The Alchemist

Title: The Alchemist

Author: Paulo Coelho

Pages: 167

Genre: Fiction, Fable

Grade: B

Synopsis: The Alchemist is a fable written by the Brazilian author Paulo Coelho about following your dreams. It has been published in more than 56 languages and sold more than 56 million copies. The story is about the shepherd, Santiago, who lives in Andalusia. He dreams that a treasure awaits him near the pyramids in Egypt. He seeks help in understanding his dream before setting off on the adventure of a lifetime.

My Review: While an enjoyable read, it was also a little strange. I liked that the book got me thinking and that Melchezidek, King of Salem, appeared to the boy to tithe him 10% and also gave him a gift of a Urim and Thummim that he took from a golden breastplate. The book has the chance to be a powerful motivator for those afraid to chase after their dreams or Personal Legends. It wasn't life-changing but it was a quick, easy read.

From the Book: "(p. 30) Take these," said the old man, holding out a white stone and a black stone that had been embedded at the center of the breastplate. "They are called Urim and Thummim. The black signifies 'yes,' and the white 'no.' When you are unable to read the omens, they will help you to do so. Always ask an objective question."

"(p. 92) At that moment, it seemed to him that time stood still, and the Soul of the World surged within him. When he looked into her dark eyes, and saw that her lips were poised between a laugh and silence, he learned the most important part of the language that all the world spoke--the language that everyone on earth was capable of understanding in their heart. It was love. Something older than humanity, more ancient than the desert. Something that exerted the same force whenever two pairs of eyes met, as had their here at the well. She smiled, and that was certainly an omen--the omen he had been awaiting, without even knowing he was, for all his life. The omen he had sought to find with his sheep and in his books, in the crystals and in the silence of the desert."

Just One Look

Title: Just One Look

Author: Harlan Coben

Pages: 370

Genre: Thriller

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Grace Lawson leaves the local Photomat with her newly developed pictures. When she finally gets a chance to look at them, she finds a photograph that causes her life to unravel. When she shows the picture to her husband, he denies knowing anybody in the picture and then disappears later that same evening. Somebody is trying very hard to keep that photograph from ever surfacing while Grace is just trying to find her husband.

My Review: It's books like this one that made it impossible for me to read while I was in school. Action-packed thrillers such as this one are so hard for me to put down and I end up ignoring everything else going on in my life. Pretty much, I'm a sucker for the genre. This one had a plot that was all over the place, but the ending was more satisfying than most books of this type. It was engaging, interesting and always kept you guessing.

The Pushcart War

Title: The Pushcart War

Author: Jean Merrill

Pages: 223

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The pushcarts have declared war on the rude truck drivers of New York City. The streets are clogged, the trucks are smashing their carts and the public is starting to blame the pushcarts for the traffic jams. All of the pushcart people in the city band together to form an army and attack the truck tires with peashooters. The war against the three company owners and the corrupt mayor has begun.

My Review: This was an enjoyable read (and a quick one, I easily finished it in a day). It's most certainly a children's book and aside from a few things that just border on believability, it was hard to determine whether or not this was a work of fiction or a historical account of a "real" city war. It's a very funny book, and I can't help but smile even while writing this and thinking about some of the stories.

From the Book: "(p. 59) Carlos was known to the pushcart peddlers as the most skillful carton-flattener in the Lower East Side section of New York City. Carlos' business was to go around to small stores that had clean cardboard cartons which they wished to be rid of. With two or three deft motions, Carlos would flatten the cartons and carefully stack them on his pushcart. Carlos was the only flattener in the business who could stack to a height of twelve feet without the cartons slipping off."

the curious incident of the dog in the night-time

Title: the curious incident of the dog in the night-time

Author: Mark Haddon

Pages: 226

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Grade: A- (It would have been an A if the language had been better)

Synopsis: Christopher John Francis Boone is an autistic kid that sees and hears everything very literally. He is detached from his emotions which makes it difficult for him to relate to people and understand their intentions. He is very analytical and mathematical and in my opinion a genius. This is a book that he writes about the neighbors dog that is murdered in the middle of the night with a pitchfork.

My Review: I really, really liked this book. It was difficult to put down and I really felt that I was seeing things from Christopher's autistic perspective. You are able to foresee things before Christopher realizes just what is going on and it is saddening to see how difficult it is for him to grasp reality. Almost everything to him comes down to numbers or a mathematical problem. In fact, most of life can be explained by one mathematical relation or another. This book is funny, sad and enlightening of the plight of the autistic and how they are treated.

Disclaimer: This book was chosen for the inaugural Salt Lake City Reads city-wide book club a couple of years ago. There was a firestorm of anger towards Rocky Anderson because the book was said to be "suitable for all ages" (which is true if you don't mind your child reading the f-word around a dozen times). This book takes place in England which helps to explain the type of profanity that is found in the book. I wouldn't call it vulgar or lewd, but I would call it profane.

From the Book: "(Back cover, quote by Arthur Golden, author of Memoirs of a Geisha) I have never read anything quite like Mark Haddon's funny and agonizingly honest book, or encountered a narrator more vivid and memorable. I advise you to buy two copies; you won't want to lend yours out."

"(p. 7) He was asking too many questions and he was asking them too quickly. They were stacking up in my head like loaves in the factory where Uncle Terry works. The factory is a bakery and he operates the slicing machines. And sometimes a slicer is not working fast enough but the bread keeps coming and there is a blockage. I sometimes think of my mind as a machine, but not always as a bread-slicing machine. It makes it easier to explain to other people what is going on inside it."

things I learned about my dad (in therapy)

Title: things I learned about my dad (in therapy)

Author: Heather B. Armstrong

Pages: 230

Genre: Essays, Parenting

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This is a compilation of 17 essays edited by Heather B. Armstrong (the writer of one of my favorite blogs, dooce.com). The other essayists include her husband and a slew of other bloggers from the infamous worldwide web. While I haven't read much by any of the other authors, I ended up really enjoying most of the essays. They all have to do with being a father, what they learned from their own fathers or just fatherhood in general.

Why I Chose This Book: I've been a big fan of dooce for a long time. Alison knew this and had Heather B. Armstrong sign my book (by sending it in) and gave it to me for Father's Day. She was having a book signing at a bookstore near our apartment but we got there just a few minutes after it had closed. We were bummed that we didn't get to meet her. As fate would have it, the last Saturday that we lived in the village I met her, her husband Jon and their daughter Leta at Dan's on Foothill Boulevard.

My Review: I really like the essays by Heather B. Armstrong and a few of the other bloggers. Unfortunately there were a couple essays that just seemed disjointed and unrelated. I laughed while reading most essays and got a bit teary-eyed during a couple of others. It really was quite interesting to get so many different viewpoints in one little book.

Disclaimer: These essays range anywhere from G-rated to a strong PG-13. Be forewarned.

From the Book: "(p. 23 from "Sam I Am" by Matthew Baldwin) The other contribution I made to the pregnancy was accompanying my wife to childbirth classes. As we live in progressive Seattle, nearly all the women in attendance were accompanied by the fathers, even though we didn't really do much beyond gawp in horror at the delivery videos and exclaim, "Holy smokes! That's going to totally suck for you, honey."

"(p. 36 from "A Girl Named Spike" by Matthew D. Laplante) She was one of those sadly conspicuous, middle-aged Mormon closet lesbians, so common in our fair city, who for reasons of either devout piety or deep self-loathing, wind up spending a lifetime like Eleanor Rigby, living vicariously through the mundane lives of others rather than succumbing to the sinful charms of another woman."

"(p. 108 from "Peas and Domestic Tranquilty" by Greg Knauss) One thing that I used to believe that has stuck with me is, of course, that farts are funny. Burps, too. Sneezes, even. Pretty much the whole gamut of bodily noises is a treasure trove of ready-made comedy. You gather a handful of small boys together and let them entertain themselves and there will be more sharp honks than an angry L.A. freeway. But there's a time and place for such fun, and every second of every day, no matter the location or company, turns out not to be the appropriate venue for a gastrointestinal symphony."