11/22/63

Dear Reader,

I have at least 3 books on the go at all times, one at home, one at work and one in my I phone. I read the I-phone book while waiting for the doctor or dentist to call my name, or for the car when it gets its oil change. The book in the I-phone is needs to be an easy read, due to the slow progress, and the length of time I get to read it.

11/22/63 was one I read at home. It was one of the books I received for Christmas, this particular one came from Sarah. I appreciate it when people read the gift idea list and act upon it. This way everyone is happy (especially me J). We all enjoy that surprise gift, but there is nothing like getting a long awaited treasure like this.

I have read Stephen King from the time I was, about 23 or 24, Stephen has never failed to entertain. I will admit that some of his earlier books have a tendency to end abruptly, King builds, and builds then boom its over. I think this is one area where he has greatly improved, his endings run smoothly past while he still leaves his “constant reader” wanting to know more.

I noted while grabbing the URL for King’s web site (to link the book cover, go ahead give it a click), that he has written another chapter of The Dark Tower. “The Wind Through the Keyhole”, will be a must have on my “books to read” list.

In 11/22/63, King ventures into the idea of time travel, some believe that if we could travel back through time, we would not be able to change the events of the past, some believe that we can, and do (or will) change the past with every visit, this is called the butterfly effect, oh, by the way you should check out the move, “A Sound of Thunder” if you like the idea of time travel. And there are the people who think they can go back and change things for the better. Haven’t we all said at one time or another, if only I could go back and ….. if not to change anything, but to once and for all answer the burning questions about our past.

King manages to bring a little bit of everyone’s time travel ideals together into this one major event in the history of the United States , which had world shattering repercussions. What if JFK survived, how would this have changed the course of, not history, but the future, the future of 1963, and what would changing this event do to our “now”. Remember that our past decisions have brought us to where we are today, different decisions made in the past, the now, or the future will change where we will end up as we move forward, it will also influence what decisions we will be called upon to make in our future, so we must make our decisions wisely, we (might) only have one chance to make the right ones.

If I could go back in time, I think I would go to the book depository to see if there was a second shooter, find out how the Pyramids were built, how about Stonehenge , see the dinosaurs, or just go and hug my mom one last time.

If I only knew than what I know now………..

Our lives would be different, but would they be better?

bfn

Brian

Breaking Lorca

Dear Reader,

When I started reading this book, I did not know what it was about, I opened the “bag-o-books” and grabbed it, took it in to work to read during lunch.

I had assumed because of where and who I got it from it was a grizzly zombie or vampire tale.  The title did not give any incite as to what I would find within, unlike my previous book (see last post).

Once I started reading however, the book cover makes sense.  This book is set in El Salvador during a time of civil war, and in the USA.

The book begins in El Salvador, with a small secret squad of solders who seem to enjoy their work a little too much. All except one, our main character.  This little corner of the war is dedicated to extracting information out of the freedom fighters.

Our main character, Victor, is not interested in becoming one of the of the group, who take great pleasure out of torturing their prisoners, he gets this duty thrust upon him due to some of his own past issues, he gets demoted and sent to the “little school”.  The torture seems to be quite realistic, and is quite graphic in nature and at time actually difficult to read.  I have had no trouble watching any of the Saw movies, and  while reading this book I have realized that reading about torture is quite different and much more disturbing.

Victor is forced to observe and help in the torture and death of prisoners at what they call the “little school”.  One prisoner in particular is of great interest to the squad, and this is where young Victor is apprenticed,  this time he is forced, by threat of his own torture and death, to take part in breaking this prisoner named Lorca.  Of course we only learn her real name after two weeks of long endurance.  Now broken and telling all, the solders mean to eliminate the prisoner, no witnesses left to tell the tale of their techniques.

Victor is not like the rest of the secret group of solders, he is quiet, they are loud, he enjoys reading, they make fun of him, he wants to help, and they want to destroy.  Victor dreams of escaping his home land and traveling to America, where he can start a new life.

Now broken Lorca, is taken out to be shot, this is something that Victor is again forced to do, but due to heavy rain, and a mud slide, he misses his target as she slides down the side of a cliff, the rest of the solders thinking that Victor shot her, after all she did fall down, congratulate him and finally welcome him into their band. Only Victor and Lorca know that just as Victor pulls the trigger, the ground gives way beneath her and she falls.

Victor finally gets his chance to go to America, he changes his name, he takes the name of one of the prisoners.  The city just happens to be the same city where Lorca admitted her brother lives. Coincidence?  Not at all.  Victor wants to talk to the brother, he thinks it might help him to overcome his feelings of guilt and shame, and he wants to learn if Lorca survived the fall off the cliff.

Victor finds out that Lorca did indeed survive, although she has a great many emotional and physical scars from her two weeks in the “little school”.

Victor tells the brother that he too was a prisoner, the brother tries to convince Victor to come to dinner to talk with Lorca, Victor refuses, he cannot, what if she recognizes his voice, all the prisoners were blindfolded, he was sure she would not recognize his face.  Lorca’s brother feels that perhaps together, Victor and Lorca might be able to help one another to cope, Lorca is unable to cope alone, and her brother does not know what else to do.

Victor finally does befriend Lorca, together they find a bit of stability in their emotional world, until the past come back to haunt them.

This was a fast read, the author Giles Blunt is a Canadian, living in Toronto, he carries his reader along quite easily and leaves room for us to try to guess how the book will unfold.

Giles Blunt has written 10 more books, I think I will read another of his sometime. My next book is a “try this one, I loved it” from a friend (AT), Toys, by James Patterson.

bfn
Brian

They Thirst

Dear Reader,

One of my friends with whom I share a  love of watching zombies get “double tapped”, gave me a bag of books that he had finished reading and thought I would enjoy them as much as he had. (Thanks M.I.)

They Thirst is one that I found in that “bag-o-books”, and took it to work to read during my lunch.

One thing I learned while reading this book, yes it is about vampires, was that vampires like to sleep in a coffin that has a bit of dirt in the bottom, yep that is a new one.

I thought that a blanky and pillow was all they needed between feedings, but apparently they like all the comforts of home, if they can get dirt from home that is.

Zombies are,…. well,…. stupid. Vampires on the other hand, while having absolutely no blood, have an awareness and cunning about them, go figure. I know some people wh, … well lets  not go there.

Vampires can reason and can solve problems, and this ability over other “not quite alive” creatures has given the vampires a superiority complex, they actually think that they will take over the world, one city at a time.

In this book that was the plan, the Prince of Vampires was going to create a world of followers, meaning that everyone will be turned into vampires, ok, but then who will the vampires feed off of, after all, fresh blood, human blood is like top sirloin to them. The book has a not so surprising ending, but the method of overcoming the toothy vermin was interesting and quite timely.

I enjoyed this book more than some of the others from that “bag-o-books”, and I still have many more.  It was a Big bag.

One more thought, authors should not be allowed to make up words like “jubbling”,  really??

bfn
Brian

 

The Fifth Witness

Dear Reader,

I have just finished turning the pages on The Fifth Witness. It is the sequel to The Lincoln Lawyer, and it is every bit as good. I am not sure if it will make it to the silver screen, it does not have the uniqueness of the first book. You don’t find many lawyers whose office is their chauffeur driven Lincoln .

The book has great twisting drama during the court room deliberations and a memorable ending.

If you read the book this definition might come in handy, it is something that was referred to a few time in the book. The lawyers would join the judge in his chambers “in camera”.

“In camera (Latin: "in a chamber")^[1] is a legal term meaning "in private".^[1] It is also sometimes termed in chambers or in curia” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_camera

Why read if you can’t learn anything from it. 

Next up is one of my all-time favorite authors, Stephen King, his newest book 11/22/63.  I received this book as a Christmas present from Sarah.  Thanks Sarah.

 

                                 

bfn
Brian

The Lincoln Lawyer

Dear Reader,

Over the Christmas break, I managed to read one of the books I received for Christmas.  The Lincoln lawyer, by Michael Connelly.  I am also half way through the sequel to this book, called The Fifth Witness.

Both books have been riveting, full of twists and turns, and the fifth witness even made me laugh out loud at one point.


bfn,
Brian.