Universal Book Reviews

We have a special guest blogger, Liza Gyllenhall, author of SO NEAR, with us on Universal Book Reviews to talk about her new authentic novel, SO NEAR. ~editor

At some point in our lives, we’ll lose someone dear to us, and — if it’s sudden and someone deeply loved — the world will seem to spin out of control. It’s a very tough thing to go through, but it also is a testing of who we are, what really matters to us, and how strong our ties are to those around us.

My new novel So Near is about a young couple who experience such a period of turmoil. As the story opens, they lose their baby girl — in a split second, without warning — and afterward each secretly believes that he or she might be responsible for that death. The novel explores the different paths they travel to deal with their pain — or, more accurately, to try and escape it. Because, though the psychiatrist Kübler-Ross identified five clear stages of grief, I don’t think any of us pass through them in the same order or at the same speed. It’s hard to tell denial from anger — or guilt from longing. As the mom in my book thinks to herself a few weeks after the tragedy:

“I’m now acutely aware of possible dimensions beyond this one—especially the feeling that Betsy is often hovering nearby. Sometimes, when I’m working in the garden, I can so easily believe that she’s playing just behind me the way she used to with her trowel or one of her dolls. I’ll turn—as quickly as I can—hoping to catch her there, only to find an empty stretch of green summer lawn and the unbearable reality of her absence.”

As I found in talking to so many book groups about my first novel Local Knowledge, it’s the moments in a novel when life seems the most confused and confusing that readers seem the most drawn to — and want to talk about. I think it’s simply because they wonder how — in the same situation — they would feel and react. I believe a good story allows us to enter someone else’s life, walk around in someone else’s shoes and share his or her thoughts — to empathize and, possibly, be a bit transformed by the experience. Or, to paraphrase something I read recently: there’s nothing like fiction to get at the truth.

Book Review: The Gettysburg Approach to Writing & Speaking Like a Professional
By: Philip A. Yaffe
Rating: Must Read

Do you want to be a better writer or speaker? Philip A. Yaffe’s new book, “The Gettysburg Approach to Writing & Speaking Like a Professional” is a good place to start. Right away, he states that the biggest obstacle to non-fiction writers and speakers is simple: nobody cares. This obstacle is a tough one to overcome, both in terms of getting your point across and in terms of even feeling motivated to write in the first place.

So what is a writer to do? Shall we all give up and blame the apathy of society, or shall we do something about it? Yaffe prefers the latter approach, and he shows us how to get and keep the reader’s attention though a series of rather simple principles which he details throughout the course of the book: clarity, conciseness, and density. Writing isn’t an exercise of showing off your vocabulary or ability to string complex ideas together; it’s a method of communication.

Since Yaffe is a master of the very principles he writes about, the book is a fast read. All of the examples serve to clarify the points, and when you finish reading it, you may never look at writing the same way again.

Book Review: Geology Underfoot in Illinois
By: Raymond Wiggers
Reviewed by: Lynn Peterson
Rating: Fascinating!

Through a series of vignettes or essays, Raymond Wiggers paints a lovely picture of the Illinois beneath our feet or the treads of our tires in “Geology Underfoot in Illinois.” It’s too easy to take Illinois for granted as we try to get through the rural parts of it as quickly as possible, but Wiggers challenges that approach and encourages us to take another look at Illinois, particularly the geology.

Using this book, you could travel the entire state of Illinois and find interesting geologic features wherever you go. Much of Illinois’s geology has been affected by the glaciations of ice ages past, and Wiggers shows you where the best examples of moraines, rerouted rivers, and glacial till can be located. He even discusses some of the state’s caves and the faults that helped shape the land. This book doesn’t just stick with what can be seen above ground, it also delves into the state’s richness of minerals. Lead, coal, gravel, and even oil are found in this state. On my most recent trip to Southern Illinois, I saw oil derricks planted among the soybean fields, courtesy of the underlying Pennsylvanian bedrock described throughout the book.

While I enjoyed this book, what is missing is any significant mention of the New Madrid Fault Zone. Its earthquakes of 1811-1812 do get mentioned on p. 128 and p. 246-247, but there is no mention of the flooded forests or sandblows that resulted from the quake and can still be seen today. He also does not mention than an earthquake along the New Madrid is a very real, present-day possibility, not just an aberration of the early 19th century.

New Madrid aside, if you’d like to learn why Illinois really isn’t boring you’d do well to read “Geology Underfoot in Illinois.” Learning about the features makes any road trip much more enjoyable.

Book Review: The Vintage Caper
By: Peter Mayle
Reviewed by: Renee Weinberger
Rating: Good Effort

This is a fictional mystery written by the author of “A Year in Provence,” Peter Mayle. Peter Mayle was made famous by his travel writing about France. So, perhaps unsurprisingly, much of the action takes place in various cities in France. In his style, he does a magnificent job of descriptive writing about the scenery and the landscape. However, in many ways this book feels like a mystery grafted onto a travel log.

I loved “A Year in Provence,” and was excited to see Peter Mayle’s new book out on the shelves.  I was keenly disappointed with  the characterizations. The beginning of the book introduces several characters, none of which are particularly sympathetic, and then just drops them in subsequent chapters. Several of them merit no mention at all as the book progresses. A new set of characters, ostensibly, the main characters, are introduced, about half-way through the novel. None of these characters are developed with a great deal of detail, nor are they any more sympathetic than the first cast. No real relationships develop between them, and they feel very hollow. This makes it hard to really get into this mystery.

As for a mystery, it didn’t draw the reader in with an element of discovery. The crime is solved without any real deviations in the plot which moves inexorably towards an inevitable conclusion, making it not a real mystery page turner.

The crime is a theft of large amounts of valuable wine. Unfortunately, the interesting elements of this expensive hobby aren’t really described either, such as that some people use wine as an investment much like stocks. I would have liked to read more descriptions on the wine flavors, after all the food was described in mouth-watering detail.

That said, the descriptions are lovely, and if you’re interested in a piece of pleasant destination fiction, this is a nice read.

Book Review: Sudden Sea, The Great Hurricane of 1938
By: R. A. Scotti
Reviewed by: Lynn Peterson
Rating: Must Read!

Do you think that you are safe from hurricanes? Hurricanes don’t just strike places with palm trees. They can come ashore anywhere along the East and Gulf Coasts of America, even places that we do not typically think of as vulnerable, such as New England. In Sudden Sea, the Great Hurricane of 1938, R.A. Scotti tells the story of one such hurricane. It took New Englanders completely by surprise, as Scotti explains, “Hurricane was a foreign word in New England. People didn’t know how to pronounce it. They didn’t know what it meant, and whatever it meant, they were sure it couldn’t happen to them, until September 1938.”

The sad truth is that, “Most days we go along blithely unconcerned that directly over our heads is a vast, never static sea that we can’t control and only partially understand.” Nobody, not even Grady Norton and Gordon Dunn, expected that this September Cape Verde hurricane would take aim at and hit New England. They initially expected a Miami landfall, and Floridians were stocked up and prepared for the impending hurricane that never arrived. After the hurricane passed Florida by, the Weather Bureau assumed that the hurricane would travel north and curve out to sea. Steering currents were not considered, but regardless of whether people were aware of them or not, they pushed the hurricane West towards its New England landfall.

The human impact of landfalling tropical storms is tremendous, as Scotti shows through the stories of those who survived and those who did not. Especially heart-wrenching was the story of the school bus full of children that attempted to drive across the causeway connecting Jamestown to Beavertail through the steadily rising water. Two incredibly poor decisions by bus driver, Norm Caswell, led to the deaths of seven children. The first error was driving into the hubcap-deep water that caused the bus to stall. The second error was to evacuate the children from the shelter of the bus in an attempt to walk or swim to land. Human bodies, especially those of children, are no match to the force of a storm surge. Scotti explains this point very clearly, “a rugged eleven-year-old weighs maybe seventy-five or eighty pounds. One cubic yard of water weighs about three-quarters of a ton.”

It is not likely that today such a hurricane could hit the United States without warning. We have a better understanding of hurricane behavior, steering currents, and we have radar and satellite imaging to show us where storms are located. Unfortunately, all of our knowledge, and hopefully memory of history, does not make us immune to the effects of landfalling tropical storms and hurricanes. However, timely warnings, preparedness, and efficient evacuations can prevent the incredible death tolls experienced in 1938. We must not fall victim to weather amnesia. If a weather event has historically occurred at a location, it can happen again. Stotti shows that 1938 was not the first time a hurricane hit New England. She discusses the effects of the Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635 and the Great September Gale of 1815. Don’t let the lessons of the past be forgotten. Read Sudden Sea, and if you live in a hurricane risk area, which is anywhere along the Atlantic or Gulf Coasts, develop a hurricane-preparedness or evacuation plan for you and your family. You may even wish to work with local authorities to help develop plans for the community as a whole.

Book Review: The Stupidist Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror
By: Christopher Moore
ISBN-10: 0060842350
Reviewed by: Lynn Peterson
Rating: An excellent and hilarious book!

If you think the horror genre is limited to Halloween, think again! In The Stupidest Angel, Christopher Moore introduces horror to Christmas, and a hilarious story is born of the tryst. Raziel, an angel, granted he’s a rather stupid angel, comes to the town of Pine Cove, California to answer the wish of one child. None of the dysfunctional residents of the town, except the craziest resident, recognizes him as an angel. They think he’s a pervert or a robot on a mission of destruction. What I love about Pine Cove’s residents, crazy and hilarious as they all are, they seem so real with all of their little quirks making them come alive.

Beyond brilliant characters though and absolute hilarity, what I love the most is the active role that the weather takes in the story. An El Niño year is not just mentioned to give setting. It’s not just a pun both in that there’s an El Niño, and the angel is here to grant the wish of a boy child. No, the weather is almost like another character in the book helping to escalate the plot towards conclusion. However, the characters in the book, just like people in real life all seem to suffer from weather amnesia and completely ignore the forecasts of a major storm. “Winter denial – Theo did it, most Californians did it – they assumed that because the weather was nice most of the time, it would be nice all of the time…” Of course, denying the weather makes it no less real, and Theo and the rest of the characters, even the dead, do so at their own peril.

The Stupidest Angel is simply hilarity mixed up in the soup of an El Niño.

Book Review: “A Pearl In the Storm, How I Lost My Heart in the Middle of the Ocean,” By Tori Murden-McClure

Reviewed by: Renee Weinberger

Rating: Excellent, a must read

A Pearl in the Storm details one woman’s journey across the Atlantic in a row boat. This is not a book about the weather or the nitty gritty about rowing across the Atlantic. Rather, this is a book about how Tori Murden-McClure sets out seeking enlightenment but finds something more important. She comes to terms with her own helplessness in a world that isn’t controllable. It is also a view into a solitary, hermetic existence and the rewards and ramifications of such a state of being. Her first failure to land on the other side of the ocean brings forth an intense realization of her paradoxical success even though her goal was not achieved.

The author is a very complex individual, not only is she a highly trained athlete, but she is also has a degree in divinity and is an attorney. This cross-disciplinary career allows her to paint such a rich tale. She delves into deep and dark territories such as her relationships with disadvantaged people, but also death, faith, and desperation.

I found the book very eye opening, not so much about how one goes about achieving notable mile-stones, but rather about how one deals with one’s flaws and personal demons. Even though the book can be very dark and disturbing, particularly in discussions about the horrific abuse her mentally retarded brother faces, the book has a good pace, and is offset by good-natured humor and entertaining historical anecdotes. The book is structured in a generalized chronology, though it is infused with a great deal of reminiscences and flash backs.

This is probably one of the greatest modern adventure books out there.  If you’re looking for a pure adventure tale romaticising nature and man’s struggle to survive it, this isn’t it.  This is a deep personal experience about so much more than travel or adventure, but about faith, love, death, and purpose.

Book Review: “The Moosery” by Garnet Quinn
Reviewed by: Lynn Peterson
Rating: An Excellent Read

I enjoyed reading the second installment of Garnet Quinn’s Merry Maines series, “The Moosery.” Beth and the cats have a variety of adventures throughout the book including finding a litter of kittens that were thrown away, having prized showcats stolen, finding a Viking ruin and associated mummy, and rehabilitating an injured moose. The adventures are all part of a multi-stranded mystery that Quinn deftly weaves together to make a gripping story.

Through all of the adventures, one theme shines above all else: teamwork is incredibly valuable. There is an amazing power that arises when we can work together in times of adversity. Overall what struck me the most is how adversity brings together even those who differ greatly. By teaming up with somebody different than yourself and setting aside past conflicts or things that would otherwise separate you, great things can be accomplished and problems solved.

Book Review: “Extreme Natural Disasters” by Christine Gibson
Reviewed by: Lynn Peterson
Rating: An excellent overview!

Today is the four-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and residents of the Gulf Coast region are still struggling to rebuild. As devastating as Hurricane Katrina was, it is not the worst-case scenario, in terms of natural disasters, as Christine Gibson demonstrates in “Extreme Natural Disasters.” She writes, “We do not live on a placid planet: The wind blows, the water rises, and the ground moves.” These events on earth are not natural disasters until they happen where people are concentrated, and people often build in dangerous places and alter the land such that it provides little protection from natural events. As is the case with Katrina, “Hurricanes are not new to the Gulf Coast, but they become costlier every year as more and more buildings go up along the shore and natural barriers are destroyed. In the past, extensive coastal wetlands acted like sponges, helping to keep floodwaters in check… When Katrina hit land, there was nothing to hold it back.”

While Katrina was no doubt a killer, with as many as 1800 dying, Gibson describes other deadly hurricanes, including Floyd, which killed 18,000 people, ten times as many as Katrina. Even deadlier was the cyclone that struck what is now Bangladesh in 1970 killing 500,000 people. This cyclone is a perfect example of what Gibson describes as the “cruelest twist” of natural disasters in that, “they tend to punish those least capable of putting up a fight,” the poor.

Gibson’s study of natural disasters is not limited to hurricanes. She also devotes chapters to tornadoes; ice storms, snowstorms, and avalanches; floods and their consequences; drought and heatwaves; earthquakes; volcanoes; and tsunamis, examining the science behind all of them. For a myriad of reasons, including fertile soil for farming and simple denial, people tend to live in places prone to natural disasters. For as long as we build in floodplains, on volcanoes, or on fault lines, humans will be in danger from Earth’s movements and weather. While one cannot control the Earth, Gibson suggests that natural disasters can be mitigated by prediction, preparation, and, in some cases, prevention. If you are curious about natural disasters and their impacts upon humanity, “Extreme Natural Disasters” provides a perfect overview.

Book Review: Detox for Women: An All New Approach for a Sleek Body and Radiant Health in 4 Weeks
by Natalia Rose
Reviewed by: Anna

Rating: So-so

I was really hoping this book would provide some sound guidance on a healthy and safe way to detox a body that’s too used to cheeseburgers and other processed foods.  Instead, I found myself constantly questioning the logic behind some of the suggestions in the book.  It would have been helpful if there were some backing to the counter-intuitive claims made.  For example, the author suggests skipping breakfast entirely and having the heaviest meal of the day in the evening.  I found this advice to be not supported by anything other than anecdotes.  She also suggests that raw food is the easiest to digest, which also seems illogical.

Additionally, the author’s relentless advertisement for a particular brans of a sugar substite made me question her motives.  Her tone also left much to be desired.  In her attempt to be inspirational, the author instead comes across as condescending and patronizing.  Her condemnation of meat was also not well-recieved by me since I am an omnivore.  She mentiones the word “meat” like it was some dirty word never to be mentioned in good company and tries to make the reader feel guilty for enjoying all the Earth has to offer.

Overall, I didn’t get much out of reading that book, but the juice recipes sound decent enough to try.  Though, they won’t be used as a meal replacement.