Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart

"Bridge of Birds" is about Number Ten Ox, a young member of his community, who ventures forth to save the kids in his village from a mysterious illness. On his journey he enlists the help of Li Kao, a wise man with an admitted slight flaw in his character. Together they unravel not only the mystery of the sudden illness in Number Ten Ox's village but also one of an ancient wrong done to a goddess who has been all but forgotten.

Hughart has great characterization and moves the plot swiftly along but not so swift that you don't feel grounded in the world of Number Ten Ox. There are brilliant descriptions and comedic moments. I love how characters you think are gone keep popping back up throughout the story. Great continuity and a clever story.

It also reminds me of Jeanne Larsen's "Silk Road," another imaginative tale involving myth and a world set in the Orient with similar threads of continuity.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Seems like I waited a long time for the library to finally get this book to me. Once I had it it really didn't take too long to read (not necessarily a bad thing). It's the story of Susie Salmon, a murdered girl who watches over her family from heaven after her death. Through this she comes to terms with her "new life" as does her family in their own ways.

Sebold's idea of heaven in this book is interesting. Everyone has a different one and sometimes they overlap. But the book also hints about something deeper, that perhaps this is just the surface of heaven. In any case their are some nice scenes of Susie meeting people she used to know. In fact, I wish there had been more of them. Another thing I like about this book are the characters and the struggle each one goes through. They all experience Susie's death differently which I'm bound to believe is true in real life as well. I enjoy that she involves Ruth, someone who barely knew Susie and yet is somehow brought closer to her after she died. Sebold also has a nice use of narration and POV. In the book a part of the reader struggles with the family to get the murder solved and slowly that feeling dissipates, changes into just wanting to move on and pick up the pieces again. In the end she gives us a little ironic justice anyway.

All said, if you want a different perspective on death this is an enjoyable read. If you want punishment doled out to evil-doers, perhaps try something else. This is more about people's inner struggles than outer.

Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name by Vendela Vida

This is a story about a woman trying to find herself through who her parents are. She discovers upon her father's death that he was not her true father. Her mother had long since disappeared from their lives. So she is left wondering who exactly she is and decides to travel to Lapland, the birthplace of her real father, to find him. Instead, she finds her mother's secrets. Her journey isn't easy and there are interesting parallels drawn between Clarissa (the protagonist) and her mother.

This was a great book...a definite thumbs up. In fact, someday I would like to close read it as I think that there is more to it than what I found on the first read through. Many of her characters speak simply, probably the author's way of having a language barrier in place since the book takes place in Lapland and the protagonist is from the United States so does not understand much of the language. However i like that the characters speak simply...you see more of who the character is when they aren't loaded down with flowery language. And you get some neat images and emotions.

I also like how the author describes the random people and places Clarissa encounters. There are some neat pictures of peoples lives that she paints and leaves you to compare them to the protagonist's plight as well as your own life.

The Twelfth Planet by Zecharia Sitchin

Wow! I finally finished this book. I started it a looong time ago. The thing about this book is that most people won't be able to sit down and read it all at once. Sitchin is a smart writer and he definitely did his research. This book isn't for the faint of heart and it isn't an easy read either. There's a lot of theories and information in this book.

Sitchin pulls from old texts such as the Bible, Mesopotamian writings, Akkadian writings, tablets, hieroglyphs, and pictographs as well as some of the research done more recently regarding ancient times and findings thereof. Using all of these sources he postulates a theory, and in my opinion a fairly valid one, of where man came from and how that affected such events as the Biblical fall of man and the Great Flood. What I like also is that he doesn't tear down the fact that God may (or in some opinions may not) exist. But he does "play" with the idea that man may have been created by another source.

To me, his theories are very intriguing and Sitchin backs them up well with all the written, recorded evidence and ancient stone carvings. A very good read and the first in a series of 9 or 10 books, just don't expect to curl up with it when you're tired and in bed because you probably won't keep your eyes open for too long.

Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist by Michael J. Fox

I recently finished reading Michael J. Fox's Always Looking Up and found it pretty insightful. I don't usually read many autobiographical type books but was pleased by this one. I'm not even sure why I picked it up and bought it to begin with. I think truthfully it may have been the title. I've always strived to be optimistic and though that has gotten harder for me reading this book makes me realize a bit more that everyone has hurdles and challenges in their lives. Fox dives right into all of the troubling times he's had living with Parkinson's and pushing for stem cell research to find a cure. Some of the people he's had to face are just plain ignorant but he's faced them with a certain style and dignity that they probably aren't worthy of.

Fox doesn't just talk about Parkinson's and research and his foundation but also delves into his family life and even his beliefs (it's hard for me to even talk to other people about my beliefs let alone write about them for thousands of people to read). I love that through it all he retains some kind of humor about him. He's had his share of difficult times but he's able to reflect on them and come to a place that's both light-hearted and poignant.

Purpose

I'm an avid reader and have been for most of my life. I grew up first with my grandma reading to me and then me reading to her as I got older. As it is I have more books than bookshelves and often will buy books knowing that there are already two or three or six or seven I've bought and haven't read yet. I read mostly fiction books, lots of fantasy and supernatural, and I love poetry. So, here's where I'll give little reviews of some of the books I've read and recommend. Also, I do have a GoodReads account so look me up!