Strange Fle$h

 

Shirley J.                                  Adult Fiction                     Security Guards, Baby Mama, Hero

Strange Fle$h by Joe West     233 pages

Sometimes you don't like Freddie Bickle much, sometimes you do.   Sometimes he grosses you out but sometimes he has such a heart for his fellow man you have to like him.  Some things he says and does will make you want to stop right there, but, then, the sheer wonder of what this guy will do next intrigues you so much you have to keep reading.   What will Freddie do next?  Then the sheer angelic side of him will come out and you shake your head at the paradox that is Freddie Bickel.  He is cast amongst a crew of fellow travellers all with a foot in the gutter but occasionally reaching for the sky.  Then there is the shining star under a basket, Octavious.  What a true pure soul amidst the darkness of his family.  Unrecognized until this peculiar kind of nasty man comes along and transfixed then transforms wants to make life better for this lost child.  I could not stop reading this book.  What appalls you in the beginning will come to appeal to your senses as you grow to know this raunchy guy who will surprise and amaze you.   I recommend this read to anyone looking for something very different, very out of the ordinary and a book you will remember long after you come to the last page.   I can't wait to see what Joe West comes up with next.  Given the adult themes involved, I recommend this book for adults.

I Am Quiet: A Story for the Introvert in All of Us

 

Shirley J.             Juvenile Literature                              Being Quiet, Imaginative & Creative

I Am Quiet: A Story for the Introvert in All of Us by Andie Powers       32 pages

People think Emile is shy, timid even, but, Emile is an introvert.  He is very into his own thoughts and doesn't feel the need for a lot of conversation.   He prefers his own company to that of others.   While Emile doesn't participate vocally in class his imagination knows no bounds.  He is very creative.   This book looks into the mind of a quiet child showing that just because they don't say a lot it doesn't mean they don't think a lot.  It doesn't mean they don't know the answers, they just choose not to tell the answers.   They don't feel the need to be loud and boisterous like the extroverted children in class but that doesn't mean they aren't experiencing every thing and more in their imaginations.  I enjoyed this story very much and recommend it to juveniles as well as adults.  It will give everyone the inside scoop on introverts at all ages.

I Was a Teenage Slasher

 

I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones

245 pp

“I Was a Teenage Slasher” is told via a letter from Tolly to his best high school friend Amber, not unlike other books by Stephen Graham Jones.  It seems that if the blood of a reanimated corpse bent on revenge mixes with your blood, it turns you into a “slasher” bent on vengeance.  This is what happens at popular kid  Deek’s party who also happens to be one of the kids who accidentally killed Justin Joss.  Tolly and his friend Amber (who are not popular) decide they are going to the party.  Unfortunately, the popular kids aren’t done picking on unpopular kids like Tolly and Justin.  Tolly gets raging drunk at the party because people keep giving him mixed drinks.  Once Tolly is incredibly drunk to the point of vomiting, the band kids decide to have some fun and strap Tolly to a lounge chair with their belts.  Then someone gives Tolly a drink with a few peanuts in it and force him to drink it.  Despite vomiting, Tolly has a bad reaction to the peanuts because he is violently allergic to nuts.  Fortunately one of the girls at the party who used to babysit for Tolly knows about his allergy and goes and gets his EpiPen.  Once Stace uses the EpiPen on Tolly, his condition improves, but then Justin Joss shows up at the party.  Several of the kids at the party were responsible for Justin’s death and he wants his revenge.  During the melee in which Justin kills several of the kids, two drops of “blood” from Justin drop onto Tolly.  When Tolly rubs his forehead to remove the blood, Justin’s “blood” gets into the cut on his forehead.  The book continues on with Tolly becoming a “slasher” killing the kids that had wronged him.

I really enjoyed this story.  It was different from the Jade Daniels books in that Tolly himself is not a “slasher” fan, although his friend Amber and her brother are.  The way that Tolly becomes a “slasher” is different from any other thing like this I have read.  It was an incredibly creative idea.  As a “slasher” fan from the 1980’s, I understood a lot of what Tolly and Amber were discussing and I think people who know the film genre will enjoy the storyline. I give this 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to Saga Press for allowing me to read the book in advance of publication.

West with Giraffes

West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge 371 pages

 

Author Lynda Rutledge has saved an almost forgotten story from slipping away for eternity. THANK YOU, LYNDA! “In 1999, while doing deep dives in the San Diego Zoo’s archives for a project, [Rutledge] uncovered a batch of yellowing news clippings chronicling the kind of story that captures the imagination and never lets go.”

 

Years later when Rutledge learned of the disappearing giraffes in their natural habit. She couldn’t let it go, and this novel was born.

 

For those of you who, like me, came late to reading it, all I can say is grab a copy as quickly as you can, clear your calendar and get ready for the adventure of a lifetime!

 

The story is the telling of a pair of giraffes who landed in New York during the Great Hurricane of 1938 that battered the eastern seaboard. Thankfully, the giraffes survived! They were loaded onto a specially made truck and driven across the U.S. to the San Diego Zoo. You must keep in mind that the country was still reeling from the Depression and the devastation of the Dust Bowl and there were no interstate highways to make the trek a smooth one.

 

The story is narrated by Woodrow Wilson “Woody” Nickel, who is now 105 years old. He currently lives in VA hospital. Getting the urgent call to tell the story of how the giraffes (named Boy and Girl) hauled were the first giraffes in America.

 

The story follows Woody, the zookeeper who Woody calls the “Old Man,” and a young woman name Augusta, but Woody refers to as Red who follows them in a green Packard, snapping photos as often and as many as she could. Her goal was to get a photospread for Life Magazine.

 

I’ve seen many comments on this book on various sites. Many loved it; many hated it. But I LOVED it. West with Giraffes receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

Hidden Figures

 Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly 368 pages

 

I cannot remember the last time I said a movie was better than the book. I am saying it now about Hidden Figures though. So much better. My book club selected this title, but after three evenings and only getting to page 25, I knew this one wasn’t for me. And because I didn’t want to go to book club without some knowledge of the book, I listened to the Audio CD. It was easier to listen to than to read, but I still found it BORING!

 

My biggest complaint is that the book didn’t focus on the women. Its focus was the history of race relations in the aerodynamics industry from World War II through the Space Shuttle Program. It was interesting, but I wanted to know more about the women the book highlighted (Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Johnson). And while their stories are woven into the text, they aren’t centerstage. And that is a shame. The stories of these courageous and intelligent women had been buried for so long, it was a miracle that their accomplishments became known before they passed away.

 

However, the movie took those random bits of real life and turned them into a fascinating and enlightening movie.

 

In the book, there wasn’t a reason to turn the page; nothing compelling was written---except for the small sections on the women. The movie got off to a slow start, for me, but soon picked up to warp speed, keeping me on the edge of my seat.

 

It’s obvious that a lot of research went into this story. It is well done though. Therefore, for the book, I give it 2 stars and for the audio gets 3 stars. However, the movie receives ten out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

The House is on Fire

The House Is On Fire by Rachel Beanland 384 pages

 

I first learned of this book on a Facebook page (Book Chat with Debbie Monterrey + St. Louis Public Library). Fascinating interview between the host and author, which is still available on the Page..

 

Based on a true story, this novel is about a fire at a Richmond, Virginia, theater on December 26, 1811. At the time, this was the deadliest disaster in U.S. history with seventy-two dead. It is told from the points of view of four people, which gives the story a more comprehensive view of exactly what occurred that night.

 

The first speaker is Sally Henry Campbell. Newly widowed, Sally is glad to be among people and lay her grief aside for a few hours. She sits in a third-row box. Second is Cecily Patterson, a slave who isn’t interested in the play but is chaperoning her mistress, sits in the colored gallery. Next is Gilbert, a slave and one of the few people in Richmond not attending the performance. Finally there is Jack Gibson, a teenage stagehand, who works backstage moving the sets and backdrops.

 

It doesn’t take long for something horrible to go wrong.  When the performance is suddenly stopped and the words “the house is on fire,” ring from the stage, the entire audience panics. Everyone rushes to try to get out. The fire spreads quickly. Some internal exits disappear into the roaring flame (the staircase on one side of the theater). Those on the third floor are forced to jump.

 

As the novel progresses, readers get all sides of the story. It is a harrowing story, and I don’t want to give away too much. It is a story that I couldn’t put down. That is why The House Is On Fire receives 6 out of 5.