National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month. Take time to enjoy reading your favorite poems this month.

The following poem was written by Robert Louis Stevenson. For your reading entertainment:

The Land of Story-books

At evening when the lamp is lit,
Around the fire my parents sit;
They sit at home and talk and sing,
And do not play at anything.
Now, with my little gun, I crawl
All in the dark along the wall,
And follow round the forest track
Away behind the sofa back.
There, in the night, where none can spy,
All in my hunter's camp I lie,
And play at books that I have read
Till it is time to go to bed.
These are the hills, these are the woods,
These are my starry solitudes;
And there the river by whose brink
The roaring lions come to drink.
I see the others far away
As if in firelit camp they lay,
And I, like to an Indian scout,
Around their party prowled about.
So, when my nurse comes in for me,
Home I return across the sea,
And go to bed with backward looks
At my dear land of Story-books.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Admittedly I enjoy a good mystery. However, finding one to read can be a mystery itself at times. At my last visit to Borders Book Store the clerk recommended The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larson. According to the clerk this book has outsold the Bible in Sweden and they can’t keep it on the shelves at Borders. Even though the clerk had not read the book, he understood it was comparable to an Agatha Christie novel. By the way, Agatha Christie is one of my favorite mystery writers.

First, let me warn you. This book receives an R rating from me. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo takes place in Sweden. The author graphically describes an assault on the character Lisbeth Salander. In my opinion, an author can leave some events to the reader’s imagination and be as effective as spelling it out. Mr. Larson chose not to. Apparently, the Swedish culture is very open in regards to intimate relationships and infidelity. Thus many women become victims of crimes with little or no avenues of justice. This society provides the backdrop for the story’s events.

Mr. Larson attempts to distract the reader with an enormous amount of background history regarding the Vanger family. The basic plot is about a wealthy corporate industrialist whose niece vanishes twenty years earlier. Before the patriarch dies, he wants one last attempt to find his beloved niece. Investigating his niece’s disappearance has become an obsession to him throughout the years.Henrik Vanger hires a journalist, Mikael Blomkvist to poke around his dysfunctional family in order to find some resolution. Mikael Blomkvist eventually meets social outcast/computer hacker extraodinaire, Lisbeth Salander. Together they solve the case.

To compare this book to Agatha Christie’s writing is a stretch. Mechanically there may be some similarities. Larson utilizes Blomkvist and Salander as his detective solving team. Christie used Hercule Poirot and Hastings as her’s. As far as I’m concerned the similarities end there. And I’m still looking for a good mystery to read.

Ghostwalk

Ghostwalk is a mystery novel authored by Rebecca Scott. Ms. Scott has intertwined some historical facts about Isaac Newton and the 17th century into her novel giving it a new twist.

There are two predominate plots to the novel. The first explores the possibility and probability of Isaac Newton’s involvement in several murders at Cambridge. As a result of these murders or untimely deaths Isaac Newton was promoted to hold the position of Lucasian chair at Trinity.

Ghostwalk’s second plot involves the character and author, Elizabeth Vogelsang, who is researching and writing about Isaac Newton’s involvement in these 17th century murders. Suddenly, Elizabeth Vogelsang is mysteriously murdered. Upon Elizabeth’s death, her son asks her former student and his former lover, Lydia Brooke, to complete his mother’s book. During this period of time while Lydia is researching and completing the book another set of murders are occurring in Cambridge. Lydia Brooke is also experiencing many paranormal situations as she gets closer to the truth. These murders occur and happen on the same day the homicides in the 17th century she is investigating.

Are the homicides a coincidence? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

The Giver

Have you ever thought life would be so much easier if someone else made the decisions? What freedom would you be willing to give up to live in a community where that would happen?

The Giver by Lois Lowry describes one such community. The story is about a boy name Jonas and his journey. In his community their clothes, food, parents, spouses, and careers are chosen; as well as, if they get to live in the community and their time of death.

Upon turning 12 years of age, children are given their lifetime career assignments. During the assignment ceremony, Jonas is passed. Waiting anxiously to the end of the ceremony, Jonas finally receives his assignment. Jonas will be The Giver’s apprentice. The Giver is the one person who holds all the memories of pain, joy, and truth for the entire community. Jonas quickly learns, this is an awesome responsibility. After learning the truth about his community, he is faced with a decision which could change the community forever.

This book is a Newberry Award Winner recipient. The recommended reading level is for 6th grade to adult. One of the underlying topics in The Giver is euthanasia. Even though the vocabulary is not difficult, there are some adult social issues introduced. As a parent, I would want to discuss these issues with my child as he reads it. The Giver is a very thought provoking book for young to adult readers.

The Alchemist

I know people, who have known all their lives what their purpose was and what they were to do. In Paulo Coelho’s book, The Alchemist, He shares the story of a young man pursuing and finding his “personal legend.”

In the book, Santiago is a shepherd in Spain. He has a recurring dream and wonders about its meaning. Upon taking his sheep to town for shearing, Santiago encounters a gypsy woman, who insists hearing about his dream. The gypsy gives Santiago her interpretation of his dream. The gypsy tells Santiago he must travel to the place in his dreams and he will find great treasure. The rest of the novel describes Santiago’s journey and the significant people he encounters and the lessons learned from them.

Throughout the course of the novel, Paul Coelho uses many allegorical references to the Bible. Some of the deeper nuances of the novel could be lost to a reader unfamiliar with the Bible. Even without this knowledge, I recommend it. This is a beautiful story about discovering and living your own personal legend.

Books and Bargains

There have been several deals involving books lately which you may find valuable.

For Audible.com members there are free short stories and excerpts available. Some of the free downloads include:



The Water Horse
A Brief History of Alagaesia
Consider the Lobster



Borders Rewards members can purchase the Sony eBook for $200.00 with free shipping. Check the link below for more details.

http://www.bordersmedia.com/coup/coupon199ser0609.asp?cmpid=SL_20090609_ _


If you enjoy reading fantasy books and science fiction, then this web site is for you. Baen Books is offering fantasy and science novels for free downloading in various formats.

http://www.baen.com/library/

We would like to hear of any bargains regarding books you may find. Leave us a comment or email.


Clipart comes from Microsoft Clipart

Seekers Great Bear Lake Review

Seekers
Great Bear Lake

Author: Erin Hunter

Continuing from the last book, Seekers The Quest Begins; Lusa, Toklo, Ujurak, and Kallik made it to the Great Bear Lake, the meeting place for all types of bears on the longest day of the year.

Kallik, the white bear, finds the meeting place of the other white bears for the longest day. She soon finds her brother and realizes her mother would not be happy with his actions. Taqqiq and his friends wanted to take the black bear territory to find food. Later on, her brother Taqqiq and his friends capture a black bear cub named Miki.

Meanwhile, Toklo was with Ujurak when an old enemy challenges him to swim to Paw Print Island to spend the longest day of the year. But deep inside Toklo is afraid to swim. He finds his courage and made it to Paw Print Island. Then he claims it as his territory. The brown bears believe Toklo’s act of courage will allow the bear spirits to bring them food.

All of the bears are brought together when Lusa meets another black bear named Miki. When Miki is captured Lusa finds Toklo and Ujurak to help save Miki. Lusa also meets a white bear, Kallik who wants to help save Miki. Together they come up with a plan and save Miki from the other white bears.

At the end of this story, Toklo, Ujurak, Lusa, Kallik, and Taqqiq realize they all face the same challenges to survive. Every bear needs food and water. The flat faces are slowly taking over their forests. So, they all become friends and head off for their next journey to the place where the bear spirits dance in the sky.

This post was written by Caleb Koerner, student at Barboursville Middle School.