The Three Kitties That Saved My Life by Michael Meyer

The Three Kitties That Saved My Life is a memoir about the author's loss of his first wife and the subsequent grief he felt. He takes the reader on a journey through that grief to the other side where three kitties await. The story begins on a heart-wrenching note with Ciba, Meyer's first wife.

He introduces her with his own memories of when they first met. The story fast-forwards to a dream trip to Ireland. After returning home, Ciba falls ill. She battles cancer and goes into remission followed by a surprising devastation. The first chapters will grip your heart and give you a new appreciation for your loved ones. Much of the book's middle is devoted to the introduction of the three kitties and is full of awareness and appreciation of life.

Michael Meyer is the first indie author I've selected for this blog. I have other indie authors in the wings, whose books I enjoy, but this one was especially touching and was a great blog introduction to the indie movement.

 

The Guardian by Jane Hamilton

The Guardian is an all-time favorite of mine, and a book that I re-read every few years because Jane Hamilton’s characters are so absolutely wonderful and the way she tugs you into the story is masterful

The story opens with Tabris, a Guardian angel tried in Heaven’s court.  Flanked by two archangels, he stands on trial for the ultimate crime. Part of the mystery of the story is finding out exactly what Tabris did, because nothing is said directly about the crime throughout the beginning of the book although many hints are laid out.  All of the angels are horrified and treat him with distance, some with disrespect.

God has given Tabris a second chance. Tabris is sent to help another angel, Rachmiel, guard his child. The other angel is polite but doesn’t completely trust Tabris, but then Tabris doesn’t completely trust himself either.

The Guardian is a unique, heart-wrenching story. If you like fantasies and have gotten bored with the current selection, try this one.  In my opinion, Jane Hamilton writes the characters in The Guardian with as much skill as Patricia Briggs did in Moon Called.

Let me give you fair warning.  This is a Christian book and as such will contain reference to Christian beliefs.  That said, this book is truly a hidden gem.

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque with translation by A.W. Wheen

It is my firm belief that any proponent of war and any person willing to declare war should first be put into the most dangerous engagement they would consign to someone else. All Quiet on the Western Front is as close as I've ever gotten to war and as close as I ever want to be to such a thing. While I have long been a pacifist, it is the men like Erich Remarque who have lived it and suffered from it who truly can demonstrate how horrible a thing it really is.   

All Quiet on the Western Front is not a book for the faint of heart. It follows a young soldier through the trenches of World War I, fighting on German side of the war. The book engages the reader from the start with vivid descriptions and a narration that brings the soldier's hopes and fears close to the reader. If you've never read All Quiet On the Western Front, I think you'll find it a hard but worthwhile read.

 I can't do the book justice with just a blog entry...here is an excerpt:  

The young recruits of course know none of these things. They get killed simply because they hardly can tell shrapnel from high-explosive, they are mown down because they are listening anxiously to the roar of the big coal-boxes falling in the rear, and miss the light, piping whistle of the low spreading daisy-cutters. They flock together like sheep instead of scattering, and even the wounded are shot down like hares by the airmen.  

Their pale turnip faces, their pitiful clenched hands, the fine courage of these poor devils, the desperate charges and attacks made by the poor brave wretches, who are so terrified that they dare not cry out, but with battered chests, with torn bellies, arms and legs only whimper softly for their mothers and cease as soon as one looks at them. 

Their sharp, downy dead faces have the awful expressionlessness of dead children. 

It brings a lump into the throat to see how they go over and run and fall. A man would like to spank them, they are so stupid and to take them by the arm and lead them away from here where they have no business to be.

Shock by Robin Cook

In writing this blog, I've been encouraging people to step outside their comfort zones and try some genres that they may not typically read. In keeping with my own advice, I picked up a medical thriller. Now, honestly, I don't read in the thriller genre much. I've tried Tom Clancy and just didn't get into his books enough to take them home with me.

While looking for something outside my normal reading scope, I discovered Robin Cook. Shock is the story of two women who donate eggs in return for thousands of dollars. Although they signed a confidentiality contract, they become curious about the outcome of their eggs and whether any children had been born. With a decision to do some investigating, the women go undercover into the facility. What they find does indeed shock them and puts their lives in danger.

There were one or two moments in the story that stretched the imagination, but overall, the story was interesting enough that I was able to overlook them. Robin Cook's style is easy to read and his incorporation of medical knowledge made for a unique thriller.

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Winter of Magic’s Return by Pamela F. Service

This is a post-apocalyptic tale written before they were in style (published in 1985).  The book is about a trio of children living at a school, one is an orphan and has become a ward of the schoo

Five hundred years after a nuclear holocaust, the world is cold and cloudy year round. Strange animals mutated from the years of nuclear winter roam the Earth. The school is safe, but Wellington, Heather, and Earl take flight from the school when a couple comes to the school to claim Earl.

The couple claim to be his relatives but he knows they aren’t. Nightmares plague him and he’s lost his memory, but he knows not to trust them. 

Expect a few surprises if you’re never read the story or heard the spoilers.  It is unique enough to make for a very good read. 

Promise of Pleasure by Cheryl Holt

Cheryl Holt is one of my favorite regency romance writers.  Lately I've read a lot of regencies, so there will probably be a higher percentage of blogs on the subject than in a few years when my interests have changed. Promise of Pleasure is about a young woman who lives a less than perfect life with her step-mother and half-sisters. Her step-mother is interested in titled gentleman for her daughter Felicity and hopes to make a match with Jordan Winthrop, heir to the Earl of Sunderland.

In the meantime, Mary has taken an elixir from a peddler who promises that one drink in the presence of her true love and he will be hers. Everything goes wrong when Jordan blocks the man Mary has targeted just moments after she drinks the potion and she sees him instead.

What I love about Promise of Pleasure is the combination of humorous scenes with some heart-touching sorrowful moments when it seems that the story will end badly.  I truly love reading Cheryl Holt. If you enjoy romances and have somehow missed Cheryl Holt, I highly recommend her.

Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis is famed for the Chronicles of Narnia, which is one of my favorite series, although I'm afraid I might have outgrown them.   Till We Have Faces is a more mature book and a powerful story.

The story is a retelling of the Cupid and Psyche myth from the perspective of the half-sister who was blamed in the myth as a jealous woman who disliked Psyche and set her up. In this first-person tale, Orual justifies her actions to the gods and explains her side. The result is a fascinating and unique story.

What I enjoy the most about Till We Have Faces is that Orual's character is so very likeable even with her flaws. She is told she is ugly as a child, but she is able to put up a good argument that she truly loves her sister who is beautiful. The beginning of the book is spent on Orual and Psyche's childhood and their teacher, the Fox, and how Psyche came to be sacrificed to Cupid. I don't like to give away endings, so I'll leave it there.

An elegant story with a strong emotional thread, this is a wonderful book.

The Monster at the end of this Book by Jon Stone

I've been remiss in the picture book category and thought it might be time to mention the single best picture book ever written. The Monster at the end of this Book might be for kids, but it's the kind of book that an adult can enjoy reading to the little ones.

It's clever and funny and what I would call a page turner for children.  I suppose if picture books were categorized, this would be a mystery.   I loved it when I was little and I have the feeling in a hundred years, it will still be in print.




 

Phule's Company by Robert Aspirin

Let me first say that I enjoy all of Robert Aspirin's books. He cracks me up. I enjoy the Myth Series and may at some point do a post on that, but even as a Robert Aspirin fan, I stumbled onto Phule's Company several years after it was first released.

 In Phule's Company, a lieutenant is punished with the command of a company of men who have been shuffled off to the most undesirable placement in the legion, Haskin's Planet. The captain and colonel gave the command of the company of "losers and problem cases" to the lieutenant who is the wealthy son of the owner of Phule-Proof Munitions, hoping to entice him to resign. He happily accepts the promotion.

But Phule didn't know he was supposed to fail. And he didn't do things the way everyone expected. With plenty of laughs along the way, Phule finds the special abilities his troops possess and teaches them a new way of looking at things. They learn to work together and when problems come, surprise everyone with their success. A fun and entertaining read. One I can highly recommend.

The Manhattan Hunt Club by John Saul

John Saul knows how to write a chilling book.  The Manhattan Hunt Club opens with a brutal attack on a woman.  The man who tried to help her, Jeff Converse, was falsely accused and is wrongly convicted.  His sentence is light, only nine months. On his way to Riker’s Island, the van Jeff is riding in is hit and someone pulls him out of the van and sends him into the tunnels.

Jeff is then shoved into a cell with a serial killing crazy who doesn’t remember his killings.  Meanwhile his father and girlfriend, neither believing the official story of his death, join forces to try to find him. Taking place in the subterranean world of New York City, the effect is a cold and dark world. Jeff and Jagger, the serial killer, are told that they are going to be in a hunt...as prey. If they can get to the surface, they will live.

The odds are stacked against them. And the hunters are coming.

The Manhattan Hunt Club touches on an interesting array of themes and politics, from the homeless (or houseless) to vigilante justice. But it’s done with such finesse that the themes don’t overshadow the entertainment value the book has to offer. 

The idea might be familiar, but the treatment is unique.  Somewhere between mystery and horror, The Manhattan Hunt Club is a great read!

(Links will take you off site to Amazon...)

All I Really Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum

It's been almost two decades since All I Really Need to Know came out. For that upcoming generation who might have missed it (or those of you older folks who somehow managed to pass it by), All I Really Need to Know is a humorous look at life with all of its foibles and follies.

Sometimes editors and agents will talk about an author's 'voice' or style. I believe that Robert Fulghum's greatest gift is that voice. He draws you into his book with a storyteller's invitation and warms you in the laughter of his words.   His humor, sometimes self-deprecating, has a truth that seems to ring in a person's soul with clarity and conviction and of course, chuckling. 

I've picked up more than a few so-called funny books with authors who are ready to show the world their version of truth.  A few I found dark or crass and well, not terribly funny. Some just seemed to blather on without anything to say.  But Fulghum is funny and his humor is intelligent. When he ventures into dark places, he brings a nightlight and a teddy bear (or at least a singing bird), and he makes a person feel better for having read his work.

And that's really something.  So for those of you who missed it, I strongly recommend with my biggest blogger stamp of approval, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.

How Much for Just the Planet? By John M. Ford

It’s almost embarrassing to admit, but somewhere in my dark history I was once a trekkie, and I have the books to prove it! There were some decent writers in the Trek universe back in the day (maybe still are, but I’ve moved on since).

I enjoyed The Great Starship Race by Diane Carey and may even write about that one in a few years when I’m ready to mention my 2nd favorite Star Trek book. But for now, let’s talk about the best. How Much for Just the Planet? What I love about this book is the humor. It’s just funny. It has a vaudeville tongue-in-cheek type of appeal that had me actually laughing. And let me tell you, there are only a few books that I’ve had that kind of reaction to, and I read a few books a week.

As usual, the Federation needs dilithium crystals. And an abundance is found on a tiny out-of-the-way planet which, surprise, the Klingons have found as well. Now the fun begins. Because the two groups are ready to compete for the lucre. What they don’t realize is that the people of Direidi are full of pranks and will lead them all on a merry chase.

It’s true that only a Trek fan will really understand the nuances, but if you’ve ever loved Star Trek and missed this book, it’s well-worth the read. (Even if the show looks totally cheesy in retrospect…and I’m sorry to say it does.)

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (Free on Kindle)

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a classic that stands on its own in terms of entertainment value and thought.  I hadn't actually read the book until a group of fellow writers got together and we started talking about books.   When we had finished, I had a list of thirty books with this classic on the list. And it is a wonderful book. 

The novel follows an aristocratic fellow whose name is Dorian Gray.  He is a vibrant, youthful fellow who exudes charm and grace.   After his portrait is painted, we follow Dorian's path through life.  He debauches himself and lives only for personal pleasure.  No matter what excesses he indulges in, he remains the same beautiful person he always had been, charming and youthful.

But his picture changes.  As time passes, the painting begins to reflect the evils he has committed, showing Dorian's true nature on the canvas. 

While The Picture of Dorian Gray is a classic, it is an interesting read and well worth picking up.  I noticed that there is a free Kindle version available...


****Free Kindle Version**** (at time of blog posting)
Paperback version

The Bedwyn Saga by Mary Balogh

I love historical romance, specifically the regency period. This is a series of books all related to the Bedwyn family. Slightly Married, Slightly Wicked, Slightly Scandalous, Slightly Tempted, Slightly Sinful and Slightly Dangerous.

What I love about Mary Balogh is that when she writes a romance, the characters come alive. I was doing a reading blitz of my library's historical romances last spring and many of the stories faded within a day or so of reading them. The Slightly series was the best that I had read in an incredibly long string of regency romances. 

The series spans the romances of all of the Bedwyn family brothers and sisters. The plots of each are unique, although true to romance, there are always the angsty separations, etc.  My favorite character is Wulf Bedwyn, a man who came early into his inheritance and must act as patriarch to the family, approving his sibling's partners. Throughout the series he comes across as cold and gruff with glimmers of emotion at poignant moments. I read through the books and realized that I REALLY wanted to hear his story.

Although it was the book I most looked forward to reading, my actual favorites were with Alleyne, Slighty Sinful and Aidan, Slightly Married, Wulf's two brothers.

I heartily recommend reading these books in order. While most romances are truly stand alone, the characters intertwine.  I read the first book out of order, but I'm really glad that I read Wulf's story last because after so long watching a fellow who seems set apart and even lonely in his ivory tower, it was great getting to that moment.