Review: Born To Run by John M. Green

* From publisher for review *

After reading and reviewing Nowhere Man by John M. Green, I received a personal email from the author and Pantera Press - an Australian publishing house - asking if I was interested in reviewing his second book Born to Run.

Nowhere Man is an economic thriller set in Australia and Born to Run is a political thriller set in the USA so I knew before opening to the first page that I was in for a very different ride this time.

Plot Summary
Isabel Diaz had a poor childhood - with the scars to prove it - and is now a philanthropist and America's favourite in the lead up to the presidential elections.

She is set to become the first female US President in history until it is all ripped from her grasp in a carefully researched and live TV show.  Also happening at the same time is a carefully plotted terrorist attack on New York City that has the potential to bring the city to its very knees; but how are the terrorists connected to the politicians and who's pulling the strings?

Analysis
What was noticeably different between Nowhere Man and Born to Run was that Nowhere Man had an identifiable destination in terms of plot; there was a mystery that needed solving and therefore the reader was aware of the direction the novel was heading.  This isn't the case with Born to Run.

In Born to Run, you are never sure what is going to happen next; events take place but the reader is never permitted to peek around the corner or even get half a step in front of where the author wants you.  This had the effect on me of a slow burn thriller, and I found that the last third of the book went by in an absolute rush and the heady climax was reached.

My favourite character in the novel was Isabel's deaf son Davey who added such dimension to the plot and a fresh perspective on parenting when one parent understands ASL (sign language) better than another.  Davey even had me laughing out loud when he tells a King Kong joke in ASL.

I was also surprised at the Australian author's ability to fall into US politics so seamlessly despite his comment in the Author's note that he's: "...addicted to US presidential elections..." I must've tried at least half a dozen times in my life to understand how US government operates and then six months later, I've forgotten it all again.  (This also happens to me with the rules of cricket).

Nevertheless, you don't need to be an expert in politics to enjoy Born To Run, but if you have an interest it may enhance your enjoyment of this political thriller.

Stay tuned as I'll be interviewing the author John M. Green very soon.

My rating = ****

Carpe Librum!

Author John M. Green talks to My Four Bucks about his two novels, his writing and more, click here to read the interview.

New Design & New Pages

I thought it was time for a design change so I hope you like it!  The first thing you'll probably notice is that the old wallpaper has gone and it's in with the new!

I've created a new Challenges page to incorporate the reading challenges I'm participating in at the moment and I'll be keeping them up to date as I progress throughout the year.

A short while ago I also created an About Me page to the blog to add to the reader experience.

In addition to the new pages, I've added a 'Follow Me on Pinterest' button and a new GoodReads window together with a few minor tweaks here and there to fonts.

If you have any suggestions on things you'd like to see or articles you're interested in, please let me know.

That's my four bucks!

Review: The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

It's time for another classic and this time it's the gothic ghost story by Henry James, The Turn of the Screw. Referred to here and there, I've always wanted to read it and find out if it's still scary by today's measures.

Background
Henry James wrote too many novels and short stories to mention, most notably The Portrait of a Lady in 1881. Published in 1898, The Turn of the Screw has an ambiguous ending, but of course in my arrogance I believed I would finish the last page with a firm idea of what had happened and little room for any doubt.  

You see, I dislike ambiguous endings and I always have an opinion, so if a book requires the reader to decide the ending then I make a decision and get on with it. If the author doesn't tell me the ending of the book then I decide for myself, but in The Turn of the Screw, it wasn't as easy as all that.

Plot Summary
A governess is hired to look after a young boy Miles and his younger sister Flora in a large gothic house (pictured above) after the death of their parents. The children are charming, well behaved and a pleasure to teach and look after. It comes as a shock then when the governess is notified that Miles has been expelled from boarding school, although the letter is vague regarding the reason for his expulsion. This was the most intriguing part of the novella for me and a great cause for discussion amongst academics and students alike.

While this has been happening the governess has been seeing a female and male presence on the estate and begins to suspect they are ghosts and that the children are aware of their presence but won't admit it.  With the help of the housekeeper, the female ghost is identified as Miss Jessel - the previous governess - and the male ghost as Quint - also a previous employee -  both who mysteriously died.

The governess tries to protect the children from their evil presence while Miles seems to know more than he is letting on. Late in the story, Miles says he was expelled from school for telling something to those he liked, who then told those they liked. Some argue this is evidence Miles was expelled for homosexual behaviour but discovering this hypothesis after finishing the book was such a shock that I just find it difficult to believe.

I won't spoil the ending, but here are the possibilities I came up with:  

• Miles could have told his classmates that he killed Miss Jessel and Quint; the classmates then going on to tell their friends and so on, resulting in his expulsion. 
• Another possibility is that Miles could have told his friends that he was seeing ghosts; his friends could have spread the gossip, laughed and teased him, leading to his expulsion for being of unsound mind.
• Miles was incredibly manipulative and his expulsion could have been related to his devious and manipulative behaviour.

Was it scary?

So, was The Turn of the Screw scary? Well, it was certainly creepy, I'll give it that much! Miles was a manipulative character and a believable one. I enjoyed the gothic evocation of place, and the conversations Miles had with the governess made me squirm.

Immediately after finishing the novella (it's a short read) I went online to seek out discussions related to The Turn of the Screw and the ending in particular. I'm still not satisfied and I just wish the author had organised for the answers to be printed upside down at the back of the book.

My rating = ***

Carpe Librum!

Review: The Juice Master - Over 100 Delicious Juices and Smoothies by Jason Vale

I recently purchased a juicer and a family member gave me this book to read for recipe inspiration. I've really enjoyed it, and I'd go so far as to say that The Juice Master goes further than a regular recipe book in that it provides details on the vitamins contained in each juice and the way in which it will 'juice' those that drink it.  

The easiest way to demonstrate this is to share a recipe from the book. Today feels especially cold so I'll share a juice called 'Cold War'.

Cold War
1/4 pineapple
1 orange (peeled but leave the pith on)
1 inch of lemon (with skin on if unwaxed)
1 teaspoon Manuka active honey
4 ice cubes

Juice the pineapple, orange and lemon.  Pour the juice into the blender and add honey and ice. Blend until smooth.

Look what's in it!
Vitamins B6 and C, calcium, folic acid, iron, potassium, magnesium, beta-carotene, natural sugars, plus active antibacterial honey.

How will it help ward off my cold?
This juice is loaded with vitamin C, which is not only a natural antibiotic but also helps dissolve mucus.  The active Manuka honey also has powerful antibacterial properties. The impressive showing of the anti-cancer king - beta-carotene - and the enormous quantity of anti-oxidants all help to build your natural defences.

With over 100 recipes in this format, this is more than just a recipe book, it's a treasure trove of information and also contains juices designed with particular health benefits in mind. With an index sorted by name of fruit and vegetable, it is easy to find what you are looking for.

The documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead has made juicing very popular again although I didn't hear about it until I was buying my juicer. Watching it I found it very inspirational; have you seen it?  Excited by the documentary, I asked my Doctor if I could do the juice fast and she gave me an emphatic 'no.' Oh well.

In summary, this is a gem of a juice book and I'm reluctant to return it.  If you have a favourite juice recipe you'd like to recommend, please share it in the comments section, I'd love to try it out.

My rating = ****

Carpe Librum!

Review: Vanish by Tess Gerritsen

This is my first encounter with the increasingly popular author Tess Gerritsen and her series of books featuring Detective Jane Rizzoli and Dr. Maura Isles.  The series of novels have been developed into a TV series called Rizzoli & Isles which I have been following; so when a member of the family offered to lend me one of Gerritsen's novels I thought why not?

As I know from experience, the book is always different from the movie/TV show and it was no different here.  In Vanish, Detective Rizzoli is heavily pregnant which is quite a departure from the character from the TV program and I don't think I ever quite got used to the idea of Jane as a mother in the novel.

Taken hostage in the hospital while in labour - which was a little unbelievable - Jane does her best to stay alive, however the case is taken over by the highest powers and Jane and her FBI husband try and work out what is behind the clean up attempts and hidden evidence.  There are allusions to terrorism and a visit with a Senator however the ending was extremely disappointing - spoiler alert - in that it all boiled down to a sex/snuff tape featuring the most powerful man in the Intelligence arena.  

This is an average crime story, but nothing more than that.  It did contain a moving sub-plot of a young girl struggling to seek freedom however it was mildly entertaining at best.  My cover is different to the image above (no naked image of a woman) and contains the following quote:

'This is crime writing at its unputdownable, nerve-tingling best.'                                                                                                                - HARLAN COBEN

Unfortunately I didn't find Vanish unputdownable or nerve-tingling and I'm not sure if I'll be giving Gerritsen a second chance in the future; not for a while anyway. I think I'll stick to the TV Show for now, which I enjoy very much.

My rating **1/2

Carpe Librum!

Aussie Author Challenge 2012

I participated in the Aussie Author Challenge 2012 hosted over at Booklover Book Reviews blog in 2012.  The challenge ran from 1 January 2012 - 31 December 2012, and the two levels of participation were:

Tourist - read and review 3 books by at least 2 different Aussie authors
Dinky Di - read and review 12 books by at least 6 different Aussie authors

I achieved the first level easily, but unfortunately they didn't have a middle level so pushed through to achieve the Dinky Di level of participation, and made it on the last day of the year, phew!

Here is a list of the books I read for the challenge:
 1. The Blood Countess | Tara Moss
 2. Nowhere Man | John M. Green
 3. The Light Between Oceans | M. L. Stedman
 4. Born To Run | John M. Green
 5. Killing Richard Dawson | Robin Baker
 6. My Hundred Lovers | Susan Johnson
 7. Rocks in the Belly | Jon Bauer
 8. The Crossing | B. Michael Radburn
 9. Bitter Greens | Kate Forsyth
10.Blackwater Moon | B. Michael Radburn
11.Back From The Dead - Peter Hughes' Story of Survival and Hope After Bali | Patrick Lindsay
12. Crimeson | Justin Gardner

Review Published in April 2012 Edition of Good Reading Magazine

Review published in Good Reading Magazine (top of page)

I'm excited to announce that Good Reading Magazine has published my book review (right) of Caught in the Crossfire by Matina Jewell.

The review was published in the April 2012 edition of the magazine (pictured below) and is now on sale.  

Being such an avid fan of the magazine - and reading the reviews every month - it was a thrill to have my own review published; particularly given the high regard in which I hold the author, Matina Jewell.  

 

April  2012 Cover of
Good Reading Magazine

If you've ever thought       about writing a review  yourself or have a goal to publish a poem or story in a magazine, I highly recommend you push any self doubt aside and just go for it!

The excitement of success makes it all worthwhile but you'll never reach your goal unless you take your first step and give it a try.  I'd love to hear about your goals so leave me a comment and tell me what your writing goals are for the remainder of 2012.

Review: The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

As a fan of historical fiction I've admired the work of Philippa Gregory from a distance for a long while now, and enjoyed the film The Other Boleyn Girl based on her novel of the same title.

I'm excited to have finally made her acquaintance so to speak after receiving two of her books from The Cousin's War series for Christmas last year: The White Queen and The Red Queen.

To be honest, I'd been procrastinating about reading The White Queen, enjoying the fantasy that Philippa Gregory could be my next favourite historical fiction author and at the same time prolonging any chance of disappointment.  When I finally found the courage to take the plunge, I was both pleased and excited to find she exceeded my expectations in every possible way.  Phew!

England in the late 1400s during the time of the House of Lancaster and the House of York is rich with material although some authors seem to drown in the details of court politics, rebellions and uprisings and end up confusing the hell out of their readers.  And then there are authors like Philippa Gregory and Robin Maxwell who delight in the narrative and tantalise us with their tales of secrets and betrayals, war, love and sieges.

Elizabeth Woodville is a widow who meets King Edward IV on a roadside in an attempt to speak with him about her dead husband's land when a spark of attraction is ignited between them.  They fall in love, although Elizabeth won't risk her reputation to lay with him and so the King proposes and they secretly marry.  Elizabeth goes on to give birth to two sons; the Princes disappearance years later will mystify historians for centuries to come in the mystery known as the 'Princes in the Tower.'

Elizabeth is fiercely loyal to her family and protective of her children, ending her association with the House of Lancaster when she marries the King and joining the House of York; continuing to work out who she can trust and who to build alliances with until the very end.

Philippa Gregory walks us through complicated history with remarkable ease and I got a real sense of what it must have been like to live during these times of political unease and uncertainty.  One day Elizabeth is a Queen and the next she is in sanctuary fearing for her life.

Regardless of the subject matter, The White Queen was easy to follow and the love story was quite a feature which I happened to quite enjoy; another surprise from Gregory (I don't usually handle the romance section of a novel too well).

Another bonus is that this novel contributes towards my Historical Fiction 2012 Reading Challenge, which is great news given I signed up for the Struggling the Addiction level of ten books.  Click here if you'd like to join the challenge with me.

The next novel in this series is The Red Queen and I can't wait to read it soon.  Have you read any books by Philippa Gregory?  What were they and did you enjoy them?  Drop me a line and share your reading experience.

My rating = ****

Carpe Librum!

Review: The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman

* From publisher for review *

I finished reading M. L. Stedman's The Light Between Oceans last night, and I now understand why it was the subject of a bidding war and I am certain it is destined to become a huge bestseller in the months to come.

Tom Sherbourne returns from World War I with his limbs intact but carrying psychological scars and seeks to get as far away from people as possible. He seeks refuge on Janus Rock as a Lighthouse Keeper, where the regulations and routine of lighting up, maintaining the light and recording everything that happens in the log book, calm him.

Tom meets Isabel at Point Partageuse and they soon marry. Izzy joins him on Janus Rock for three years at a time, and they have no contact from the outside world except for the quarterly visits from Bluey and Ralph on the supply boat.

Shortly after a miscarriage, a small row boat washes ashore with a man and baby onboard. Unfortunately the man is dead but miraculously the baby is still alive. Did God answer their prayers for a baby? Should they report it? What if they disagree? Tom and Izzy's actions that follow the surprise discovery ultimately change the course of their lives forever.

It's easy to judge what you would do in such a situation, but in reading The Light Between Oceans it was painful to see the chain of events unfold and the toll on their relationship. Sometimes there is no right or wrong, and in the end there are no winners.

This was an incredibly moving story. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about what it was like to be a Lighthouse Keeper in Australia during this period. The isolation and the weather were beautifully captured and written however didn't feature so much as to become tiresome for the reader. I loved the references to the night sky and Tom's love of astronomy in addition to Tom's - and the fellow lighthouse keepers' - love for the light. A life 'on the lights' was something I knew nothing about prior to picking up this book and I feel my life is richer for having read about this aspect of our history.

Born and raised in Western Australia, Stedman now lives in London, however there's no doubting she's an Aussie. She has captured the Australian lingo of the period exceptionally well, and I truly felt transported back in time with words like: 'girlie', 'humdinger' and 'stepping out.'

I was captivated and swept away by Stedman's writing style, and I'd like to share my favourite section from The Light Between Oceans. It is an extract from Page 24, and in the lead up to this section the author is writing about the death of children:

"The town cemetery had always recorded this truthfully, and its headstones, some lolling like loose, grimy teeth, told frankly the stories of lives taken early by influenza and drownings, by timber whims and even lightning strikes. But in 1915, it began to lie. Boys and men from across the district were dying by the score, yet the graveyards said nothing."

I've been thinking about these words every day since I read them; that the graveyards said nothing. I found this incredibly moving and poignant and just one example of the author's powerful writing style.

I couldn't recommend M. L. Stedman's The Light Between Oceans - named so because the Janus lighthouse overlooks the merging of two oceans - more highly.

My rating = *****

Review: Nowhere Man by John M. Green

Nowhere Man is the successful debut novel from Australian author John M. Green and is set in Sydney. The novel begins with Sonya returning from her early morning run only to find husband Michael has left her, leaving a mysterious note on the bed for her to find.

We soon learn that Michael was a very private man working from home and trading on the stock market. When Sonya discovers his private computer files, she realises Michael has been keeping secrets from her the entire time they've been together.  

Looking at his letter with fresh eyes, Sonya begins to suspect Michael may not have left her voluntarily and sets out determined to find the truth.

Nowhere Man is an economic thriller with a science fiction twist and the plot and pace had me turning the pages well into the night.

I thoroughly enjoyed Nowhere Man, and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.   (Click here to read an interview with the author).

My rating = ****

Carpe Librum!

P.S. I'm so excited to have received a personal message from the author himself:

"I'm so thrilled you enjoyed my first novel, Nowhere Man.  Thank you so much for taking the time to read it and for writing such a great review on My Four Bucks."

Isn't it great when writers take the time to interact with their readers directly?  Fabulous!

Just surpassed 20,000 hits!

It gives me great pleasure to announce:

My Four Bucks has now reached 

and surpassed 20,000 hits!!

Many thanks to my regular followers. Books are my passion and I continue to enjoy writing reviews, interviewing authors and sharing bookish news.

Happy Reading to you all!

Review: The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice

Background
I've always been a huge fan of author Anne Rice, and when I read that she was writing a new book with a werewolf featuring as the main character I was surprised and of course thrilled to the wisdoms; or should that be thrilled to the tips of my claws?

As the weeks went by, the anticipation grew, and by the time I lay my hands on my own copy of The Wolf Gift, I could barely contain my excitement.  Have you ever had that feeling?  Fans of the Harry Potter series of books had it, as did the Twihard fans of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series.  Fans so excited to read the next book in the series that they are willing to queue in the streets to buy it;  ahhh, the magic of books.

Well, I didn't queue at midnight, but I did cruise into Dymocks, ooh and ahh over the display and carry my precious cargo together with my Christmas gift card to the counter.  Attempting small talk with the staff member behind the counter was a disaster, it went something like this: "I've been waiting for this book for months, it's the latest by Anne Rice, I'm so excited!" It was met with a cursory glance at the cover and a dismissive "uh-huh."  

Well, nothing was going to knock me off cloud nine, so I glided out of the store, and made my way home, determined to finish my current book quick smart so that I could devote my full attention to this gem. Delayed gratification was in order here and I didn't want to rush it.  Besides, just having a new Anne Rice novel on my shelf was giving me divine enjoyment.

Review

Reuben is a handsome and wealthy young journalist who resents the nicknames he's been given for his boyish charm and good looks and just wants to be taken seriously. He meets Marchent while writing a story about the family house she's selling which he names Nideck Point. Reuben quickly falls in love with the house and it's gothic character and decides he must have it whatever the cost.

It's not a spoiler to say that Reuben becomes a manwolf (werewolf) during The Wolf Gift, this much is contained in the blurb, however the story is about how he comes to terms with his transition and his new found physical power.

Reuben meets a woman while he is a powerful manwolf and makes love to her, but he's not sure if she will be attracted to him if she sees him as he really is, just a young man; without the increased strength, power, deep voice and body hair that the transformation gives him.

Nideck Point contains many secrets, and Reuben discovers that there are others like him. Towards the end of the The Wolf Gift the author was beginning to lift the veil on the identity and history of the others and the ending of the novel left the way open to a sequel.

What I like most about novels written by Anne Rice is the sense of history she invokes, particularly in characters that are immortal, and the way in which they endure over the centuries and the history they witness. In my opinion, the novel finished at the most thrilling and exciting part for me, and I was desperate to learn more and continue reading.

I can only hope there is a short wait until the sequel.

My rating = ****

Carpe Librum!

P.S. After this review was posted (under my old blog title My Four Bucks), Anne Rice herself read it and posted a direct link to her Facebook page, wow!  Talk about a dream come true :-)

Screenshot taken from the Anne Rice Facebook Wall

Oscar for the creators of The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

Creators of The Fantastic Flying Books of
Mr. Morris Lessmore win an Oscar

A few weeks ago, I posted a short film here entitled 'The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore,' after completely falling in love with it.


It's a short animated film running for approximately 15 minutes without any spoken words and I found it touching and uplifting.


If you were watching the Oscars this week, you might have seen that the creators of this amazingly touching little film (pictured right) won an Oscar for their work.


Clearly I believe it was well deserved, and I encourage you all to watch it.  I'm off to watch it again because I really love the ending.  (It's not a tear, I think I have something in my eye).


That's my four bucks!

Review: The Corpse Walker and Other True Stories of Life in China by Liao Yiwu

I learned more about China from reading Liao Yiwu's The Corpse Walker and Other True Stories of Life in China than I'd previously learned in a lifetime.

The book comprises twenty-seven true life interviews with Chinese citizens from all walks of life and Liao Yiwu has been imprisoned for 4 years for writing the truth and recording oral history.  In fact, he is legally unable to leave China to promote his book or attend international literary festivals. 

His collection takes its name from an old practice in China of 'walking a corpse'.  When a person died far from home, the family would hire a corpse walker to transport the corpse home if they could afford to.  

The corpse was covered with a huge dark robe including a hood covering the face.  The 'corpse walker' walked ahead giving verbal commands to the corpse whilst holding a white paper lantern and tossing fake money every now and again to 'buy their way into the other world'.  It appeared to anyone passing them on the road that the corpse was walking, however the secret was that there was a second corpse walker underneath and the corpse was actually tied to his back.  Fascinating!

The author interviewed many interesting people including the following: 

Author Liao Yiwu

• The professional mourner
• The human trafficker
• The public toilet manager
• The leper
• The rightist
• The former landowner
• The mortician
• The former red guard
• The Tiananmen father
• The Falun Gong practitioner
• The blind erhu player
• The street singer
• The migrant worker
• The survivor

It was from reading these interviews and personal accounts that I learned about the Cultural Revolution in China, the Great Leap Forward and the Great Chinese Famine in detail.  I was also able to understand how each related to the other and put the political pieces together.  I was incredibly shocked to learn of the millions of Chinese who lost their lives in the Chinese Famine in the early '60s (approx 20-40 million people!) and to read of the cannibalism going on; families in rural areas killing their daughters to feed their families.  Just unthinkable!

It was only in reading their individual stories that I realised just how ignorant I had been about the real China.  It also highlighted to me how effective the Chinese Government has been in keeping the West in the dark and how thankful I am to author Liao Yiwu for taking the risks he has in getting them to us in the West.

It wasn't all doom and gloom though.  There were some uplifting and inspiring stories too, stories of incredible strength, forgiveness and spiritual endurance.

The Corpse Walker and Other True Stories of Life in China is an incredible book written by a fearless author who was imprisoned for his work and beliefs.  I can't recommend it highly enough.

My rating = *****

Follow Up Interview with William F. Brown, author of Amongst My Enemies

William F. Brown

Hi Bill, welcome back and congratulations on the release of your latest novel Amongst My Enemies.

You mentioned in your last interview with me that the concept for each novel you write begins with a simple concept; a one-liner. What was the one-liner that kicked off the writing for Amongst My Enemies?
Amongst My Enemies began with a thing – the Amber Room, which I came across in my reading. It was a large reception room in the Ekaterininsky Palace outside St. Petersburg, the walls of which were made of amber panels, encrusted with precious stones. They were there when the Germans swept past in 1941, and gone when the Russians took it back in 1944, and have never been seen since. It is priceless and remains one of the world’s great art mysteries. The Russians still believe the Germans know where it is, and they in turn have kept a lot of art they took from Berlin.

I had a double major in history, and WW II, the Cold War, and the current era of terrorism offer an endless supply of action, emotion and good stories. Good fiction, however, is about compelling characters, not background, and I completely rewrote Amongst many times until I got the characters right.

Amongst My Enemies is set in WWII and the majority of the story takes place overseas. Was it difficult for you to write a novel vastly different from The Undertaker or was that your intention?
I spent last year and will spend this year putting my existing books out as e-books, so I find myself working on a number of projects in different stages of development at the same time. Amongst My Enemies is partly WW II and mostly early Cold War, and had to be meatier, richer story to establish the background and motivation for what happens. The Undertaker, which by design is more of a fast, snarky, character-based, contemporary, ‘chase’ book didn’t need that help.

Thursday at Noon, which I’m now polishing up and will release in April, is also a fast paced story set in a few days in 1962, in Egypt. Winner Lose All, my newest, which is off with my agent, is mostly WW II, but an action, character-based story. One Good Shot, which will come out later this year, is a contemporary Middle-East terrorist thriller set in Washington and Virginia. As you know, The Undertaker is told in 1st person, which was my first attempt at that. It adds some immediacy and emotion, and I may do more of that.

I have another story in its infancy, Through the Glass Darkly, which may be first person, and may bring back Pete and Sandy from The Undertaker, since I had so many favorable comments on them. I’ve never tried a continuing character, but they are popular with readers, so we’ll see. As you can tell, I did not immediately shift gears from Undertaker to Amongst, but they are the opposite extremes of what I do. I was very concerned about that when I put Amongst out, but the early reviewers are people who reviewed and liked The Undertaker, and I’m very pleased to see they all liked both.

Did the fact that you've travelled to Germany and Russia help you when writing the novel? If so, can you tell us more?
Yes, for color and images. I’ve spent a lot of time in Germany, East, West, and Berlin, but only went to Russia two years ago, when my wife and I were able to spend 2 ½ weeks in Moscow, the Golden Ring, and St. Petersburg, including a visit to the Ekaterininsky Palace, where the Amber Room is.

It has taken the Russians almost 60 years to rebuild them, including a perfect copy of The Amber Room. It is very impressive, and no amount of photos can give the same impression as being there. Our tour guide was a young Russian woman whose parents and grandparents were Siege survivors, and you could feel the pride she took in her heritage.

What was the best book you read in 2011?
I can read or I can write, but it is hard to do both. In non-fiction, I read The Coming of the Third Reich by Richard Evans, the first volume of his three volume study of Nazi Germany which I think is a fascinating study of how tyranny can take over a country. It completely changed my understanding of the subject, and I highly recommend it to anyone.

In fiction, I read Daniel Silva’s The Rembrandt Affair and David Baldacci’s Divine Justice. Along with Michael Connolly, Robert Crais, and Dennis Lehane, they are my favorites, and always good.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?
No, just thanks for the interview and the review.

Thanks again for your time Bill.

Review: Words You Thought You Knew - 1001 Commonly Misused and Misunderstood Words and Phrases by Jenna Glatzer

Instead of reviewing Jenna Glatzer's Words You Thought You Knew - 1001 Commonly Misused and Misunderstood Words and Phrases, I thought I would list the words from her book I discovered I misuse (the horror).  I'd also like to share with you the gems I learned from her along the way.

Words this reviewer is guilty of misusing

Adorable 
Adorable means worthy of being adored, and is not another word for cute.

Because/Since
People often use since as a synonym for because, but it is not. Since refers to time, from a time in the past until the present.

Comprise/Compose
Comprise means "to be made up of" so the of is already included. You can say composed of, but it is incorrect to say comprised of. I'm guilty of this many times over, oops.

Half-mast/Half-staff
I was really surprised to learn that flags are only at half-mast if they're on a ship or a Naval base. Everywhere else, they are at half-staff. I wonder if this is applies to Australia too.

Healthy/Healthful
Did you know there's no such thing as a healthy meal? Healthy means having good health, but your food is healthful, bringing about good health. This mistake is everywhere you look and especially when it comes to packaging and marketing material.

Nauseated/Nauseous
I didn't know that nauseous means sickening, disgusting or gross, so that something that is nauseous causes nausea or makes somebody feel nauseated.

Plan
It's incorrect to plan on something and I'm definitely guilty of this one. It's correct to plan it, plan to or plan for something.

Presently
I definitely didn't know this one, but presently doesn't mean now, it means soon. If something is happening now, it's happening currently.

Raise/Rear
I'm guilty of misusing raise and rear - animals are raised and children are reared - but even now that I know the correct usage, I'm still reluctant to use them in this way. It just feels wrong, what do you think?  

Vital
The word vital comes from the Latin vita meaning life and should only be used to describe living things. Saying things like "it's vital that I have at least one can of Pepsi Max per day" is incorrect," because technically I can live without it.

Another think coming/Another thing coming
Even though we've all probably said and heard the phrase: "If that's what you think, you have another thing coming," apparently it's incorrect! The correct expression is: "if that's what you think, you have another think coming." It's surprising and even though it sounds grammatically incorrect, this is the correct phrase.

Even now that I know the correct phrase, I think I'm just going to avoid this expression altogether, rather than have people trying to correct me each time.

What about you?
So, what about you? Were you guilty of misusing any of the above words, or were there any surprises for you too? I'd love to hear your comments, or hear about other words that bug you.

My rating = ****

Carpe Librum!

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

I just watched the animated clip of The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore and it was so touching and beautiful I want to share it with as many people as I can.

It begins with a storm that takes the main character to a place where books can fly, walk around and have their own personality. Not a single word was spoken during the entire story (it runs for approx 15 mins), however it was very expressive and the ending was incredibly moving.

I thoroughly recommend it to everyone, even if you're not a fan of reading, you must see this.

Carpe Librum!

Review: Amongst My Enemies by William F. Brown

* From author for review *

Amongst My Enemies is the second novel I've read from author William F. Brown, and I was eager to review it based on how much I enjoyed his previous novel The Undertaker, giving it 4 stars.

It was clear from the front cover alone that this novel was going to be different, however I didn't quite expect that it would be so different from The Undertaker that it could almost have been written by a different author.  

Sometimes an author will stick to the same genre, time period, subject matter, plot mechanism or writing style but not Brown.  As I was reading Amongst My Enemies, I was surprised at the author's ability to move so seamlessly between projects  and write a book that was a stark contrast in comparison to The Undertaker.

I mentioned the front cover earlier, and I must admit that it does kind of look like a Tom Clancy spy thriller but I can reassure you that the plot is completely accessible to the average reader.  Mike Randall is an American POW in Germany towards the end of WWII, and stows away on a U-boat in an attempt to survive the war.  What he doesn't expect is to be discovered and set free off the coast of Sweden by the U-boat Captain, only to witness it being bombed, carrying it's precious cargo - crew, gold, jewels and art - to the ocean floor.

Mike has survivor guilt, but he also wants revenge, while the Germans want their gold back and will stop at nothing to get it.  Brown writes really good villains, and there are certainly a couple in Amongst My Enemies.

Sometimes the plots of spy thrillers can be hard to keep up with, however this definitely isn't the case here.  This was an easy and enjoyable introduction to WWII thrillers and a really great place to start if you're new to the genre. (Here's a list from Amazon.com of 13 WWII Thriller Novels if you'd like to do any further list making of books to read).

When it comes to ratings though, I didn't find Amongst My Enemies as gripping and as engrossing as The Undertaker if I'm completely honest. 

My rating = ***

Carpe Librum!

Review: The Blood Countess by Tara Moss

I've been a fan of Tara Moss for quite a while now, watching her interview other famous authors on Tara Moss in Conversation, watching her on Tough Nuts - Australia's Hardest Criminals, and following her comments on Twitter.

So you might be surprised to learn The Blood Countess is the first Tara Moss book I've read. The reason for my hesitation until now was the fear I might not enjoy her work as much as I enjoy her in the mediums mentioned above, and that it could damage the high regard in which I hold her. 

I needn't have worried. I deliberated before settling on The Blood Countess, and I must confess I was a little influenced by the front cover.

Pandora English moves to New York City to live with her eccentric Great Aunt Celia and pursue her dream as a writer with a fashion magazine. Her Aunt lives on the top floor of a gothic revival style Victorian building located in Spektor, in Manhattan. I thoroughly enjoyed the references to the history and description of the mansion, and I share Tara's enthusiasm for gothic architecture and Victorian influence.  I was keen to learn more about the building, it's history and it's architect Edmund Barrett, the founding member of the Global Society for Psychical Research. My interest was piqued but the plot moved on, and I almost felt like Tara was teasing the reader with a whiff of what could be interesting enough for another book altogether!

The fashion angle in The Blood Countess is something largely outside my normal reading patterns; another reason why I chose this novel over one of Tara's many crime novels. However I was relieved to find that the writing wasn't dripping in fashion lingo, nor would I categorise this novel as 'chic lit' (which I detest). The Blood Countess by Tara Moss is a light and enjoyable read with a likeable main character in Pandora English and a supernatural undercurrent.

My rating = ***

Carpe Librum!

Keep Calm and Read On

Whenever I look at my TBR (To Be Read) pile or feel overwhelmed by the number of books out there I want to read, I have to remind myself that I can only read one page at a time.

I saw this poster today, 'Keep Calm and Read On' and it made me smile.  I thought it was a timely reminder for all book-lovers at the beginning of the year who may have set ambitious reading goals for themselves; if you keep calm, keep your head down and press on, you can get there.  

Those of you who enjoyed the extra reading time over Christmas, remember you don't have to stop when the holidays are over.   I do the majority of my reading in bed before sleep, in waiting rooms before appointments or on public transport.  Where do you do yours?  Where can you find time for the activities you love doing?  What can you do without?

When people tell me "I don't have time to read," what they're really saying is that they prefer to spend their time doing something other than reading.  If reading is important enough to someone, they'll put it at the top of their priority list, and find time for that activity.  Of course, some of us wish we could read more, but that's only natural.  As for me, I don't wish I could spend more time reading, I wish that in the time I spent reading, I could get through more books.

At the moment I'm reading: Words You Thought You Knew - 1001 Commonly Misused and Misunderstood Words and Phrases by Jenna Glatzer while watching the Australian Tennis Open.  It's the perfect book to read during the ads and quieter moments of each match.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas, so please feel free to leave a comment below and share your thoughts.  But, let's Keep Calm and Read On.

Carpe Librum!