February book reviews/2016

1. The Little Paris Book Shop by Nina George (a library book from Overdrive)

The setting for this story is France. A floating book shop is a definite change from a stationary one. The book seller is also an unusual person. In his hands books become healing vessels. He recommends particular books for particular ailments.

It is also a story about love. Not about sex, not about lust, just about the way different people love. Of course, that means it is about friendship and respect one human for another.

The reader may come away looking for a boat or a river to float a boat full of books down. Sometimes, the book seller sells books. Sometimes, he buys books. Sometimes, he gives books away or uses them to barter. Always, he tries to match the person with the book as a type of Literary Apothecary.

Finding all these friends and people to love is an adventure that swims from one part of France to another. “Books keep stupidity at bay,” writes George.

““You should write it. An encyclopedia of emotions for literary pharmacists.” The old woman sat up straighter and grew more lively and animated.”

“Reading “Southern Lights” was the only thing that pierced him with out hurting.” The reader will be recommended many different volumes by many different authors. Keep a pen handy and most of all take away wisdom.

2. Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee (a library ebook from Overdrive)

I waited a long time to get this story. It was worth the wait. This is a tale about how the old South Collides with the modern views of the South. In the beginning I noticed all the countries where this book has been published. There were 5 countries listed. I wondered how the sociology of the story was affecting all the nationalities that are reading it.

“come home.I feel like I’m coming back to the world, and when I leave Maycomb it’s like leaving the world. It’s silly, I can’t explain it,” This quote is spoken by Jean Louise. The action centers around her. It winds around her vacation in the town where she grew up.

Jean Louise has to deal with a Southern point of view of life when she has been living within a northern point of view. She has learned to listen to her own wisdom and make her own decisions. Now, what will she learn as she settles in to a lifestyle she grew up within, with the people she grew up loving.

When she goes to church she finds the North and South colliding even in the way hymns are sung. If you never read “To Kill a Mockingbird” read it first. There are years separating this story and that one. Within the two stories are the reasonable maturing of a nation as it helps people grow into the understanding of freedom.

3. Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (a classic from Amazon)

There are some important comments and explanations by the author at the beginning of this story. The reader should take them into consideration.

If you read “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” you will be acquainted with Huck Finn. In this adventure, you will meet some of the same characters. The story is how Huck struggles with his new found life.

Two worlds collide as the boy meets a civilization with which he is not mentally prepared to cope. When it becomes to much for him, he shrugs it off and binds himself into an adventurous life. Most of the things that happen to Huck are not his intention. He takes life as it is handed to him. But, continues to find ways to survive without causing a ruckus.

The Mississippi river plays a large part in this boys adventure. A lifestyle is described that affects the communities that are along the river bank. “They asked us considerable many questions; wanted to know what we covered up the raft that way for,” On the river, Huckelberry meets a lot of different kinds of people.

The story will wake you up and lead you to think about a life of adventure. It will give you laughs and show you a social way of life not in existence for every person?

4. The Martian by Andy Weir (a library ebook from Overdrive)

“I love reading up on current space research.” At the end of the book there is a” conversation with Any Weir.” Weir answers questions about how he wrote the story.

“It wasn’t your fault. You did what you had to do.” Mark was the first human to find a way to live on Mars.

There are numerous vessels in this mission. One is the Hermes, another is the MDV and somewhere in the story the Mars Lander becomes a needed vessel.

I could write this totally on quotes and you would not understand the story unless you read it. Weir did a lot of the calculations himself for the story. That might not mean anything to the average reader but an engineer would be interested. Now I would like to see the movie to find out how the script follows this awesome inter prize.

It is a story about how humans survive under conditions when no one should survive. It is a story about habitat and what a human can make when the need arises. It is adventurous and scary in a way that made the saying. “I will survive.”

It starts with events not covered in the plans, “It tore through my suit like a bullet through butter,”

5. The Art of Fiction by Ayn Rand (an eBook from Amazon)

A quote in the introduction says, “this book is an edited version of a informal course of lectures given by Ayn Rand in her own living room in 1958.” One of the novels Rand is known for is Atlas Shrugged.

After reading some of her works friends and acquaintances who were aspiring authors wanted to learn how she reached her goals as a writer.

The book has chapters about the writers subconscious, theme and Plot, how to show not tell , issues of style and much more.

On humor Rand says, “Humor is a metaphysical negation. We regard as funny that which contradicts reality;” About Fantasy she states, “Several different forms of literature can be classified as fantasy.” Then she goes on the show you how fantasy evolves.

In Chapter 3 she explains “a novel’s theme is the general abstraction in relation to which the events serve as the concretes.” She uses different novel’s such as Gone With The Wind throughout the book as examples of her explanations of the craft of writing.

Even though 1958 dates the information it is still relevant information for readers and writers today. This book was first published in January of 2000. The copyright is held by the estate of Ayn Rand. The book was edited by Tore Boekmann and has an Introduction by Leonard Peikoff