This is definitely my kind of book, Marcy. I have been anticipating its release for some time. But I hadn't known about the Goodreads giveaway until you added the book.
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<![CDATA[new comment from Shomeret]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/244075-books-to-movies-the-impact-of-seeing-a-book-come-to-life
Shomeret made a comment in the M/T Reading Friends group:
The only movie I've gone to see during this current semester was The Horse Boy, a documentary about a family that takes their autistic son to Mongolia to be healed through shamanism and contact with animals.
Once I start my break between semesters, I expect to have time to see movies again. I hope to see Sherlock Holmes soon after it's released if not on Christmas Day. I love the trailers I've seen.
Shomeret
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<![CDATA[Shomeret added 'The Wild Island']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78449400
to: The Wild Island (Mass Market Paperback)byAntonia Fraser
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<![CDATA[Shomeret added 'Zen Ritual: Studies of Zen Buddhist Theory in Practice']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77888974
to: Zen Ritual: Studies of Zen Buddhist Theory in Practice (Paperback)byDale S. Wright bookshelves: my-reviews,
theology
I learned a great deal about the history and origins of Zen. I also learned about the reasons why the most popular English accounts of Zen don't reflect the way it's practiced. There's a wonderful essay about the rituals at women's monastery and how they affirm women's role in Buddhism.
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http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77888974
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Zen Ritual: Studies of Zen Buddhist Theory in Practice
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<![CDATA[new comment from Shomeret]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/240513-shomeret-s-october-reads-2-2
Shomeret made a comment in the M/T Reading Friends group:
5)X-men Magneto Testament (graphic novel) 136 pages. Source: Comic Book Store Started: 10/17 Finished: 10/17
Why Read: I read the last book in this five book collection and was impressed with its authenticity. So I decided to read the rest when the graphic novel came out. I also really love Magneto. He's my favorite X-Men character.
Comments: The notes at the end make clear what a good job Pak did throughout the series with historical authenticity and staying true to Marvel continuity. The choice of being subtle about the slow development of Magneto's mutant powers was also a good one for the story line. It dealt with Magneto's past in World War II. Also included is a graphic story about the artist Dina Babbitt, a Holocaust survivor who painted for the Germans at Auschwitz. It definitely increased the value of the book for me. The Teacher's Guide is also an excellent resource. I'm going to give this an A.
6) Mulengro A Romany Tale (urban fantasy) 484 pages. Source: PBS Started: 10/17 Finished: 10/21
Why Read: This is a novel about gypsies by Charles De Lint. That makes two must read aspects for me. I love gypsies and I love this author. This book has been on my PBS wishlist. So it became a high priority for me when I finally received it.
Comments: I found this book both absorbing and moving. The gypsies who were plot focuses were liminal types (caught betwixt and between) who had ties to the non-gypsy world. This made it more difficult for them to struggle against the villain. De Lint seems to be saying that the worst enemy is the idea of cultural purity. Charles De Lint addresses a different kind of purity in the Afterword to this tenth anniversary edition. The idea that only people of a certain ethnic identity should be allowed to write about them is, as De Lint says, bad for literature. He advocates doing your research, being respectful and promoting the writers from that ethnic group who were your resources and inspirations. He gives a list of writers from various ethnic backgrounds who inspired him. The one on his list that I admire most is the Native American writer, Leslie Marmon Silko. I really thank Charles De Lint for giving us his perspective and and showing us that there is another way to think about this subject. It's awkward to write from the perspective of another ethnic background because many would think me unqualified. Yet my perspective on Judaism makes me unqualified to write from a Jewish perspective. I'm not really Jewish religiously even though that is my ethnic identity and the religion of my upbringing. So like De Lint, I say what am I supposed to write then? Good writing, research and respect should qualify me to write fiction about other peoples so long as I own up to my sources. Some really good thoughts here. I'm rating this book A+. It's the best book I read in October.
Why Read: This is a book about a rebellious nun. Sounds interesting.
Comments: In an atmosphere of repression against convents every convert has to make sure not to call itself to the attention of Rome. One rebellious nun can be very dangerous. This is a fictionalization of some non-fiction books I've read. It was an absorbing story and well-characterized. I'm going to give it a B.
Why Read: I bought this for 50 cents because it takes place in a Japanese internment camp or its vicinity. Characters have a variety of perspectives. One is a Japanese Noh mask carver which sounds fascinating.
Comments: There were some great characters including the mask carver, his granddaughter and the young Caucasian rancher who fell in love with her. There were some unusual aspects to this book, but it had an abrupt ending with not enough resolved. So this book gets a B.
I only read one mystery, and the year may come to an end for me with no more than five nominations for A rated M/Ts. That's sad. I think this has been a good year for fantasy. We'll see if I have time to read some really great mysteries before January 1.
Shomeret
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<![CDATA[new comment from Shomeret]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/240509-shomeret-s-october-reads-1-2
Shomeret made a comment in the M/T Reading Friends group:
October was better than September. I had a couple of A rated books, but the total is still sub-standard due to library school.
Why Read: I liked the first book in this series, Cry Wolf. The concept of Omega wolves having a special gift is an interesting one.
Comments: Anna the MC just gets more interesting and so does the Omega wolf concept. Anna is a musician. There was a great scene of her playing the piano in a restaurant. I also really loved a witch character called Moira and would be delighted to read a book focused on her. I'm giving this book a B+ for its concept and characterization. It was a good read.
Why Read: This is a sort of sequel to Mike Resnick's Kirinyaga stories which were an attempt to build a traditional African utopia on another planet. In this novel, a different African group makes another attempt at utopia. I loved the Kirinyaga stories. This is also short enough that I could be sure to finish it before it's due.
Comments: It took me two days to read 96 pages! What a crazy life I lead. Mike Resnick doesn't disappoint. He makes a different observation about utopia in this book. He's saying that it's the striving for utopia that's important. The way things turned out on Kilimanjaro isn't surprising, but it's the fact that they tried to learn from Kirinyaga's mistakes that made it interesting. Rating B+
Why Read: I've been interested in cultural anthropologist Liza Dalby's work since she studied the geisha arts. Her work set me on the track of finding out what the path of geisha is really about. So I consider Liza Dalby an opener of the way. She finds out a little bit about an area of Japanese culture, if you're interested you'll pursue it further. This novel, her second, has an unusual premise. It deals with hidden images of Buddhas in Japanese temples.
Comments: This introduced me to another side of Japanese religion. The Shingon sect is not well known in the West. I was interested in it until Dalby decided to change her focus to fashion design and the book became a travesty that appeared to be satiric. Satires depend on whose ox is being gored. If you think the target of the satire richly merits it, you'll love it. If the target of the satire seems significant to you, you'll probably find the satire reprehensible. I'm leaning toward thinking that this is reprehensible. So I'm rating this B-
4) Cure for a Charlatan(medeival mystery) 262 pages. Source: Library Sale Shelf Started: 10/14 Finished: 10/16
Why Read: I read a couple of books in this series a number of years ago. I liked the MC, but never got back to it even though I intended to read more. I even made a list of books in this series available on PBS because I thought I'd want to order them, but there always seemed to be books I wanted more. The MC, Isaac of Girona, is a blind Jewish doctor in medeival Spain before the expulsion of the Jews and Moors. One of his daughters sees for him and tells him details about patients. This particular book deals with a witchcraft hysteria which is a subject that interests me, and I got it for 25 cents.
Comments: This author telegraphs too much. This really isn't much of a mystery. I suppose it's a whydunit. The real reason why it all happened isn't revealed until the end. This series should be so much better. Isaac, the blind doctor, is a wonderful character, and so are a couple of the Saracens. But other characters are pretty flat. There was a wonderful scene near the end that was a bit unexpected. So I'm giving this a B.