Book Reviews or "How I got lost on the way to my blog."

I am alive, gentle readers! When you get a load of the list of books below, you'll understand my reticence to begin this post. (i.e. I have a crapload to review) Shall we begin?

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"My Stroke of Insight"
by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D.

First of all, I need to preface this review by saying that I expected something completely different from this book than what I got, and that this will inevitably color my review of it. I picked this book up after listening to an interview with Bolte Taylor on NPR. Based on the interview, I thought the book would be a kind of instruction manual on how to tap into previously inaccessible portions of your brain; Bolte Taylor promised as much when speaking with NPR. Instead, the book was as is described below:

Jill Bolte Taylor, a brain scientist with Harvard training, had a massive stroke in 1996. This book details her thoughts and actions during the actual stroke as well her eight-year recovery. Bolte Taylor's focus is on how the stroke changed her relationship with her mind and her surroundings.

The first half of the book concerns the actual stroke; Bolte Taylor describes how she witnessed herself having a stroke and the subsequent feeling of peace that followed when her (logical) left brain shut down and her (intiutive, kinesthetic) right brain became dominant. She methodically delineates *each* step she took to make the cognitive leaps between realizing what she needed to do to get help for herself and actually making her poorly functioning body react to those realizations. Kelli's thoughts: this part - which may be extremely interesting to scientists and/or medical practitioners - was a little long for my liking. I mean, she spends 28 pages just describing the onset of the stroke and how she had to labor to make a phone call to alert someone to her condition. Basically, you have to slog through this part to get to the good stuff.

In the second half of the book, Bolte Taylor writes from a post-recovery perspective and provides examples of how living with a damaged left brain for eight years changed her relationship with the world and with her own body. To quote Bolte Taylor, "When the cells in my left brain became nonfunctional because they were swimming in a pool of blood, they lost their ability to inhibit the cells in my right hemisphere. In my right brain, I shifted into the consciousness of the present moment. I was in the right here, right now awareness, with no memories of my past and no perception of the future. The beauty of La-la land (my right hemisphere experience of the present moment) was that everything was an explosion of magnificent stimulation and I dwelled in a space of euphoria. This is great way to exist if you don't have to communicate with the external world or care whether or not you have the capacity to learn."

After having spent so much time cocooned in her right brain, she realized the peace and tranquility therein. As she recovered, Bolte Taylor practiced forging connections with that peace, so that she was able to tap into it despite her left hemisphere's growing dominance. She did this by focusing on sensory stimulation (and deprivation), meditation, and making a conscious effort to be in control of the complex circuitry of her brain. Kelli's thoughts: now, THIS, is the good stuff. Did you know that you are in complete control of "the anger circuit" in your brain? Once you become angry, your brain begins a 90-second circuit which produces physiological responses - things like a reddened face, elevated blood pressure, heightened breathing. After those 90 seconds pass, you are back in control... if you choose to be. Essentially, you can't blame anyone for your actions when you're mad but yourself; and if you're still upset after 90 seconds, then it's because you're allowing yourself to be so. I know - awesome stuff, right? And there are more of these gems in the second half of the book.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

You Will Enjoy This Book if You Like: books by Dr. Sanjay Gupta... or are a brain scientist!

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"Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter"
by Seth Grahame-Smith

It's 1888 in rural Indiana and, in a dimly-lit one-room cabin, Abraham Lincoln watches his mother slip away due to a deadly illness. Only later does he uncover the truth: her affliction was actually caused by a vampire. From then on, Lincoln devotes himself to a life of seeking out and destroying vampires and their slave-owning allies. Graham-Smith has reconstructed the "true" life story of our greatest president for the first time, thereby revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War and uncovering the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of the United States.

Kelli's thoughts: Ugh. This book seemed SO promising. Alas, it is stupid and possibly a bit insulting as well. Without spoiling it for anyone who may be so unfortunate as to believe that he/she should *still* read it even after my bad review, let me just say that there are some big unanswered questions here: for example, why doesn't Lincoln ever share the existence of this threat with the rest of the country? Also, (and more importantly) the author's decision to reduce slavery to a mere intrigue of the vampires is repulsive to say the least.

Overall Rating: 0 out of 5 stars - this book wasted my time and made me mad.

You Will Enjoy This Book if You Like: I'm at a loss here... other boring books that belittle the oppression of an entire race of people?

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"The Passage"
by Justin Cronin

This is an epic story about a man-made virus that nearly destroys humanity, and the six-year-old girl who holds the key to its survival. "The Passage" takes the reader from the early days of the virus to the aftermath of the destruction, where packs of the infected roam the desolate cities looking for food, and the survivors eke out a bleak, brutal existence.

Kelli's thoughts: Beautifully-constructed story that takes you in from the first page and won't let you go until the last. The author identifies his "virals" as vampires, but these are not sexy, sparkly vampires; they're closer to the old-school Nosferatus... but maybe with a dose of the creation from "The Fly." They're man-made and military-bred - definitely an original creation of the author's; these vampires are hairless, insect-like, glow-in-the-dark mutations who are inseparably linked to their makers and the young girl who could destroy them all. This book has a chokehold on the 'science' part of science fiction. I loved, loved, LOVED it. Don Chaon, a reviewer on Amazon, expresses it perfectly when he writes, "About three-quarters of the way through' The Passage,' I found myself in the grip of that peculiar and intense readerly emotion. One part of my brain couldn’t wait to get to the next big revelation, and I found myself wanting to leapfrog from paragraph to paragraph, hurtling toward each looming climax. Meanwhile, another part of my brain was watching the dwindling final pages with dread, knowing that things would be over soon, and wishing to linger with each sentence and character a little while longer."

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars (And it's the first in a trilogy!)

You Will Enjoy This Book if You Like: "Andromeda Strain" by Michael Crichton or Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles"
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"A Storm of Swords" and "A Feast for Crows"
by George R. R. Martin

Note: I am reviewing these two books together as they are part of a series and simply too enterwined to review separately.

The third and fourth installments of the staggeringly epic saga that began with "A Game of Thrones" and continued in "A Clash of Kings" are one of the more rewarding examples of "bigger is better" in contemporary fantasy. As the richly imagined kingdom of Westeros slides closer to its 10-year winter, both the weather and the warfare worsen. In "A Storm of Swords", House Lannister uneasily rules from the Iron Throne in the north. With the aid of a peasant wench, Jaime Lannister (the Kingslayer), escapes from jail in Riverrun. Jaime goes to Robb Stark to secure the release of Joffrey's prisoners, Robb's sisters, Arya and Sansa. Meanwhile, in the south, Queen Daenarys tries to establish her claim to various thrones with an army of eunuchs, but discovers that she must choose between conquering more and ruling what she has already taken. In "A Feast for Crows," Brienne of Tarth is looking for Lady Catelyn's daughters, Queen Cersei is losing her mind and Arya Stark is training with the Faceless Men of Braavos. The complexity of characters such as Daenarys, Arya, and Jaime will keep readers plowing through the vast number of pages contained in these volumes, for the author makes us care deeply about their fates.

Kelli's thoughts: I can't even keep my obvious appreciation for these books out of my synopsis above. Simply put, this is the best series I have ever read. Considering that I've been reading adult-level books since the age of five and that I read at a rate of about 50 books a year, that's saying something. The characters, the dialogue, the characterization, the plot development - all are practically flawless. These books hover around 600 pages, but you barely notice the time spent in reading them because you're so absorbed in what's going to happen next. Something else that must be mentioned is Martin's amazing ability to relate such sensual experiences as the heat of wildfire, the smell of the sea, and the sheer indigestibility of the medieval banquet at its most excessive. Fair warning though, Martin plays for keeps - his characters are in *real* danger and don't always make it out alive

Overall Rating: 15 out of 5 stars (It' s my system - I can do whatever I want ! :P)

You Will Enjoy These Books if You Like: medieval history, the works of J.R.R. Tolkien or Robert Jordan
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"The Hunger Games," "Catching Fire," and "Mockingjay"
by Suzanne Collins

Collectively known as the "Hunger Games" trilogy, these three books follow the exploits of Katniss Everdeen, a teenager who volunteers to participate in her society's annual gladiatorial games in a "Thunderdome"-style arena. Once a year the government chooses two children from each of the twelve districts to compete against one another in a live and televised reality show. Twenty-four teens enter, and only one survives. (Katniss volunteers when her younger sister's name is chosen.) The series covers not only Katniss' participation in these brutal (Teenagers killing each other with as much remorse as feral animals!) games, but also her growing resentment towards (and rebellion against) her Orwellian government. To complicate matters, Katniss is also torn between two suitors - one more suited to who she is and one more suited to who she could become.

Kelli's thoughts: these are designated "Young Adult" fiction, but "Anne of Green Gables" they certainly are not. Suicide bombers, torture, the slaughtering of children - some heavy themes to be sure. The real gore is mostly "off screen," which sometimes makes it all the more frightening. I mean, I can probably imagine worse than what someone can write. Great dialogue, smart writing, well-paced action. Oh, and then there's the fact that this is a dystopian novel where the author has actually managed to create a believable future; no made-up slang here, or casual references to extinct dolphins. My only complaint is the ending; admittedly, you can't please everyone and no matter what she chose, the author was bound to alienate someone. However, I never totally bought the relationship Katniss has with the boy she eventually chooses (Trying not to spoil anything here - if you've read the books, give me shout and tell me if you agree.); I didn't feel like it was in keeping with the fiery nature of the character. Regardless, these books are both terrifying and amazing.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

You Will Enjoy These Books if You Like: "The Running Man" by Stephen King or Horace McCoy's "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"
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Okay - I have to stop... even though I have four more books to review! ("The Help" by Kathryn Stockett, Ally Condie's "Matched," as well as "Fallen" and "Torment" by Lauren Kate) Stay tuned, gentle readers. Cross my heart that the next set of reviews won't take so long to see the light of day.