Archive for the ‘Books’ Category

Nothing Like a Good Book…

Posted in Books on Saturday, 17 November, 2007| 1 Comment »

Thanks to Books on the Brain, I had a great book to read this week while under house arrest recovering ~ The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. As soon as I read the review, I went to Borders and, thankfully, they had a copy in stock. I carried it with me to the hospital and read the first chapter as I was awaiting being wheeled into the operating room. Nothing like a good historical fiction to take your mind off the present. 😉

I noticed KBG did the Page 161 Meme which goes like this: Open the book you are currently reading to page 161 and read the 6th sentence on the page. Well, I already finished the book but I haven’t started another book so I’m going to use The Other Boleyn Girl. My Page 161 Meme is:

He gave an indulgent, lazy chuckle.

The “he” in the sentence is King Henry the VIII and his mistress, Mary Boleyn just gave birth to a girl. Ah, to be a woman back then would have been hideous ~ no rights AT ALL. As I read the book, I kept thinking ‘thank goodness I didn’t live in a time when women were so subjugated’but then I thought about all the women in the Muslim world whose laws make it so they are no better off than those back in the 1500’s.  Today, the honor killings in most of the Muslim countries are not only accepted but encouraged and they are sickening. A woman living in those conditions today is no better off than the women-subjects of Henry VIII. I’m so grateful to have been born in this age and in this country!

In any case, thanks to Books on the Brain for a wonderful recommendation to keep my mind occupied while my body rested.

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Guam: Poltergeist? Amityville? NAVY HOUSING!

Posted in Books, Guam, Islands, Travel, tagged , , , on Wednesday, 21 June, 2006| 1 Comment »

The other day, I spotted a historical sign in one of the lawns at the Navy Base and stopped to read it. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I read the following:

In the battle of Orote Peninsula, from July 26 to 29, 1944, 3,372 Japanese soldiers were killed and hastily buried in mass graves by Seabees using bulldozers. This site, now located within the Lockwood Family Housing area, was a large bomb crater.

According to local eyewitness, the Seabees used the crater to bury an unspecified number of Japanese soldiers. The human remains were exhumed in 1972, in formal ceremonies by Japanese Shinto and Buddhist Priests and transferred to the Pacific Memorial Park in Yigo.

Admittedly, I get spooked easily ~ blame it on reading one too many “scary” novels in my youth, but I bet most people would be a bit uncomfortable with a ‘mass grave’ sign in their yard.

navy-base-housing-with-gravesite-sign-guam-jun-06.JPG

On the way home, I thought about all the novels and movies which scared me the most and I realized I am much more into the psychological rather than the slasher type horror. I would list my top five all-time scary novels as follows:

5) Jaws ~ I read this while living in Puerto Rico. Made me more than a little leery about what was lurking in the ocean.

4) The Shining ~ I read this one before I knew I would some day live in the Grand Teton National Park during the winter when the lodge I worked for was closed (it only opened during the summer). There were about thirty employees, some with families, on the winter staff so it wasn’t quite as isolated as The Shining but there was every bit of snow like the movie so it was close enough.

3) Pet Semetary ~ Just plain scared me.

2) Silence of the Lambs ~ You won’t see me walking close to one of those utility vans!

1) The Exorcist ~ To me, this is the only one where the movie and the novel were equally frightening.

So far, Andersen AFB doesn’t have any spooky history that I’ve seen advertised but if you’re out walking or running, you feel as though you’ve walked onto the set of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”… more on that later.

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Books for Summer Reading

Posted in Books, tagged , on Wednesday, 14 June, 2006| 4 Comments »

I love a good novel and will chose reading over watching TV any day. I’m always open to recommendations for a good book. I don’t have a particular genre I enjoy more than another ~ the book just has to catch and keep my interest. Here are the ones I’ve read recently :

* Freakonomics by Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner, it will make you rethink your ideas regarding cause and effect. Plus, it assures us our children will not be damaged no matter what moniker (and confusing spelling) we saddle them with.

* Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, WOW ~ What a wonderful story about a dedicated public servant and a great intellect who also had his share of shortcomings. An interesting paradox. Excellent writing!

* Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, everyone has probably read this one since I held off reading it for so long thinking I couldn’t possibly be interested in the life of a Geisha. I was wrong. This was a gripping story that held my interest all the way through. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of watching the movie on one of our flights ~ hated it.

* Camel Club by David Baldacci, decent suspense thriller with an intriguing premise and bigger than life characters. Good beach or poolside read.

I just started The Devil Wears Prada (thanks for the recommendation, Nicole). I’m only 2 chapters into it but so far it’s a fun escape.

Let me know what your recommendations are ~ Happy Reading!

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