Not All Dragons Breathe Fire

DRAGON LADY by Gary Alexander
In 1965 Saigon, Joe, a young draftee, becomes obsessed with a Vietnam girl named Mai, his own "Dragon Lady" from his beloved Terry and the Pirates cartoon strips that his mother still sends him. As he pursues a relationship with her, Saigon churns with intrigue and rumors--will the U.S. become more involved with the Vietnamese struggle? What's going on with a special unit that's bringing in all sorts of (for the time) high tech equipment? Will the U.S. make Vietnam the 51st state and bomb aggressors to oblivion? But for Joe, the big question is--does Mai love him or will she betray more than just his heart? Gary Alexander’s intelligent voice, filled with dry wit, and his own experiences give this story a sharp sense of truth, recounting the horror and absurdity of war. Reminiscent of books such as Catch-22, Dragon Lady serves up equal measures of outrageous humor and poignant remembrance.

Gary Alexander was one of 17,000 US soldiers in Vietnam that spring. When he left in the fall, there were 75,000 troops in-country. He is the author of several mystery novels, most notably the Buster Hightower series, and numerous mystery short stories. DRAGON LADY is his first literary novel.

This is my welcome home review. Betch'a' didn't even realize I was missing, did ya'? I didn't think so. Believe me, there are many, many, days I wonder if anyone ever reads my Blogger Blog. I've considered giving it up (many times). Truth be told: I love books. Furthermore, I love giving my opinion on things. All things. To give up the blog would be to squash out the tiny flame that keeps my soul healthy. I take breaks, but I always come back. 'Dragon Lady' in all its loveliness, is the perfect novel to bring me home again...
Cover: A
It's crisp. It's appropriate. It's intriguing. On the whole, Istoria Books, has some pretty great covers. This is no exception.
Story: A+
Yep, you read that right. This book not only gets an A, it gets a plus added on. When I started this book, I wasn't sure what to make of it. It had quite a bit of army lingo; it is based on Joe's time in 'Nam (never a topic I would have picked...yet I picked it. Go figure), as told from The Great Beyond. 
Gulp. Right off the bat, I felt I was in waaaay over my head. I read a few pages, contemplated shelving it, and took a nap. 
No, I'm not exaggerating. That's really how it happened. 
Somewhere between dozing in the rusty, old Explorer and making dinner, I decided to give it another go. There was something about the story (undefinable at the time) that kept calling me back.
Two chapters later, I couldn't put it down.
But what exactly drew me in? I'm still trying to put it all in a neat, little box. At first, it was the descriptions of the afterlife. Quite unique. Funny. Dry humor. I get it. Then, it was the 803rd's mission. What the heck was going on next door? Alien invasions? Torture? I hadn't a clue; but I *really* wanted to know...
And then there was Mai. Was she a spy? Would she fall in love with Joe and come back to the States? Would she be captured and killed? The suspense was killing me. I won't give you the answers. Where's the fun in that?
I loved this book. I know my husband will love this book as well. Sadly, I can't get it in e-pub for his nook (gasp! I know...he's a TRAITOR!). I wanted to send him overseas for his annual military training with this little gem--alas, it was not meant to be.
If you like war fiction, Vietnam stories (Gary Alexander actually did some time over there), love stories, and just plain old *good fiction*, this book is definitely for you.
But only if you have a kindle. Sorry e-pub readers. In this case, you are SOL.
That's all for now folks.
Stay tuned...March 1st I have a review and an author interview for your blog roll pleasure (will wonders never cease?) Until then...
Cheers! 

Pull That Little String & Watch It All Unravel...

'Unraveling Anne', Laurel Saville
Book Description: “After all, this is my mother we’re talking about. As her daughter, I belonged to her; as my mother, she also belongs to me. I don’t have her anymore, but I still have her story.”

In 1950s Los Angeles, Anne Ford was the epitome of the California golden girl, a former beauty queen and model-turned-fashion designer whose success and charm were legendary. So how is it possible that such a woman could die in squalor, an alcoholic street person brutally murdered in a burnt-out West Hollywood building?

In searching for answers to the heartbreaking trajectory of her mother’s life, writer Laurel Saville plumbed the depths of Anne’s troubled past and her own eccentric childhood to untangle the truth of an exceptional, yet tragic, existence. What she discovered was a woman who was beautiful, well-educated, and talented—yet tormented by internal demons and no match for the hedonistic culture of Southern California in the 1960s and 70s.

With unflinching honesty and stirring compassion, Saville struggles to reconcile the two faces her mother presented the world: the glamour-girl-about-town the public saw and the unpredictable, bitter alcoholic her children knew. Most importantly, Saville explores how what we bring forward from previous generations can shape our own lives, and how compassion and love for a difficult parent can be a person’s bridge to a better life. 

Cover B-
I know the cover of this book was most likely produced with only hardcover/paperback readers in mind. It's a bit dark for e-readers (other than the i-pad or nook color). The overall effect is good, quite ominous in fact. I like it. I just would have like a slightly lighter background. It would have made it easier to scrutinize all the dirty details.

Story A
If you were a child of alcoholic parents, you really need to read this book. If you are the grown child of a mentally unstable parent, you really need to read this book. If you like to look inside others rough experiences and thank God that you never had to live through such events...yep, you guessed it, you will love this book.  
Laurel Saville does an excellent job taking the reader to haunted corners of living with an unstable parent, sparing the reader nothing. She gives you the raw, gritty truth. Not one to seek out sympathy, she makes it clear her life has been a journey, filled with complexities that some want to compartmentalize: alcoholic, artist, narcissist, drug addict, slut...
All of the former are used to describe her mother, yet none fit as an all inclusive label. 
Anne Ford, a young woman with a promising art/fashion design career slides down into the canyon, losing her grip on sanity, and still maintaining her creativity and spark that drew so many to her. But can her daughter Laurel forgive her sins as a mother, reconcile the many pieces that make up Anne, and become a whole person in her own right? It sounds like fiction, but I promise you, it's not. It is the journey of Laurel Saville, as she unravels the mysteries of her mother Anne. I give her tons of credit. it could not be easy to move past the hurts inflicted on her as a young girl.
It is a heavy read.
It is an excellent read.
I highly recommend it.
Right now you can pick up your copy of, 'Unraveling Anne' on Amazon.com for under $8.00,unless you are an 'Amazon Prime' member, in which case it is FREE.

 

What I Learned From Anna Karenina

Well, I finally did it. I finished ANNA KARENINA. I started it in late July. Since I read it on my Kindle, I have no idea if that is an acceptable time frame for finishing. If you don't own a Kindle, everything goes by percentages. For example: page 28 would be viewed as 5% or 10% or any other percent based on how long the book is. This is a curse & a blessing. With a typical book, say anything 300 pages or less, my percentage to time left ratio is fairly accurate; however, with a mega novel like ANNA KARENINA--not so much. Once I hit the 98% mark, it still took close to a week to read to the end.
Ackk!
Since this book is considered to be one of the *greats* I'm not going to go through with my typical graded review. I mean really, it's Tolstoy people. What could I possibly have to say about a book written by Tolstoy that would be of any value to anyone? Instead, I will give you my thoughts (those are always interesting, right?) pretending I know nothing of the gravity of the book. Consider me a babe in arms, with no knowledge of literary classics (not much of a stretch), no knowledge of Russian history...or any history beyond what I learned in high school (okay, I admit, this is true), and the attention span of a gnat who just ingested a Starbucks double shot.
Above all, try to keep a sense of humor. To do otherwise will only serve to make you hate me in the worst way.
What I learned from reading Anna Karenina:
1. People talked, wrote, and thought in the longest, most convoluted ways. If Tolstoy wrote (I'm speaking only of sentence structure here) the same book today, his editors would be having fits. I'm talking serious, Grand Mal seizures. I certainly didn't mind the long winded, semi colon filled conversations; but considering the last five Literary Agents I spoke to told me that long, complicated, wordy writing was a no-no...I'm thinking he'd be self published for sure.Of course, this is true of all period writing, since styles change to give an accurate portrayal of current times.
2.Details were mega important. If you like a fully detailed scene from every possible angle, this book will rock your socks off. I like details. I also believe that there is such a thing as over kill. Chapters devoted entirely to harvesting fields in Russia fall into the latter category. I like that type of detail to be a page or two at most. I fell asleep a few times while Levin was pontificating about the role of the peasant in Russian society. I know how terrible that sounds. If you're offended by my lack of cooth, please re-read the above preface to this review, as I will not apologize.
3. If you happened to be  of any wealth or means (and you were a man), your life was AWESOME. In the upper echelon of Russian society, life was one big party. Even the fake rich (Dolly & Stepan) had nurses, cooks, country houses, land...you name it. Work consisted of going to an office where people came to ask you if you would grant them wishes, etc, and every night you would stay out until one or two in the morning. Dinner parties happened every night of the week, as did the opera, and nobody exchanged much cash.
4. Everyone was given at least three names, which were all interchangeable, depending on mood/whims/relationship and the person speaking. I'm sure there is cultural/period/class significance here. No need to explain. I only wish this held true today. I'd love to be known as: Elizabeth Loan, Elisabetta Burkano Manifesto AND Elsie Love...how cool would that be?
5. The rich, in spite of all their wealth, were pretty miserable. AS a reader who would have fallen into the peasant class, I can't help but feeling these people just needed more to do. In other words, if you can spend entire months in 'spiritual crisis' during the 1800's, you needed some good old fashioned real work! BTW, I find this to remain true today. :)
6. Lastly, Anna, Anna, Anna...what can I say? I loved her and I hated her. The scene where she visits Seryhoza on his birthday brought me to tears; but to jump in front of a train for the lost love of a man? No, I cannot accept that.Where does her death leave her son...her daughter? I found myself trying to diagnose her. Was she suffering from PPD? Bipolar disorder? Severe Narcissism? Did she really truly believe her death would teach Vronsky the ultimate lesson?
In the end I decided she was part of Tolstoy's twisted soap opera (the book was originally done in installments. I love this because: a. it tells me that people have always loved scintillating scandalous material and b.even the greats produced in small bites from time to time) unable to fathom life without her one great love.
Not quite the heroine I was looking for. Although I give her bonus points for having the courage to follow her heart.
And that my friends, is my take on ANNA KARENINA.
(free on Amazon.com for kindle)
Have an excellent weekend. Until next time,
Cheers!
 

Deliver Me From This Book, My Daily Bread...

Book review day.

1.  Delivered with Love

This is tough. I'm tackling a piece of Christian fiction. Those of you that know me personally, know I have a few unresolved issues with organized religion. You should also know that as much as I can't stand elitism (which I feel most religious groups propagate under the umbrella of what 'God wants') I am a fair reviewer.

In other words, I won't prejudge a book by it's genre. Cross my heart & hope to have a fat slice of cherry pie, with whip cream, please. So, when I picked up Delivered With Love by Sherry Kyle last week for my kindle, I set aside any & all preconceived notions about the Christian fiction genre and stuck it at the top of my reading list.

I'm sad to report, the book did nothing for me.

The premise is that a young woman named Claire, who is in her early twenties & just lost her mother, is starting her life over. Sounds intriguing, right? It would be, if the plot had any real conflict. Everywhere this woman turns people love her, help her, & share with her the good word of the LORD. No matter what kind of a bind she's in, nobody gets mad. No matter how unscrupulous other characters might be, it's all solved in less than a day, thanks to a quick little prayer. And (ironically) the only time any of the characters step foot in a church is at the end...for a wedding. Hmmm.

I know it sounds as if I'm judging it for having a message from above, but I swear on a stack of Holy Bibles (and whatever other books you want to throw in there) I'm not. It just lacked pizazz. It also really lacked a plausible story line.

I will say this: If you are a Christian fiction fan and you have a twelve year old daughter...give it to her. Don't hesitate. It is exactly the 1950's type of romance you will want her to read. But, if you've ever had any real trials & tribulations, this book won't cut it. I give it two stars.  

2.   And now for something completely different...

I want to share another review with you. It isn't a book, but if you use it, it will change your life (and the shape of your derriere). I'm so happy & exhausted by this find that I'm mixing it up. Ready or not, here we go.

Jackie Warner

Her name strikes fear into the heart of couch potatoes across the globe. She is the host of a show called Thintervention, on the Bravo Network

Picture a really ripped Scarlett Johansen taking you through a very painful 30 minute workout and you get the idea. She's hot, she's tough, & her workout video Extreme Timesaver Training will knock you flat on your shrinking ass. It really delivers all that it promises. Cardio & strength in a thirty minute block. It takes your heart rate into an anaerobic zone, which in turn will raise your aerobic threshold (I used to be an aerobics instructor & a personal trainer so I can brandish those terms about with authority).

It's $12.99 on her site & less on Collage Video making it a steal of a deal no matter where you make the purchase. You will hate her now & love her later. Skip Jillian, go for Jackie. You won't regret it. 5+ stars!

That's it for now folks. I'll be back after the Easter holiday (provided God doesn't smote me for my two stars on the CF book).

Cheers!

Admit This

 Shame on you Goodreads!

I want to start off by saying that I am a contributing member on Goodreads (like every other person that has ever written or wanted to write a book). I use it to connect with readers & as another spot I can cross post blogs, promote my material & review what I read. This was a mutually satisfying relationship until yesterday. Now I think I might want to break up.

It appears that Goodreads is now a competition to see how fast you can read & review books. Every morning I open my inbox to the usual: NEW UPDATES FROM JOHN, KIM, SARAH, SUE, JIM BOB... and every other one of your thirteen hundred closest friends you've never met. Clicking on the link would reveal an even more disturbing trend. Each & every person bookmarked somewhere around 45 books in their to read pile--per day. Is there a hefty prize package I missed out on somewhere along the way? I think not. I think it's mostly ego based thinking. ie. If I can read a million books a year, I will somehow propel myself into stardom, or be considered a brainiac with a manifesto more viewed than Charlie Sheen. Or possibly these people don't sleep, eat, have jobs or sex. Not sure yet.

I would love to keep up with the lofty goals of the Goodreads crowd, but I'm just too darn tired.

Feeling rather sheepish, I delete each morning email & return to my healthy but meager one hour a day reading habit. 

However, this annoying habit is not the reason I'm considering a Dear John letter--oh no-- the plot has grown much more sinister than that my friends.

Today, while checking my email @ the unholy hour of five am I noticed a new notice. It read:

You have been reading Admit One: My Life in Film for nine days. Would you like to update your status?

The sad part is, I had been updating. This was merely cyber pressure & I for one am not happy with the new strong arm tactic.

Nine days? Is that too long to read a 216 page book? Keep in mind I work full time, write, work out, & am still in the throes of raising a few children that have late night last minute school projects. When did we set a time limit on how long book turnover should be? Is this the latest hurry up for no good reason created by the virtual world we live in? Egads. Gimmie a break. Sorry Goodreads. I will give you one more chance; but if you keep pressuring me--we're through.

Enough with my cranky pants complaining; time for my review (of the afore mentioned book. Which, I'll have you know, I finished later that day. Not because I felt like I had to, but because I wanted to). Here we go, off to the races...

Admit One? First, I have to admit this...

I'm a buffoon. I read the first eleven (that's right I said eleven) chapters of Emmett James's book  

Admit One: My Life in Film before I caught on to fact that the author is actually an actor (hence, the title). I got it right about the time he finished hunting down a well known director that was filming in England and headed off to America to make his way in life via the craft of actor.

Yep, I will repeat, I am a buffoon.

Up until that light bulb went off, I was enjoying the book, but not nearly as much. I thought it was about a writer that was writing his memoir & relating it to movies he'd seen. Sure, the name seemed familiar, but every writer tries to coin a name that reeks of best friend or someone famous comfort. I thought Emmett James was one of the lucky ones that came out with a great moniker or picked on up to sell his writing.

Wow, was I wrong. This guy was in Titanic, a porn & a soap opera that claims the love story of Luke & Laura. Not in that order of course, but you get the idea. He crashed Oscar parties pretending to be a director and  convinced James Cameron to keep him on the set long after his bit part wrapped. This guy is an evil genius.

In retrospect, I'm glad I didn't have the full back story. I actually think it was more fun that way. Plus, I believe my review is far less tainted than those that were star struck from page one.

I give the book four stars. I think if I were from England, it might have been a five star review (humor is just a little different over there). His antics in the quest for fame are unbelievable; and it carries a good message. To paraphrase: life's success is in the journey. Do what you love. A list status isn't the grand prize...that comes from following your passion & enjoying the ride.

The only issues I had were as follows: I felt that he isn't very fond of his mother at all. He seemed to prefer his father. He also clearly hates his brother. None of those things should have bothered me, but they did. I thought it came across as a tad bitter. But, then again, those are his feelings. Can't change that.

It's a good read; and as promised, right now it's FREE for your Kindle on amazon.com!

Cheers! (that's British for until next time...I think)