In My Mailbox

The idea of In My Mailbox is to bring books to the attention of our blog readers and to encourage interaction with other blogs.

How In My Mailbox works:

1. Every week we'll post about what books we have received that week (via your mailbox/library/store bought)! Preferably posts will be made every Sunday, but feel free to choose a day that works best for you.

2. Everyone that agrees to participate will try to visit each other's list and leave comments!

3. Everyone is welcome to join! You can join at anytime and you DO NOT have to participate every week.

4. Be sure to sign the Mr. Linky Widget (that will be posted each Sunday with my In My Mailbox post) so that others can easily find your "In My Mailbox" post! You DO NOT have to title your post "In My Mailbox"

5. Link back here, to The Story Siren, on your In My Mailbox post, so that other people can find more information about IMM.

Tuesday

How Music Works: The Science and Psychology of Beautiful Sounds, from Beethoven to the Beatles and Beyond by John Powell (Hachette Books)

Wednesday

How the Government Got in Your Backyard by Jeff Gillman and Eric Heberlig (Timber Press, Inc) via Shelf Awareness

Thursday

Born to be Giants: How Baby Dinosaurs Grew to Rule the World by Lita Judge (signed) won from Shelf Awareness

Happy Reading!

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The Book of Trees

The Book of Trees by Leanne Lieberman (Orca Book Publishers)

Book description:

When Mia, a Jewish teenager from Ontario, goes to Israel to spend the summer studying at a yeshiva, or seminary, she wants to connect with the land and deepen her understanding of Judaism. However, Mia’s summer plans go astray when she falls in love with a non-Jewish tourist, Andrew. Through him, Mia learns about the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and starts to question her Zionist aspirations. In particular, Mia is disturbed by the Palestinian’s loss of their olive trees, and the state of Israel’s planting of pine trees, symbolizing the setting down of new roots. After narrowly escaping a bus bombing, Mia decides that being a peace activisit is more important than being religious.

This was a Library Thing Early Review win and I loved the book. I read Gravity by Leanne Lieberman and loved it. She does a wonderful job of explaining Judaism to non-Jewish people and what it means to be Jewish.

I loved how Mia wrestles with how the Torah teaches you to be a good Jewish person, yet can’t understand why innocent non-Jews have to die because they are in the land that was promised to the Jewish people. She agonizes over her feelings on how to be Jewish and be a decent human being.

When she meets Andrew, she glimpses what a secular life is like and longs to be that person again. She worries what her Jewish friends will say and then finally chucks it all away to be with Andrew and discover who she wishes to be. I highly recommend this book and thank you to Library Thing for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this beautifully written book.

Happy Reading!

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Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a random page

3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

5. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Mine is from p.11 of Unholy Domain by Dan Ronco

They passed row after row of deserted cubicles, then turned a corner and headed toward a brightly lit conference room. As they approached, San detected three hooded men in dark suits just like his crew, seated at the far end of a long table.

Happy Reading!

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Shadow of the Swords Review

The Shadow of the Swords by Kamran Pasha

Book description:

An epic saga of love and war, Shadow of the Swords tells the story of the Crusades—from the Muslim perspective.

Saladin, a Muslim sultan, finds himself pitted against King Richard the Lionheart as Islam and Christianity clash against each other, launching a conflict that still echoes today.

In the midst of a brutal and unforgiving war, Saladin finds forbidden love in the arms of Miriam, a beautiful Jewish girl with a tragic past. But when King Richard captures Miriam, the two most powerful men on Earth must face each other in a personal battle that will determine the future of the woman they both love—and of all civilization.

Richly imagined, deftly plotted, and highly entertaining, Shadow of the Swords is a remarkable story that will stay with readers long after the final page has been turned.

Review:

This was a wonderful book and I loved it. We’ve heard a lot about the Crusades, but not much from the Muslim perspective.

This was an epic that kept me captivated throughout the novel. It has plenty of action, romance and history to appease anyone who loves intrigue and suspense and history. The characters are well developed and you see that they are human and make mistakes, fall in love and are unsure of themselves, just like everyone else. I loved how Miriam agonizes over her decisions and her love for Saladin, even though he’s Muslim and she’s Jewish.

One of the memorable passages for me was one said by Saladin:

Our compassion is our greatest weapon. With it we stay the resistance in a man’s heart and quell his hate. When you defeat the rancor, you have replaced an enemy with an ally.

Jerusalem has been the reason so many faiths have gone to war. Maimonides has this to say about Jerusalem:

Two men of different faiths stood before the hill where Heaven wept as it met Earth. In that moment Maimonides realized the true power of the ancient city. Like a beautiful woman, Jerusalem could inspire passion and frenzy among her suitors, hatred that could lead to bitter rivalries and duels for her heart. She was not a fickle tramp seeking to play men against each other. Her love was deeper than that, so intense that those in her thrall could not understand that it sprang from an everlasting well that could be shared by many and never run dry. She loved all men and welcomed every son of Adam to her embrace.

I recommend this novel to anyone who loves history. This was a great read and thanks to Alyce of At Home with Books for doing a giveaway of this and picking me to be the recipient of this wonderful novel.

Happy Reading!

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Neil Gaiman's Proposal

I saw this on his blog and thought I'd share. I think it's a great idea.

I was on a flight home last night, and I thought,

You know, there aren't enough traditions that involve giving books.

There's World Book Day, which grew out of Don Quixote Day/Cervantes Birthday/St George's Day in Spain, where roses and books are given, but really, we need some more instant traditions that involve the giving of books, the kind that spread all over the world.

And then I thought,

Hallowe'en's next weekend...

So:

I propose that, on Hallowe'en or during the week of Hallowe'en, we give each other scary books. Give children scary books they'll like and can handle. Give adults scary books they'll enjoy.

I propose that stories by authors like John Bellairs and Stephen King and Arthur Machen and Ramsey Campbell and M R James and Lisa Tuttle and Peter Straub and Daphne Du Maurier and Clive Barker and a hundred hundred others change hands -- new books or old or second-hand, beloved books or unknown. Give someone a scary book for Hallowe'en. Make their flesh creep...

Give a scary book.

If you don't know what kinds of books there are, or what would be appropriate for the person you're giving a book to, talk to a bookseller. They love to help, most of them. (The ones that don't tend not to be booksellers for long.) Talk to librarians. (Do not plan to give away their books though, unless they are having a library sale.)

That's it. That's my idea.

Scary book. Hallowe'en.

Who's with me?

Neil

(And for those of you who protest that, honestly, you need no excuse to give books as gifts, and you do it all the time, and it comes to you as naturally as breathing -- well, that's wonderful, and I'm glad. Think of this as your chance to spread books to people to whom you might not normally give books, or to receive books you might otherwise never read.)

Happy Reading!

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In My Mailbox

The idea of In My Mailbox is to bring books to the attention of our blog readers and to encourage interaction with other blogs.

How In My Mailbox works:

1. Every week we'll post about what books we have received that week (via your mailbox/library/store bought)! Preferably posts will be made every Sunday, but feel free to choose a day that works best for you.

2. Everyone that agrees to participate will try to visit each other's list and leave comments!

3. Everyone is welcome to join! You can join at anytime and you DO NOT have to participate every week.

4. Be sure to sign the Mr. Linky Widget (that will be posted each Sunday with my In My Mailbox post) so that others can easily find your "In My Mailbox" post! You DO NOT have to title your post "In My Mailbox"

5. Link back here, to The Story Siren, on your In My Mailbox post, so that other people can find more information about IMM.

Monday

The Book of Trees by Leanne Lieberman (won from Library Thing Early Reviewers)

Unholy Domain by Dan Ronco (won from Library Thing Early Reviewers)

Things I Overheard while Talking to myself by Alan Alda audiobook (library)

Tuesday

Moondogs by Alexander Yates (Random House/DoubleDay) via Shelf Awareness

Thursday

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton (Atria Books/ Simon and Schuster) via Shelf Awareness

Happy Reading!

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'All Facts Considered' By NPR's Longtime Librarian

I came across this and it is fascinating. Now you can know the secrets behind how NRP reporters get their facts.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130729448

Happy Reading!

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Watersmeet Review

Watersmeet by Ellen Jensen Abbott (Marshall Cavendish Corp)

Book description:

From birth Abisina has been an outcast because she doesn't have light skin, blond hair, and blue eyes. Only her mother's status as Vranille's only healer has saved the 14-year-old from being abandoned outside the village walls, prey to centaurs, dwarves, and worse. The arrival of the long-awaited Charach, the Deliverer, is a disaster. He incites the community to slaughter the outcasts, Abisina's mother is killed, and the teen barely escapes. Armed with her mother's necklace and not much else, the girl heads off to find Watersmeet, and, hopefully, her father. She encounters a plethora of otherworldly creatures, becomes the reluctant traveling companion of a dwarf, loses a toe to evil centaurs, and finally makes it to Watersmeet, where creatures of all kinds live in harmony. She meets her father, who is much more than she could have ever imagined, and reluctantly participates in the battle to save the world from Charach. While there isn't anything particularly new here, this book has a positive message of tolerance and acceptance, and the ending, while abrupt, is ultimately satisfying and leaves the door open for a sequel.

Review:

I loved this book. It’s a great story with lots of action and adventure. Girls will like it because Abisina is a lot like them, unsure of their place in the world and unsure of what power and skills they possess. It also teaches about prejudice and how to overcome it and truly see the person inside and forget about their faults. There are fairies, trolls, centaurs, shape shifters and the writing is excellent and I can’t wait for the sequel. All girls from 11 and up will enjoy this book and I highly recommend it.

I borrowed this book from my local library.

Happy Reading!

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Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a random page

3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

5. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Mine is from p.21 of

Wrong: Why Experts Keep Failing Us--And How to Know When Not to Trust Them by David H.Freedman

Informal experts can have a big impact on our lives through these sorts of rankings, as the media feed us expert lists of everything from where to live to what movie to see. But underlying these often authorative—and confident seeming conclusions is a rat’s nest of confusion and misdirection largely stemming from one big question: what to measure?

Happy Reading!

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Death

I came across this and wanted to pass it along: Belva Plain dies at 95.

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In My Mailbox

The idea of In My Mailbox is to bring books to the attention of our blog readers and to encourage interaction with other blogs.

How In My Mailbox works:

1. Every week we'll post about what books we have received that week (via your mailbox/library/store bought)! Preferably posts will be made every Sunday, but feel free to choose a day that works best for you.

2. Everyone that agrees to participate will try to visit each other's list and leave comments!

3. Everyone is welcome to join! You can join at anytime and you DO NOT have to participate every week.

4. Be sure to sign the Mr. Linky Widget (that will be posted each Sunday with my In My Mailbox post) so that others can easily find your "In My Mailbox" post! You DO NOT have to title your post "In My Mailbox"

5. Link back here, to The Story Siren, on your In My Mailbox post, so that other people can find more information about IMM.

Tuesday

The Fiddler’s Gun by A.S. Peterson (Rabbit Room)

My Reading Life by Pat Conroy (Random House)

On Toby’s Terms by Charmaine Hammond (Bettie Youngs Books)

Happy Reading!

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Arthur of Albion Review

Arthur of Albion by John Matthews illustrated by Pavel Tatarnikov

Book Description:

This vivid retelling brings together the best-known stories about Arthur

and his court, exploring the relationships between the main characters

in the legends. Magnificent illustrations by Pavel Tatarnikov add to the

atmosphere of Arthurian England.

My review:

I enjoyed reading the stories of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table. Each chapter is about one of his knights and his adventures because Arthur wanted a story during his supper.

This book will appeal to ages 8-12, boys and girls. There are beautiful illustrations throughout the book that bring the stories to life. If you have a child who likes adventures and stories of bravery, then this book is for them.

Here is an example of the artwork that helps bring the story to life.

I received this book from Barefoot Books free of charge for review.

Happy Reading!

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Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a random page

3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

5. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Mine is from p.41 of Shadow of the Swords by Kamran Pasha

“The poisonous fumes of hate could be replaced with the gentle autumn air of a new day without recrimination. As he thought this, the voices from the past seemed to fade with a sigh of release, the stones growing silent.”

Happy Reading!

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Bobo's Daughter Review

Bobo’s Daughter: One Woman’s Journey to Find Hope, Healing and the Father Behind the Face Paint by Bonnie Barnett

Bonnie Barnett remembered meeting her father for the first time when she was four at the circus. When Bobo lifted her to kiss her, someone snapped a photograph that was later used on the front page of the newspaper. Many years later, Ro Kim, an incredibly talented artist from Korea was commissioned by Bonnie to paint this moment from a tattered newspaper clipping to give to her father for his 80th birthday. Ro's artistic gift brought this memory to life, and thus begins the tale of Bobo's Daughter.

She was the child of two famous circus clowns from the 30s and 40s, yet raised by her single mother in a town where she hid her flamboyant family history until . . . her prayers were answered with drama, lights and music. Forced to walk a road of difficult discovery and heart-wrenching healing, she almost gave in to despair . . . but there were real live MIRACLES along the way. Searching for her earthly father, the clown, she found her Heavenly Father as well.

Twenty-five years in the making, reading Bobo's Daughter is a chance to glimpse the humanness of Bobo, the clown. Chester "Bobo" Barnett, the Prince of Clowns, was talented, clever, charming and funny. He also had weaknesses and everyone said, "a bad temper." Even so, it took his persistent daughter to eventually take off the mask and insist he be a father. He started his clown career in the roaring 20s as a white face clown, later performing as a featured act with the Polack Bros. Circus, Clyde Beatty Circus and Hamid-Morton Circus with his midget sized car. Performing mostly with Shrine Circuses he also played with the Moscow State Circus in Europe, East Berlin, Cuba for Batista and was on the Ed Sullivan Show twice. Optioned for a television movie, Bobo's Daughter will warm your heart.

My review:

I enjoyed this story of a woman trying to understand her family and why they were the way they were. I could relate as I too have a parent that I can’t understand why they act they way they do. This book was sad, funny and thought provoking.

I enjoyed her journey of not only discovering the truth about her famous father and what life is like in a circus, but also how she discovered who she was and what she wanted from life. I enjoyed knowing what her life was like after her mom left the circus to become a single parent and what Bonnie felt at trying to understand both parents and why it was so hard to trust and find love.

This is a heart wrenching story and a story of finding yourself and your purpose in life. If you want to know more check out www.bobosdaughter.com and learn more about Bonnie and her famous dad.

Thank you to phenix & phenix for sending me a copy of this book for review, free of charge.

Happy Reading!

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In My Mailbox

The idea of In My Mailbox is to bring books to the attention of our blog readers and to encourage interaction with other blogs.

How In My Mailbox works:

1. Every week we'll post about what books we have received that week (via your mailbox/library/store bought)! Preferably posts will be made every Sunday, but feel free to choose a day that works best for you.

2. Everyone that agrees to participate will try to visit each other's list and leave comments!

3. Everyone is welcome to join! You can join at anytime and you DO NOT have to participate every week.

4. Be sure to sign the Mr. Linky Widget (that will be posted each Sunday with my In My Mailbox post) so that others can easily find your "In My Mailbox" post! You DO NOT have to title your post "In My Mailbox"

5. Link back here, to The Story Siren, on your In My Mailbox post, so that other people can find more information about IMM.

Monday

Kill the Dead: a Sandman Slim novel by Richard Kadrey (Harper Collins) via Shelf Awareness

I read the first Sandman Slim and loved it, can't wait to see what happens in this one.

Happy Reading!

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Maybelline Story Review

The Maybelline Story: ...and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It by Sharrie Williams and Bettie Youngs

This book chronicles how one of the biggest cosmetic companies in the world got started. From its humble beginnings in Chicago to Hollywood and the World, this book is fascinating reading for anyone who’s ever heard or seen a Maybelline ad.

When Tom Lyle Williams’ sister Mable singed her eyebrows and came up with a way to make them appear normal to the ups and downs of the American economy during the Depression this book has suspense, violence and everything you would see on an episode of “Dynasty” or “Dallas”.

I enjoyed this book and learning the behind the scenes of how a business starts and how they keep up with the times. Sharrie brings out most of her family’s skeletons, but it shows that they too are human and make mistakes like the rest of us

Thank you to Bettie Youngs for sending me a galley of the book for review.

Happy Reading!

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Girl Stolen A Review

Girl Stolen by April Henry

Book Description from April Henry’s website:

Sixteen-year-old Cheyenne Wilder is asleep in the back of her mom's car when it's stolen from the pharmacy parking lot. Cheyenne is not only sick with pneumonia—she's also blind. Griffin, the teenager who was stealing packages out of parked cars, hadn't meant to kidnap her; he just impulsively stole the car with her in it. But once Griffin's dad finds out that Cheyenne's father is the president of Nike, everything changes—now there's a reason to keep her. Will Cheyenne be able to survive this harrowing ordeal and escape? And if so, at what price?

Review

This was a great read and a quick read. This YA novel is a page turner from start to finish and takes you inside Cheyenne’s life. The author does a great job of explaining what it’s like to become blinded after you’ve been sighted. She lets her reader know how others sometimes treat persons with a handicap. I like the description of what Cheyenne has to go through every day at a regular high school where she was “mainstreamed.” I also liked the author’s details of what a seeing eye dog and the training both have to go through.

If you have a YA who’s a reluctant reader, this would be a great book for them. The chapters are short and the writing is easy to understand.

This was sent to me free of charge from Henry Holt via Shelf Awareness.

Happy Reading!

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Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a random page

3. Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

5. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Mine is from p.9 of Shadow of the Swords by Kamran Pasha

“The God of irony was an accurate description of the ineffable, unpredictable Being from whom the cosmos derived its essence. Perhaps it was not fair to call God an outright trickster, but He undoubtedly had a sense of humor.”

Happy Reading!

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In My Mailbox

The idea of In My Mailbox is to bring books to the attention of our blog readers and to encourage interaction with other blogs.

How In My Mailbox works:

1. Every week we'll post about what books we have received that week (via your mailbox/library/store bought)! Preferably posts will be made every Sunday, but feel free to choose a day that works best for you.

2. Everyone that agrees to participate will try to visit each other's list and leave comments!

3. Everyone is welcome to join! You can join at anytime and you DO NOT have to participate every week.

4. Be sure to sign the Mr. Linky Widget (that will be posted each Sunday with my In My Mailbox post) so that others can easily find your "In My Mailbox" post! You DO NOT have to title your post "In My Mailbox"

5. Link back here, to The Story Siren, on your In My Mailbox post, so that other people can find more information about IMM.

Thursday

Sage and the Scarecrow by Daniel Clausen (sent by author)

Friday

Wrong: Why Experts Keep Failing Us-And How to Know When Not to Trust Them by David H. Freedman (Hachette) won from Metroreader

Happy Reading!

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Historical Fiction The Crusades a booklist

I’m currently reading Shadow of the Swords by Kamran Pasha and it’s about the Crusades from a Muslim perspective. If you like books about the Crusades here are some historical fiction books you might want to try:

Ironfire: a novel of the Knights of Malta and the last battle of the Crusades by David Ball

The dagger and the cross: a novel of the Crusades by Judith Tarr

Baudolino by Umberto Eco

The book of the lion by Cadnum, Michael

Brethren by Robin Young

Knights of the Black and White by Jack Whyte

Pilgrim: the greatest crusade by James H. Jackson

Sand daughter by Sarah Bryant

Deus lo votl: Chronicle of the Crusades by Evan S. Connell

Crusade: the heretic’s secret by John Wilson

The Messiah by Marek Halter

Crossed: a tale of the Fourth Crusade by Nicole Galland

Knights of the cross : a novel of the Crusades by Tom Harper

The silver cup by Constance Leeds

Pride of kings by Judith Tarr

There will be wolves by Karleen Bradford

Behind the veil by L. L. Chaikin

These are just a few to whet your appetite.

Happy Reading!

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