If this book had a sub-title it would be “vigilante on vigilante justice”.

When Jeff Converse stops to help a woman in the subway, she mistakes him for her attacker and he is convicted of rape and sentenced to time in prison. Without giving too much away, he finds himself in the tunnels under Manhattan being hunted by vigilantes who are unhappy with the current justice system.

While I found the story engaging, and was sufficiently creeped out the prospect of absolute darkness while rats scurry around your feet, I wasn’t nearly as creeped out by the supernatural elements of Dean Koontz horror stories. I’ve only read two Koontz, and while I really liked them, they are too creepy for me and I probably won’t read more. Saul…I could handle again.

Tags:   homeless · Manhattan · New York City · psychological suspense · tunnelsNo Comments.

When Fine bought his 41 acre ranch in New Mexico, he had four goals in mind. “1. Use a lot less oil 2.  Power my life by renewable energy 3. Eat as locally as possible 4. Don’t starve, electrocute myself, get eaten by the local mountain lions, get shot by my UN-fearing neighbors, or otherwise die in a way that would cause embarrassment if the obituary writer did his or her research.”

Over the course of a year, as he worked toward accomplishing his goals, Fine found the task a little more difficult that he anticipated and discovered many environmental contradictions in “living green”. For instance, consider the irony of using ancient battery technology to power space-age solar panels; coating solar powered water supply pipes with toxic, cancer-causing chemicals; and intense competition for used cooking oil to fuel his newly-converted bio-fuel truck , just to name a few.

It’s unclear to me how Fine was able to purchase and begin upgrading his ranch with no apparent income, making Fine’s day-to-day adventures into green living an impractical example for the average American. His stories and the lessons learned, however, are fun and interesting. In terms of practical applications, the value of Farewell My Subaru lies in the afterward where Fine offers five ways a typical American can reduce his carbon footprint, as well as spelling out the biggest lessons he learned during his year-long march toward sustainable living.

Fans of sustainable living stories will enjoy Fine’s perspective and those new to the genre will find his book fun and informational.

Tags:   green living · local living · New Mexico · sustainable livingNo Comments.

In letters to each other written for a school assignment Christina and Elizabeth share their lives; the happy, the sad, the confusing and the hurtful. My initial reaction was that the letter-writing device was a bit over-used, but soon became absorbed in the story. Moriarty brilliantly uses letters from such entities as The Association of Teenagers and The Society of People Who are Definitely Going to Fail High School (and Most Probably Life as Well!) to convey insecurities that only Elizabeth can know.  Notes to and from her mom and postcards from her best friend gone missing fill in the blanks.

Despite the unlikely scenario of a teen running away to join the circus, this is a compelling read. The high school aged characters and the teen romance, however, make this book better suited to the YA collection, where Moriarty’s other titles currently reside.

Tags:   friendship · letters · romance · teens · YANo Comments.

The couple who brought the sick, abandoned kitten to the vet were of the opinion that he should be put to sleep. But the vet felt otherwise and restored him to perfect health, with the exception of his sight. She then set about finding him a loving, permanent home. That home was found in Gwen Cooper.

Despite her low-paying job, tenuous rental situation, and the two cats she already had, Gwen was immediately smitten. The story will be familiar to anyone who’s a sucker for a furry face, but one thing that sets Gwen’s story apart, aside from the challenges presented by Homer’s blindness, is her experience living in New York City during the September 11^th attacks.

And, of course the adventures of moving and finding love as a crazy cat lady will resonate with pet lovers. Those who passionately enjoy reading about animals and pets will find a good read with Homer.

Tags:   blindness · catsNo Comments.

While searching for books about Kansas or by Kansas authors I stumbled upon The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas: Stories. It happens to come from the same brain that is behind Found, the website, magazine and book which are dedicated to discarded notes, letters, flyers, photos, lists, and drawings found and sent in by readers.

The stories all carry an impact that often left me feeling uncertain and a little disappointed in the way things always seem to turn out. Is there anything worse than seeing someone else’s illusions ripped away? A progressive disillusionment is one thing, but in Lie Big it all hits the nameless narrator at once.

The raw human emotion in First Snow leaves the reader feeling things should be different for a group of juvenile delinquents collecting trash on I-94, but knowing they never can be.

Each story ends with an emotionally charged event for the narrator leaving the reader in conflict over, not only the content of the story, but the lack of resolution. I think Gully sums up the collections atmosphere best in the title story The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas when he says “I felt I’d been everywhere and seen everything and met everyone and that still I knew nothing.”

Tags:   short storyNo Comments.

Kansas author Moriarty follows up The Center of Everything with a second thoughtful book,  The Rest of Her Life. When high school senior Kara accidentally hits and kills a fellow high school student in her car she changes the course of not only her own life, but of family, friends and strangers alike.

Moriarty examines the repercussions of the accident from many different perspectives without resorting to fabricated melodrama. Fans of Jodi Picoult and Chris Bohjalian will appreciate this novel not only for the exploration of character, but the truthful way the story unfolds.

Tags:   accidents · daughters · family · grief · mothersNo Comments.

I don’t know how, but DiCamillo has done it again. In The Magician’s Elephant you will find a beautiful tale of “what if’s” and impossibilities.

Upon her death, Peter’s mother exacted a promise of him. He agreed to always care for his newborn sister. But, being a child was told the baby was dead. In a remarkable series of events Peter begins to hope that Adele is alive and that he might find her and keep his promise. The way is impossible and at one point “…Peter decided that it was a terrible and complicated thing to hope, and that it might be easier, instead, to despair.”

But what if Peter does hope? What if?

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When David was eleven, a family friend noticed a bump in his neck. Three and a half years later he would finally have the lump removed. Despite being told he was fine, two surgeries left David with only one vocal chord and a huge scar down his throat and neck. It wasn’t until later that David would learn he had had cancer and had not been expected to live.

Small, a well-deserved award winning illustrator possesses an almost creepy ability to convey complex emotions through his drawings. The story itself is a remarkable one and the illustrations serve to heighten the impact. A must read regardless of affinity for or aversion to graphic novels.

Tags:   cancer · familyNo Comments.

Oliver Watson is not your typical eighth grade student. He is actually a genius well on his way to world domination, and incidentally, unspeakably evil as well. Naturally, in order to protect himself, he must pretend to be a moron of vast proportions; and no one, neither his parents nor his classmates suspect a thing. Out of sheer spite for his father, Oliver decides to run for class president. In the end he discovers that the thing we loath the most in the world is the very thing that can bring us peace.

From the executive producer of The Daily Show and a Simpsons and NewsRadio contributor; you can’t know what hilarious is until you’ve read this book.

Tags:   evil · genius · humor · school · student council · YANo Comments.

Anyone who has read the original text of Fahrenheit 451 is familiar with the central themes of censorship, governmental manipulation, blind faith, and betrayal. Anyone who hasn’t and doesn’t have time can benefit by reading Hamilton’s adaptation. In the 2009 introduction, written by Ray Bradbury himself, he challenges readers to “take the time to name the one book that he or she would most want to memorize and protect from any censors or “firemen.” And not only name the book, but give the reasons why they would wish to memorize it and why it would be a valuable asset to be recited and remembered in the future”.

Who wants to go first?

Tags:   · books · censorship · governmentComments Off