.
There is something like Despair which has plagued the Earth for some years now. This has resulted in mass suicides. And as soon as there is a suicide, a shadowy group arrives from nowhere to collect the bodies.
There are only a handful of people who wish to remain alive, not to give in no matter what. It is a lone fight for them. They are out numbered by the shadowy group of suicide collectors. Norman is one such person, who stands up against the Suicide Collectors. He does not allow them to take his wife's body. He even ends up marking one of the Collectors. Norman, along with his elderly neighbour Pops, leaves on journey across North America. They get to know that a scientist is trying to find out a cure against the Despair.
On their way, they meet a young girl, Zero, both whose parents committed suicide. As she has no one, they take her along. Norman tries to make the best of the situation. He knows that the girl has to go on living no matter what.
This novel somehow reminded me of The Road by Cormac McCarthy although there is not much common in here. It is terrifying, very stark, bleak and scary at places. In the sense that it can become a reality. Despair can hit us at any time and giving into it is going to be easy. To fight against it, is hard. This novel has surprises, twists, turns and is powerful. I would call it gloriously creepy. The prose is wonderfully flowing and very gripping. A book to read, to think about and revisit, if possible.
Thanks David, for sending me the novel. The title as well as the cover pulled me in. For good.
For six hundred years Pendragon kings and queens ruled Wilde Islands, though none in England recognised their lineage. King Arthur's younger sister, Evaine, was the first queen of the Isle.
Title: Dragon's Keep
Author: Janet Lee Carey
ISBN: 978-0152064013
Publisher:Magic Carpet Books/2008
Pages: 320 pages
It has been prophesized that the twenty first queen of Wilde Isle would redeem the name Pendragon bringing peace and prosprity.
In Wilde Island, a princess Rosalind is born after many obstacles, to the queen. She is a beautiful princess but with a flaw. She has a dragon's claw as one her fingers. Her mother, the queen keeps it always hidden with a pair of golden gloves. She herself wears another pair to give company to the princess. And anyone who has seen the clawed hand dies mysteriously.
The queen is very protective of her only child. She tries various cure for the girl, always failing in her efforts. Wilde Island is always getting attacked by Dragons. And Rosalind gets kidnaped by a dragon one day. The only thing that saves her from becoming the dragon's meal is her dragon clawed finger. The dragon thinks it is the only beautiful thing about her. However, the dragon makes her toil looking after his children. In their midst, she has nothing to hide. She accepts herself, flaws and all. She also learns what a parents love is towards ones children. Rosalind finds love and she also finds peace for her people. As prophesized. And it is her flaw, that saves pendragon.
In this book, we read another aspect of dragons, that they can be gentle and good too. With a sense of fairness. Human beings are flawed in their thinking but Dragons accept each living being with flaws and all.
Dragon's claw is a simple enough tale with simple words. At places I found the language not really upto the mark. Not that it had to be literary masterpiece. It is book which young readers would enjoy.
I read and reviewed Blood Harvest. And I liked it too. I sent a set of questions to Brant Randall, which he graciously answered for us all.
Do visit him on his website:
www.brucecookonline.com
I sent a set of questions to Brant Randall, which he graciously answered for us all. Here we go:
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1. How much time did it take to write Blood Harvest? Did you have stumbling blocks in the way? If so, what?
Blood Harvest took about 6 months to write. The stumbling blocks were: 1) doing promotion for my first novel, Philippine Fever; 2) teaching my college classes on film directing, film business, and globalization of the news media; 3) spending time with my grandkids around the country, my wife, my son, my parents. The problem is that I like doing all these things.
2. Do you have any favourite spot that you like to write in (i.e. sitting on the bed, in a comfortable chair or out in the open, etc.)?
At my computer in my office, with the house empty. Otherwise, I am too tempted to join whatever else is in progress.
3. What was the process you went through to find a publisher for your book? Was it difficult?
For my first novel, Philippine Fever, I sent the ms to several agents all of whom rejected it with little or no comment. I eventually found an agent who sent it to the major publishing houses in New York. In short, order I had seven rejections, but some of them included words of encouragement while claiming the project was not right for them.
I had written nearly 30 screenplays and directed six movies before I attempted my first novel. Hollywood is a very competitive place so I had already experienced dozens of rejections before I sold my first script. It was painful and ego shrinking the first time it happened. My “child,” the offspring of my imagination, had been critiqued, criticized, and cut down to size.
In fact, the first script never sold at all and I “suffered,” developing my aura as an “artist.” The aura and a part time job put groceries on the table.
After half a dozen sales of scripts that were made I finally achieved a more balanced perspective. I consider this the most important thing I have learned as a writer. Here it is---
My scripts, books and movies are not my “children.” They are creations: some good, some bad, some better than others, some ahead of their time, some behind. But in every case they were not ME, they were not my “babies.” (I have real children who are now grown men. One of them is the author Troy Cook.)
These creations exist apart from me, just as Beethoven’s symphonies are not the man and Emily Dickenson’s poems are not the woman.
Publishers are much like film producers. They may like “art” but they keep their jobs by putting out projects that appeal to a larger public than just their own tastes.
Having adjusted my attitude, I then adjusted my working pattern. I joined a writer’s critique group. I cannot overstate the value of having other writers look at, respond to, critique, and make suggestions for improvement to my work.
Philippine Fever was published by Capital Crime Press. After the majors had rejected the ms, my agent was out of ideas about seeking a publisher. I asked if she minded if I pursued small presses. She didn’t so I began talking to editors from small presses whenever I met them—usually at writer’s conferences.
Three small presses offered to publish Philippine Fever. The monetary differences in the offers were not great. I made my choice based on how well my book matched their catalog.
That first novel sold well enough that Capital Crime Press wanted to publish this one, Blood Harvest.
4. Are you writing full-time? If yes, do you think it is a good decision?
Not yet. I think I will need a backlist of at least half a dozen books before the revenue stream from current sales and sales of previous titles will be sufficient to support myself.
5. What were you doing before you decided to be writer? Did that help in your writing career in any way?
I was a laser physicist on the Apollo Project; a mathematics professor at school specializing in aerospace engineering; a film director, writer, editor, sound designer, cameraman; a film professor. Plus the usual mix of jobs you take while in college. I think writing crime novels is finally my real job.
Every job provides grist for the writing mill. Characters, business practices, work places, environments, office politics, corporate shenanigans all make their way into the stories.
6. Can you please describe you writing style and the various influences you have had or having?
My writing style:
I want to write books that grab you by the eyeball and drag you hell-bent to an unexpected but inevitable conclusion. I want the dialog and dialect to ring true. I want the emotions to be both raw and occasionally tender. I want to leave the reader with things to think about when the story is over.
My biggest influences are:
PG Wodehouse for a sense of structure and the seemingly effortless use of dialect and manners;
Joe Lansdale for his ability to bring a new character to life in a single paragraph and his ability to keep the story moving forward even though it is full of asides; Donald Westlake and Elmore Leonard for their ability to mix humor into situations that would be horrific if they actually happened to the reader; Ken Bruen for his ability to immerse in another culture (Irish or British) and still have us recognize the similarities with our own, though the daily language and habits are quite different.
7. I did not know much about the KKK before reading your book. Can you please tell me how I get more info about it via books?
1.Hooded Americanism: The History of the Ku Klux Klan, 3rd ed. by David M. Chalmers
2. The Ku Klux Klan: History, Organization, Language, Influence And Activities of America's Most Notorious Secret Society by Michael Newton)
3. Inside the Klavern: The Secret History of a Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s by David A. Horowitz
4. The Fiery Cross: The Ku Klux Klan in America by Wyn Craig Wade
8. When is your next book coming out and about what?
My third book, Tommy Gun Tango, is due out in July 2009. It concerns the corruption of the Los Angeles Police Department in the early 1930s and the way they helped the movie studios cover up murders by stars.
9. Do you have any favourite authors? Can you tell us why you like them?
Robert Fate in his Baby Shark series handles action well without skipping characterization or details of the time and place that make his books alive.
Sheila Lowe has created a new character, Claudia Rose, who is a handwriting analyst. I love seeing the details of her craft applied to solving a crime, much like the early Scarpetta stories.
Gwen Freeman has created a character named Fifi Cutter who is so contemporary, so sarcastic and witty, so bound by Los Angeles that I laugh out loud when I read her misadventures.
10. What are you reading now?
Currently I am reading two books:
Exile by Denise Mina, with its wonderful Scottish dialect and Glaswegian setting, and
Ponzi’s Scheme by Zuckoff, a non-fiction account of the great con man.
11. Do you have any book recommendations for my readers?
If you have never read The Bottoms by Joe Lansdale, give it a try. It compares with To Kill a Mockingbird.
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Thanks Bruce, for the great answers. I enjoyed reading those...
"Some say that I am quarrelsome. Others hold that I'm a gossip. Fact is, I'm just interested in the truth, me being sworn to uphold the law. I take the workings of justice serious.""As it turned out, what I would remember most clearly about the year of my fall (or flight) from grace was Old Zach tunneling under Nichols Street to the Gunderpopp brewery."
I read Tunnels and Walls and Other Ways of Getting There online in Narrative Magazine. It is the story of the current week. The title attracted me as also the alliterated name of the author.
The narrator is a girl Hilda, studying in a catholic co-ed trying to fit in. Somehow or the other she is a misfit in there. The nuns, especially Old Zach are kind of weird. They try their best to make their pupils learn. Rewarding them in their own way.
"Sometimes, out of their proud and pellucid poverty, they gave you gifts. A Miraculous Medal, perhaps. Holy cards. Words of wisdom printed on deckle-edged onionskin. When the time was right, pamphlets listing the ten signs of a vocation. By stages they’d admit you to an inner circle of shared confidences. They might tell you, for instance, about Sr. Dominic’s impacted wisdoms or that they were making new habits (leaving to the uninitiated the illusion that they were born in them)."
The round about way of prose completely drew me in. The narrator has wit and sense of humour. She is practical too, knowing her owm limitations. This short story needs to be read with lots of concentration. One just can't Breeze through it. If one makes an effort, this story is well worth it.
Do you lend books to anyone? Just friends? Only big readers? How long are they allowed to have them?
Death disturbed the night. The Sound of squeaking wheels grew louder, as did the clicking of horse hooves scraping across cobbelstones."It screamed downward, splitting air and sky without effort. A target expanded in size and brought into focus by time and velocity."
Title: The Cellist of Sarajevo
Author: Steven Galloway
ISBN: 9781921351303
Publisher: Text Publishing/2008
Pages: 222
Rating: 5/5
Right in the beginning of 2009, I get to read an unforgettable book. It is one of those books which is going to stay in mind. Steven Galloway was kind enough to send to me The Cellist of Sarajevo when I requested for it.
Based in strife ridden Sarajevo, it might be a piece of fiction but it feels so real. The deep fear within the psyche of its people and the way they get on with their life despite it, is what completely takes us in. The meaningless war impacts the people but it appears no one really cares for them apart from a few handful. With random sniper attacks, life becomes a drudgery yet it cannot break the spirits of the people.
This novel is based on a real event. In 1992, twenty people were killed in a mortar attack while waiting for bread. A renowned local cellist Vedran Smailovic, played Albinoni's Adagio at that very same site, for the next twenty two days in their honour, unmindful of sniper attacks.
In this book, the cellist remains namelss. Arrow, a female sniper from the good side is given the task of saving him while he plays, although he is not aware of it. Arrow has deliberately forgotten her real name. Kenan, another ordinary citizen has to go out to fetch water for his family and landlady once in four days. Then there is Dagan, who misses his wife and son.
On a first look, it appears that these people are unconnected but as we read along, we find that, the common factor that ties them, is the disregard of fear. And the extreme courage shown by them. The futility of war is manifested a thousand times in their hopes, wishes and aspirations. They are in no way responsible. Still they suffer. But they face it with dignity.
In midst of it all, this book also asks us who is fighting for whom and for what? Why is the govt so helpless in certain situations? Why can't it take care of its people? Do they simply fade away or live with hope? Staying alive for oneself, family and others is important. Keeping hope alive too is necessary. No matter what. The Cellist of Sarajevo tells us all that and much more. A book to be remembered for a long time to come. No one is going to regret reading this novel ever.
1) How do you feel about classic literature? Which classics, if any, have you truly loved? Which would you recommend for someone who has very little experience reading older books? 
Title: Twins
Author: Katherine Stone
ISBN: 0821726463
Publisher: Zebra/1989
Pages: 478 pages
Buying this book was a whim. I had not heard of Katherine Stone but liked the premise. Another thing was, it was available for a pittance! Having read it, I don't regret buying it.
As the title says, it is about twins. However, it about two pairs of twins, not one. With a strong story line, this made a very good read. It has sibling love, rivalry, romance, mystery and suspense.
Reading about Charles' childhood as compared to his twin Jason, is so touching. Their bonding is apparent since their birth yet they are separated for no fault of theirs. They can't bridge that gap despite wanting to. As none knows how to. However, the bonding is such that even they can't understand it. They are twins yet they are different in every other way.
Similar is the case with Melanie and her twin, Brooke. She is a successful model as Brooke a lawyer. Yet they both need approval from each other.
With lots of emotions, heartbreak, tears, this book moves forward. This is definitely not what is called a romance. This a book about bonding, misunderstandings and coming out of it all. And one can't reveal the story without spoilers. So I leave it here. But I say, read it!
Title: Losing Kei
Author: Suzanne Kamata
ISBN: 9780972898492
Publisher: Leapfrog Press/2007
Pages: 193
A painter Jill Parker goes to Japan after she loses out in love. She is, in a way emulating Blondelle Malone, a late–19th-century South Carolina artist who had gone to Japan.
Jill chooses to live in a small island, where there are very few foreigners apart from Eric, who is a surfer. He gets her a job of a hostess in a seedy place. Meanwhile she meets a Japanese gallery owner Yusuke Yamashiro who offers a show for her. Eventually they fall in love and get married. She has to live with her in laws and tries to be a Japanese housewife as best as she can. However, she resents it after a while as her mother in law is not ready to give up her power. Now Jill has no interest in painting.
Jill gives birth to a son, Kei. That does not make her place in the household any better. However, she leaves Yusuke one day and files for divorce. But Kei is lost to her. The laws are such that, she has no rights over her son. Jill tries to cope up with it but she also has financial constraints to fight it legally.
This book made an interesting read. It talks about the problems a person faces in a foreign land. How the laws act against that person. Is that person able to cope or give it all away? Why is fitting in all this so difficult? Kamata has taken in account of it all and written a good book. Thanks to the author for sending me the book.
What songs … either specific songs, or songs in general by a specific group or writer … have words that you love?There are too many songs that I love. So much so that I have to listen to those songs at least once a day.
I only list here a few with no specific order:
Rapture of the Deep by Deep Purple: I think it is one of the greatest love songs. I get a spiritual feeling while listening to it. The tunes and instruments played are perfect for the song.
Hotel California by Eagles: I don't remember when I heard it first and why I liked it. It has stayed within my mind and I love the ghostly feeling it arouses.
Careless Whispers by Wham!: When I heard it first it felt as if it was only meant for my ears.
Now to name the great singers, that I gotta listen, no matter what:
Engelbert Humperdinck
Paul Anca
John Carpenters
Toumani Diabate
And so many more....
Title: Dantes' Inferno
Author: Sarah Lovett
ISBN: 684955984
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/2001
Pages: 318
I had not heard of Sarah Lovett before this book. I picked it mostly because the title interested me and the premise beckoned me.
The novel starts with a bomb blast in a museum where a teacher and a eleven years boy are killed. Edmund Sweatheart, a professor studying bombings is devasted as the boy is related to him. A serial bomber is threatening to destroy Los Angelos city. Before bombing any place he does give information about it in the lines of Dante Alighieri's work. Dr Sylvia Strange is assigned the job of getting into the mind of that bomber. John Dantes, a brilliant scholar, is suspected of the said crimes. The glitch is, he is already in a high security prison. It seems he has a compatriot who does his bidding. But how do they get in touch?
What made John Dantes turn the corner? Slowly we see Dr Sylvia Strange being affected by Dantes. He has the power to disturb her and seems to have some kind of hold on her. Is Dantes faking his insanity? Is he as troubled as he seems? How is he connected to M, the bomber who is outside.
Dantes' Inferno is a good psycho thriller. It keeps us completely enthralled in it. The nine circles of hell are very well marked in here. References to Alighieri's work is brilliant. Lovett's prose is very good. Fast paced and a page turner.
It feels good to see weekly geeks again. That's what Dewey wished for all of us. To be united, and get connected in the blog world. No wonder, this week's geek is about community building.
Perched on the top of the elevator, Lucas peered at the woman below and created an elaborate history in his mind.
Title: The Unseen
Author: T. L. Hines
ISBN: 9781595544520
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Pages: 383
I received the book from the publisher. I had not read any book by T L Hines before this.
The Unseen is a very unusual book. It is about Lucas, who observes people. From any nook or corner, literally. He has got equipments to drill holes on top of elevators, walls and closets, where he can hide and watch them. From there, he collects photographs or any such personal stuff and thinks of those as his totems. These totems give him solace in his loneliness. However, he does possess some ethics. He does not watch anyone at their homes or neither does he photograph anyone.
Lucas has no past, he had been brought up in an orphanage and he also has no future as he is not much involved with anyone. He does odd jobs to sustain himself and also saved for himself quite a bit. His life takes a turn when he himself is watched. His world crashes down. He has nowhere to go as he can be easily tracked by those people, belonging to Creep Club. And those who watch him are thorough professionals. They don't have any hang ups about watching people in their homes and taking photographs. They get voyeuristic pleasure out of it.
The Creep Club wants to enroll him initially, but he is not open to offer. A person named Saul, who wants to expose Creep Club members, tries to make use of him. Lucas has some reservations. He does not want to cross the line. However, he comes to know of a murder about to happen and tries to warn the involved person. It backfires on him and he is taken to be criminal, who is at large. It seems the watchers want him dead too. Only he can save himself as he has no one else to fall back on.
The Unseen right from the beginning is very gripping and gives the reader a creepy feeling. While reading it, one thinks if anyone is watching. If yes, from where? The book moves in a good pace. It has lots of twists and turns. Although at first we are revolted by Lucas, as it progresses, we start to like him. We feel his loneliness. We feel his sadness. He does not remember anything from his past before he came to the orphanage at the age of six. He only remembers one line, Humpty Dumpty had some great falls. He does not why or how he came about it.
I am definitely going for more supernatural thrillers by T L Hines. I just couldn't put down the book after I reached half way through.
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Reading this novel inspired to write a poem somebody watching you, which I have posted on my other blog, rooted. A review in poetry? Not quite! I reproduce it here:
suddenly you experience fear
looking around you seek that source
thinking what schemes set about
false feelings of true panic
where nothing seems postive
unaware that from unknown peepholes
someone stares at you
without any fear of discovery
overhead from the elevators;
or mesh between two closets-
it pricks from undergrounds too;
in the labyrinth of pipes
under those crowed highways
he keeps himself hidden
with much deception
he might be your neighbour
one of your best mates yet
creeping into your life
possesing a perverted mind,
filled with sadistic streak
"It's a rare thing for a child to be delivered at my convenience..." Hannah launched herself from the warm cocoon of her bedcovers. A midwife is never surprised by a knock on the door, but Hannah Cameron was indeed surprised when she opened the door and found a strange, bedraggled mite of a girl on her stair step.
Title: Midwife of the Blue Ridge
Author: Christine Blevins
ISBN: 9780425221686
Publisher: Berkley books/2008
Pages: 417/Historical
It is early 1760s in Scotland. Maggie is that girl who arrives at Hannah's doorstep. She has survived the massacre in her village, and is taken to be unlucky. Hannah has no such notions and takes her in, teaching her all her medicinal skills. However Hannah's dies due to extreme cold and Maggie, at 22 years of age is again left with no one. No one is ready to marry the dark haired beauty as she is considered cursed.
Maggie only has her wits, her knowledge of medicines and her midwifery skills. She ventures out as an indentured servant towards the American colonies to seek a better life. In the ship she travels, she catches the eye of a debauched Duke, who wants to buy her out. However, Seth Martin succeeds in that as he needs someone to look after his three children and his sick and pregnant wife. Seth, is a good man and his family takes to Maggie in no time. Maggie with her knowledge of medicines becomes very popular. Tom Roberts, Seth's best friend is attracted towards her but does want to have any roots and leaves her for hunting.
Meanwhile, Cavendish, the Duke wants the land and Maggie bargains herself over to him, for Seth and his family. She is treated brutaaly almost broken and beaten. But she survives, all the while making plans to run away.
Blevins has treated the story well, she does not soft pedal it, she shows the stark reality a woman who has no support, has to face and endure. She shows the strength of character a woman can have in such circumstances. Maggie has all of those and knows how to survive. She does not let herself break apart.
The novel touches upon the perils of colonisation, the whites and the warrier Indians and shows both their strenghth and weaknesses. I did find it longwinded at places, but as a historical novel, it really works well.
When Nathan's father told him the news, his voice seemed lost in the quiet of the school room---as though it didn't belong, Nathan thought.
~First line
Title: Counter Clockwise
Author: Jason Cockcroft
ISBN: 9780061255540
Publisher: Harper Collins Children/2009
Publishing Date: February 3, 2009
Pages: 208
Genre: Fantasy/Children's fiction
I won an uncorrected proof (with a Black and White cover) of this book from Jo Ann Hakola of Journey of a Bookseller. It made a good start to read in the new year. As this is children's fiction, it did not take me more than two hours to finish it. No wonder those who read children's fiction, finish such a lot of books!
Nathan's mom dies in a bus accident, he goes to live with his father. His father, Henry and his mother, Cornelle had been divorced for a long time. However, her death seems to have affected both Nathan and Henry. Henry is always so confused and sad. He considers himself a loser. Despite that, Henry wants his son to be educated well in the sciences, that is physics, even though he himself is a soap seller.
One day, almost a year after Cornelle's death, Henry simply disappears through the bathroom wall to go back in time and save Cornelle. And a beefeater named Bartleby warns Nathan that the future shouldn't be changed and Henry has to be stopped from saving his wife. Nathan is confused and does not know what to do until he himself sees a glimpse of his own future. He realises that he does not want that future. He has to stop Henry somehow. So he better move everything counter clockwise. The faster, the better...
This is a book which speaks about time travel with a bit of fantasy element. Nathan wants to know why is the beefeater trying to help? And how does he know all about Nathan, his father Henry? Going back and forth, this book does hold interest. Although Nathan is only a child, he has more maturity than his dad, Henry. Initially it seems, he hates Henry but it is not so. He has lost his mother but he does not want to lose his father.
This book is imaginative and teenagers will like it. The narration is good and well crafted. A adventure in time travel and its consequences. Overall a good read. My copy goes to my twelve year old nephew.
