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WW Ladies Book Club BlurbsApril 29, 2009 I realize that April showers bring May flowers, but enough rain already. I am so ready for the flowers and sunshine that I'm almost considering planting some this year (ok, I really mean that I'll run to the store and buy a couple of pretty pots of flowers to put around the condo and make it look like I'm into gardening). But until then, here's the reads of the week from the WW Ladies Book Club.  Darkness Under Heaven by F. J. ChaseRead by Loretta
On a night out in Beijing, Peter Avakian, a US Security Consultant and Dr. Judy Rose, a physician employed to care for an Olympian team, are having dinner. While enjoying the evening, China launches missiles against Taiwan, exploding the area into war.
Since both Peter and Judy are now considered aliens, prison or death might become an immediate problem. Defending themselves from some angry young soldiers puts them on the run from the authorities. Peter suggests that the only way to escape is to try to reach the Mongolian border under the cover of darkness because dawn would reveal their identities by displaying their white complexions.
Dealing with a maze of narrow alleyways, checkpoints,plus no illumination whatsoever, they encounter unbelievable problems. The bungling of the Chinese police is almost hilarious, if it wasn't so dangerous. When I thought they had reached an impasse, Peter's amazing capabilities surprised me. A most unusual tale that totally captivated me.
 Look Again by Lisa Scottoline Read by joysann Ellen Gleeson is a newspaper reporter, but more importantly she is the single mother of an adopted son. A missing child flyer picture catches her eye because of the boy's similarity to her own, which leads her to speculate on the moral obligation an adoptive parent might have that could sunder a happy new family. She feels compelled to investigate his background, regardless, and discovers inconclusive records and too-convenient deaths, and begins to fear for her own safety and that of her son's. It's been awhile since I've read books by Lisa Scottoline, and this was a good reintroduction. The story is told with nail-biting suspense, but it isn't just the mystery and danger that keeps the reader anxious, but the fear of a mother's ultimate loss being realized. Intriguing and exciting, I could hardly put it down. Alice leads the way into new territory for her family. Old customs and new ways of doing things often conflict. She has to walk the line between two cultures. The story is not just about Alice and her problems but those of her her mother and her grandmother who did not get along. Alice's mother created jewelry in the old country and tries to sell her wares here but the shops don't last and she often does not get paid. She tries to learn English but has many problems with the language and relies on Alice for help. Alice helps with her sisters and brothers when her mother can't and Alice slowly closes down.
I always am interested to read about people immigrating to a new country.The challenges that Alice's generation has to take on are tremendous. It is not only her getting acclimated but dealing with her parents and grandparents and the problems they encounter because of language and customs that they bring from the old country. This book was a fascinating read.
Listened to by joysann
Two hundred years ago pirates on the Barbary Coast of North Africa were led by a former imam whose reputation for ruthlessness and dedication to jihad are imitated by a terrorist leader in present day Libya. New information comes to light that his writings may influence an upcoming peace treaty, sending archaeologists into the desert to search for the pirate's cache, from where they disappear. When the plane carrying the US Secretary of State to the conference also disappears over the desert, the crew of the Oregon is engaged to find it, leading them into a dangerous hunt and a desperate chase that races against the clock. As always, Juan Cabrillo and the Oregon crew of specialists and techno-wizards display creative ingenuity and unflagging energy to achieve their goals. I think I enjoy these books so much because they are exactly what I expect them to be, as unlikely as the stories are. I especially enjoy them on audio, where narrator Scott Brick makes them exciting and listening easy.
Dr. Carly Frazer can control everything in her life, except her memories of the past. And those memories are catching up. Her icy exterior is starting to crumble and she is trying desperately to keep it from breaking. An act of fate brings her together with Beth. Beth may be the only person to see her for who she really is, and Carly is not sure if she is ready for that.
What I truly enjoyed about this book is how uncomfortable I felt while learning about Carly. I felt her walls around her and boy, did I have to shake them off wanting that wall to break! And rooting for Beth in the book was so much fun!! Women power unites!
Odd Hours by Dean Koontz
Listened to by joysann
Odd Thomas is a young man with psychic abilities that allow him, with reluctance, to find things, predict the future, and see ghosts. This is the fourth journal he narrates, this time telling of his stay in a small town on the California coast which he knows is the focal point of some future cataclysmic event. Facing the threat of ruthless killers, Odd relies on his special gifts to race against the clock to thwart evil intent on toppling the nation.
I love much of what Dean Koontz writes, his analogies and descriptions can be priceless, and one just never knows where he's going to go. I listen to the Odd Thomas books, and I think I enjoy them more for that; reader David Aaron Baker is thoroughly convincing as Odd Thomas. I think I liked this "journal" best of the four written so far, though it left me with more questions than answers, which makes me hope there are more stories in the works.
I'm currently working with Young Adult readers and am hoping to start posting their blurbs on Saturday and calling it the Saturday Breakfast (Book) Club in honor of the John Hughes movie Breakfast Club. Andrew says young people won't get the reference, but since it seems to play on tv every other week, I was sure everyone has seen it. What do you think? Will they "get it"? Bottom Line: "I am an optimist, but I'm an optimist who carries a raincoat." -- Harold Wilson Posted by Barbara Vey on April 29, 2009 | Comments (9)
April 29, 2009
In response to: WW Ladies Book Club Blurbs Amanda commented: I loved the Breakfast Club and with several young nieces, I'm looking forward to hearing what your young readers have to say in their blurbs.
April 29, 2009
In response to: WW Ladies Book Club Blurbs Edie Ramer commented: Watching the trailer makes me want to see Breakfast Club again. Are you talking about the Barry Manilow reference? Teens will get the kid sarcasm, and that's good enough.
April 29, 2009
In response to: WW Ladies Book Club Blurbs mary s commented: Thanks Barb--so nice to see "The Breakfast Club" kids again! I really liked that movie--who didn't have trouble (& fun) in high school?!!
April 29, 2009
In response to: WW Ladies Book Club Blurbs Debbie Kaufman commented: I know what you mean about planting the flowers. I have the urge even though everything is blooming here in sunny Georgia.
April 29, 2009
In response to: WW Ladies Book Club Blurbs Debbie Kaufman commented: I know what you mean about planting the flowers. I have the urge even though everything is blooming here in sunny Georgia.
April 29, 2009
In response to: WW Ladies Book Club Blurbs Jacqueline commented: Oh, I love that movie! But I'm not sure I can be quite counted among young people anymore. Heh! My baby brother's 7 years my junior(actually, that might not make him young people anymore, either!) but I don't think he's seen the movie in its entirety and might not get the reference.
April 29, 2009
In response to: WW Ladies Book Club Blurbs Tanya Michaels commented: Heidi, I'm so glad you enjoyed Baggage Claim and I agree--reading about Carly can be uncomfortable (writing about her too, LOL). But I was really moved by her character's journey and it's my hope that readers will be, too.
April 29, 2009
In response to: WW Ladies Book Club Blurbs Tori Carrington commented: <p>Love the Breakfast Club idea! If they don't get the ref, they can always redefine it. A good thing IMHO. Bravo!</p>
May 30, 2009
In response to: WW Ladies Book Club Blurbs meridy commented:
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Unpolished Gem: my mother, my grandmother and me by 
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