Alexandria Link by Steve Berry

Alexandria Link 2stars

Action, adventure, kidnappings, killings, and a ticked off ex-wife! What more could you want? Not much, personally... until the author started to say that nothing in the Bible can be proved with history. Of course it can, several things can be, but that is not how Mr Berry wanted to write. He writes fiction, so allowances must be made, but not too many. Personally, I was rather offended and that is not an easy thing to do. I did try to read past his calling God a liar but I had such a hard time trying to ignore it, the core of the story, that it was best I not read further.

The premise is that the Link directly intersects with the nation of Israel,both modern and ancient. You see, the Bible is a lie and therefore voids any and all claims to land that the Israelites have. I'm not Jewish, but that was offensive. This is one of those rare books that I had to fight an urge to throw across the room. Usually, Mr Berry provides a grand reading experience with tons of twists and turns mixed with a healthy amount of mystery and gun fire. Not this time. I'm sorry but this is just not a good book and I was rather disappointed to have a two in a row that failed to live up to expectations.

The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen

The Sinner 3stars

One of the few books I've read on my Nook, The Sinner was a fast read. Jane Rizzoli is called to a convent to solve the murder of two nuns one bitter winter's morning. The crime is horrifying in its cruelty and barbarity. Both women's heads are bashed in within the walls of a building that should have been a sanctuary from the evils of the world, but evil will find a way in anyplace.

There are more twists and sex in this then a James Bond film. I think that is what ultimately took away from the story. I don't care who you're having a romp with, get to the story! Who is Jane Doe, what's the connection?! Who's the killer? In the end it was a good book that kept my attention even if I did have to fast forward through a few places.Usually I do enjoy Gerritsen's books, there have been a few duds along the way, but I expect that. I'm just not a fan of too much sex in a book, I understand the biology, I don't need a description. Just get to the crime solving please and thank you.

Waiter Rant: Confessions of a Cynical Waiter by The Waiter

Waiter Rant 5 Stars

Anyone who has ever worked retail, or even with the public will know exactly what The Waiter is going through and what motivates his actions. Everyone has had at least one customer that has royally ticked us off and we all want to react to that person and destroy them in some way. Personally, I have always harboured the dream of throwing cold water in their face and make them shut up.

When his life gets turned up-side down, The Waiter takes the first job that comes along. You guessed it... waiting tables in a restaurant. He starts off in the worst place possible and gets fired rather quickly, mostly because he won't pay the manager for shifts. Eventually, he lands a job as head waiter in a high end restaurant, serving the rich and entitled of New York.

His escapades make us feel for him, understand him. He started off as a guy that didn't know what he wanted to be when he grew up but now its become a career that he never wanted. We read as he gets irate customers to either calm down or get out, as he helps a couple enjoy a meal they probably can't afford but hey its Valentine's, and we see how he treats his coworkers and customers.

As a retailer, I could identify with the Waiter, I could understand why he does what he does. I can completely understand the frustration that he fights so hard to keep in check. I don't drink or smoke, so I can't walk away and take a bit of alcohol or nicotine to take the edge off. I applaud his taking his frustrations and making them into a blog and finally a book. Thanks, Waiter, for giving me a laugh.

Julie and Julie by Julie Powell

Julie and Julia -- 4 Stars

What do you do if you are about to turn thirty, have a boring job, a syndrome that makes having children difficult, and oh... did I mention you're turning THIRTY? How do you find a purpose in your life? What are you going to do?

If you're Julie Powell, you take down the recipe book you snatched from you mother and make the decision to cook every single thing in it, no matter what. Of course, the cook book is none other than Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. With over five hundred recipes, its a challenge in and of itself, but to say you're going to do this in a year? Yep, Julie is crazy, no doubt about it. She wanted to put some excitement, some meaning into her life and she cooked her way through a year to do it.

You might think that it would be boring to read about a woman cooking for a year. In reality, its a riot! No... its a catastrophe! Between trying to find beef bone with the marrow intact or getting the courage to cook a live lobster, its amazing the woman's apartment was still standing. Heck, I'm surprised her marriage lasted! There really are no words to describe what this book is. Its a biography, a self help, a cook book... kinda. Its such a wonderful mix that it defies definition, which I find completely endearing. Honestly, I love the chutzpah that Julie has, even in the face of aspic!

In the end, its not all about Julie Powell or Julia Child, its about finding the joy in life, grasping it with both hands and enjoying the wild ride... mistakes, disasters, and all.

Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

Fellowship of the Ring  4Stars

This is the second book by Tolkien that I have had the joy of reading. While The Hobbit seemed to fly along, this first installment of the Lord of the Rings saga has moments where it lags a bit. That is to be expected from a book that, in total, is over a thousand pages. The longer the book the more pages I give it to catch my interest.

Having already seen the movies, I know how the story goes, but I want to see how the author intended it to be. I must say that I was not left disappointed. The political intrigue and betrayal is not unlike watching the news today. I think what I enjoy the most is that Tolkien wrote of these places and people and creatures as if they were real, not merely something out of his imagination. "Merely". I shouldn't use such a word, there is nothing minor or simple about this story. It pulls you in, drags you along the journey as you run from Black Riders, follow Frodo, worry with Sam, listen to the songs of old sung by Aragorn and Legolas, and borrow some of the dwarfish strength of Gimli.

If you have not yet read this book, but have seen the movie, you're missing out. There is so much more that you need to know! I regret nothing, reading the tales of Middle Earth. Neither will you.

i am the messenger by Markus Zusak

i am the messenger -- 5stars

So there I was, trolling the library, wondering what would pop out at me this time. What treasure would call to me and beg to be read? What story would make me think, make me curious? Who's words would keep me awake until the wee hours? I found it. Or rather, it found me.

We follow a young man named Ed Kennedy for just one year, one single year in the life of a pathetic kid who won't amount to anything, so says his mother. Then one day everything changes, he receives the Ace of Clubs in the mail with three addresses. He has to deliver a message to each place, but he doesn't have a clue what that is to be. He has to to this not just for one ace, but for all of them. The journey isn't just to deliver a message, but to... well you'll have to read it to find out what happens.

This was one of those rare books that I think everyone should read, not because it was a joy and a great read, but because it has the potential to change lives if you let it. There are other books that I can think of that I can think of, most of which are considered young adult, that have the same potential. Deliver a message to someone, maybe not what they want to hear sometimes, but always what they need. Every thing that we do, every thing we say has a power to effect others and ourselves. The point is that we have to allow the change, fighting it only causes more pain.

So is that what happened to Ed Kennedy? Did he change because of the messages he was sent to deliver? You'll have to read it and find out. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, I hope the story calls to you in a whisper off the shelves and talks to you until you are wide awake at two in the morning, feeling completely satisfied.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit-- 5 Stars

I tried reading The Hobbit once many years ago, but I think I was too young when I made the first attempt. At the time I thought that Tolkien took too long and was far too descriptive with the places he was writing about. Never a great of fan of what I call "straight fantasy", books that are in places completely of the author's imagination, I tend to stay away from them in favour of things more palatable. So here I am, a twenty-eight year old self professed geek, finally completing The Hobbit. "Why?" you may well ask... That's easy, because I want to see the movie and I always read the book first.

Honestly, I was shocked by how much I enjoyed it. It was a fantastic read, full of adventure and strange new places. My edition has a wonderful map on both the front and back in-covers which makes it much easier to see where Bilbo and the dwarfs are in their adventure.

Bilbo is a simple creature, satisfied with simple tastes of good food and good cheer. When he is hired to act as the burglar for Thorin and Company, he's more then a little apprehensive. He'd rather sit in his arm chair in front of the hearth and blow smoke rings then sleep on the cold ground with goblins and trolls about. Sure, there is a vast hoard of treasure to be had, but at what cost? It takes nearly a year for the small hobbit to return home again. By that time, he has changed from a simple creature of simple tastes to one who has seen great things and appreciates the smallest and most simple of all experiences. Good food and good company.

I must admit some regret in having waited so long to read such a novel, though now my interest has been piqued and I must read more, know more. I do believe that the Lord Of The Rings will be among the next books on my reading list.