R.D. Brady's Blog, page 3

Emptying out the Bookshelves

So I’ve been painting. No, not beautiful landscapes – kitchen cabinets. Unfortunately, the kitchen cabinets are in a weird sort of way attached to the bookcases directly behind them. So I need to paint them too. Ugh.

And I’m getting to it. But I may wait for nicer weather. Nonetheless, I emptied all the bookshelves in case the need to remove the hardware and doors, then sand everything down and finally apply three coats of paint and two coats of polyurethane hits me out of the blue. (No, I’m not holding my breath waiting for that little miracle.)

And where am I going with this little foray into my home renovation projects? Well, cleaning out the bookshelves got me thinking about changing reading habits. As a college student, I was all about the paperbacks. Then when I could afford it, it was about the hardcovers. And now, it’s e-books.

In fact, now, almost all my fiction buys are e-books. It’s generally only my non-fiction that are physical books. That’s because I like to flip back and forth in non-fiction, which so far an e-book does not let me do with ease. (Okay, okay and occasionally I skim.)

So back to the bookshelves. There were crucial decisions that needed to be made: will I ever re-read this book again or should I donate it so that someone else can read it?

Now I’m a book lover, but I was surprised by the number of books I was ready to donate. Legal thrillers topped the list. I used to be obsessed with John Grisham books, but most of them, with the exception of A Time to Kill, ended up in the donate pile.

But I kept all of William Bernhardt’s books. I absolutely love his Ben Kincaid series. And not for the legalese. The characters are engaging, funny and flawed.

And then there are the action adventures. Now I need books where the female is not just window dressing, but actually has something to offer the story’s resolution. And I need there to be something positive. I don’t like walking away from a book feeling depressed. I want a little bounce in my step or at least an extra something to chew on.

I have emptied out a lot of space, which is good. It’s good to clear the decks and feel like you’re starting fresh.  Anyone else seeing changes in their reading habits?

On the to-be read pile right now is Ruins by Dan Wells – a YA title. I think the YA books right now offer me that glance of perseverance against incredible odds. We adults tend to overthink, overanalyze and weigh the odds a little too much. When I’m done, I’ll let you know how it is. Happy Reading!

:)

 

 

 

 

Are you Kidding Me?!#$@%

Author Lynn Shepherd recently posted a blistering, vindictive, jealousy infused blog on Huffington Post saying JK Rowling should stop publishing books.  (Click here to see original article.)   Seriously, my screen was leaking envious, small-minded vitriol.  I needed a lot of napkins to clean that mess up.

Normally, I like to stay out of the fray, keep this site focused on the books.  But this post was so horrendous, it’s impossible not to comment.

In essence Miss Shepherd argues that JK Rowling, who has built a phenomenal worldwide following of dedicated readers, should stop writing books because her books are taking up shelf space that could be used by other authors, more deserving authors.

WHAT?!$#!

If anyone has earned her shelf space, it’s JK Rowling.  She was writing the Harry Potter series as a single mother with the baby in the carriage next to her.  She struggled and she made it.  Boy did she make it!

But more than the sour grapes that Miss Shepherd has so clearly displayed, are the disturbing ideas about what people should read.  Reading should be enjoyable.  Yes, reading should broaden your mind.  But being some lengthy tome on modern economics or adult focused plotline does not guarantee a broadening of the mind.

Reading books from the YA market or even earlier are also an important reading subject.  They remind us of the innocence of childhood.  They remind us that sometimes problems are just black and white and the solutions are clear.  We, as adults, are just muddying up the problem with all our adult concerns.

Books aimed at the younger generation remind us why we read:  We read to be entertained.  We read to jump into a different world.  And at times, we read to escape out adult lives and responsibilities.

Everyone should read Harry Potter.  I personally have read the whole series.  Three times.  Because you need a little dose of clear cut good verse evil every once in a while.  You need to root for the underdog and you need the underdog to win.

Right now, Miss Shepherd is the underdog.  I checked her out on Amazon and she is being slammed with one star reviews.  (In her post, she critiqued Rowling without reading a word of her work.  People have taken her approach to heart.)

I suppose if I take a page from the Potter series, I should be hoping for some sort of redemption.  But I can’t quite bring myself to root for this underdog.  Not yet, at least.

Another Trip Down the Road of ‘What If?’ – Edgar Cayce on Atlantis

This post is a first: I’m not going to write about a thriller or even a work of fiction.  (Well, actually, some of you may think the work I’m going to chat about is fiction.) Usually I  read thrillers, mysteries, something in the “Who done it?” category.   For the past few years, though,  I’ve  been delving into those same areas but in the non-fiction realm.

Those of you that have read my books, know that both Edgar Cayce and Atlantis play a prominent role in them.  I first learned of Edgar Cayce around eight years ago.  Since that time, the man has fascinated me.  For those of you unfamiliar with his work let me give you a quick bio:

Edgar Cayce was born on 1887 in Kentucky.  He had a normal enough childhood except for two things:

1)  He occasionally saw and played with ghosts as a child.

2) If he fell asleep on top of a book, he would wake up knowing its contents.

As Cayce matured, his psychic abilities also developed.

All right, all right.  For those of you already rolling your eyes: Edgar Cayce is an incredibly well-documented psychic.  Cayce’s most documented skill was his ability to diagnose and treat ailments while in a trance.  His ability reached a level where someone could give him a name and an address and he could diagnose them.  And he had an 86% accuracy rate!  In fact, some of the treatments he recommended were new in his time but are now actually used.

Cayce also did readings of people’s past lives.  Some of those lives were spent in Atlantis.  The Atlantis life readings only make up a small portion of his overall readings, but they are beyond fascinating.  I think we are all intrigued by this idea of an advanced ancient civilization that met its doom.  Cayce’s descriptions of this ancient civilization involve technology, relationships, even its downfall.

I’ve been working on my third book and as a re-result decided I needed a refresher on Cayce’s take on Atlantis.  So I re-read Edgar Cayce on Atlantis.  And yet again I am intrigued!

The last few years I’ve spent researching pre-diluvian archaeological records.  That research combined with Cayce’s readings, is imagination inspiring.  Cayce unintentionally argues for a much earlier start to human civilizations, we’re talking 50,000 BC.   For me, the joy of Cayce’s work is the similar joy I experience while reading a good thriller novel:  the joy of what if.

What if we actually began on this planet much earlier than is currently recognized?  What if there was this incredibly powerful civilization that existed prior to the Ice Age and through its own technology, destroyed itself?  What if a disaster wiped out our advances in this distant past, bringing us back to low level of technology?

Then I apply these ideas to modern life.  I think about what would happen if a disaster hit now.  Now, I can use a computer.  But I certainly can’t build a microchip.  I imagine the same problem would have faced people thousands of years ago.

Cayce was also a proponent of reincarnation and karma, although he didn’t identify it as such.  Reading about reincarnation, well, it made me wonder what I did in a previous life to end up where I am now.

One of the components I liked best was Cayce’s assertion that the people you find yourself with in this life have been in your past lives as well.  When I look the people important in my life, that idea makes me feel good and even more connected.

So if you’re looking for a little window into ancient civilizations, even if you are not entirely sure you believe in Cayce, take a look at Edgar Cayce on Atlantis by Edgar Evans Cayce.  If you think he’s a quack, that’s fine.  Just pretend your reading fiction.  Either way, it’s a fun way to pass a few hours.

Spilling Innocent Blood: Rollins and Cantrell Team up Again

(Try Grammarly’s plagiarism check because you’re better than any copy.)

I just finished James Rollins second collaboration with Rebecca Cantrell, Innocent Blood, and I loved it.  I have to admit, though, I had a little trouble getting into it.  But I think that’s because I was trying to sneak pages in between my hectic life.  Once I gave it the attention it deserved, I had difficulty putting it down.

The last hundred pages were literal page-turners.  Nothing could distract me from it.  It had one of the critical factors these days that makes a book for me: characters I care about, who also seem to care about one another.

I don’t know what it is, but I’m less intrigued by characters who’ve just met or were forced together.  Now, I like to see some genuine concern between characters.  If they care about each other, I care more about them and what happens to them.

Innocent Blood also has a strong religious angle – a historical religious angle, not a spiritual one.  In other words, it investigates religious events as historical ones.  Right up my alley. 

This series is a departure from James Rollins ‘ usual books.  In the Sigma series, he’s got a group of well, spies, sent on missions with historical precursors and of course, death around every corner.

These newer books, however, have a supernatural angle, no doubt Rebecca Cantrell’s influence.  In this latest, Rasputin reappears, along with a few strigoi, (i.e., vampires) and a mysterious immortal boy who just a few months ago was a very mortal boy, dying of an aggressive cancer.

In this latest story, there’s also a subplot involving maternal affection and protection, which rings quite a few bells for me.  As I mentioned above, I enjoy action adventures, where you feel that the people really care about one another, not just the main characters who have usually fallen for each other, but the supporting cast as well.    In the Innocent Blood, we get a taste of that protectiveness for the immortal boy.

And that adds an extra special something that makes the reader need to see the boy survive, which doesn’t look too likely.  And then bam, we are emotionally invested.

This is probably my favorite James Rollins’ book since Altar of Eden and the huge fan that I am, that is really saying something.  So if you’re looking to get lost for a few hours, pick it up!

The Mortal Instruments: Revisiting the Teenage Years

I just finished The Mortal Instruments series, books one through four, by Cassandra Clare. The series is based around sixteen-year old Clary Fray, who unbeknownst to her, is a shadow hunter. Shadow hunters fight the demons in the world and generally are invisible to humans. There are lots of fight scenes, angel and biblical mythology, as well as some vampires, werewolves, and warlocks. All in all, a fun read.

And, I did like it. But I’m sitting here trying to figure out exactly why. To be perfectly honest, the lead female protagonist was kind of annoying. She was always jumping into things, not thinking, putting herself and the people she cares about in danger.

But then I realize that is the essence of being a teenager. You have little to no impulse control. Every crush is the love of your life and all consuming. And you simply don’t think about the consequences of your actions. Moreover, you have fewer responsibilities than you will have in only a few short years. Looking back, it was full of angst and difficulty, but it truly the freest time in a person’s life.

And I think that’s why I liked these books. As an adult, I am always weighing the consequences of my actions and my speech. I can’t just say what I want to whomever I want. Because I know how damaging words can be. And crushes are no longer all consuming. They can’t be there are too many other possibilities to consider.

Okay, granted, I am married, so it’s been a while. But even if I were free to have an actable crush, at my age, it wouldn’t be a teenage crush – that all consuming think about one guy and nothing else. Because my life as an adult has a lot of ‘else.’ And if I lose focus, a lot of other people and things are affected.

Now granted as I read over this, it makes me sound like an automaton. Not true. I’m just a grown up. But as an adult, it’s nice to disappear into a world where you are free to make any decision you want without worry about consequences, to be completely consumed by passion and forget about everything else. To vicariously live the experience of being a teenager in its best ways, without any of the awkward hair moments.

So if you’re looking to escape back to your younger, freer, self take a stroll through the world of The Mortal Instruments. And sit back and enjoy the ride!

It’s As if You’re One of the Family : The Accused by Lisa Scotoline

I first read Lisa Scotoline years and years ago, when I was really into legal thrillers. Scotoline has a series based around an all female law firm called Rosato and Associates. Scotolines last Rosato et al., outing was back in 2010. She’s done a few standalone’s in between. But, to be honest, they never really appealed to me. (Sorry, Lisa.) But now she’s back with another Rosato firm book, The Accused, with my favorite lead, Mary DiNunzio.

Mary was first introduced in 2000 in Everywhere that Mary Went. And there is something completely appealing about her. Maybe it’s my Catholic School upbringing , but Mary’s Catholic guilt rang true. Her very Italian parents, their concern, their over involvement in her life, albeit in the most loving way possible, all make you smile. They are a warm hug wrapped around a mystery.

And then there are the Tony’s. Mary has these three friends of her father’s, age seventy and up, who are all named Tony and just want to help. Pigeon Tony, Tony Two Feet, and Tony from Down the Block, are such great entertaining characters. Maybe it’s growing up on Long Island where I was exposed to a great deal of Italian culture, which is a rapid departure from the Scottish culture I experienced in my own home, but I recognized these guys too.

When you read these books, the mystery is engaging, but it’s the characters that make you feel like you’re part of the family. Scotoline does a great job of drawing you in and keeping you there. You care about her characters and you watch how much the other characters care about one another. Who wouldn’t root for someone the three Tony’s care so much about?

The story this time around revolves around a decades old mystery that a thirteen-year-old girl wants solve. But here’s the rub: the victim was her sister and she believes the man sent to prison for her murder is innocent.

I picked The Accused up thinking, well this should be all right. But I’d forgotten how much I enjoy this series. I ended up reading longer than I planned and later than I planned. I finished the book in two days. It was great. Another lost in a book moment.

A Suggestion For When You Can’t Spend A Lot Of Time With A Book

Sorry for the long absence. I haven’t blogged about anything in a while because I haven’t read much lately. Well, I’ve read a few things, but not really anything I’d recommend. I live by the motto, if you don’t have anything good to say, yadda, yadda, yadda.

And life did get a little hectic, making reading difficult. Actually, that’s not entirely true. Life did get hectic but I have been reading. Just not novels. . . something else . . .um, well . . . okay, okay. I’ve been reading comic books.

I know, I know. No intelligent adult is supposed to admit that publicly. But it’s true and it has completely filled the reading void. I have been busy. The kind of busy that means large portions of time will go between reading sessions. Enough time that it’s hard to get into a book.

And, to be perfectly frank, I haven’t had the time to get lost in a book. But a comic book is different. A short little story that I can read in one sitting and walk away feeling satisfied.

Oh, what comic book? Um, well, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I know, I know, but I used to love that show. I was so upset when it went off the air. And the comics take up right where the show left off. It’s fun, fantastical, and irreverent.

And the Buffy comic is overseen by Joss Whedon. Who doesn’t love Joss Whedon? So yes, I am an adult woman, with kids, who likes comics. So if you’re looking for a short little something, try comics.

Now if you’ll excuse me, Calvin and Hobbes are waiting for me. ☺

Something For When You Can’t Spend A Lot Of Time With A Book

Sorry for the long absence. I haven’t blogged about anything in a while because I haven’t read much lately. Well, I’ve read a few things, but not really anything I’d recommend. I live by the motto, if you don’t have anything good to say, yadda, yadda, yadda.

And life did get a little hectic, making reading difficult. Actually, that’s not entirely true. Life did get hectic but I have been reading. Just not novels. . . something else . . .um, well . . . okay, okay. I’ve been reading comic books.

I know, I know. No intelligent adult is supposed to admit that publicly. But it’s true and it has completely filled the reading void. I have been busy. The kind of busy that means large portions of time will go between reading sessions. Enough time that it’s hard to get into a book.

And, to be perfectly frank, I haven’t had the time to get lost in a book. But a comic book is different. A short little story that I can read in one sitting and walk away feeling satisfied.

Oh, what comic book? Um, well, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I know, I know, but I used to love that show. I was so upset when it went off the air. And the comics take up right where the show left off. It’s fun, fantastical, and irreverent.

And the Buffy comic is overseen by Joss Whedon. Who doesn’t love Joss Whedon? So yes, I am an adult woman, with kids, who likes comics. So if you’re looking for a short little something, try comics.

Now if you’ll excuse me, Calvin and Hobbes are waiting for me. ☺

A Game of Thrones: I Can’t Believe How Much I Liked This Book!

I just finished reading the A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. And it was incredible! And I have to tell you, I wasn’t expecting it to be. Here’s how it came about:

Two friends know I am always on the search for a good book. They both recommended it in the same week. One friend is a female physician who tends towards mysteries. The other is a male cop who tends towards hard-boiled action novels. These two have nothing in common. These are the friends that you know you will never introduce to one another. Because after the first few minutes of small talk, Mexico’s Zone of silence will sound like a drunken frat party in comparison.

Needless to say, I was intrigued to find out what it was about the one book that had both of them recommending it. It’s not that I hadn’t heard about A Game of Thrones. Anybody not currently residing under a rock has heard of A Game of Thrones.

In case any rock dwellers are reading, A Game of Thrones is a series of books that has been turned into an incredibly popular HBO series. If you ask any one about the series they will inevitably mention one of three themes: violence, sex and incest. Generally, that’s not what pulls me in. Plus, from what I could tell, it seemed to be based in the Middle Ages. Again, not my thing. But I gave it a shot.

Holy cow! It was so good! The novel is told through the eyes of about seven characters. Right off the bat, Martin is breaking rules. If you read anything about how not to write a novel, they say do not use too many points of views. Martin does and he does it wonderfully. Each character he portrays he does so with full detail, emotional, physical, and mental. You are completely engrossed in the character and the world they are seeing.

And what a world! Intrigue, backstabbing, love, loyalty, honor, desperation. It’s all there. I was hooked from page one. So much, that I read the first two books in a about two days. (Page total: approximately 1500). Then I borrowed Season One from a friend.

I am currently wading my way through Book 4: A Feast for Crows. More on the other books in upcoming blogs. Any other Thrones fans out there?

World War Z: The Book, Not the Movie

The other night I went to go see the movie, World War Z. Now generally I am not a fan of watching the movie after I’ve read the book. The movie always disappoints. But this movie was really very good. And why? Because there was no chance it could be anything like the book. Even though the book is really, really good. Let me explain.

World War Z is a tale about the zombie apocalypse. But it is not written in a traditional style. In fact, there is no main character. You don’t follow a single person throughout the book, even though dozens of them are introduced. The book is written as if it is a collection of United Nations reports gathered after the zombie apocalypse has ended.

I won’t lie: At first, it was a little tough to get into. I like to meet my characters, get to know them, care about them. That wasn’t an option here. Each report involved a new character, usually in a different part of the world. But each story was compelling in its own right. In reflection, I realize the whole book was actually written from the perspective of humanity going through the stages of grief. First denial that the zombies were truly zombies. Then anger at what’s happening, depression that the plight can ever be overcome and so on.

In fact, you could even say the apocalypse itself is the main character that you are following. Each report highlights another aspect of its character. And this is a character you really want to know. By the end, you are trying to figure out how life goes on and you’re marveling at the human spirit.

And even though World War Z is written as reports, there’s nothing dull about it. Max Brooks has crafted a believable scenario and it is incredibly difficult to put down. It’s like reading a documentary on the zombie apocalypse. No, wait. That sounds boring. World War Z is anything but. It is truly fascinating form start to finish. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a good book about zombies?