tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45346471507657127092024-02-19T11:13:11.925-05:00The Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library BlogHegganLibraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262813539080710921noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534647150765712709.post-64530709835098508212014-08-22T14:25:00.000-04:002014-08-22T14:29:28.711-04:00Book Review: Silver<b>Silver</b> by <i>Chris Wooding</i> reviewed by <u>Zeina</u><br />
(<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/839476464">Review originally published on Zeina's Goodreads page</a>) <br />
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<b>Silver</b> was the COOLEST apocalypse book I have EVER read in my entire life. No, the infected didn't get turned into zombies or something idiotic like that; they turn MECHANICAL.<br />
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NO SPOILERS<br />
Silver is about a school in a remote location. Students find a large beetle which they take to their principal for dissection. The principal finds pieces of metal and wires in the beetle. They don't know it, but they have an infection on their hands. Slowly, students and staff will get infected with this... plague? (Not sure what to call it) and the eldest students will have to put aside their differences to save the remaining.<br />
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I loved the characters in this book. I had the perfect amount of time to get to know them, yet not get bored of listening to their life story. NONE of the characters were hatable. I LOVED THEM ALL. I was HEART BROKEN when one of the characters- erm- turned. Won't tell you who, but man he/she was one of my favorite characters.<br />
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I think Chris Wooding did an AMAZING job with this book. The reason it didn't get the full five stars was because of the. dang. ending! You can't END SOMETHING LIKE THAT WITHOUT A SECOND BOOK.<br />
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Anywho, I would recommend this book to any SciFi, action, and apocalyptic readers. It was a fairly quick read, but it keeps you glued to the book THE ENTIRE TIME.<br />
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4/5 StarsHegganLibraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262813539080710921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534647150765712709.post-3024039801589289222014-08-13T09:03:00.000-04:002014-08-22T14:11:06.816-04:00Graphic Novel Review: Seconds<div>
<b>Seconds</b> by <i>Bryan Lee O'Malley </i>reviewed by <u>Sergio Ragno</u><br />
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<b>Seconds</b> is the newest graphic novel by Bryan Lee O’Malley, the man behind the illustrious <b>Scott Pilgrim</b> series and the underrated <b>Lost At Sea</b>. O’Malley tells a less epic tale in this outing, but it is just as masterfully executed as his other works, emotional and relatable. Seconds is an adventure about pursuing your dreams and the importance of the little missteps along the way. </div>
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Seconds follows Katie, a talented chef aspiring to own her own restaurant, but struggling to make ends meet financially towards that end. Not to say Katie is poor, she is a talented chef at the restaurant Seconds that, while not technically her restaurant, is hers as far as anyone is concerned, and that even goes for the guy who actually holds the deed. Katie’s skills have made her a local celebrity, but while these accolades are important to her, they pale in comparison to her love for Lucknow, the building destined to be her very own restaurant, and longing for her past love Max. Just as Max steps back into her life and the certainty of owning the Lucknow becomes more and more hazy, Katie’s current relationship takes a turn for the worst when her actions lead to a waitress badly burning herself. It is then that Katie discovers a mysterious red capped mushroom and a note:</div>
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1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Write Your Mistake</div>
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2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Ingest One Mushroom</div>
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3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Go to Sleep</div>
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4.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Wake Up Anew. </div>
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It is inevitable that Seconds will draw comparisons with Scott Pilgrim as the work has become somewhat legendary, which is unfortunate because while Seconds does not have as epic a scope as Scott Pilgrim, it is excellent in its own regard but will still feel wanting regardless. One thing Seconds can definitely go toe to toe with Scott Pilgrim on is the tension. When things go bad for Katie they go really bad and there is a point where her helplessness to the circumstances she has brought upon herself is palpable, arguably more so than the threat of the love of Scott’s life slipping through his fingers. With that said, the conflict is resolved fairly easily, so much so that it may take you by surprise. Seconds manages to be a satiating read and over before you know it all at the same time, if that makes any sense.</div>
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Bryan Lee O’Malley’s art is wonderful throughout the entirety of Seconds. In particular I was blown away by his attention to detail in the scenery and the food, which is apt as the two restaurants, Seconds and Lucknow, are prominent characters in the story at hand and O’Malley gives them as much attention as he does Katie or Max. That is not to say the humans in Seconds receive any less attention by contrast. O’Malley’s character designs in Seconds are all distinct and fun in their own way. Katie’s hair is emulative of flames, making her almost a literal hot head in addition to a figurative one. Her small stature makes the respect and admiration she receives from almost everyone in her life all the more impressive and her evocative face makes her many emotional tribulations all the more intense. Hazel’s hair is fitting of a fairy tale and her wardrobe is wild and almost always in flux, not only is it entertaining to take it all in and admire the order O’Malley weaves with threads of chaos but it makes her role as emissary of the fantastical all the more fitting. Even Max was a character whom I found O’Malley designed with great intent, a lot of his design reminded me of Scott Pilgrim’s Envy Adams, such as the adonisy figure and details like the upper lip, which always made me unsure whether to believe in his feelings for Katie and I believe that was the intent. Not only could Seconds only exist as a comic, Seconds could only exist as a comic crafted by Bryan Lee O’Malley. That’s the sign of a master piece if you ask me. </div>
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Drawing one final comparison to Scott Pilgrim, the message behind the work is not quite as substantial. It’s fairly obvious by the premise that the lesson Katie needs to learn is to accept her mistakes and roll with them as they define her just as crucially as her successes do (this moral denotes O’Malley’s own personal experiences working in restaurants as this life lesson is one of the many foundations in any chef worth their salt. Seconds was indeed inspired by an acquaintance of O’Malley’s in the restaurant business). While astute, it is not as probing as Scott Pilgrim’s examination of the role ego plays as both a catalyst and an obstacle in our relationships (an argument that actually encompasses the moral of Seconds via devices such as “Nega Scott”). Again, it is unfair to compare the two as Seconds was never intended to be as epic as its predecessor, but it is hard to ignore this. That said, the message is very satisfying and poignant.</div>
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Bryan Lee O’Malley masterfully weaves a magical and charming tale with Seconds. It promises to be an instant classic and is a must read for any fan of comics, food, and dreams.</div>
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5/5 Stars </div>
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HegganLibraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262813539080710921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534647150765712709.post-68411776495245190812013-12-20T16:45:00.000-05:002013-12-20T16:53:02.050-05:00Book Review: 2001: A Space Odyssey<b><u>2001: A Space Odyssey</u></b> by <i>Author C. Clarke </i>reviewed by <u>Sergio Ragno</u><br />
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<b>2001: A Space Odyssey</b> was a joint project between Stanley Kubrick and Author C. Clarke, the two hammered out the basic premise together and then split to actualize the story in their respective mediums. As such Clarke’s Space Odyssey should be very familiar and shed light on elements left ambiguous in Kubrick’s vision but is distinct enough that it can be appreciated as its own entity and neither project can accurately be treated as a Rosetta stone for the other.<br />
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The distinguishing difference in Clarke’s work is that almost everything in the story is spelled out in great detail and not much is left to the imagination. For instance, in the first arc of the story, when early man discovers the monolith and begins to craft weapons, Clarke states where the monolith came from, why it’s there, and what it is doing to the protagonist Moon-Watcher. Personally, I did not find this as effective as in the film. With its magnanimous ambiguity the monolith was terrifying in a way that dominated our curiosity and bound us to it, rendering us in the same emotional and mental state as Moon-Watcher, a state we enter whenever we gaze into the abyss of the cosmos. Space, as the monolith, is infinite and yet empty, everything and at the same time nothing. It serves a humbling thematic purpose.<br />
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This isn’t to imply that Clarke’s work is necessarily the inferior of the two. Clarke spends a lot more time with Moon-Watcher than Kubrick did and it pays off in how intimately we watch him change, or perhaps mutate is the better word. Likewise we get a different take on Bowman and the Hal 9000 computer. In the movie Hal was the most human entity aboard the Discovery spacecraft, demonstrating paranoia and pride, with the astronauts aboard behaving more like androids devoid of any emotional resonance. While we, again, are more intimately acquainted with the mind of Bowman and can see firsthand how the solitude and monotony of his journey takes a toll on his mind, I don’t believe it plays out as well as it does in the movie when thoughts become words and actions. However, this window into Bowman’s mind makes up for this at times, there is a particular moment in the last few chapters where Bowman sees a reporter in a broadcast and is mesmerized by just seeing and hearing another human being that he watches for a while without really listening, but without joy. It was just a sentence but I found it powerful enough to compete with the climax of the film.<br />
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I think Clarke pulls off the “Space” and “Odyssey” part of the story better than Kubrick. Much time is spent in describing the celestial bodies that the Discovery encounters in Bowman’s journey. Early on a meteor passes by and Bowman makes great efforts to observe it in the brief moment it is observable, a wonderful demonstration of the unfathomable speeds objects travel in space. Many moons get their own chapter and we spend time with Bowman’s surprise at his inability to comprehending a gas giant up close. You get a feel for the great achievement humanity has and will achieve in its planetary voyages.<br />
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The ending of the book is another aspect that is different from the movie, not surprising considering how abstract Kubrick realized the conclusion. As with Moon-Watcher we know exactly where Bowman ends up, why he’s there, and what is happening to him. However, I feel this detail enhances the thematic contrast in Bowman’s transition from the Discovery and the cosmos to his prison. It transfers our gaze from the infinite of the abyss to the finite of the human experience and the detail Clarke provides prevents us from averting our eyes in a way the film does not provide, again, at least in my opinion.<br />
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2001: A Space Odyssey is a rewarding experience both on paper and on screen and you would be remiss to deprive yourself of either. <br />
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5 StarsHegganLibraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262813539080710921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534647150765712709.post-80654221796015805242013-12-20T16:39:00.000-05:002013-12-20T16:53:08.722-05:00Movie Review: 2001 A Space Odyssey<b><u>2001: A Space Odyssey</u></b> reviewed by <u>Sergio Ragno</u><br />
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I don’t believe much needs to be said about the ground breaking masterpiece <b>2001: A Space Odyssey</b>. Director Stanley Kubrick set out to tell the greatest science fiction story in history, deeply insightful and scientifically accurate, a love letter from humanity to the stars that have fascinated us since we first gazed upon the heavens, and it is hard to deny his victory towards that end.<br />
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2001 opens by observing a tribe of early man attempting to survive in its dawn. The tribe is chased away from a watering hole by a hostile tribe and take shelter in a few caves deprived of sustenance essential for their survival. They awake to find a mysterious black monolith looming over them and panic, unable to comprehend what they see, but eventually resume their lives and behave as if it wasn't even there. Eventually a tribe member (called Moon-Watcher in the credits) is out scavenging a carcass and picks up the femur bone, and gives it a few swings. He has discovered weaponry. Armed both figuratively and literally Moon-Watcher leads his tribe back to reclaim their watering hole.<br />
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This entire segment is depicted with no dialogue, the narrative being conveyed solely through body language and musical cues. The monolith has haunted the imagination of fiction to this very day and it owes this presence to the film’s astonishing musical score and Kubrick’s ability to find a compelling camera angel and hold it just long enough to become uncomfortable but compelling. Looking at the monolith is like gazing into the abyss, and two people may not see the same thing lurking in the darkness.<br />
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2001 is crafted to facilitate this kind of experience. Most of the film is presented similar to the opening “Dawn of Man” segment with dialogue being minimalistic at most. The segment with the most classic form of narrative is in the famous conflict between Dave Bowman and the Hal 9000 computer aboard the Discovery space craft but even this segment emboldens an inner journey for the audience. The segment is almost completely silent, whereas other chapters are usually accompanied by 2001’s famous score of classical masterpieces like <i>The Blue Danube</i> and <i>Thus Sprach Zarathustra</i>, in this chapter the only thing you’ll hear is the sound of Bowman’s breath within his own space suit. Astronauts Bowman and Frank Poole conduct themselves in deadpan monotone, and don’t really display much emotion in contrast to Hal which demonstrates pride, curiosity, and most infamously paranoia and self preservation. Audiences can find themselves reflecting on the vast emptiness of space, how hostile and unwelcoming it is of man and what man has become in order to traverse the vacuum.<br />
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2001: A Space Odyssey is a movie that everyone should watch at one point in their lives. The extent to which this move can stimulate your imagination is akin to falling in love with the stars for the first time all over again. <br />
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5 StarsHegganLibraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262813539080710921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534647150765712709.post-31106410449126998132013-12-18T11:32:00.000-05:002013-12-18T11:34:00.628-05:00Book Review: The Time Traveling Fashonista and Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile<u><b>The Time-Traveling Fashionista and Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile</b></u> by <i>Bianca Turetsky</i> reviewed by <u>Sarah Kramer</u><br />
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4 out of 5 stars.<br />
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This book, third in the Time-Traveling Fashionista series (see also The Time-Traveling Fashionista on Board the Titanic and The Time-Traveling Fashionista at the Palace of Marie Antoinette) is a pure delight to read. Main character Louise Lambert is obsessed with vintage fashion, and has discovered that certain pieces of vintage clothing take her back in time. This third adventure takes place in the ancient past, where Louise gets to experience life as a servant to Cleopatra, and all of the dangers that come with that position. Author Bianca Turetsky manages to teach you about history in a fun way, without making you feel like you're sitting through a lecture, and also makes you want to learn more about the different time periods in which Louise finds herself. Speaking of main characters, Louise is quite likable; a 12 year old who is struggling to find the confidence to be herself, no matter how different that might make her from her classmates. The drawings throughout the book only serve to round out the story. It's not often you find illustrations in a book aimed at this age group, but these are a treat.<br />
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HegganLibraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262813539080710921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534647150765712709.post-37765316968114115862013-11-18T15:34:00.001-05:002013-11-18T15:39:18.888-05:00Book Review: Me Before You<b><u>Me Before You</u></b> by <i>Jojo Moyes</i> reviewed by <u>Nina</u><br />
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A brief overview, I don’t want to reveal too much!<br />
Louisa “Lou”, a young woman that had never left her small town worked in a local tea shop, and when the tea shop closed she had to look for other employment. With little experience or training she accepts a position as a caregiver for Will, who was a high flying executive before an accident left him paralyzed. They gradually warm to each other and develop a touching friendship.<br />
It is a beautiful, touching story with endearing characters.<br />
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***** Stars<br />
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HegganLibraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262813539080710921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534647150765712709.post-30754732705273274102013-10-16T16:54:00.000-04:002013-10-16T16:55:46.446-04:00Book Review: Audrey Bunny<b><u>Audrey Bunny</u></b> by <i>Angie Smith</i>, Illustrated by <i>Breezy Brookshire </i>Reviewed by<i> </i><u>Sarah Kramer</u><br />
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Audrey Bunny, a picture book by Angie Smith, is a heartwarming standout. It tells the story of a stuffed bunny who's ashamed of a mark on her fur, and afraid that because of it no child will want her. However,when a little girl named Caroline chooses the bunny, names her Audrey, and makes her a treasured part of her life, the newly-named Audrey Bunny discovers the sweetness of loving and being loved. Through it all, though, Audrey Bunny is afraid that when Caroline discovers her mark, she will stop loving her. Thankfully, there's a happy ending, and kids (and grownups) will be encouraged by the message that we are loved, imperfections and all. The cozy illustrations by Breezy Brookshire are an added treat.<br />
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5 Stars<br />
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HegganLibraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262813539080710921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534647150765712709.post-24969658500068614552013-10-01T15:56:00.000-04:002014-08-22T14:41:12.012-04:00Book Review: Extinction<u style="font-weight: bold;">Extinction: A Thriller</u> by <i>Mark Alpert</i> Reviewed by <u>Sergio Ragno</u><br />
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I’m going to be honest with you. I picked up <b>Extinction</b> because of the cool cyber arm on the cover. I have a real weakness for Sci-Fi Espionage stories, and I guess I just have good instincts because Extinction ended up being a member of that rare genre, and an excellent one at that! Extinction uses very topical world events such as the War on Terror, Wiki-Leaks, and Artificial Intelligence as a foundation to explore the boundaries between man and machine, and reveals the line to be more ethereal than one may assume, and on a more haunting note, may vanish via our own misguided machinations.<br />
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What I find myself most enamored with in Extinction is the pacing. Mark Alpert can jump from intense action sequences, to lingering suspense, to genuinely haunting moments without missing a beat. He even does exposition well. The first chapter just involves protagonist Jim Pierce explaining the mechanics of his cyber arm prosthesis to a patient, a soldier who had lost both arms in Iraq. Jim reveals that he was a soldier as well, explains how he lost his arm and how and why he went about building his highly technical new model. And even though this is a transparent exposition dump to introduce the protagonist and the technology in play, it totally works. You aren’t taken out of the story because, well, doctors do this. A doctor would surely try to relieve a patient by relating to their trauma, and a doctor would definitely describe the mechanics of a procedure in great detail. The structure of this story is solid. <br />
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Any science or computer buff is going to get a kick out of how technical Extinction can be when it explains how the technology in the story functions. You can tell that Alpert did his research with this story, and it pays as both a compelling lesson on information technology and also in fleshing out the atmosphere of the story. You’ll find yourself questioning whether the technology on display actually exist, and then why not. Considering this is a story revolving around Intelligence organizations like CIA and NSA, I suspect that this was intentional, but effective regardless.<br />
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I do have to criticize Extinction for one thing though, and that would be the actual writing. At times Extinction lacks a certain . . . eloquence that can pull you out of a serious moment at the mercy of your own laughter. For instance there is a character that Jim interacts with whom we only know as “a jerk.” No description, no similes for the word jerk, just “A jerk.” They speak long enough for both characters to exchange a few lines of dialogue but not enough for Jim to notice anything about the man's build aside from "Yep, that's a jerk, alright." This happens a lot and as much as I dislike bombastic writing, it can come off as sloppy.<br />
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That said I loved Extinction and highly recommend it to lovers or Sci-Fi and Espionage alike!<br />
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5 Stars <br />
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HegganLibraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262813539080710921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534647150765712709.post-17657003748316072012013-09-13T10:10:00.000-04:002013-09-13T10:10:25.358-04:00Book Review: The Wife's Tale<b><u>The Wife's Tale</u></b> by<i> Lori Lansens</i> reviewed by <u>Ellen</u><br />
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The story centers around obese, middle-aged Mary Gooch who has lost herself in food trying to fill the voids in her marriage and in life in general. When her husband bails after 25 years of marriage, she sets off in search of him. We realize long before Mary does that subconsciously she is really in search of “Mary”. Along the way she befriends all kinds of quirky, but heartwarming characters who teach Mary that for every loss, there’s an eventual gain.<br />
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(I give it 4 ½ stars.)HegganLibraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262813539080710921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534647150765712709.post-25047759122125973222013-08-26T19:54:00.000-04:002013-11-19T09:27:56.038-05:00Book Review: Untold Story<b><u>Untold Story</u></b> by <i>Monica Ali</i> Reviewed by <u>Sarah Kramer</u><br />
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The cover image is immediately engrossing. The portrait of a woman, recognizable even from a profile view–a beautiful blonde princess–is obviously the late Diana, Princess of Wales. And as such, I was predisposed to dislike this novel. After all, I reasoned, the woman at the heart of it has been dead for over a decade. This book could have easily been just another unscrupulous attempt to make money off of the lightening-rod name of Diana. Ali, however, draws the reader into her imaginary alternate reality skillfully, and without a crass attempt at commercialization of the princess.<br />
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What if, the author wonders, Diana didn’t really die in 1997? What if she had faked her own death, and moved to the States to escape the relentless pressure of her high profile role? In Ali’s twist of the Diana legend, the princess–who thanks to plastic surgery, retains of her former appearance only her famous blue eyes–is known as Lydia. She has a boyfriend, a job, and a new social life far from her former life at Kensington Palace. But can Lydia ever truly find the peace she craves? Or will she always be looking over her shoulders, missing her sons, and afraid to trust anyone? While the plausibility of the real Diana actually abandoning her children is slim to none, the story is still engaging, allowing the reader to suspend reality and marinate in the possibility that the beloved “Queen of People’s Hearts” is not truly gone, after all.<br />
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5 out of 5.HegganLibraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262813539080710921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534647150765712709.post-50741163662799401122013-08-26T19:38:00.000-04:002013-11-19T09:28:49.564-05:00Book Review: Food Rules<u><b>Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual</b> </u>by <i>Michael Pollan (with illustrations by Maira Kalman)</i> Reviewed by <u>Sarah Kramer</u><br />
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This slim, brightly illustrated book is easily read in a day, and depending on what kind of information you are looking for, this can be either good or bad news. If you’re searching for a detailed guide to nutritional choices, you would be better off referring to Pollan’s other works, such as In Defense of Food or The Omnivore’s Dilemma.<br />
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However, if what you’re looking for is some nutritional advice condensed into 83 pithy entries–some entries so brief that they only consist of a title (see #22 and #23)–you’ve picked up the right book. Pollan divided this book into three subtitles, “What Should I Eat?”, “What Kind of Food Should I Eat?”, and “How Should I Eat?” and the entries are divided accordingly. For example, you’ll find “Don’t let yourself get too hungry,” which is rule #59, in the last section; and “Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food” (#2) in the first.<br />
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Pollan seems to operate in nutritional rules of black and white, so I’d advise taking most of his suggestions with a (proverbial!) grain of salt. Rules like, “Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself,” #45, are just begging to be broken. Let’s be honest: few people are going to drop their Ben and Jerry’s guilty pleasure for the joys of homemade ice cream. But the intent behind the rule–that the difficulty of creating junk food should motivate one to limit their snacking–can help a person be more aware of what they eat. And maybe even get in touch with a Martha Stewart side they never knew they possessed!<br />
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I was also a little frustrated with the brevity of this book, as I like a lot of substance with my non-fiction reading and, hey, if you want some food advice with pretty illustrations, there’s always Self magazine. But if you just want to stick a toe into the vast waters of health and nutrition, Pollan’s rulebook is a good way to start.<br />
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2 out of 5.HegganLibraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262813539080710921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534647150765712709.post-57507462812989049122013-08-26T17:43:00.000-04:002013-08-27T11:53:28.703-04:00Book Review: The After Wife<div>
<b><u>The After Wife</u></b> by <i>Gigi L Grazer</i> Reviewed by <u>Sarah Kramer</u></div>
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Readers who are familiar with Ms. Grazer’s works know what they’re in for when picking up her latest title. Specifically: witty dialogue, a sunny California ambiance, and down on their luck heroines who are determined to get back on top of their game. The After Wife, while a more somber story, is no different. The tale of Hannah Marsh Bernal, whose husband, John, was hit and killed by a Range Rover while out on his bike one morning, starts out obviously heartbreaking. Hannah is left to raise their 3 year old daughter, Ellie, by herself along with her “grief team,” a collection of her closest friends determined to keep her going. But while Hannah navigates her grief, she is also learning to process a spooky new talent–the ability to speak with the dead. Grazer incorporates a hint of mystery when Hannah must track down her husband’s killer (whom the police are resolutely sure is already in custody) but fans looking for a beach read will not be disappointed by the happy ending. Warning: the beginning chapters, as Hannah adjusts to life without John, are guaranteed to be rough–keep tissues nearby!<br />
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My rating: 5 stars<br />
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For fans of: The Starter Wife by Gigi Levangie Grazer, Hedge Fund Wives by Tatiana Boncompagni, The Ex Mrs. Hedge Fund by Jill KargmanHegganLibraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262813539080710921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534647150765712709.post-73031032732821021262013-08-26T17:28:00.002-04:002013-11-19T09:28:59.315-05:00Book Review: Wither<b><u>Wither (Book 1 in the Chemical Garden Trilogy)</u></b> by <i>Lauren DeStefano</i> Reviewed by <u>Sarah Kramer</u><br />
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Wither, the first book in the Chemical Garden Trilogy, is a young adult novel set in a dark dystopian future– and the future, it turns out, is incredibly bleak and rapidly ending. Seventy years before the time in which the novel is set, “science perfected the art of children,” (p. 8) creating embryos without cancer, allergies, or other various ailments. At first thought, this sounds like paradise. Unfortunately, as protagonist Rhine explains, what humankind didn’t realize was that the children and grandchildren of those embryos were doomed to be “born healthy and strong, perhaps healthier than our parents, but our life span stops at twenty-five for males and twenty for females. For fifty years the world has been in a panic as it’s children die” (p. 9).<br />
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Naturally, since human life has become so shortened, people find themselves on an accelerated path to procreation, with the intent to have as many children as possible in the hope of both continuing the family bloodline and finding an antidote to the lethal virus that is killing off humankind one by one. To accomplish this goal, polygamy is the norm, and Rhine (age 16) begins the story a captive, kidnapped to be a bride to Linden Ashby, along with Cecily, who’s 13, and Jenna , who’s 19. They join Rose, already Linden’s wife but dying rapidly from what is termed “the virus”. Rhine is set on escaping from the very beginning, but the terrors between the walls of her gilded cage juxtapose roughly with her growing fondness for her sister wives, the husband she reluctantly begins to care for, and the servant (called “attendants” in this world) with whom she falls illicitly in love.<br />
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Wither is not a joyful story, although it does have positive moments for the characters. It is not a fairy tale, either. Rhine has endured grief. She mourns her parents, assassinated in an attack on the lab in which they work. She longs for the twin brother she was stolen from. She grieves her freedom, and wonders about what life could be like in a world where one could live beyond 20 years. Instead, the book is a beautiful, tragic, dark picture of fallible and frightened people making the best choices out of the few years they have available to them, and transcending the status quo of the day (Get married. Have babies. Die). The novel is reminiscent of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, and P.D. James’ Children of Men, and the effect is a story with an addictive, can’t-put-down quality. HegganLibraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262813539080710921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534647150765712709.post-71439628426849198082013-08-26T13:23:00.000-04:002013-08-28T11:39:46.876-04:00Book Review: QuickBooks 2012 for Dummies<b><u>QuickBooks 2012 for DUMMIES</u></b> by <i>Stephen L. Nelson</i> Reviewed by <u>Liz Grantham</u><br />
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I began using QuickBooks in January of this year with a couple hours of training, so I found QUICKBOOKS FOR DUMMIES 2012 to be a great resource.<br />
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While there’s a lot of help built into the program, this manual has directions that are very easy to understand and especially helpful when doing things for the first time, like balancing a bank statement or printing checks.<br />
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Going to the library and checking out manuals for software, allows you the opportunity to decide if you want to purchase these items by previewing them first.<br />
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I checked out a few QuickBooks manuals and this one seemed to be the most helpful.<br />
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Rating: 8 stars HegganLibraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262813539080710921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4534647150765712709.post-62382202537529369342013-08-23T10:34:00.001-04:002013-08-27T11:53:58.836-04:00Book Review: "Silver Linings Playbook"<u><strong>Silver Linings Playbook</strong></u> by <em>Mathew Quick </em>Reviewed by <u>Kim Rinaldi</u><br />
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I waited to see the movie until after reading this book and I am so happy that I did! I was riveted from the very first page. <br />
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The book tells the story of a man who is struggling with mental illness, specifically delusional thinking, brought on by a traumatic experience and by a lifetime of unhealthy family relationships. If you have seen the movie, then you are under the inaccurate impression that this is a love story. Although the story contains those elements, Quick’s book is really about relationships, and how those relationships can literally drive us insane. <br />
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This sounds heavy, I know, but Quick manages to present a topic as serious as mental illness in a way that feels ordinary, comical, comfortable, and even sweet. I have never before read a book quite like Silver Linings Playbook. And the fact that it is set in Philly and much of the plot is centered on the Philadelphia Eagles games makes it an excellent choice for Heggan Library customers, and especially for men looking to break out of the espionage and crime fiction genres for a change. <br />
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5 Stars!HegganLibraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262813539080710921noreply@blogger.com