April 2011 Book Reviews
Some of the books I read in April (acutally read Instinct last week, but who’s counting?)…
Weirdly enough 3 of the books I read this month turned out to be about genetic mutations\de-evolution\super-evolution etc. In fact, 2 of them both featured female veterinarians as the heroines. Just thought that odd… Made me wonder if we’ve run out of things to be afraid of and had to start making up shit. Anyhoo…. I’ll start with the biggest loser…
Breathless by Dean Koontz
Horrible. Too may story threads that never really come together. A lot of character building that wasn’t very well sequenced. The worst though, in my view, was the complete non-ending. It just ends… no closure, no explanation, nothing. I guess I was expecting something better from a writer of Koontz reputation. This is one of those that had a female vet and weird genetics (or possibly aliens, couldn’t really figure that out). Not recommending this one folks.
Altar of Eden by James Rollins
Girl-vet (actually cryo-zoologist) v. weaponized genetic mutations. Better than Breathless by a long shot but still just mediocre. I did enjoy the scenery though… one interesting setting was an alligator farm in New Orleans. Wasted a few pages with yet another romantic angle… I really don’t understand the purpose of that in suspense-thrillers… but oh well.
Storm Cycle by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen
Things that I liked: the heroine is a computer whiz and is chasing down secrets from a long dead Egyptian Lady Doctor. Love it! And thanks to the authors who included a note at the end telling about the real Egyptology involved (which I also loved!). This book had another common theme I see in thrillers of late… looking for a cure for something ‘incurable’. Of course, I didn’t need the romantic twist (there were actually two) but in this case I don’t think it detracted from the story too much. Ending could have been better but overall I enjoyed it.
Instinct by Jeremy Robinson
Here’s a twist… genetic freaks v Delta Force. If you’re into military fiction then I think you’ll enjoy Robinson’s Chess Team. (Warning… there weren’t any magical Ramboesque M-60s but some of the Delta members do seem to be more than human.) I will likely pick up another of the Chess Team missions because of this book. The story was okay… alot was borrowed from other stories… several came to my mind. It was entertaining enough to keep me reading through to finish it in one night.
Next up is:
The Siege of Troy by Greg Tobin
Current Mood:
Book Review & 
Thinking! & 
Writing
Imprint
Imagine that you had the power to imprint in the minds of every child born today one phrase, one piece of permanent wisdom. What would you tell them?
A personal motto? A snippet of philosophy? A message of hope? A lesson you had to learn the hard way? Would it be a rule or a suggestion? A statement or a question? If you could only have your words surface on each birthday, would they be different? What would you say?
Expand on your message. Where did it come from? Why is it so important that the next generation should hear it?
“I will question everything and respect all life in the Universe without exception. I will make my choices based on my own evaluation of the data provided and the consequences or outcomes to be had. I will not give in to the propaganda and pressure of those around me. I will respect others and their beliefs and decisions. I will strive to be accepting of all around me and to learn about that which I don’t understand.”
This is the thought that I wish would pop into my children’s heads everytime they face a decision – large or small. It aggravates me when my children come home and talk about the kids in their schools using stereotypical names, etc. I hear myself preaching to them about how everyone is different and that’s okay; how everyone has a right to believe or to be whatever or whoever they want. I’m always trying to undo the prejudices done throughout the day at school. My pre-teen daughter especially gets me going. She can’t be friends with so-and-so because of this or that or cause her friends don’t like him/her. I try desperately to teach my children not to buy into that kind of thing and to give everyone equal time because everyone is valuable and while they won’t end up being friends with everyone this way they may find a few very good friends that they otherwise might not have discovered. I try to make them understand what it would be like if they were the ones being teased or neglected. I try to make them think and decide on their own whether what they are basing their ideas on is really true. It seems to be an uphill battle. But, I believe that if I’m vigilant they will get it eventually. So, maybe I’ll scoot two more respectful, thoughtful liberals out into the world and if they pass that down the line etc. at some point we’ll all come together with love and understanding. I may not live to see that day but I can still work towards it. Wouldn’t it be something if years from now words like tolerance and racism and bigotry were erased from the language because they just went out of style and usage??
Score 3:4
Current Mood: Writing
Wake Up Writing for March 1
I am frozen this morning! It isn’t actually that bad outside but, as usual, it’s like an ice-box in my cube. I’m actually sitting here wearing my musty leather jacket. I should be busy closing work tickets this morning but I just haven’t the ambition. It’s just like me to dawdle before lunch… or after!
This is a go-live day for the deployment of some new systems at our facility. So far, it seems to be going rather smoothly. I complement the technical people involved who brought it all to fruition. Normally, I would tease them all with a bit of smirk, reminding them how they couldn’t have done it without me, but today is theirs. Hopefully no one will squelch their accomplishment with one of those “what we could have done better” management speeches.
On a personal note… I finally got the ink refill for my monogramed turquoise pen. Unfortunately, I got a paper cut when I took off the wrapper. Ouch!
Okay…. that was silly. I was doing okay till that last bit. As you may have guessed I made up the part about the pen. But, all-in-all a good brain exercise. And we all know my brain needs exercise!
Score: 1/1
(Days I’ve blogged something/Days since March 1st)
Current Mood:
Amused & Writing
