Book Review - Singing Boy By Dennis McFarland

In case the sudden descent of spring upon the country has raised your spirits too high, today I bring you a brief review of Singing Boy by Dennis McFarland; a tale of such crushing misery that not even the longer, sunny days could cheer me as I read it!

Playing to his skills, McFarland’s Singing Boy is another insight into the emotional turmoil of the survivors of tragedy; in this case the death of a loved one, which occurs in the very first chapter of the book! As Malcolm and Sarah Vaughn wait at the traffic lights with their young son Harry, they notice the car in front fails to move, despite two green lights. Concerned for the wellbeing of the driver, Malcolm goes to check the car, but is gunned down – seemingly at random!

So begin three individual, yet related stories of coping with Malcolm’s death; Sarah’s struggle to cope with being left alone, Harry’s traumatic nightmares that continue to haunt him during the day and the equally harrowing experiences of Malcolm’s best friend, Deckard, who returns to Vietnam to deal with his loss by surrounding himself with death. Although a little over the top – Deckard in particular – McFarland’s tales are skillfully told and certainly tug at the heartstrings. Possibly not light bedtime reading, but certainly worth a look.

Book Review - Interpreter of Maladies By Jhumpa Lahiri

AshBooks Review for Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri:

This stunning debut by Lahiri confirmed her place as a master storyteller of Indians in the subcontinent and the immigrant Indian community in America. Herself an Indian American, Lahiri manages to jump from the heartbreaking story of When Mr. Pirzada Came To Dine to A Real Durwan. These contrasting stories gives us a unique prespective into the lives of expatriate Indians and to a certain extent also gives social commentary of the lives of the lower caste’s of Indian society.

When Mr. Pirzada Came To Dine tells the story of Mr.Pirzada, a Pakistani who comes to dine daily in the house of Lilia and her parents. In her household, both parties watch the horrors of the partition of India and Bangladesh’s (then East Pakistan) struggle for independence from afar in 1971. Lilia, now a second generation Indian in America provides a comparison with Mr. Pirzada’s own six daughters still in Pakistan. As she continues to learn American history she worries for his family without fully understanding the atrocities happening in India and Pakistan at the time.

This beautiful collection comes to an end with The Third and Final Continent, a story that tells the story of a first generation Bengali who first rents a room at the eccentric 103 year old Mrs. Croft’s. He develops a soft spot for Mrs Croft and eventually brings his wife, who he claims to have no feelings for, to meet her. The story has undertones of social acceptance and the intermingling of cultures as the story ends as the narrator reminisces to his son as they drive past the late Mrs. Croft’s house. Interpreter of Maladies won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and is an excellent place to start for any reader interested in appreciating the complexities of the eclectic Indian culture.

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Book Review - The Suicide Run By William Styron

AshBooks Review for The Suicide Run by William Styron:

Most will associate William Styron with his novel about an Auschwitz survivor, Sophie’s Choice, or perhaps his memoir of depression, Darkness Visible. It should be no surprise then that recently published The Suicide Run; Five Tales of the Marine Corps, doesn’t make for cheery reading. However, where The Suicide Run differs from other military-themed books is in the incredible absence of battle – something I can’t imagine Andy McNab will take inspiration from!

Styron himself served in both World War II and the Korean War, though he never actually saw battle. In The Suicide Run collection of stories, he uses his experiences to create pressure and suspense based on the fear of battle, without ever actually stooping to create an imagined encounter. What is also marvelous about the collection is the way he manages to blend this terror with a sense of glory felt by a young man at life in the military, yet also contrast it with the guilt-ridden thoughts of a war survivor. Clearly drawing on skills he so wonderfully displayed in both Sophie’s Choice and Darkness Visible, Styron transports the reader into a mindset he knows very well already; creating a fascinating psychological insight from the same conflicts many modern writers use to simply excite their readers into turning pages. That said, the fact this is a collection of five smaller stories will put off readers looking for a proper novel.

If I was to hazard a guess at the origin of the name The Suicide Run, I would suggest it is the implication that, by going to war, you are essentially commiting suicide; even if you survive, the guilt-ridden depression that besets you is as good as death.

If you like William Styron’s other books, you might just love this one too.

Book Review - Life’s Captivity By Sharon A Gricol

AshBooks Review for Life’s Captivity by Sharon Gricol:

Sharon Gricol’s novel illustrates the strengths and flaws in the human character. Infallible yet searching for the truth, the story charts the character’s search for happiness, salvation and love. The narrative follows four characters all from different walks of life – a supermodel, bank robber, mechanic and priest. Yet their lives are connected through their common search for the answers to the essential questions in life.

User Submitted Reviews:

“Life’s Captivity is inspirational and encouraging. The writing is lyric and rhythmic, and the pacing is relaxed enough to be calm, but fast enough to keep you interested.”

Book Review - Blind Sight, by James H Pence

AshBooks Review for Blind Sight by James H. Pence:

Blind Sight is about a man who finds his way back to God after being dragged out of hermitic life. He lived in blame for the death of his family until mysterious communications regarding two young children finds him as the caretaker of Michelle and Micah. As the story unravels, we find that Thomas’ purpose in looking after these children has to do with a cult that their mother has rejected and gone into hiding. Readable and compelling, Blind Sight follows the journey of a man who eventually comes to accept God again.

User Submitted Reviews:

The ending was peculiar. Most books leave you with a satisfied smile on your face. This one, not so much…You know what will happen in the future, and because of that he doesn’t have to spell it out for you. Once I sat back and thought about what God had in store for these characters and watched it play out in my head, I grinned. It’s wonderful!

How To Be Famous, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt

AshBooks Review for How To Be Famous by Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt:

This book was surprisingly quite good and  provided an easy read with a glimmer of humour. These two are actually quite interesting as well as being rather attractive.. annoying hey. I would read this book again as it really gives you an idea of what celebrity life can be like, including lows and highs.

User Submitted Reviews:

“Now I don’t know for sure if the tips to being successful and famous work, and I have no plans on finding out, but with common sense and intelligence it makes sense.” – reviewed by Freda

Suppor the author: Buy Heidi Montag & Spencer Pratt‘s books.

Ciao Italia: Five Finger Ingredients, by Mary Ann

AshBooks Review for Ciao Italia: Five Finger Ingredients by May Ann:

If you are a lover of Italian food this is the perfect book with so many mouth watering recipes. You can chose from simple to more complex, depending on how much time you have and what takes your fancy

I cooked up a tasty dish for my friends with adding my own touches, it only took 20 minutes to cook.

Wonderful!!!!

User Submitted Reviews:

“Being a lover of Italian food, I knew this would be a hit in my house and it didn’t let me down.”

A Good Talk, by Daniel Menaker

My Take on the Book:

This book may not be suitable for everyone’s taste as it  includes a lot of information and opinion that may not be subjective. It does however highlight modern day living and underline who we are as humans and how we live life. The book includes sophistication and style along with a humorous tone. It makes you think about conversation in more detail.. and explore areas you may not of thought of before. There is one thing for sure it made me think about how I speak to people and what life would be like if this normal human activity did not exist.

Look out for the witty jokes as there are quite a few included.

“A very informative and interesting book on conversation. Actually a lot better than I thought it would be.”

The Sugarless Plum, by Zippora Karz

AshBooks Review for The Sugarless Plum by Zippora Karz:

Karz’s memoir is a powerful story about a dancer who suffers from diabetes and with great passion and courage and thrives to demonstrate her talent.

The writing is very descriptive as she speaks out, explaining exactly how her emotions took over during her dancing. How she felt physically and mentally, including great detail on how she would keep pushing herself even when she felt faint or dizzy. The courage of this brave young lady shines through and you almost feel involved with her emotion.

How Karz felt was a key element running through the book. It wasn’t just “this is my story, hope you enjoy.” No, it was “First this happened. It looked like this, it felt like this, it smelled and tasted like this. Then this happened!”

This inspirational book demonstrates the ability to achieve dreams even if you do have a disability. It would be especially appealing to dancers themselves but also appeals to a wider audience as the story is just so beautifully written.

There are no scenes of sexual nature in the book and the language is very clean. Suitable for 12+.

User Submitted Reviews:

“Would a non-dancer relate to this book? Yes I believe they would. Maybe they wouldn’t have the same respect for what she went through as I do, but they would still relate”

Across the Endless River, by Thad Carhart

AshBooks Review for Across the Endless River by Thad Carhart:

A heavy read. Based on real historical facts and tells the tale of a mixed-race boy in the 18oos and his travels and the cultures and languages he experiences.

User Submitted Reviews:

“Thad likes history. You can tell by this book.  It doesn’t feel like reading a history book—it feels like reading poetry.”