BOOK REVIEW: "making love to the minor poets of Chicago"

making love to the minor poets of Chicago
By James Conrad
Copyright 2000
Thomas Dunne Books
Adult Fiction
2 Bookmarks

Well frankly, with a title like that I expected a lot more. After all, I love "love", love poetry, and loathe all things Chicago; it made for an interestingly incongruous picture in my mind. But instead of being interesting, I just simply found the book boring. And weird. Actually more weird than boring.

So the basic story is this, a failed poet stumbles upon this opportunity to write a poem to save humanity from the nuclear waste stored beneath Yucca Mountain in Nevada. It seems that someone has been commissioned to paint a painting to be placed at the mountain to warn future generations for the next 10,000 years or so that it's going to take the nuclear waste to lose its dangerousness, and so this poet believes she can convince The Powers That Be that a poem should be called for as well.

So, maybe a slightly interesting premise, but the execution was severely lacking. First of all, the one who wanted to write the poem has to ask a colleague of hers to actually get in contact with The Powers That Be because, oh yes, the colleague's ex-husband is the painter who's been commissioned to do the painting. Since she has an "in", of course, they agree and you would think the story would move forward from here. Instead, it ended up being just a really discombobulated mess of minor storylines dropped in here and there that really had nothing to do with anything.

There was a seriously over-stereotyped group of gay characters linked to the poetry department at the local college. And I mean seriously stereotyped. I was even mildly offended by a scene in the book that is set in a gay bar where the author actually makes fun of the music playing "a groggy male vocalist was whining about someone having blue eyes, green eyes, and gray eyes" (which just happens to be from my very, very favorite New Order song ever!)

At the end of the book, two of the characters take off from Chicago and end up near Yucca Mountain (one of them even volunteering at the nuclear waste facility for a period of time for no apparent reason at all). And then that was the end of the book.

There were a few entertaining scenes written into the book, but really just not much substance or purpose to the story. The review on the back cover called it "the ultimate love story of the nuclear age" (Dale Peck). That one really left me scratching my head. Love story? There was no love story here.

BOOK REVIEW: "The Shelters of Stone"

The Shelters of Stone
By Jean M. Auel
Copyright 2002
Crown Publishers
Adult Fiction
4 Bookmarks

Book Five of the Earth's Children Series takes the main characters, Ayla and Jondalar, back to Jondalar's home, the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii. Ayla is nervous to meet Jondalar's family but after more than a year of traveling to get there, she is ready.

As has been the case with all the groups of people they've encountered on the way, Jondalar's people are startled by the woman with the horses and wolf as traveling companions. But because they remember Jondalar, some of them are more willing to accept her at face value, including Jondalar's family, although some members of the community hold grudges against Jondalar and take it out on Ayla.

Once again, Ayla comes to the rescue of various individuals in her new community, including a baby who is being neglected and a boy who gets gored by a wooly rhinoceros. Ayla struggles with her innate ability to heal and faces some tough choices.

In The Shelters of Stone, Ayla and Jondalar finally become officially "mated" and have a baby to expand their family as they start this new life.

This is not my favorite book in the series. Partially because it is so dang long (753 pages, in case you were wondering why I haven't posted anything in awhile). Partially because now that they're "back home", they have to re-tell their story several times (and the author includes these retellings in the book), which gets a little redundant. However, it does have some interesting plot twists and new adventures for the pair, as well as some very novel characters.

Once again, I do really love Auel's ability to tell a story and capture the feeling of a situation through her words (although the "adult" portions of the book are pretty over-the-top graphic). And this is the last "old" book in the series (one that I have read before). Next will be the last book in the series that was just published this year, The Land of Painted Caves (watch for my review as soon as it comes up in my library queue!)

BOOK REVIEW: "The Year of Pleasures"

The Year of Pleasures
By Elizabeth Berg
Copyright 2005
Random House
Adult Fiction
3.5 Bookmarks

Betta Nolan does what many of us often dream of doing; she sells her house, picks up and moves halfway across the country. Unfortunately, she only does this after the death of her beloved husband, John. The two had planned to retire together, then move to the country. But when John is diagnosed with cancer, their plans change.

Near the end of his life, John makes Betta promise she will finish what they started, and so Betta sells the house shortly after John's death and starts driving. She finds herself in a small, midwestern town and buys the first house she sees.

As Betta confronts her new life alone, she meets many new and interesting characters, feels much pain, and tries to move forward.

The author does an absolutely amazing job of delving into the feelings and fears that Betta goes through during this process. Grief is an incredible thing, but to feel it through the words written by the author was a new experience. At one point, Betta can't sleep. She keeps thinking she hears her husband talking to her. "I left the lights on, pulled back the bedclothes, and climbed in. I listened carefully: nothing. I turned out the light and listened again. A car going by, my alarm clock ticking. I took of my coat and boots, then lay back down. Some nights lasted weeks."

When I was about two chapters into this book I thought for sure it was going to be a 5 Bookmark book. In the end though, I really felt like the author let some really great opportunities get away from her.

After John's death, Betta finds a box with dozens of small slips of paper that John had written on; "Japanese tea ceremony", "iron grates", "Soprano gone--good". Betta is at first confused, but eventually realizes what John was trying to tell her. The memories Betta recollects as she's looking at these slips of paper were entrancing, but unfortunately, the author left it at that. They ended up being no more than just a sideline to the story.

That author also seemed to miss a few beats with another angle of the story. Betta meets a gentleman who is interested in her. She tries to force herself to move forward with him, but it just never feels right. I think the author could have explored this area a little bit further and gone into more detail about why she wasn't ready for another relationship yet, but instead she just sort of lets it fizzle and then get snatched out of her hands.

There were definitely parts of the book that I liked, and other parts I was disappointed with. One thing that always made me catch my breath were the moments in the book where Betta "remembers" that she's grieving. She thinks, "...part of me still lingered at John's side, staring both at him and at the future without him, waiting to see if he were going to change his mind and come with me after all." Heartwrenching for anyone who has ever loved another.

Although there was never a clear explanation for the title of the book, I did really enjoy reading it. There were a few moments where I would find a small tear in my eye, but it was good because it made me remember those in my life who I have lost, and appreciate those in my life that I still have.

BOOK REVIEW: "What the Dog Saw"

What the Dog Saw
and other adventures
By Malcolm Gladwell
Copyright 2009
Little, Brown & Company
Non-Fiction
4 Bookmarks

Some of you may remember the book The Tipping Point that I recently reviewed. What the Dog Saw and other adventures is by the same author, Malcolm Gladwell, and he delivers yet again. This book is a collection of articles Gladwell wrote for The New Yorker magazine.

This collection of non-fiction observations about the world around us is eye-opening. Each article is like a story of life, pinging the nail right on the head. From stories about what makes a great infomercial salesman to why there is only one kind of ketchup, Gladwell discusses minor genius in a way that will really make you think.

The section on predictions goes into detail regarding the Enron scandal, the problems of homelessness and plagiarism. My favorite from this section was The Art of Failure, a discussion of why some people choke and some people panic, with the leading example of the famous tennis player, expected to win, hitting one bad shot and then another and then another because she choked.

The last section, on intelligence was absolutely my favorite section! Every topic here was interesting to me. Subtopics in this section include "Criminal Profiling Made Easy", "What Pit Bulls Can Teach Us About Crime" and "How Do We Hire When We Can't Tell Who's Right for the Job?", among others. I most especially enjoyed the piece entitled "The Talent Myth: Are Smart People Overrated?", another story using Enron as the example.

I think what makes Gladwell's books so interesting is that he takes something you already know about, turns it on it's head, and tells you about it from a completely different perspective. Not only is it the ultimate "looking at something in a way you didn't before", it really is "looking at something in a way you never dreamed of looking at it".

I would recommend this, and other Gladwell books, to anyone who likes to think, and especially to those who like, and have the ability, to think outside the box.

BOOK REVIEW: "The Plains of Passage"

The Plains of Passage
By Jean M. Auel
Copyright 1990
Crown Publishers, Inc.
Adult Fiction
5 Bookmarks

Book four of the Earth's Children Series by Jean M. Auel, follows Ayla and Jondalar's journey from the end of the Great Mother River back to his homeland far to the west. It takes them nearly one year to complete the journey and they have many adventures along the way.

With two horses and a wolf for companions, the travelers are not welcomed easily anywhere they encounter other humans. The groups they meet are very wary of the newcomers and some even hide. But the pair do visit with some groups that remember Jondalar from his trip to the east.

With dangerous river crossings and changing weather chasing them down, the two face a perilous journey. They survive some near misses that leave your heart pounding! Some of the groups they encounter appreciate Ayla's skill as a medicine woman and she puts those skills to use frequently. A few places along the way are tempting to Ayla, who is tired of traveling. But she knows that Jondalar wants to go home and so they keep moving.

I suppose the most notable section of this book deals with Jondalar being captured by a group called the Wolf Women. He is held captive in a society where women run the show and the men are mere prisoners (I wish!) With Ayla's help, Jondalar finally escapes and the two work together to help free the other men who have been held captive by the Wolf Women.

As usual, I loved this book (who wouldn't love a book about a man, a woman, two horses and a wolf traveling together during caveman times?) I really am enjoying re-reading this series, despite the over-the-top "adult" scenes (again, don't let your kiddos read these!)

I'm getting close to the end! One more book to go before the new one in the series! I've only read Shelters of Stone (book five) once, so I'm looking forward to re-reading it! Review for that one coming soon!

BOOK REVIEW: "An Amish Gathering"

An Amish Gathering
By Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller and Barbara Cameron
Copyright 2009
Thomas Nelson, Inc. Publishing
Adult Fiction
4 Bookmarks

Who would have thought the Amish had such good love stories? This collection of three Amish novellas was absolutely delightful!

In the first story, A Change of Heart by Beth Wiseman, the main character Leah knows she doesn't fit in with Amish society. She's no good at the things that are expected of a good Amish woman, prefers activities that are frowned upon (in particular, writing) and she has no illusions that that her abilities and preferences will be changing anytime soon. She tries to do as she is supposed to but never in her wildest dreams did she expect to find someone who appreciates her for who she is.

I think this was my favorite of the three novellas. I suppose that is because I could sympathize with Leah quite a bit, being raised in a culture where certain things were expected but never quite fitting in or being able to fulfill those expectations.

The second story, When Winter Comes by Barbara Cameron, was really sad. The main character Rebecca lost her twin sister in an accident years ago but hasn't quite completed the grieving process. She returns every winter to the spot where her sister died and mourns anew. But only a very special friend can help her get past the loss of her sister and move forward with her life.

This story was very heartrending. I could really feel Rebecca's grief as she looked across the ice where she had last seen her sister alive. I remember feeling that kind of grief after my mother died so whenever I read books with that kind of imagery it sort of brings those feelings back.

The third story, A Place of His Own by Kathleen Fuller, also had some dark themes in it. When Josiah left the Amish community with his father years ago, no one knew where they went or why. So when he returns unexpectedly and readies his family farm for sale, no one is more shocked than his neighbor and former best friend.

This was a sweet story, perhaps even a bit too sappy for me, but still enjoyable.

I don't know very much about the Amish community so reading about some of the things they are allowed to do (like play volleyball and bake monster cookies) was surprising. This is a lovely collection of stories that really was a pleasure to read.

BOOK REVIEW: "One Sunday Morning"

One Sunday Morning
By Amy Ephron
Copyright 2005
HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Adult Fiction
1.5 Bookmarks

Hmm.....this is a tough one. This longer-than-a-short-story-but-shorter-than-a-novel seems to be a commentary on the social strictures of New York society during Prohibition. When a group of ladies happens to see someone they know in a compromising situation, they make immediate judgments which cause a series of assumptions that affect all of their lives to varying degrees.

When the young lady in question is sent away, the gossipy voices start to carry some weight.

The story has some nice imagery and some unique twists and turns but, frankly, I was never quite sure what the purpose of the story was. Perhaps a mini-lecture on avoiding the very appearance of evil, perhaps just a self-indulgant trip into another time.

I didn't really enjoy this novella. It was very short with not much attention paid to developing characters. There were many dialogues throughout the book that seemed to be required solely to tell the reader what was going on. While I certainly understand that method of getting a point across, it was so obvious that it became annoying.

I prefer clever short stories with witty endings and this one doesn't really fit in that category.

BOOK REVIEW: "What Men Want"

What Men Want
By Deborah Blumenthal
Red Dress Ink
Copyright 2006
Adult Fiction
3 Bookmarks
Spoiler Alert!

With a book title like What Men Want, of course I (as a woman) was curious. What do men want? I sort of thought the book would be a cute tale about some woman who finds out what men want. Instead, I found a book about a print journalist (columnist, actually) with a live-in boyfriend who is not quite right for her and a journalistic nemesis who only serves to cause her grief. Nothing about what men want at all, actually.

Meet Jenny George. With a boring name like that, I was not intrigued. Even the author thought it was a boring name and spent several paragraphs throughout the book commenting on the commonness of the name. And then, of course, is her nemesis Slaid Warren (MUCH better name for a character in a novel!) who continually calls to flirt with her in a weird, competitive sort of way.

When Jenny's boyfriend decides to trade her in a for a hotter model (literally), I sort of thought she would finally figure out the "what men want" part of the equation. Unfortunately, she just experiences a few ups and downs of the dumpee sort, then lands in the lap of Slaid Warren and that is about it. No mention of "what men want" at all! I assume the author was intending for us to simply believe that men want Jenny George, but I don't buy it.

While the misleading title was a bit of a disappointment (because, don't we all want to know what men want?), I did enjoy reading the book. Some funny scenes and witty banter. It was a cute story after all, although it did leave me a little empty in the end.

BOOK REVIEW: "The Lonely Polygamist"

The Lonely Polygamist

By Brady Udall

Copyright 2010

W.W Norton & Company, Inc.

Adult Fiction

3.5 Bookmarks

In honor of my recent addiction to Sister Wives on TLC, I read The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall. I browsed the jacket description of this book and was fascinated...a polygamist with four wives who has, of all things, an affair. Honestly, I can't even imagine a man having enough time or energy for four women, let alone five (plus the challenges of keeping the 5th one a secret from the other four!!) It sounded hilarious and I thought I'd check it out.

So I started into the book and, frankly, I was a little disappointed. There were a lot of really sad things that had happened to the main character (a death of a child, a stillbirth, a wife who is a bit of a mental case). It didn't turn out to be quite the comedy I was expecting.

The main character, Golden Richards, lives in a somewhat typical polygamist community near Virgin, Utah (as an aside, I have a great photo of one of my husband's buddies standing in front of the Virgin, Utah, sign back when they were teenagers. This poor, teenage boy had lost a bet and had to stand in front of the "Virgin" sign and have his picture taken.....hilarious). Anyway, Golden owns three houses for his four wives and shuffles between them, always spread too thin to really do much good (I imagine this is a fairly accurately painted picture). Golden's construction business isn't doing so well, so he ends up having to take a job outside of town. And that's when the trouble begins.....just up the road a bit.....in Nevada......where prostitution is legal.

I won't spoil the story here, but suffice it to say that Golden's situation reminds me of that old story about how a lie spreads itself around and comes back to haunt you. Golden allows one little inkling of bad thoughts enter his mind. Then another slips in. Then another and another, until he isn't quite sure exactly what kind of person he really is. And those little thoughts definitely come back to haunt him in the end.

I was disappointed with the ending. It was quite sad and depressing. And it sure made me feel sorry for just about anyone who lives this kind of life (even the happy-go-lucky Brown family on Sister Wives). But generally-speaking, it was an enjoyable read. Probably a little higher ranking for someone interested in the topic, and lower ranking for someone who really thinks polygamists are quack jobs.

BOOK REVIEW: "The Mammoth Hunters"

The Mammoth Hunters
Earth's Children Series
By Jean M. Auel
Copyright 1985
Crown Publishers
Adult Fiction/ PaleoFiction
4 Bookmarks

And again we are on to the next book in my favorite book series, Earth's Children, by Jean M. Auel. The Mammoth Hunters, book three of the series, is my least favorite (at least, so far.....I still haven't read book six, but I'm working my way that direction!) The entire storyline of this book always causes me great anxiety and nail-biting suspense whenever I read it (even though I already know how it ends).

In The Mammoth Hunters, the main characters Jondalar and Ayla finally leave their magical valley and go exploring. Lo and behold! They run into other Others, a tribe (or cave or clan or whatever you'd like to call it) of mammoth-hunting humans. They invite the pair to stay with them for the upcoming winter and they agree.

There's a problem, though. Jondalar and Ayla still have a little trouble communicating (in that her first language is the language of The Clan and his first language is of a people who live more than a year away), which leads to problems actually quite typical of those in a relationship defined by poor communication. One thing leads to another, and soon both Jondalar and Ayla think the other one doesn't love them anymore. Of course, this is exacerbated by a handsome member of the mammoth hunters tribe named Ranec who does everything he can to rip the lovers apart so he can have Alya himself.

And so as this yo-yo of Alya being tugged between Jondalar and Ranec continues for page after page after page.....after page......I always get to a point when reading this book where I just want to skip to the end! But not really. Because it is very well-written. And entertaining. And enjoyable. And I do love the full story. And, really, would they have truly known that they loved each other without having this tormented episode right in the middle of the series? Perhaps not. *sigh*

Just a little warning again, though. It does still have some of those "adult-ish" scenes with words like "his manhood" and "her supple flesh", so no, I would not recommend reading this one aloud to the kiddos.

And I can only give it four bookmarks instead of five, just simply because of the torment I felt the entire time I was reading it! (Seriously. I do not do well with suspense novels. I've read this book five times, obviously I know how it ends and yet it still causes me grief!)

BOOK REVIEW: "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall"

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
By Anne Bronte
Oxford University Press
Copyright 2008 (New Edition)
The Classics
3.75 Bookmarks

Of course, you all know I love Victorian fiction. I had actually read this book a long time ago, but didn't have much recollection of it. So I decided to sit down and read it again. I had to sit a long time, though......I had forgotten that it was a very time-consuming read. Although it is not a thick novel, it is full of "old" English and takes a few extra moments to get through the dialogue and description. However, regardless of the length of time it took me to read it, I did enjoy it yet again!

In The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Bronte tackles the unpleasant question of "what should happen if you were to marry the wrong person?" In our day and age, obviously, divorce is the answer. But in Victorian England, divorce was still unbelievably taboo and would result only in the complete and utter devastation of the divorcee's character and reputation, not to mention leading to her complete ostracization by all society. Not a pleasant outcome, to be sure, which we learn from a diary that details the events that take place when Lady Helen Huntingdon finds herself in such a situation.

Helen is a willful girl who marries the gentleman she thinks is best for her, although she is warned otherwise by caring (and wiser) relatives and friends. She soon learns the folly of her choice, but is stuck with no way out. As her circumstances become more dire, Helen puts together a plan of escape. She hides away with her young son at Wildfell Hall. Her location is precarious. Her secret is great. And the last thing she expects (or will allow) is to fall in love with a neighboring farmer (ooooooooooo! Exciting!)

The first few chapters of the book were a little confusing; trying to keep everyone straight was a challenge. But 50 pages in the reader will suddenly have a much better grasp of what is going on (and, frankly, the book gets more interesting by the page!) However, I would only recommend this little Victorian treat to other lovers of Victorian literature (i.e. Jane Austen, George Eliot, Charlotte Bronte, Emily Bronte, etc.) If that's not your cup of tea, well, too bad for you!

COMMENTARY: Real Estate Could Get a Whole Lot Uglier....Again

Ouch. This is not good.

Every once in awhile something comes up in my "real" life that, frankly, kind of sucks. Right now is one of those times. My "real" life is Real Estate. That's what I do. Helping buyers and sellers buy and sell their homes.

And right now, federal regulators are trying to make that part of my life a whole lot uglier.

Congress recently created the Qualified Residential Mortgage rule (abbreviated QRM), to take affect this year. This regulation was intended to protect lenders and borrowers from the risky lending practices of a few years ago that have led to this debacle of Foreclosures and Short Sales. There are provisions in this rule that federal regulators are now very narrowly defining as requiring borrowers to put down a MINIMUM of 20% when purchasing a new home, or requiring hefty fees and significantly higher interest rates for those loans.

Now I don't know about you, but so far in my "young" life I haven't had 20% to put down on a home purchase. That's a big chunk of change! Not that there aren't buyers out there who can do that; it's just that there aren't very many. Honestly, not very many at all.

I think we all agree that there was some pretty irresponsible lending going on there for a few years. But the reality is that many of us responsible buyers also bought homes during that same period of time and very few of us put 20% down. I make my mortgage payment every month (have never even been late on it, thank you very much!), but if I had to put 20% down on my next house, it would be an awfully long time before I'd be able to do that (according to statistics from the National Association of Realtors, it would take the average person 14 years to save up that much for a downpayment).

Congress never intended this regulation to be so narrowly defined and the National Association of Realtors is asking Congress to press federal regulators to include an exemption in the QRM to allow for traditional loan programs similar to the loans available today; well-underwritten products such as 30-, 15- and 10-year fixed loans with from 5% to 20% down to include Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI).

Of course this is important to me because of my livelihood, but it is important to YOU because you own a home! If you were to try to sell your home in a marketplace where buyers were only allowed to buy if they had 20% down, how much do you think your house would be worth? Unfortunately, supply and demand is real. If there are 5000 homes on the market and 5000 buyers, housing prices are stable. If there are 5000 homes on the market and 50 buyers, prices will plummet. And boy, do I mean plummet.

Please call or email your Congressperson, Senator and anyone else you can think of TODAY to let them know you want mortgage loans to stay affordable!

Look up your Congressperson and Senator by clicking here, then enter your zipcode: http://www.contactingthecongress.org/.

Call or email them today. Tell them to protect America from the QRM. Tell them to keep mortgage loans affordable for qualified home buyers. Tell them America cannot afford another housing crisis.

Anyone who owns a home -- or merely wants to own one someday -- is going to be affected by the outcome of this. Please take the time to make the call.

BOOK REVIEW: "Room"

Room
By Emma Donoghue
Copyright 2010
Little, Brown & Company
Adult Fiction
4 Bookmarks

Imagine your world is an 11x11 room and the few belongings that occupy it. That is the world of Jack in this horrifyingly stunning book by Emma Donoghue. Jack is five and has never known anyplace other than Room. He sees the outside world on TV and he knows it is just pretend.....all of it. Nothing is real to Jack other than this confined area he has lived in his whole life.

Jack's mother, known in the book only as Ma, has been held captive in Room for seven years. Two years into her ordeal she has a baby and thus begins Jack's world. He doesn't know what he is missing because he's never been anywhere else. He knows nothing other than Room, Bed, Duvet, Rug, Chair, Wardrobe and Skylight. But Jack's mother is worried. Their captor has lost his job and Ma is afraid of what will become of them if he loses his house. Jack is five and his mother knows they have to escape. She comes up with a daring plan, focused on Jack. But is he strong enough? Can he do what he needs to do to get them both to safety?

I don't want to spoil the story, so I won't go into any more details. But I will tell you that once Ma's plan is set into motion, my heart pounded for page after page as the story unfolded.

Some positive commentary on the story: The author did a great job of having Jack narrate the story from the perspective of a child who doesn't know any world other than this confined space. Jack's character has such a limited understanding of, well, everything, that there always seems to be something just a little odd about how he says things and views things. The intensity of the story is incredible. From the moment you start reading, you feel the story building to the climax, which actually comes earlier in the book than expected (for which I was grateful! My thudding heart needed a break!) And, for a change, you get to find out a little bit about what happens to the character "after" the main event.

Some negative notes: The entire topic of the book was so incredibly disturbing. An unbelievably evil man builds a shed in his back yard for the sole purpose of keeping a girl hostage. He thinks of everything and leaves her no possible means to escape. As I was reading, I had a sick little knot in my stomach just contemplating this actually happening to anyone. Horrifying does not even begin to describe it.

This was a very quick read. I can't say I enjoyed reading it, but I'm glad that I did (if that makes any sense). I feel it made me, somehow, a better person. And I truly could not put it down.

BOOK REVIEW: "Jimmy"

Jimmy

By Robert Whitlow

Copyright 2005

Westbow Press

Adult Fiction

3.5 Bookmarks

I was all set to give this one four bookmarks....right up until page 371. Then it rapidly dropped down to 3.5 due to an unpleasant ending. I hate it when that happens, especially when I really did like the book!

Jimmy is a novel about a 14-year-old boy in a small town in Georgia with lower mental capacities than other children. The book documents his struggles and triumphs in a world that seems to swallow him up.

Jimmy views life around him with an innocence that goes beyond naivete. His world is black and white and those who surround him with love make sure that whatever he needs to understand is explained to him in the simplest terms possible.

But when Jimmy accidentally finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, things that are beyond his understanding become his downfall.

This was a very well-written book. The story of love between Jimmy and his step-mother, and between Jimmy and his grandfather, was incredibly heartwarming to read. The author spent a great deal of time developing Jimmy's character and, although it was simple, his soul truly shone through in the writing.

A great book.......until the last few pages.

BOOK REVIEW: "The Valley of Horses"

The Valley of Horses
By Jean M. Auel
Copyright 1982
Crown Publishers
Adult Fiction
5 Bookmarks
Exceptional!

And this is Book 2 of the Earth's Children series by Jean Auel. I previously reviewed Book 1, Clan of the Cave Bear. This is the continuation of Ayla's journey.

As The Valley of Horses begins, Ayla is traveling alone to find people like herself, The Others. She travels far and for many days but doesn't find anyone. Instead, she finds herself in a beautiful valley where resides a herd of horses. Ayla finds a perfect cave and decides to stay for a few days, which turns into a few more, then eventually into an entire summer. As she plans for her winter stores, she faces the reality that she is still alone.

Auel, again, does a great job of explaining the intricacies of pre-historic chores like fire-starting, leather-scraping, and flint-knapping. Ayla is eventually joined in her cave by a baby horse and a baby lion. Auel creates a strong sense of family amongst the three cave dwellers.

Interspersed between the events occuring in Ayla's existence, Auel begins to tell a tale of two young men on a journey of their own. As they travel to new and exciting territories, Jondolar, and his brother Thonolan, experience adventure, love and hardship. As the days pass, they draw nearer and nearer to the valley of horses.

And, as I'm sure you can guess, Ayla finally has her first opportunity to meet someone of The Others: people like her.

This is my favorite book in the entire series. There is not a dull moment in this book as Auel does an incredible job of keeping the reader interested and anticipating what's going to happen next. I am always sorry when I get to the end of this one.

Again, this book has adult content and is not for young readers (there's a particularly "interesting" scene that starts on about page 470......*ahem*), so keep out of reach of children please!