Still Life with Woodpecker

Title: Still Life with Woodpecker

Author: Tom Robbins

Pages: 288

Genre: Fiction, Humor

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Princess Leigh-Cheri, a red-headed, vegetarian lives with her exiled royal parents in Seattle.  The liberal Leigh-Cheri travels to Hawaii with Gulietta, her family's last loyal servant, to go to the CareFest gathering where her idol Ralph Nader will be speaking.  While there she meets Bernard Mickey Wrangle, who is an outlaw bomber that has been running from the law for decades.  After Bernard (also known as the woodpecker) sets off a bomb at the CareFest, Leigh-Cheri places him under a citizen's arrest, before falling in love with him.

My Review: This is without a doubt one of the strangest books that I have ever read, but I really enjoyed it. I think Alison was sick of me reading it because I often broke out into laughter while reading.  Aside from the theme that redheads are from another planet, I'm not sure I can do this book any justice by attempting to describe it any further.

Disclaimer: There is some love-making and other descriptions of an adult nature.

From the Book: "(Pg. 8) Once, Princess Leigh-Cheri used a papal candlestick for the purpose of self-gratification. She had hoped that at the appropriate moment she might be visited by either the Lamb or the Beast, be, as usual, only Ralph Nader attended her."

"(Pg. 52) To Gulietta, indoor plumbing was the devil's device. Of all the follies of the modern world, that one struck her as the most unnecessary. There was something unnatural, foolish, and a little filthy about going indoors. Ont he European estates where she was reared, it was common practice for servant girls to lift their skirts outside. Gulietta had seen no reason to alter her habits in Seattle. Despite the difficulty there of doing one's natural duty without being rained upon or receiving from a blackberry bramble a bite as sharp as hemorrhoids, she felt comfortable--happy, even--when she could squat in fresh air. Besides, it was an opportune way to spy frogs."

Blind Descent

Title: Blind Descent

Author: Nevada Barr

Pages: 11 discs

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B

Synopsis: A woman on an expedition to map yet unvisited areas of Lechuguilla Cave in Carlsbad Caverns National Park is injured deep inside the cave and must be transported out through the treacherous cave.  Her only request is for her friend, Mesa Verde park ranger Anna Pigeon to come down with the rescue team.

My Review: I've had Blind Descent on my list of books to read for ages.  However, I don't think that this is the book that I was thinking when I originally put it on the list (there is a small handful ok books with the same name...).  I didn't love this book when I first started it, but after a few CDs, I was enjoying it.

The Disappearing Spoon

Title: The Disappearing Spoon - And other true tales of madness, love, and the history of the world from the Periodic Table of the Elements

Author: Sam Kean

Pages: 11 discs

Genre: Non-Fiction

Grade: A-

Synopsis: This book explores the origins of the periodic table of the elements and specifically many of the stories behind the creation of the periodic table and of the elements themselves.  The periodic table of the elements is one of mankind's crowning achievement, and has unlocked many mysteries of the Universe and will potentially give us something consistent to communicate with once we have made contact or been visited by aliens...  A few tidbits from the book: Gandhi hates iodine, gallium melts at 84 degrees (thus creating the perfect disappearing teaspoon), Lewis and Clark can be tracked across the continent by the mercury in their waste and Marie Curie's was a regular magician with her glowing radioactive elements.

My Review: This book had a perfect mix of chemistry, physics and stories to keep the book interesting and to ensure that there is something intriguing for everybody.  I've always had a fascination with the elements and I really enjoyed this look at the elements on an individual level and how they fit in the table and relate to their neighboring elements.

Beyond the Grave (The 39 Clues #4)

Title: Beyond the Grave

Author: Jude Watson

Pages: 192

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The search for the 39 Clues continues with Dan and Amy Cahill zipping from Japan to Egypt to search for the next clue within one of the many ancient tombs.

My Review: I thought this was the best book of the series so far (but that's not saying a whole lot...). This one takes the kids throughout Egypt, which is always a fun country to read about.

Shen of the Sea

Title: Shen of the Sea: Chinese Stories for Children

Author: Arthur Bowie Chrisman

Pages: 221

Genre: Children's Fiction, Short Stories

Grade: B

Synopsis: This book is a collection of Chinese stories (not authentic, but written by an American in the "Chinese style") that won the Newbery Medal in 1926.  The stories are witty and clever and explain how many things that are used in China today actually came to be, including gun powder, kites, printing chopsticks, tea and fine china.

My Review: Honestly, I've been fairly disappointed with the Newbery Medal winners from the 1920's so far.  The stories in the book were enjoyable, but were fairly simplistic and was more of a chore to read than something I was truly interested in.

The Sword Thief (The 39 Clues #3)

Title: The Sword Thief

Author: Peter Lerangis

Pages: 156

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Dan and Amy Cahill continue on in their search of the 39 clues for a chance to find out what the greatest family secret in the world is.  The book starts where book 2 left off, in Rome where they had found a sword that would lead them to their next clue, which appeared to be in Tokyo, Japan.

My Review: These books are great (for 8-9 year olds).  I'm not sure why I'm reading them, but I've been sucked in now, so I'd better keep on keeping on.  Nothing believable and completely ridiculous, but still enjoyable.

Naked at Lunch

Title: Naked at Lunch: A Reluctant Nudist's Adventures in the Clothing Optional World

Author: Mark Haskell Smith

Pages: 320

Genre: Memoir?

Grade: B

Synopsis: The history of nudism is intertwined with stories from the author's experiences while venturing into the hidden world where clothes are options.  From a nude cruise, to resorts in the USA and Europe and hikes through the Alps, the stories and experiences are quite interesting and sometimes a bit irreverent.

My Review: Sometimes you walk by the New Releases table at the library and something catches your eye.  With a title such as this one I was sucked in from the get go.  The book was quite interesting about a topic that I hadn't thought a whole lot about (besides the rumors from camping with scouts in the Uintah Mountains that there was a nudist resort nearby)...

Let the Great World Spin

Title: Let the Great World Spin

Author: Colum McCann

Pages: 351

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The book is a collection of interconnected stories about people and events from one August day in New York City in 1974.  On this day a man mysteriously begins tight-rope walking on a cable strung between the two newly completed, 110 story World Trade Center Towers.  Nobody knows who this man is, or how he was able to string the cable from tower to tower, or even gain access to the roofs of the towers.  The tightrope walker captivated the people below, once they started noticing the ant sized exhibitionist from the ground below.  All the while, there are other people living their daily lives including a group of prostitutes in the Bronx, a young Irish Monk who lives among them, a gathering of mothers in a Park Avenue apartment who mourn the passing of their sons in Vietnam, a judge who wants to be remembered, and a young artist and her boyfriend who are involved in a hit and run while high on drugs.

My Review: I had a hard time following this story for the first few chapters, once I was able to keep track of the different characters I really started enjoying this book.  Rather than having one single protagonist, instead there is the event that loosely ties everybody together (i.e. the tight-rope walking between the World Trade Center towers). I'm always intrigued that everybody has a story to tell and this book explores that concept in a really interesting way.  The book itself is a little more artsy or allegorical than I usually like, but I still found it enjoyable.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Love

Title: What We Talk About When We Talk About Love

Author: Raymond Carver

Pages: 159

Genre: Short Stories

Grade: B

Synopsis: This collection of 17 short stories was originally published in 1974.  As is true of most collections of short stories, some are better than others, but most of the stories leave you wanting more and wondering what happened next.

My Review: Oddly enough, my least favorite story was the one for which the collection is titled.  I quite enjoyed most of the others and none of them felt like they were getting too verbose.

The Dip

Title: The Dip: A Little Book that Teaches You when to Quit (And when to Stick)

Author: Seth Godin

Pages: 80

Genre: Self-Help?

Grade: B

Synopsis: Every new project, hobby, job, etc. starts out fun and exciting, but eventually they all lead to the doldrums.  For those people who can weather the storm (i.e. the dip), they are setting themselves up for bigger rewards. The challenge in life is to figure out which efforts are worth sticking with it through the dip and which are not. Quitting is not bad, when it is done strategically.

My Review: This is a short book and fairly easy to read in one sitting. The basic premise makes a lot of sense.  Some of the first electrical engineering courses that I went through were essentially weeder courses.  They were structured to be difficult enough to weed out anybody who was not completely serious about sticking with it (I think that 40-50% of the people who started that first year of electrical engineering did not complete it.  I hate math, yet somehow I made it through...).  What I find far more challenging sometimes than sticking with something is to figure out which efforts will be worth it in the end and which efforts will lead to a dead end.

D-Day, June 6, 1944

Title: D-Day, June 6, 1944: The Battle for the Normandy Beaches

Author: Stephen E. Ambrose

Pages: 20 discs

Genre: Non-Fiction, History

Grade: A

Spoiler Alert: We won.

Synopsis: This book mainly covers the events of D-Day, June 6th, 1944, but it also includes details about the Allied build-up to D-Day. The full industrial might from the United States was put to work building tanks, boats, landing crafts, guns, ammunition, airplanes and anything else that you can imagine was needed for a full-scale invasion from water to land in 1944.  From Utah beach, to Omaha beach to Gold, Juno and Sword Beaches, Ambrose describes the landings and fighting at each beach.  The invasion starts in the days before the landing with heavy air bombardment, followed by paratroopers behind the enemy defenses along the beaches.

My Review: The Allied landings on D-Day are some of the most amazing war-time feats in history.  I especially enjoyed reading this book around Veteran's Day, as I felt that I could greater appreciate some of the sacrifices and efforts that were expended by those who are willing to risk everything for our freedom. This book was very, very well done and I often found myself arriving at work or at a meeting at an architect's office with tears in my eyes from the stories included in the book.

D-Day by the numbers:

• 156,000 Allied troops landed in Normandy on D-Day, with more than 4,400 deaths, most of which occurred during the first hour or two of the landings. The biggest memories for residents of Normandy and the German soldiers were often about how the English Channel was simply full of thousands and thousands of Allied ships, destroyers, landing craft, etc.  It looked as though you could walk from ship to ship all the way across the English Channel.
• 11,590 airplanes & almost 7,000 ships were involved.
• Within 5 days, over 326,000 troops and over 104,000 tons of supplies landed on the beaches.

The Curse of Senmut

Title: The Curse of Senmut

Authors: Vickie Britton & Loretta Jackson

Pages: 270

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B-

Synopsis: The archaeologist Ardis Cole is summoned to Egypt to help her good friend, Jane Darvin excavate a tomb that had recently been discovered.  They thought that the tomb had been for Queen Hatshepsut, but when somebody murdered Jane Darvin, it was up to Ardis Cole to continue to unravel the mystery of the tomb and Hatshepsut's lover Senmut.

My Review: The story and premise was not terrible, but something about the writing style and presentation made it so I didn't really love this book.  There was just enough intrigue to keep me reading, but overall it was not that great.

All That Was Promised

Title: All That Was Promised: The St. George Temple and the Unfolding of the Restoration

Author: Blaine M. Yorgason, Richard A Schmutz & Douglas D. Alder

Pages: 374

Genre: Mormon History

Grade: B+

Synopsis: As Brigham Young was growing older and the Salt Lake Temple was still so far from completion, he set out to fulfill the charge given to him by Joseph Smith, which was to bring the temple ceremonies to the people again.  Brigham Young had always had a passion for Utah's Dixie and the stalwart Saints that he called to make that land their home.  He was inspired to have the third temple of the latter-days built in the recently settled town of St. George.  Great sacrifices were required from the residents of St. George and the surrounding areas, but they diligently worked to build the last pioneer temple of these latter days.

My Review: I trace many of my family roots to the communities around St. George, so I've always had a bit of an affinity for the area.  This book was very well done and well researched and told the story of building the temple in an area with a small population and no railroad access for hundreds of miles (making this temple the last pioneer temple according to many LDS Historians).  My biggest complaint was that while the bulk of the book is written in a chronological fashion, every once in a while there were parts that seemed to skip around.

Recommended By: This book was mentioned during a fast and testimony meeting in La Verkin a few years ago.  It made it on my list, and I'm glad that it did.

From the Book: "(p. 323, describing the raids attempting to locate prominent LDS polygamists by the federal government) Stories of hiding out and near captures abound, including a humorous account of President Wilford Woodruff escaping capture because he was weeding a garden at the Squire home near downtown St. George wearing an oversized "Old Mother Hubbard" dress and bonnet sewn for him by young Sister Emma Squire. She wrote: "Soon after our marriage the president of the Church, Wilford Woodruff, came to live with us. It was the time of the raid, when the Government took the property away from the Mormon people...and they were hunting all the men that had plural wives and putting them in jail. ... We had some neighbors that knew we had someone staying with us, and they were very anxious to [discover] who it was. ... [So] I made [President Woodruff] a Mother Hubbard dress and sun bonnet and...dress[ed] him up ... and disguise[d] him so he could come [and go]. ... We called him Grandma Allen so the people wouldn't know."

The Devil's Punchbowl

Title: The Devil's Punchbowl

Author: Greg Iles

Pages: 580

Genre: Thriller

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Penn Cage is the mayor of Natchez, Mississippi, right on the banks of the Mississippi River.  The city has seen better days, and is currently relying on the economic benefits of the casino steamboats that float on the river in the city. When Penn is shown some damning photographs by an old high school friend that implies that illegal dog-fighting, prostitution and other vices have corrupted this town, he must decide whether to fight this battle or not.

My Review: I'm a sucker for page turning thrillers such as this one.  This one had all the usual qualities of a good thriller, crime, sex, drugs, torture and as an added bonus dog-fighting. I was on the edge of my seat, what can I say?

Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo

Title: Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo

Author: Obert Skye

Pages: 368

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Leven Thumps is a fourteen-year-old boy living a dismal life in Burnt Culvert, Oklahoma.  Nothing ever seems to go right for Leven, that is until he meets his little sidekick Clover, a friend Winter, and Geth, who is a toothpick for most of the book.

My Review: This book was a little too strange for my liking.  The story was ok, and it was enjoyable, but I always felt like things were too contrived and that they author was trying too hard to come up with a fantastical story.  There was too much of the ridiculous in this one.