Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives by Jim Sheeler

So I really wanted to post this review yesterday, but the site was down for updates or maintenance or whatever Blogger does when it goes down, and I was unable to upload the photo at left. Luckily the site is working again today and I can post again.

Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives by Jim Sheeler is one of the few non-fiction books that I've read in its entirety. It is a book that I think every American should read whether or not you support the war in Iraq--especially in a time when the government limits photos of flag draped caskets arriving at Dover, Delaware. It's easy to be detached from this war, to be ignorant of the sacrifice required of servicemen and -women and their families. This book will bring the war and the freedom we often take for granted in this country and the cost of both in human lives into your home--it's impossible to remain detached from this war after you've read this book.

Sheeler is a reporter who has followed a group of families as they learn of the deaths of their loved ones overseas in Iraq, as they mourn them at funerals and as they struggle to cope with the aftermath the loss wreaks in their lives. The story includes gut wrenching accounts of the fallen and their families and friends from the knock on the door to the funerals. The story also shares a glimpse into the lives of the surviving family members in the months and years following their tragic losses--including the births of two children who will never meet the fathers who were killed in Iraq.

I highly recommend you check this book out. It is available upon request from Lebanon Community Library and Myerstown Community Library.

--Reviewed by Ms. Angie

Midnight Nation by J. Michael Straczynski

I went to the Annville Free Library's book sale last night. Unfortunately I didn't find any books to buy, but I did find a couple items to borrow. One item was the graphic novel Midnight Nation by J. Michael Straczynski. Try saying that last name three times fast. I had a strange sense of deja vu when I started reading the first couple pages of this novel before I realized that, yes, I did already read it. So I decided to reread it, and after I was finished, I found out that I still don't quite "get" what the author meant by the ending. I don't want to say much more than that because I don't want to spoil the story for those who haven't read it yet.

David Grey is a homicide detective for the LAPD, and the latest murders he's caught are some seriously nasty news. Grey starts poking around and a witness points him in the direction of "the men" a.k.a "the Walkers" (not a surname). He tracks down an ex-con who may be connected to the murders and nearly ends up a murder victim himself. Instead his soul is stolen by the leader of the Walkers. Grey eventually meets up with a woman named Laurel who will act as his guide on a cross country trek to New York City where he will meet up with the man who holds his soul. Once in New York the two will face an impossible battle in order for Grey to redeem his soul. They only have a year to walk all the way from L.A. to New York City (that's right--walk) before Grey will turn into a Walker, and Laurel vows to kill Grey before that happens. Grey and Laurel have to walk because they exist in an "in-between" zone where people and things that have been lost, abandoned and discarded go. The people in "in-between" can only touch and use items that have also been lost, abandoned and discarded. That's why Grey and Laurel must walk across the country because the only vehicles that work in "in-between" belong to the Walkers.

This novel is very well-written and drawn and in the end it presents some issues that will make you think, especially in the end, which is open to interpretation. The one thing that bothered me were the typos that I picked up as I read. Every once in a while I read a book that has some obvious typos or some lapses in editing, and it's always frustrating because then you have to tease out exactly what the author means. And sometimes this can be very difficult because in the end you don't know for sure if you're reading it right because of the mistakes in the print.

I highly recommend this graphic novel. It is available upon request from the Annville Free Library.

--Reviewed by Ms. Angie

No Time For Goodbye by Linwood Barclay

Cynthia glanced about for a note. Her mom was big about leaving notes when she had to go out. Even when she was angry. A long enough note to say, "On your own today," or "Make yourself some eggs, have to drive Todd," or just "Back later." If she was really angry, instead of signing off with "Love, Mom," she'd write "L, Mom." There was no note.
from page 5, No Time For Goodbye

Whoa. That's what I thought when I finished reading No Time For Goodbye by Linwood Barclay. The story is one wild ride starting from the first chapter as it careens around some dark twists in its complicated plot.

Twenty-five years ago Cynthia woke up one morning to an empty house--her parents and her older brother were gone. Her family has vanished without a trace, and the police have no leads and no explanations; there isn't a shred of evidence that points toward one theory or another. Cynthia is left the only survivor. The mystery of her family's disappearance remains unsolved until a 48 Hours Mystery type TV show features Cynthia's story in hopes of dredging up some new leads. Instead it dredges up the lies and betrayals of the past that some people will continue to kill for in order to keep them hidden. In time an even more disturbing explanation is revealed, and the only thing for certain is that not all involved in the plot will survive the aftermath of its reveal.

Barclay is a master at spinning fast action and development at breakneck speed. You'll pick up this book and won't put it down until all the secrets and mysteries have been revealed. And by the end of the book they are all neatly explained--and the answers are disturbing. Barclay lacks in his character dialogue; at times it's stilted and slightly awkward. Sometimes the narrator does some unbelievable and dangerous things that I can only hope don't come back to bite him in the butt later in the book. These are naive civilian characters who insist on tracking down what turn out to be very dangerous criminals rather than let the police do what they're paid to do. But then if it had been left to police, we wouldn't have this book.

I recommend you check this book out for a great summer read. It is available upon request from Annville Free Library, Lebanon Community Library and Palmyra Public Library.

--Reviewed by Ms. Angie

The Descent

The Descent is a scary horror movie that stars six British actors I've never really heard of... and chances are if I've never heard of them, most other American viewers haven't heard of these people either. Apparently they are well-known in Britain.

The Descent tells the unfortunate story of six women who take a weekend to explore a cave in the Appalachia region of the U.S.A. Things go horribly wrong for the women when their path back to the entrance of the cave becomes blocked by a cave-in. Eventually this becomes the least of their problems. The women blindly press on deeper into the cave hoping to find another way out. Soon it is made clear to them that a freaky, carnivorous, cannibalistic, gross looking, species also calls the cave home. In addition to looking for another entrance, the ladies must also avoid becoming the species' next meal.

This movie is very dark--literally and figuratively. I mean, really, how much light can you expect to find in a cave? It is also creepy and very scary. Due to the excellent education about caves that I received from this movie, I have decided that I won't be going cave exploring any time in near or distant future. Exploring an uncharted cave is just asking to be eaten by slimy, human munching monsters from your worst nightmares.

I recommend this movie to all horror film buffs; it is coming soon to the Matthews Public Library near you. So look for it and check out sometime!

--Reviewed by Ms. Angie

Dark of the Moon by John Sandford

Considering when I read this book, this review comes a little late; I'm already deep into another book. How did you spend your Memorial Day weekend? I spent mine reading this book. About 30 pages in, I was still thinking about whether or not I was going to finish it or ditch it and move on to the next one. There are too many books on my reading list to mess around with one I don't like or that doesn't hook me in the first few chapters. I used to feel guilty about dropping a book after a chapter or two if it didn't work out, but ever since one of my college professors said it was okay, I don't feel so bad about ditching a book if it's not connecting with me. There's always the next one. Then the next thing I knew, I was in over 100 pages; this book sucks you in like that.

Dark of the Moon features Virgil Flowers, an off-beat agent for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (I think it's an equivalent of PA's State Troopers... some states have state troopers and others have state bureaus of investigation). Flowers works for Lucas Davenport, a main character for Sandford's popular Prey series, and indeed, Davenport does make a few brief appearances in the book. Flowers has been called out to a rural county to assist the local sheriff in a baffling murder investigation that is basically dead in the water--no leads, no suspects. The night Flowers arrives in the small town another man is murdered and his place is torched and before long the bodies are piling up in the small town. The question isn't necessarily are the murders connected--so many murders in a county that hasn't seen one in decades means they are almost certainly related--but how are they connected? The investigation is further complicated by the small town atmosphere where news and gossip spread faster than wildfire, secrets are extremely hard to keep, and everyone knows their neighbors' business. Who can Flowers trust among the townspeople, one whom is the killer? All the man knows for sure is that he's got a crazy person dropping people like flies, and it all may tie into a decades old mystery and cover up perpetrated by some of the town's most notorious citizens.

This was a suspenseful mystery; even though the murders are pretty brutal, the novel has its touches of humor. This is definitely a guy's book. It was written by a guy, and the characters and the language are definitely male. This isn't a bad thing; I read male authors, but I'm not used to reading about characters doing this, doing that, "taking a pee" and then going on to the next thing. Now that I think about it; it sounds like an old guy, and the character, from what I can figure out, is in his late 30's.

One other thing that bothered me a little bit. What kind of a name is Virgil Flowers?

I recommend this book if you're a big Sandford fan, you will enjoy it; you will also like it if you are a die hard crime fiction fan. It is available to borrow at the Matthews Public Library and upon request from every library in Lebanon county.

--Reviewed by Ms. Angie