Break has been extended

Life can suck.

So While I Was Trying To Organize

I decided to create a listing of books from my favorite authors so I could hang it and let it stare at me and guilt me into reading faster. I decided to start with Anne Rice. From her website, I saw that she has ANOTHER vampire book out, Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis. Now I am excited about this one, but to be honest, I haven't read any Anne Rice in years, so I need to catch up. So maybe come November, I may pre order this and add to my TBR pile...

Another author I really enjoy and haven't read enough of is Octavia Butler. She is SCI-FI and this genre is just one of many that I don't read enough of either. They are not releasing any new work from her, but instead there will be a graphic novel version of her book, Kindred. 

Of course there are sooo many books coming, and unfortunately immortality is still only a fictional idea, but, gotta read 'em all!

Over the weekend. I did become a vegetable and just lay in bed. Between watching t.v., browsing the internet, and playing games on my tablet, not much reading got done. Towards evening time though, some NaNoWriMo energy passed through me. I found some writing prompts on pintrest. I found 9 possibilities and one idea of my own. I have narrowed down my options to 2. This year I want a bit of structure to my novel. I know the idea is to write the first thing that comes to mind and just keep writing, and I did that, but I think an outline won't hurt this year. It's not like what I wrote will ever get published, I just want to do a better job.

To those of you stuck about what to read next, just think, have you read all the books in the series you started (last year?) or have you actually read all of your favorite authors books yet? Might be a good place to start.

And don't forget NaNoWriMo. I think once November hits they will have an actual page for NaNoWriMo, anyway, Camp NaNoWriMo is a great way to knock out a novel now, and then in November, write another one!

NaNoWriMo wants to you to write 50,000 words (of course you could do more!) That means 1,667 words a day!

Colorblind People See Color For The First Time

Soon It Will Be Here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BANNED BOOKS WEEK!!!!

Really it does seem like this week pops up all the time and it is a good thing it does! I really should take some time to just concentrate on reading a bunch of these books at one...maybe in the future.

While on my twitter, I read a tweet goodreads.com posted from a Washington Post article how D.C. is hiding previously banned books around the city. Great idea I think and what a great way to influence/encourage maybe one person to read a new book!

Check out ala.org for information about banned books and other information on censorship.

Here is a video on the most challenged books from 2015.

Business Insider says There are 27 Movies We Have To See...

There are of course book to movies in this list. I need to check up on a few!

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-movies-fall-2016-9/#the-light-between-oceans-out-now-1

Have fun reading before the movie comes out!

The Sequel but more of a prequel?

TITLE: The New Hunger

AUTHOR: Isaac Marion

GENRE: Fiction (Zombie)

PUBLISHER: Emily Bestler Book/Atria

PAGES: 193

The second book in this wonderful series. I recommend you going back and starting with Warm Bodies (of course!) Now if you just saw the movie Warm Bodies, I still urge you to go ahead and either borrow or buy the book and enjoy what the movie either missed or just couldn't add.

I expected the book to be about what happens after the first book left off but I was surprised that is was not that. This book takes place after the zombies have forced humans into hiding and the end of the comfortable world we currently know it. The dead have risen and they have been around for awhile already. 

You are introduced to new characters, Nora and her little brother. Two kids trying to survive and Julie at 12, with her parents, trying to find some kind of home in this world. She isn't new of course (this is probably someone's first time hearing of this book...maybe, right?)

This short read is well worth it. I enjoy reading about this world and the characters, I am more than ready for Warm Bodies 3 or The Burning World to come out. Of course there seems to be a forth, The Living, but goodreads.com has it listed as the third book. I guess because this one is more a novella.

Anyway, I am on a roll here reading books that I am just really enjoying! 

I give this  4 out of 5. 

Ohh The Kids....!

TITLE: The Girl With All The Gifts
AUTHOR: M.R. Carey
GENRE: Fiction
PUBLISHER: Orbit
PAGES: 460

Well I had originally seen this one at Barnes & Noble, probably as hardback and always curious about it, but passed it up. Cost? Too many other books to read? Probably for all those reasons. What did get me interested was the trailer on youtube! So I bought the book and slowly read it, not because it wasn't good but I just got lazy with reading.

So this book is about a little girl named Melanie. Unfortunately she isn't totally human-anymore. Yes, this is another zombie book, but this one takes a new twist (from my personal experience)on the zombie theme and Melanie isn't just another brain dead brain eating zombie. In this world, her kind are called Hungries. 

Sweet little Melanie drew me in. Despite her living circumstances she is innocent in the ways of the world, mainly because she is cut off from the reality outside her base. She has a daily routine and even goes to classes. Her love for her teacher, Ms. Justineau, is strong and a little guarded. 

But there is no point in reading about a story with no drama. This book has it. Of course there are the ethical and moral dilemmas in this story. There is danger, devotion, fear, anger, hate and yes, the roller coaster of emotion is strong in this book. It did drag a in the middle. Like most zombie/apocalyptic books and movies I have seen, there will be some travel involved. I thought these parts dragged a bit, but in the end I chalked it up to my impatience and I finally saw how all of it felt important to the whole story.  

Of course while reading this I had my own ideas of how this should end, but I am pretty happy with the outcome. Didn't see it coming and I definitely do not have the scientific knowledge or imagination to come up with it. (which is why I read, for something to entertain and surprise, just a few reasons to start...)

I totally enjoyed the book. Totally recommend it. 

I give this a 4 out of 5.


P.S. Don't get confused with the race of the characters. Yes they change from the book to the movie. Why? I don't know. I am a firm believer in having the movies actually resemble the books as much as possible but, this is a great story regardless of race. It just ruins the spirit (?) truth (?) of the book to me to see the races change. I'm all for the author's original vision.

Excited for this Dead Guy!!

http://isaacmarion.com/theburningworld

The sequal to Warm Bodies! Pretty excited about this one! I loved the movie and book and yes, I prefered the book, but the movie did not mess the story up so I will definitely check out both when they come out!

National Book Lover's Day 9 AUGUST 2016

Today is the day to celebrate those that love books! Honestly I have never heard of this day, but of course it is totally reasonable to rejoice in this day. Probably one of the quietest days, since you are probably celebrating by sitting somewhere comfortable and reading an amazing book! So I think I will head off to my own little library and pick up a book and read the night away (with a little bit of Olympics thrown in)

                                          

Gonna stay in doors!

Check out @BookPandemic's Tweet: https://twitter.com/BookPandemic/status/762442215859728387?s=09

Waiting on my internet to load.....

Sadly, I have been able to upload this before I could get my email open and post another review....ENJOY!!!

Oh I Could Not Even Imagine How Many Reviews There Have Been For This One....

 

SPOILERS,!SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

In my opinion if you haven't read they full Harry Potter series, do not read this book just yet. If you have never heard of Harry Potter or Hogwarts, please head to your local library and begin with (get the book series!) Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone

TITLE: Harry Potter and The Cursed Child

AUTHOR: J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, Jack Thorne

GENRE: Fiction

PUBLISHER: Pottermore Limited

PAGES: 320

Like so many other fans, I was super excited to hear about another Harry Potter book coming out. I ordered it for my Kindle, since it would be much easier for me to get it, so I could read it very quickly before  I could actually get the hardback delievered to me. I did not want anything to ruin my reading experience! Though the night I settled into my hotel bed to read a few pages, I passed right out-I did just spend the night dancing in paint.

Sooo, my overall feels is that is was very good. Great twists. I have to say, I really didn 't expect the story to turn out the way it did. Now Albus did get on my nerves. So annoying. He was headstrong and well, stupid. He is the reason the story is. 

It did seem awkward to read about Harry all grown up, but time marches on for everyone, right? He and his son bring a lot of negativy to the story. They are both struggling with their relationship with one another. Rough childhoods, like father, like son, I guess.

The trio, Hermione, Harry, and Ron come together again, but at times Ron was an afterthought? Definitely not the team they were in the series (but then again I haven't read the series in years) Similar to the series, it is ultimately is up to the kids to try and save the day.

I did enjoy this play. As much as Albus annoyed me, I have come to accept main characters I can't stand in a series. I am glad this story is out there, but I would prefer a new story about the Gryffindor trio again....

I give this a four out of five.

Oh I Could Not Even Imagine How Many Reviews There Have Been For This One....

 

SPOILERS,!SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

In my opinion if you haven't read they full Harry Potter series, do not read this book just yet. If you have never heard of Harry Potter or Hogwarts, please head to your local library and begin with (get the book series!) Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone

TITLE: Harry Potter and The Cursed Child

AUTHOR: J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, Jack Thorne

GENRE: Fiction

PUBLISHER: Pottermore Limited

PAGES: 320

Like so many other fans, I was super excited to hear about another Harry Potter book coming out. I ordered it for my Kindle, since it would be much easier for me to get it, so I could read it very quickly before  I could actually get the hardback delievered to me. I did not want anything to ruin my reading experience! Though the night I settled into my hotel bed to read a few pages, I passed right out-I did just spend the night dancing in paint.

Sooo, my overall feels is that is was very good. Great twists. I have to say, I really didn 't expect the story to turn out the way it did. Now Albus did get on my nerves. So annoying. He was headstrong and well, stupid. He is the reason the story is. 

It did seem awkward to read about Harry all grown up, but time marches on for everyone, right? He and his son bring a lot of negativy to the story. They are both struggling with their relationship with one another. Rough childhoods, like father, like son, I guess.

The trio, Hermione, Harry, and Ron come together again, but at times Ron was an afterthought? Definitely not the team they were in the series (but then again I haven't read the series in years) Similar to the series, it is ultimately is up to the kids to try and save the day.

I did enjoy this play. As much as Albus annoyed me, I have come to accept main characters I can't stand in a series. I am glad this story is out there, but I would prefer a new story about the Gryffindor trio again....

I give this a four out of five.

And finally in Spanish...

Insert Shocked Expression Emoji ( no sarcasm intended)

http://www.vox.com/2016/7/30/12303070/dennis-cooper-blog-deleted-google

The Last Bookstore

Welcome to The Last Bookstore from Chad Howitt on Vimeo.

Before I Go To Bed...

So Stephenie Meyer has another book, The Chemist, coming out in November 15th of this year! Now I did not read her Twilight switcharoo thing she did for Twilight, but this one does peak my curiosity.

I went straight to my goodreads.com app and yes, I want to read this book!

Just In Time, and A Quick Revisit....

TITLE: Hogwarts Library; Quidditch Through The Ages, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, The Tales of Beedle The Bard

AUTHOR: J.K. Rowling, Kennilworthy Whisp, Newt Scamander, and Beedle The Bard

GENRE: Fiction (as far as Muggles are concerned)

PUBLISHER: Arthur A. Levine Books

Pages: Total of 298

So the world and I and many other Harry Potter world lovers are gearing up for the release of The Cursed Child. I bought this library awhile ago and probably just read The Tale of the Three Brothers and did not really finish the other books. This weekend I did though and it is so nice to be in the wizarding world again.

Now this library could be read with having read the Harry Potter series, but I would suggest reading the series first. You would be less confused if you do it that way, plus I wouldn't say there are so much as spoilers, but things are better understood if  you what the remarks are referencing.

The titles pretty much explain what each volume is about. Of course The Tales of Beedle the Bard have the fairy tales so they are great little stories to read. Fantastic beasts talk about just that. The imagination the beasts come from always impress me. Of course learning the history of Quidditch.  As one of the most popular games played, how could you not want to learn it's history.

Reading these side stories just adds to this amazing work. I am definitely a fan and will be for forever!

I give this library a 5 out of 5.

OMG! I forgot about Book Crossing!

So I am volunteering at my local library and of course encouraging people to visit and use the library is the what we are trying to get people to do. While I have set up bookstands with free books and a reminder to visit, I found that people seem to enjoy the bookstands. This reminded me about bookcrossing.com I joined this site years ago. No, I haven't found any books out in the 'wild' but I will release 2 books tonight.

For those who have never heard of this site, what you do is: if either find a book, it will be labeled with a BCID number. You enter that number into the site and whoever released it will know the book has been found. Now you can register a book of yours and release it. The instructions for how to get the BCID on easy to follow and of course there is a FAQ page.

So if this interests you, try it. There is a google maps and you can see when and where people have released their books.

Happy Hunting!

Yes, The Times March On, But Is It Going To Fast?

TITLE: Visiting Tom
AUTHOR: Michael Perry
GENRE: Nonfiction
PUBLISHER: Harper Perennial
PAGES: 310


I picked this one up in my library and was drawn to the cover. I skimmed over the summary on the back and looked forward to reading about a guy's life on the farm. Not that I have much interest in living on a farm or being a farmer, but reading about the people who do could be pretty cool, I mean, this guy wrote a book about Tom. Tom must have had a pretty interesting life!

Well interesting in the fact that his property suffered with population growth. Bits of Tom's life were discussed of course through the book, but the author spoke a lot about his life and trials (nothing too major though...) so I am glad that I read it but I thought there would be more. 

Perry's thoughts about his life and family are sweet and remind me to think about the simple things and of course family. This book took me a few weeks to get through, mainly laziness, and letting other things get in the way, but also, it is not an exciting book. If you want a change of genre, to see how others live and like these 'memoirs' (is that the right word?) Then this is the book for you.


I give this a 3 out of 5.

Ok, ok presenting.....Book Videos!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know there is no point of having a blog if you do not blog! I will get back to this. Oddly and happily enough books are invading my world even more so! Here is one of the gems I found on youtube:

Read It All by Wafflebox!

Author Walter Mosley | Interviews | Tavis Smiley | PBS

Author Walter Mosley | Interviews | Tavis Smiley | PBS: The award-winning writer discusses his recent text Charcoal Joe.



Just sitting here, working on my blog and I see one of my favorite authors on T.V.!!! Now I have sooo many books to read, but now I know, a new book is out!!!

The Girl Who Came Back To Me

I came across this clip while checking out youtube and I thought to myself this still picture looks like it could come from a book idea, and I was right! The Girl With All The Gifts will come out later this year and I hope to finish this during this long weekend. Pretty excited about this one. I forgot about this book when I saw it in the store months and months ago, probably because it was a hardback (?) but anyway I now have an ebook version just waiting to get read. But now I am wondering, if the book is that good will I actually want to see the movie....hmmm.....

Alright so this movie will come out on July 1st and is based on the children's book, The BFG or The Big Friendly Giant by Roald Dahl. Now I haven't read this book, actually I have never heard of it, but this trailer makes it look pretty good! I may just buy this read...and if you follow that link goodreads.com is even offering a giveaway, so read the fine print and get to reading already!

Couldn't Do It (The Town)

I thought about this 'series' called Couldn't Do It because from time to time there will be a book that I just can not get through. It will lay there and I will pick it up, read through, and just not get into the book for whatever reason. This is what Couldn't Do It is. My post about the books that could not be finished.

For months now, I have picked up The Town by Paul William Burke and put it right back down. I have read other books, thinking I'll read this one in small doses, but those doses were like taking bad meds.

It says on the cover, Parts 1-3. That didn't bother me. Why should it? I'm not afraid of big books or long series, but that is only if they capture my attention.

The first part about Paul Jagger growing up in an abusive dysfunctional family, doing his best to survive it and discovering a talent that can make or break him (wont give much away in this story). The story dragged. Even though I haven't read this in awhile I remember being bothered when reading:

"Said/asked Robert."
"Said/asked Janet."

Why do that? 

Anyway, I get it. Horrible early life, but the poor decisions made by the characters made me wonder why? Why is lack of common sense so popular in this book?

At times, I was reminded of Forrest Gump. Not that Paul was slow, like Gump, but was this story inspired by it???

I know I got past the first part, and I did my best to stick this one out. I lost that battle and I'm not mad about it. Maybe I will come across the author and try a new book, but for now, I am done. I have it on my Kindle so it wont be hard to restart this book, but unfortunately, I couldn't do it.

Back to the Dark, Where it Is Not Safe

TITLE: In The Miso Soup

AUTHOR: Ryu Murakami

GENRE: Fiction

PUBLISHER: Penguin Books

PAGES: 217

"It's not that people like him have given up on life." Frank went on. "They've given up trying to relate to others..."    

Finally done with this book! It was pretty good! Suspenseful and creepy. The draw for me was Japan! I miss it. I love it. Anyway, I just don't end up reading many books with this dark and scary theme. Oddly enough, I am glad when I do pick up one of these books! My all time favorite still is The Collector. For creepy, scary, realism, though, In The Miso Soup, can only take second place.

   

So what did I enjoy? Kenji, our unfortunate Host and the seedy life of a sex industry that is popular in Japan drew me. Now this is not a book for those wanting lurid, sexual details of a night with a prostitute (sorry) but is more about a young guy (Kenji) trying to earn a living off foreigners by taking them around and helping them live out some sex fantasies. Instead he finds himself stuck with Frank, an American who leaves him fearful and with many questions.

The book got sluggish in places. Frank and Kenji talk, they go out and it could have been my impatience with moving through the story but, it felt long. Murakami really does a great job at making the reader live in the moment!

In the end, I felt sad. The book isn't something that has a sad or happy ending, but just is. I totally recommend this book and now I'll be looking into other books from this author.

I give this a 4 out of 5.

Yes, I prefer the singing version...

TITLE: The Story of the Beauty and the Beast
AUTHOR: Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot De Villeneuve
GENRE: Fiction, Fairytale
PUBLISHER: Blackdown Publications
PAGES: 149

I read the original. Did not blow me away or anything. For such a short story, this took me forever to read! Reading something from the 1700s is very different from todays reads. Anyway I preferred reading more from the character's talking rather than a narrator.

Over the story isn't bad. It is the original but I did get weirded out towards the end when it had all this drama involved among the characters. Just so you know, one of the characters is very petty and it wore on me.

On the plus side, it was nice to read a fairytale and it be in its original form, no Disney influence at all. Finally the truth has come out for me!!! 

I give this story a 3 out of 5.

Coming Soon

I know I have been slacking here but I have come to realize I don't move fast enough for this digital, constant output world but I do need to move faster! New post coming today!

I Needed Love But Not A Relationship

TITLE: How To Love

AUTHOR: Thich Nhat Hanh

GENRE: Buddhism

PUBLISHER: Parallax Press

PAGES: 128

So I was going through a little emotional breakdown due to a bad day and needed some kind of guidance or help and apparently felt the need for book therapy and bought this. I am a fan of his work and I have not read enough from him! If you do not know who Thich Nhat Hanh is, please look him up!

In trying to find a way out of my misery, I decided that reading was the best option. I should have just meditated and kept my head straight but sometimes a person just needs to cry it out.

I bought the book without really reading what it was about, but I needed some love and compassion and I wanted some direction to those things and a reminder for myself of how to get there and why.

It is a short read but it is important to read each 'segment' or 'topic' (those are not the best words I think...) slowly. Let what he writes really sink in. None of it is complicated but coming from a Buddhist monk, I am pretty sure he was mindful as he wrote this, so you should be while reading it right? Or why read anything if you won't pay attention to the words!

He brings up recognizing the love within you, how to love others, what is love, and other bits of knowledge on this subject of love. Though the book begins with love and the individual (Really? How can you love someone if you don't love yourself first?) he continues on about love between a couple and what the individual should consider when problems arise.

Now I did not need the couples part, but How To Love reminds you to look inward. Slow down and really see things, see yourself. This reminded me of how I forgot to be mindful by letting the negativity I faced turn me into an emotional wreck. I still recommend this book for anyone who needs a refresher or another way to look at love and what it is.

I give this book a 4 out of 5.

Screw Zombies!

TITLE: The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook
AUTHOR: Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht
GENRE: Non-fiction, Survival
PUBLISHER: Chronicle Books
PAGES: 176

So finally back to reviewing after settling in to my new home.

I came across this book passing a Self Help/Fix Your Life type of shelf and feeling emotionally crushed, I decided why not? Maybe learning something would take away some of the heartache.

I had seen this book for the past few years and thought why not, and it was free.

How could someone not learn something from this? It is an easy to read short book with picture descriptions. No, I don't intend to find myself in situations like being involved in a sword fight or making a 180 degree turn in my car but now I have an idea on how to handle each of these situations. Now things like jumping into a dumpster and surviving in a desert may be in my future so I kept reading.

The scenarios cover a lot of areas and things I really didn't think people would find themselves in. For those of us that are pretty clueless, I am comforted in the fact I have read this book and have somewhat considered taking a survivor class, hopefully I can read more online...

I recommend this book to people clueless about surviving and don't really intend to ever do research on protecting themselves. For those that are serious, all knowledge helps right, and you may find yourself in one of these situations. I suggest people also consider taking a real life survival class because you just never know...

I give this a 3 1/2 out of 5.

Two of Them And They Are Cranky!

TITLE: One Out Of Two

AUTHOR: Daniel Sada

PUBLISHER: Graywolf Press

PAGES: 112

Unfortunately I have never heard of this well loved author. His books have been written in Spanish and now I need to either buckle down and learn more Spanish or wait for the English translation. Honestly, I should just do both!

I can not remember what first drew me to this story....probably something on twitter...anyway I was curious and the story being about twins was pretty interesting since I am a twin myself. After reading Wally Lamb's I Know This Much Is True , I have really been interested in reading books about twins, especially from a person that isn't a twin themselves! But if there is much out there about twins, I haven't read anything that I can remember (at the time of writing this) so I decided to check this short eread out.

This story is about twin sisters, Gloria and Constitution, who endure after the death of their parents at a young age. They stay identical as they grow into middle aged women and their whole world is each other, keeping the outside world at arms length. (When you begin to read about their extended family, it isn't hard to see why they try and stay antisocial.) One day, a man comes into one of their lives, causing a rift between the sisters.

As a twin, I found these sisters to be very odd. I have a separate and opposite personality from my twin and I am happy for it. I couldn't identify with how close they were! Interesting, but still creepy. Their sisterly devotion is cool and their bickering among one another seemed very familiar.

How they handle love situation, is interesting. I don't think I could do what they do to a potential love interest, but then again, that is what kept me reading. They have this there is 'us and the outside world' attitude and that keeps them focused on survival and keeps them successful in their working lives. I liked that though, but they do take it to an extreme in my opinion.

After finishing the book, it felt like a perfect length. Short, sweet, but not what I thought for the ending. Perhaps a bit harsh?

I gave this a 3 out 5. I look forward to reading more from this author.

If you haven't read I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb, then GO READ IT!!!!

Rush Interruption!!

I have been slow to post but I do have a book review coming tonight. This book Interruption was given to me by my teacher, a Zen priest, so I am happy to dive into it so I can return it to her!
This read is called The Way of Korean Zen by Kusan Sunim. I am not totally sure what it is about but this should be a nice surprise.

Into The Oven You Go!

TITLE: Grethel

AUTHOR: Joseph Duncan

GENRE: Fiction, Fairytale

PUBLISHER: Cobra E-books 

PAGES: 33

This super short read was a treat. Though I will admit, I thought her name was Gretle (or however it is spelled) Anyway, this is about Grethel, after her and her brother's incident with the witch. Grethel is now grown up. She is poor and lives with her father. One day a handsome man, comes into her life and the story takes off from there. Now, do not get me wrong, this is not just some love story. This has a ghost, evil creatures-human and not human, love, sadness, and pain. It also had a small lesson (well I took a lesson from it) like many fairy tales seem to want to share with people. So a small whirlwind of a story here.  I have never read the original story, but I am familiar with it. I am glad to have read this little gem. I am a fan of the author as well. This is another ebook I got from Amazon for only 99 cents, so of course I could not pass up. 

I give this a 4 out of 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now Is The Time For Change!

TITLE: Movement
AUTHOR: James Ashton
GENRE: Fiction
PUBLISHER: Otherworld Books
PAGES: 102

So what drew me to the book originally? I forget, it may have come across one of my Twitter feeds...or maybe when I was just looking on Amazon to add to my already insanely long To Be Read pile...

Anyway this is the story of two guys that want to change their world. More than change it, shake it up in an incredible way.  Both feel trapped in the grind of society. Stevie, who works at his job, and is actually up for a promotion, and his friend Dave, who sees government conspiracies at every turn, decide to come together to make a change.

With their opposite personalities, both of these characters begin to grow stronger in their own opinions but work together to create this 'movement'. 

The story was easy to read, and well written. I did not expect the end...but I am not totally satisfied with it. At 99 cents and a short read, you can whip this out when you are stuck waiting somewhere and need a quick distraction. This is a good read. I just felt flat with the end. I would like to read more from this author in the future.

I give this a 3 out of 5. (Though this may have changed from my goodreads.com rating...)

Smart and Deadly, but is He a Man's Man?

TITLE: Shibumi

AUTHOR: Trevanian

GENRE:Fiction

PUBLISHER: Three Rivers Press

PAGES: 480

Please ignore this horrible cover. I read this as an ebook on my Kindle and the cover was of a Go board and in color...not sure what this crap is....

Also, this is my first review of the New Year for 2016!

Like any book lover, when I see books in movies, I am curious as to what those characters are reading. I discovered this book from the movie John Wick. I love this movie and have watched it countless times. I may even popped it into my laptop tonight. While the director of John Wick may have been inspired by Shibumi and the main character, Nicholai Hel, I will just discuss my opinion of the book.

This is the story of a man and how he came to be who he is. A man who strives for Shibumi after he learned the meaning as a young boy in Japan. He was a bright child and spent years in Japan. Now, the book points out many times that he is white and without a country to call his own, but he comes to embrace the Japanese culture as his own and this is how he lives his life. 

He grew up during wartime when Hiroshima was bombed and the years leading up to that. The reader sees what life was like for the Japanese then. Hel goes through so much as he grows up and all of his training, especially in the game of Go, helps him develop into the man he is. 

The book is filled with his amazing talents. Language, martial arts, mental and sexual abilities. All of those skills added him in his life as an Assassin. Like any good Assassin, he is still needed to do one last mission.

 There isn't really any part to be bored with. Probably sad and angry, but I never got bored. 

I have nothing bad to say about the book. I recommend it and the movie, John Wick!

I give this a 4 out of 5! I have already started Satori which is by another author about Hel.