Sarah O'Brien

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Sarah O'Brien rated a book 3 of 5 stars

The Time Machine
by H.G. Wells

read in December, 2011

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Time travel still perks our interest even in this day of mass technological progress. With the television of today we've been catapulted into the world of amazing computer graphics and digital images that now even the thought of time travel seems lik...more
Time travel still perks our interest even in this day of mass technological progress. With the television of today we've been catapulted into the world of amazing computer graphics and digital images that now even the thought of time travel seems like an everyday attainability. Imagine how the idea would have hit the masses back in 1895 when The Time Machine was first published. It was something of a mystery and actually a fairly frightening concept. Especially when reading about the future world H.G.Wells described. He spoke of a world with only two classes of people and their very contrasted lifestyles. The Time Machine is more than a fictional tale however. It's a narrative exploring the possibility that class distinction will evolve over time into it's most base form.

In the year 802,701 (could that even be considered C.E.?), the earth has transformed back into its most natural state. Lush greens and beautiful flowers bloom everywhere on the sunny landscape. The first people who the time traveler meets are those he calls the Eloi. They are a pale, fragile, human-looking sort of people, but they all look alike and they all seem to wear the same kind of robes for clothing. For all their genericness, the Eloi are a gentle and peaceful, albeit extremely mentally simple, sort. They accept the time traveler with great curiosity and openness and by the end of the day have grown bored with him. The time traveler saves one female from drowning and she attaches herself to him like a lost puppy. He names her Weena and takes her with him wherever he goes including the search for his invaluable time machine which has been stolen! The second class of people live below ground and he calls them the Morlocks. Like any creature that lives in an unilluminated atmosphere, the Morlocks have no sight in their reddish eyes and have no pigment to their skin. They only venture out at nighttime to feast upon the hapless Eloi. Now they've stolen the time machine and the time traveler must retrieve it all costs.

The Time Machine narrative is written by one of the time traveler's friends who heard the story and is relating it to us, the reader, secondhand. It's a strange set-up for a narrative but not an unpleasant or confusing one. It would seem that Wells had a fantastic idea of the evolution of the social structure. That idea being that those of elite social status who have no need to work and who have not a real care in the world would deteriorate into an unintelligent and simple-minded creature living only for the pleasure of pretty things. By contrast, the lowly working class working underground (ie: sewers, subways, etc.) would go on to acclimate to their underground world by losing their vision and body pigment and also to practice animalistic eating habits by preying on other people. Perhaps putting this whole social prediction into the construct of a novel would make it more appealing? As everyone knows, anything is acceptable if it's labeled as fiction. Wells doesn't even bother to name the characters in the story. The protagonist he simply refers to as "the time traveler". His whole focus is in telling the story and the idea.

It is a very short and easy read. However, the concept of the evolution of social status is one that will always be elusive and complex.

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Sarah O'Brien rated a book 2 of 5 stars

The Courtier's Secret
by Donna Russo Morin (Goodreads Author)

read in October, 2011

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Jeanne Mas du Bois is a young courtier in the court of King Louis XIV of France. Her entire family lives in the castle at Versailles along with thousands of other courtiers vying for the eye of the king. Jeanne, however, is very different from any or...more Jeanne Mas du Bois is a young courtier in the court of King Louis XIV of France. Her entire family lives in the castle at Versailles along with thousands of other courtiers vying for the eye of the king. Jeanne, however, is very different from any ordinary courtier. Her brightest wish is to be a musketeer and join Louis' forces. Her most acute disinterest is climbing the social courtier ladder. Not that Jeanne isn't a lady, she just doesn't find satisfaction in napkin-folding and watching the king's gluttony at dinner. Her uncle secretly teaches her the sport of fencing down in the labyrinthine bowels of the castle. It's during one of these lessons that Jeanne and her uncle advantageously save a pack of musketeers from some ruffians bent on queen-murdering mischief. Because Jeanne is wearing a helmet covering her face, she is mistaken for a man and invited by the musketeers to one of their exclusive dinner parties. Not wishing to pass up on the extraordinary, albeit ludicrously insane, opportunity, she convinces her uncle to help her find man clothes and some hair for a mustache. Enter Jean-Luc. To put a cog in her cross-dressing wheel, Jeanne falls in love with one of the musketeers that "Jean-Luc" has befriended. Jeanne is able to meet this musketeer, Henri, as herself and he instantly falls in love with her. Unfortunately, Jeanne's abusive father has promised her to a pallid cold-fish of a man named Polignac. As Jean-Luc, she helps the musketeers save the queen from murder. As Jeanne, she fights for her personal freedom from her father and court life and to marry the man she loves.

The Courtier's Secret has a great amount of historical facts thrown about throughout the narrative which gives the story more detail and credibility. The reader can tell when a bit of true history is being related. The random French words peppered in the dialogue gets old and is somewhat distracting. It's as though the author learned a few basic French words and threw them in at each chance she could instead of tastefully accenting the character's conversations. Also, the reader beware of a plethora of long French names.

Overall, The Courtier's Secret is an entertaining story and not to be overlooked as another generic, non-action love story. Be en garde for the ending as it will certainly take you by surprise with the demise of one very influential character.

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Sarah O'Brien rated a book 1 of 5 stars

The Great Husband Hunt
by Laurie Graham (Goodreads Author)

read in September, 2011

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Poppy Minkel is a mustard heiress. And after spending her childhood under the thumb of strict vanity and duty by her mother Dora and Aunt Fish, she is all too prepared to spend her fortune doing whatever she wishes.

After the tragedy of the sinking of...more Poppy Minkel is a mustard heiress. And after spending her childhood under the thumb of strict vanity and duty by her mother Dora and Aunt Fish, she is all too prepared to spend her fortune doing whatever she wishes.

After the tragedy of the sinking of the Titanic, Poppy's feminine relatives oppress Poppy even more in their own unique ways. Her mother Dora devises a headband to flatten Poppy's ears against her head. But at least Poppy has plenty of fun colors to choose from. She's also forced to rub a whitening cream on her neck. Anything to stifle the imperfections that would certainly lead to Poppy's future as a spinster. But WWI changes the Minkel household. Frightened by the Germans, Dora schemes to change their last name from the Jewish "Minkel" to a more American "Minton" even though the family has been living in New York since 1890. But Poppy refuses to change her name and here her rebellion begins. Both Poppy and her mother volunteer in the war effort thus seeing less and less of each other. She ends up getting a job selling neckties at Macy's and there she meets Gilbert Catchings. She marries Gilbert and they move to Paris, France in 1921. Poppy begins her life there with becoming a pilot and a shop owner. She has a daughter named Sapphire who she promptly hands off to her sister Honey to raise back in New York. She continues flying airplanes and that is how she meets Reggie Merrick; an English lad who has weak ties to the Queen of England. She finds herself pregnant with Reggie's baby and goes back to New York. She leaves her second daughter, Emerald, with Honey as well. Dumping Gilbert, she moves to Reggie's estate in England and marries him. Sapphire and Emerald move to England later. After Poppy's abrupt status as "widow", she and her daughters move back to New York, barely escaping the Germans of WWII. Poppy opens an art gallery in New York and dives headlong into the business of art and fashion including clothes trés chic and facelifts.

The Great Husband Hunt is a hastily told story of the entire life events of a woman that isn't at all likable. Poppy is incredibly insensitive to all around her from her family and Jewish heritage to her children to an entire population of people during war. She exhibits an obtuseness that makes the reader wonder if she will ever grow and redeem herself. Unfortunately, the reader is left disappointed and a little miffed to find he's wasted his time on a fluff novel that's given his life no weighty value.

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Sarah O'Brien rated a book 3 of 5 stars

Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream by Jennifer Ackerman

Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream: A Day in the Life of Your Body
by Jennifer Ackerman

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Sex, Sleep, Eat, Drink, Dream. A Day in the Life of Your Body.

Jennifer Ackerman's full title is very catchy and will pull your eye in with interest. According to her bio, Ackerman is an author who writes for National Geographic and The New York Times...more Sex, Sleep, Eat, Drink, Dream. A Day in the Life of Your Body.

Jennifer Ackerman's full title is very catchy and will pull your eye in with interest. According to her bio, Ackerman is an author who writes for National Geographic and The New York Times among other publications. In A Day in the Life of Your Body, Ackerman uses enough scientific wording to be accurate and enlightening while at the same time providing her audience with an easy and engaging read. The book is a journey through those topics she found most interesting. Her interest in writing this book and on the marvelous human body was piqued when she succumbed to the flu. We can all attest to how that nasty little virus will make us wake up and notice every nook and cranny of our bodies, mainly because every part feels like it isn't working at all!

The book is structured with sections and chapters as though the reader is witnessing a 24-hour period of time that an average, healthy body would experience. From awakening to battling mild insomnia and many more biological ticks in between, so much is included in this book. She writes of the differences between "larks" and "owls" and their preferences for when to retire for the night; the affect of coffee on the body and how it works; facts about our senses and the functioning of the synapses in the brain; the feeling of hunger and why the hormones leptin and ghrelin are so very important in the right amounts; digestion and how micro flora can affect weight; that dreaded mid-day slump and the power of napping; stress and how the body handles it-or doesn't; the best time for alcohol and exercise; face recognition; pheromones; the neurobiology of caresses and sex; sickness and the best time of day for taking medicine; the mystery of the ways and whys of sleep. Every reader should be able to find a topic of interest in this book.

Circadian rhythms seem to be a thread recurring throughout the book. The power of the circadian rhythms dominating the behavior and functioning of the body has proven to be mightily overlooked in many societies. And yet they are so very vital to our daily-and nightly-existence. There is a master clock in the brain inside the hypothalamus. The structure resides on both the left and right hemispheres and consists of thousands of neurons. This structure is known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN).

"The SCN measures the passage of a twenty-four hour day by producing and using special proteins in a circadian pattern. It controls and organizes the big rhythms of the body so that its sleep functions are optimal at night and its wakeful functions during the day...Though the master clock oversees the body's cyclical rhythms, the genetic timepieces pocketed in the cells of outlying tissues and organs may follow their own routines...to ensure that a particular organ has what it needs when it needs it, and timing its activities according to its own priorities."

Digging deeper into the knowledge of these rhythms we find that they are extremely fine-tuned. The impact of just a small amount of artificial light can disrupt and reset these rhythms. There are reasons for the setting of the sun every day. If we had perpetual light there would be no opportunity for the cascade of hormones and other changes that make the body ready for sleep. It makes one ponder on the magnitude of circadian destruction done by the megacities of the world or by the hours kept by night workers. Sleep is precious. Truly, we would literally die without it.

"Imagine if we could feel the rotation of these intimate circles that drive our bodies. Perhaps this would temper our habit of ticking off digitized minutes and linear hours; perhaps it would restore our childlike experience of time as a revolving ring made of the smaller circumferences of a day. At the very least it might nurture more respect for our natural cyclical rhythms."

I chose to post a review of this book first because it resonates with a deep passion of mine: the human body. The complexity and beauty in its minutiae leaves me in awe every time. I hope some day to know absolutely everything about it.

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All quotes provided by Sex, Sleep, Eat, Drink, Dream. A Day in the Life of Your Body by Jennifer Ackerman.(less)

Sarah O'Brien rated a book 3 of 5 stars

Prey
by Michael Crichton

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There's something about Michael Crichton's novels that makes you feel more intelligent as you read them. It must be the subject matter the novels are based on and the ease of description and explanation that Crichton weaves into the story. Crichton w...more There's something about Michael Crichton's novels that makes you feel more intelligent as you read them. It must be the subject matter the novels are based on and the ease of description and explanation that Crichton weaves into the story. Crichton writes of things most people wouldn't think of. And yet they're not so far-fetched as though the ideas sprang from Mars. His novels are usually based on some type of scientific fact. Take, for instance, his novel Prey. In this novel we learn a little bit about nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is the science wherein small devices or structures are formed by using atoms and molecules on the scale of nanometres.

The entire story spans only the length of seven days. Jack Forman is the protagonist and tells the story in the first person as events unfold. Jack's work background is with computers. At the start of the book we learn he used to manage a team of programmers before he lost his job. The programs they write are very specific. They write what are called "distributed parallel processing or agent-based programs."

"These programs model biological processes by creating virtual agents inside the computer and then letting the agents interact to solve real-world problems...For example, one of our programs imitated ant foraging-how ants find the shortest path to food-to route traffic through a big telephone network. Other programs mimicked the behavior of termites, swarming bees, and stalking lions."

Now that Jack is no longer working, he stays at home and watches his and his wife Julia's three children.

Julia Forman is the vice president of a company called "Xymos Tech" where she is overseeing a project involving nanotechnology in a medical sphere. Small nano cameras are injected into the bloodstream where they can transmit pictures of the inside of the body. It is at this point that all semblance of normalcy between these two characters comes to a mysterious end. Julia's behavior becomes very erratic and uncharacteristic. She works constantly and fails to return home at a decent hour. She leaves too early in the mornings. Her mood becomes defensive and volatile. Even her physical appearance starts to take on a leaner and edgier look.

Thinking his wife is having an affair with someone from her work, Jack accepts a job offer to work at the same location as Julia. The facility is located in the desert in Nevada. There he finds that some strange events have occurred at the facility. A swarm of nano cameras has escaped the building and is now malfunctioning outside in the desert. It did not respond to the electrical summons to return back to the facility when it first went missing and it has begun a self-sustaining existence on its own. It is also murderous. For all of its behavioral traits and actions, the swarm is "alive" and bloodthirsty. It can kill anything and anyone within a minute. And it continues to come back to the facility to try to find a way inside. Everyone inside the facility is essentially trapped. It's up to Jack to figure out how to disable and kill the swarm since the nano cameras were built according to one of his computer programs.

There is one man, Ricky, who seems somewhat opposed to the swarm's demise. Why would he be so opposed to the one thing that could save all of their lives? And Julia's still acing strangely too. There must be something deeper and darker going on...

Prey is true to Crichton's style and usual gripping performance. It is suspensefully thrilling! Often a chapter will end with a one-liner that pulls you out of your seat in surprise and compels you to continue reading. There is also a mystery in the characters' behavior that is very enjoyable. Just when you feel you've figured out the mystery, you reach the end and realize it wasn't exactly what you may have thought. The only drawback to the novel is Crichton's use of some unsavory expletives peppered throughout the dialogue. Apart from that, the novel was extremely interesting and engaging.

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Sarah O'Brien rated a book 5 of 5 stars

Lady of the Butterflies
by Fiona Mountain

read in September, 2011

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They were believed to be the souls of the dead. They were mysterious creatures with nothing more about them to understand. Now, we see butterflies as the beautiful and harmless insects that they are-the way Eleanor Glanville saw them. She held a pass...more

Sarah O'Brien rated a book 3 of 5 stars

The Giver (The Giver, #1)
by Lois Lowry

read in October, 2011

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In a world of euphemistic perfection, Jonas is anxious, yet excited, to find out what work he will be assigned to do in his community. Everyone is assigned work at the age of twelve and Jonas is no different. But his work assignment certainly is. He'...more In a world of euphemistic perfection, Jonas is anxious, yet excited, to find out what work he will be assigned to do in his community. Everyone is assigned work at the age of twelve and Jonas is no different. But his work assignment certainly is. He's been selected to take on the most honored - and the most painful - assignment in the community. It is a work that no one else can do, except for the man who was selected for the work before Jonas - The Giver. He trains Jonas and prepares him to really understand and acquire the wisdom that comes from the work. Not only does Jonas remain brave and courageous throughout his training, but he goes beyond that and thinks of a way to try and save his community even if it thinks it doesn't need saving.

Jonas' community has been developed into an isolated community devoid of free will and the people have been trained from infancy to accept it and to know no other way of life. Every December there is a ceremony held for each age group ages 1-12. Everyone in a given age group is given the same thing. For all the new children born that year they are assigned names; the eights are all given the same style jackets to signify their age group; the nines receive their bicycles; the tens have their hair cut in a particular style; the twelves are assigned their work. Everyone knows their place and the rules. Adults apply to be married and The Elders assign the partners. Those parents apply for children. They are allowed only one boy and one girl and those children are assigned to their parents during the ceremony where they are named. Dreams are scheduled for discussion in each family unit as a matter of course every morning. Feelings of the day are discussed at dinner. But soon Jonas learns that everything doesn't have to be this way.

How would our real world change if everything was assigned and regulated? If no one was allowed free will, would we all be safer? What if we didn't know about free will - would our communities and societies be better? How long do you think a world like Jonas' would last?

The Giver is a very popular book for children to read in schools and for good reason. We all do well to contemplate how we choose to act on our gift of free will.

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Sarah O'Brien marked as to-read:

Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void
by Mary Roach (Goodreads Author)

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Sarah O'Brien rated a book 3 of 5 stars

Spartan Gold (Fargo Adventure, #1)
by Clive Cussler

read in October, 2011

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Sarah O'Brien is now friends with Katya Kean
Mar 13, 2012 07:45pm
Sarah O'Brien rated a book 3 of 5 stars The Time Machine by H.G. Wells read in December, 2011	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Time travel still perks our interest even in this day of mass technological progress. With the television of today we've been catapulted into the world of amazing computer graphics and digital images that now even the thought of time travel seems lik...more
Nov 19, 2011 07:59pm · see review
Sarah O'Brien rated a book 2 of 5 stars The Courtier's Secret by Donna Russo Morin (Goodreads Author) read in October, 2011	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jeanne Mas du Bois is a young courtier in the court of King Louis XIV of France. Her entire family lives in the castle at Versailles along with thousands of other courtiers vying for the eye of the king. Jeanne, however, is very different from any or...more
Nov 07, 2011 05:10pm · see review
Sarah O'Brien rated a book 1 of 5 stars The Great Husband Hunt by Laurie Graham (Goodreads Author) read in September, 2011	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Poppy Minkel is a mustard heiress. And after spending her childhood under the thumb of strict vanity and duty by her mother Dora and Aunt Fish, she is all too prepared to spend her fortune doing whatever she wishes. After the tragedy of the sinking of...more
Oct 29, 2011 12:05pm · see review
Sarah O'Brien rated a book 3 of 5 stars Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream: A Day in the Life of Your Body by Jennifer Ackerman	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sex, Sleep, Eat, Drink, Dream. A Day in the Life of Your Body. Jennifer Ackerman's full title is very catchy and will pull your eye in with interest. According to her bio, Ackerman is an author who writes for National Geographic and The New York Times...more
Oct 24, 2011 01:28pm · see review
Sarah O'Brien rated a book 3 of 5 stars Prey by Michael Crichton	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
There's something about Michael Crichton's novels that makes you feel more intelligent as you read them. It must be the subject matter the novels are based on and the ease of description and explanation that Crichton weaves into the story. Crichton w...more
Oct 24, 2011 01:27pm · see review
Sarah O'Brien rated a book 5 of 5 stars Lady of the Butterflies by Fiona Mountain read in September, 2011	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
They were believed to be the souls of the dead. They were mysterious creatures with nothing more about them to understand. Now, we see butterflies as the beautiful and harmless insects that they are-the way Eleanor Glanville saw them. She held a pass...more
Oct 24, 2011 01:26pm · see review
Sarah O'Brien rated a book 3 of 5 stars The Giver (The Giver, #1) by Lois Lowry read in October, 2011	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
In a world of euphemistic perfection, Jonas is anxious, yet excited, to find out what work he will be assigned to do in his community. Everyone is assigned work at the age of twelve and Jonas is no different. But his work assignment certainly is. He'...more
Oct 24, 2011 01:26pm · see review
Sarah O'Brien marked as to-read: Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 18, 2011 11:24am
Sarah O'Brien rated a book 3 of 5 stars Spartan Gold (Fargo Adventure, #1) by Clive Cussler read in October, 2011	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 18, 2011 11:24am

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