book

Childhood Cancer Book Review – Where’s My Hair?

As a special education specialist I have seen many books that children struggle with because the reading is too hard. Many books lack age appropriate reading. Let me tell you about a new children’s book authored by Patti Block, of Minnesota, titled Where’s My Hair? This book definitely has an age appropriate reading level and can be used for educational purposes.

Where’s my Hair is about the days of a young cancer patient. It starts off with the news that a young boys friend is sick. He talks about how his friend needs to go to the doctor a lot. How there will be good days and bad days. He tells how he feels about his friend. He waits for the day where they can play again. This book is a great reading book for the young reader. The style of writing by this author is simple. The author does not use big words. She gets her points across by using simple words; words that young people, including young readers will understand.

This amazing book can also be used an an educational resource for any young person who is dealing with cancer, whether it is themselves that has been diagnosed or a loved one. The book can easily be read over and over again so the child can remember what will happen when their loved one goes to the doctor for their cancer treatments. Repetition while reading is an important factor for the child to learn and remember.

This pictures in Where’s My Hair? are vivid and full of color. They too will help the child understand what is happening in the story if they are too young to read by themselves.

Bottom line–this book would be an amazing tool to add to your personal or professional collection.

Where’s My Hair?
Author: Patti Block
Illustrator: Swapan Debnath
ISBN: 978-1-936046-12-6

Vulcan 607 Review

This book by Rowland White tells the incredible story of the first Black Buck mission – the first of five Vulcan bomber attacks carried out on Port Stanley during the 1982 Falklands War.

The book really divides into two main sections:

1. The background explaining the history of the Vulcan bomber and the V-force, as well as the state of this fleet of these much-loved but antiquated aircraft had fallen into by 1982.

2. The raid itself – including the preparations, and the immense logistical and engineering challenges faced by the RAF, and how these were overcome.

(There is also a brief coda, that talks about what happened after the raid).

The Vulcan has always been a popular aircraft in Britain, and it’s easy to assume that this popularity automatically translated into operational capability. When you read this book, you will have a new appreciation that the operational capability mainly came as a result of the tremendous skill of RAF engineers and aircrew.

The thing that I love most about the book is it explores, in lucid detail, the engineering challenges that the RAF faced, and overcame. For example: What do you do if the inflight refuel system has been removed more than a decade ago, and you need to restore it? How do you attach a modern ECM pod to an aircraft which has no appropriate fitting for it, and for which there is no time to design a new fitting?

In short, I absolutely love this book. I’m confident that anybody with even a modicum of interest in military aviation will too.

Sixty Things to Do When You Turn Sixty – Book Review

Inside this book, sixty writers who have turned sixty offer sixty recommendations for living an exciting, enthusiastic life after the age of sixty. Plenty of important people from M.D’s to writers and money managers offer advice in many areas of life, while the sixty plus folks gear up to rediscover themselves. Moreover, the royalties from the sale of the book is donated to various nonprofit organizations; just the thing for the baby boomers to do.

In the introduction, president and publisher Ronnie Sellers writes, ” There was no way that anyone over sixty could ever understand anything about our generation because there had never been a generation as special as ours. And we’re still special. And that’s why we’re younger at sixty than anyone has ever been before…and better looking, too.

The book is divided into nine sections. Section one takes the boomers to their roots of recreating involvement in collective concepts. In this section, while a novelist advises people to take off their clothes, another writer talks against a positive outlook, saying righteous anger and stubbornness will give the people the power to carry on. An artist, too, is for a rebellious nature and revival of the 60’s activism. Then, a printer company owner asks people to follow their passions, while a copywriter is after making a difference. An interesting advice of humility comes from a psychologist, and a holistic health M.D. invites people to let go of unpleasant memories.

Section two is about beliefs, beliefs from ghosts to being a saint, to prayer, to finding one’s own island, to reflecting on things, and to experiencing life. Section three is good vibrations involving art, humor, yoga, affirmations, meditation, being inspired with passion for life, and falling in love again.

Section four is about learning, re-learning, exercising, encouraging one’s curiosity, starting new things, making commitments, volunteerism, and discovering what really matters. Section five is all about money: making it, using it wisely, handling insurances, and strategizing one’s finances.

Section six addresses the physical and mental health, from skin rejuvenations to handling diseases and stress. Section seven concerns the rediscovery of self from running a marathon to learning kaizen. Section eight is on sex and love after sixty, while section nine is about enjoying grandchildren, taking an interest in other people and the world, and traveling.

With sixty writers in one book, the editors deserve immense praise. Andrea Feld is the general editor with many editing successes to her name from editing books to contributing essays to important publications. Of the three commissioning editors, Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt is freelance writer with many journalistic achievements. Joy Darlington is a journalist, novelist, and editor, and Bruce Fraser is a financial writer and editor.

Sixty Things to Do When You Turn Sixty from Sellers Publishing, Inc. is 360 pages in paperback with ISBN-10: 1569069670 and ISBN-13: 978-1569069677.

I recommend this book to anyone who expects to turn sixty sooner or later, because not only the pieces in it are informative and thought-provoking, but also they encourage, inspire, and entertain with a sense of humor.

What Are the Contents of a Book Review?

A book review gives an idea about the contents in a book. It presents the idea and information that has been given by the author. A critical book review does an analysis on the strengths and weakness of the book.營t discusses the topics in the book that could have been made better. Review can either be encouraging or discouraging. Some review can make or break the sales of a book based on the content.
?br>A good book review will also give a brief assessment of the author’s writing capabilities and how he manages to keep the reader engrossed. A brief background of the author is also provided and discussions of his previous works are also presented. His credentials and area of expertise can also be discussed.
?br>The first area to be considered in a review is the subject of the work and the broad field and/or genre in which the book fits. Comparisons may be drawn to similar genre of books. A book review can either be a comprehensive overview or a detailed analysis. In most cases the purpose of writing the book is analyzed. A book should meet the objectives it intends to achieve by striking a chord with the readers. If at the end the book achieves its objective that the author intends to communicate with the reader than the book can be expected to achieve a positive review. The final assessment ends with either a buy or skip recommendation.
?br>Writing reviews is consumes a lot of time and a thankless job. In most cases the reviewer might ask why I write them. But the ultimate aim should be to make the writings of the review enjoyable by everyone. “Writing crystallizes thought” should be the motto of the reviewer. The book reviews are a way of reflecting on the book and putting some of my ideas on the work in order maybe for future reference.
Some tips to writers of book review are:

Make notes while reading through important passages in a book. Have clear idea has to what are the contents in the book you intend to highlight
Readers of the book review are generally people who want to buy the book. So put the message across subtly in the final assessment.
Mention the name of the author and title clearly at the beginning of the book review.
Mention about the parts in the book you liked or disliked.
A good review should express the reviewer’s opinion and persuade the reader to share it, to read the book, or to avoid reading it.

Some爄nteresting book reviews can be found on the internet.

Health, Mind and Body Are All Connected – A Book Review Reveals Why

We all know or suspect that psychological issues, stress and emotion can cause health issues, and that a balanced and happy life is the best bet for better luck in personal health. But did you know that there is a ton of research and ancient wisdom to back this up? One of the most interesting books on this subject, one I totally recommend was written back in 1972, and it is a book you can still find at used book stores or online:

“Psychosomantics – How Your Emotions can Damage Your Health” by Howard R. Lewis and Martha E. Lewis; (1972).

The authors claim with evidence, very strong evidence that most illnesses, diseases and sicknesses have an emotional component to them and that you cannot separate these out; they are indeed related. Why? Well, the Lewis’ show that your psyche triggers glands for instance. They also show that there are many diseases associated with stress.

A person can overcome social disruptions in career, family, etc, that may involve conflict in the family or at work, but if not they will make you ill. Does your personality invite illness asks the authors, read the book to find out, you might be surprised, as it is not exactly what you might think. You may be inviting ulcers (eating away at you literally), stress, and/or disease due to psychological issues.

The team dives into the psychology of pain, hypochondriacs, and cancer. This work was written back in 1972 and claimed that modern medicine was in denial, but I do not think they are anymore, thanks to their hard work, the influence of Eastern Medicine and later scientific research. I recommend this book to anyone that truly wants to live well.

Brother Odd by Dean Koontz

When I saw the monk picture on the cover of this book, I had to grin. Having read the two previous books, I thought Odd Thomas had to be destined to do something, sometime, among the monks.

Odd Thomas, a fair-minded and kindly do-gooder, is like a knight in psychic armor, rescuing and helping those alive or dead, as he unravels twisted lives and brings justice to the guilty. The story in Brother Odd takes place while Odd Thomas is a guest in St. Bartholomew’s monastery on the Sierra Nevada. Weighing his options of becoming a novice, Odd Thomas seeks peace among the devoted because he is tired of the hectic life he has lived in Pico Mundo, California. During a snowstorm, he catches sight of some shadows belonging to otherworldly dark beings he calls bodachs. He starts going after them, because the monastery has a wing for physically and mentally challenged children, and bodachs are known to gather around the children to grasp their souls when they sense a disaster of epic proportions is about to happen. Odd Thomas’s psychic premonitions draw him not only after bodachs but also after greater dangers in the abbey. The superb weaving of the plot leaves the detection of the real antagonist to the end while the interconnected mysteries of this thriller take the reader’s breath away.

As typical in Koontz’s books, all the characters are exquisitely drawn. Especially in this book, most of the characters and even those with minimal effect on the plotline are one-of-a-kind, quirky, and unconventional. The monk-turned mafia man Brother Salvatore or Knuckles, The Mother Superior – Sister Angela, John Heineman – the world-renowned physicist who became a monk, Joseph Calvino – a disabled boy, and another guest of the abbey – the Russian librarian Rodion Romanovich are all characters that move the story forward. The ghosts of Elvis Presley, the dog Boo, and at the end, Frank Sinatra add the humor element to the storyline to lighten it up.

The events are told from the first person point of view of Odd Thomas, drawing the reader further into the story. Although violent, fierce, and bone-chilling through its unfolding, the premise of the book is nevertheless moral and humanistic, and the first chapter is so well-written that it could be a teaching device in any writing class.

For those who have not read the earlier books, this novel has enough information in it to make the reading interesting. The first two books, Odd Thomas and Forever Odd, however, add to the enjoyment of this sequel.

Brother Odd is in hardcover, 384 pages, and with ISBN-10: 0553804804 and ISBN-13: 978-0553804805.

The author Dean Ray Koontz was born in 1945 in Pennsylvania. While working as an English teacher, he wrote under various pennames. Later, he was convinced by the editors to use his own name. Although Koontz’s writing is sometimes pushed into the horror genre, in my opinion, suspense and mystery would be a better description for it, since most of his good characters end up happily. Some of this prolific writer’s books are: The Darkest Evening of the Year, Velocity, The Taking, The Face, False Memory, By the Light of the Moon, One Door Away from Heaven, From the Corner of His Eye, Seize the night, Fear Nothing, Cold Fire, Strangers, The House of Thunder, Whispers, Demon Seed, Shattered, Prison of Ice, The Vision

Dean Koontz never disappoints, and Brother Odd with its fast pace grips and mesmerizes the reader.

Europe Revisited, Reinterpreted

A Ruby in Her Navel is yet another superb historical novel by Barry Unsworth. By his phenomenal standards, this book might at first appear somewhat one-paced, even one-dimensional, with its action set firmly in the place and time of its main character, Thurston Beauchamp, a young man in the service of King Roger of Sicily in the twelfth century. But if A Ruby in Her Navel might lack the immediacy and complexity of Stone Virgin, it approaches the beautifully portrayed picture of medieval life presented in Morality Play. Indeed, a group of travelling players also features in this novel, as in Morality Play, but this time it’s a troupe of belly dancers from Anatolia, on tour in southern Italy. The ruby and navel of the title both belong to Nasrin, the youngest, most beautiful and most provocative member of the group. But having written that they were touring Italy, a country name that in our eyes is merely mundane and perhaps innocuous, I am reminded of one of the most enduring features of Barry Unsworth’s book, which is its ability to re-draw one’s understanding of who we were.

It was Alison Weir who first did this for me, if you see what I mean. I read her biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine, the marriageable lady who became King Henry the Second of England’s queen. Again, there’s the name of a country… You see, at school we British school children learned a variety of history that filtered everything through a sieve of contemporary national requirements. I can remember being taught that during the medieval era, the English ruled most of France and largely held onto it until the Wars of the Roses (I was brought up in Yorkshire, another irrelevant aside). Possessions remained until Queen Mary finally gave up Calais with a cardiac etch. Alison Weir undid a school lifetime of history when she described the Angevin Empire, part of the pan-European expansion of the Franks. Based in Anjou, this empire comprised what we now call southern, western and northern France, plus all of England and Wales, and other bits at times (though never Scotland, hence that nation’s long-lasting alliance with the rival empire based on the Ile de France). When interpreted this way, it wasn’t English kings that ruled France, or vice-versa. It was an empire with its own lingua franca, langue d’oc. The countries, and with them the geographical, ethnic and cultural assumptions upon which we falsely base our interpretation of the past, simply did not exist. Thus the paradigms upon which we base our understanding of English-ness or French-ness become both irrelevant and inapplicable. And thus the troupe of belly dancers in A Ruby in Her Navel weren’t, therefore, in Italy. They were in the Kingdom of Sicily, a small but powerful and ambitious little Norman empire created out of the same Frankish expansion that spurned the enduring conquest of the Anglo-Saxons in 1066.

In A Ruby in her Navel Barry Unsworth presents medieval Europe in a way that brings the historical issues into focus and gives them life. Lands were conquered and their Muslim leaders deposed. But the new rulers had to politic their way to continued incumbency, recognising the interests of land-hungry knights, only temporarily defeated Muslim predecessors with friends nearby, Jewish merchants who did pragmatic business with anyone and everyone. And even within these groups there were divisions. Amongst the Christians there were two competing blocks, the Germanic Holy Roman Empire and the Byzantine remnants of Imperial Rome. And then there was the Pope with his own empire, interests and ability to raise an army. And then there were those who aspired to power from within and sought to depose a rival in their own house. The Crusades that primary school history presents has having something to do with religion thus become mere wars of conquest for booty.

In A Ruby in Her Navel Barry Unsworth thus gives immediate, tangible life to the feudalism of the time. We really do understand the politics, the interests, the motivations of the era. But we are led to it by our experience of the characters’ lives, not via instruction or polemic. And the message is more powerful for Thurston Beauchamp, because he aspires to the knighthood his father relinquished in favour of monasticism. Thurston is currently King Roger’s entertainments manager and has to travel to Italy (I am doing it again!) to buy herons, caged prey for the King’s peregrines. He does his deal, but meets the troupe of dancers and the resulting stirrings of the spirit provoke him to ship them back home to do the same for his master. He falls in love with Nasrin, one of the group. Meanwhile Alicia, Thurston’s childhood sweetheart, suddenly reappears in his life. They were at school together until she was whisked away at a marriageable fourteen to be conjoined to a knight with a big sword and real estate in the Middle East, the Norman Outremer. Alicia’s husband, it seems, has now snuffed it, and again Thurston’s spirits rise when he realises that she is again available, again an unaccompanied, unclaimed, newly-vacated vessel.

The belly dancers go down well at home, of course, and so Thurston’s star is in the ascendant. He gets a new mission, commissioned by he knows not who and which causes accounting difficulties for the Muslim “head of civil service” to whom he reports.

By now you have probably guessed that there is a plot. And it’s a vast one, involving insiders, outsiders, a pope or two, Muslims, Germans, Jews, Byzantines and all the other interests competing their share of or their consolidation of feudal power. This really is top-down government, but the trick, once power is achieved, clearly is just to hold on. And sometimes you consolidate your home base by having a fiddle or two on foreign soil, a political strategy not unknown in our own times.

Our Thurston analyses the plot, works it all out and then acts to influence the outcome. Along the way he grapples with his rising dilemma in relation to Nasrin and Alicia, and thus his life is eventually transformed. As in all ages, he follows his heart (by which, of course, I mean his brain). A Ruby in Her Navel thus reveals that, as ever with Barry Unsworth, it is a multi-layered, complex, surprising and yet deeply human tale.

New Books – Cool Among Thieves

Remember Ska and the Coventry Sound? UB40, Two-Tone, the Specials, Selekter? 1980’s Coventry gave us great bands and now, in this impressive debut novel, provides the backdrop for a cool, highly-readable and gutsy ‘caper’ tale about a group of 20-somethings enmeshed in rescuing their big-drugs-deal-gone-wrong.

Among Thieves brings Thatcher’s Britain back with a bang. Set in Coventry, a city emerging late from the ruins of war and a bungled reconstruction into the political chaos of the early 1980’s, it features a most motley crew of characters and fixers, black and white, each telling his story in his own, beautifully rendered voice.

Charismatic politico-hedonist Andy leads the group, with posh Pads – his friend or, perhaps, rival – beside him. As the novel begins both are students – in theory attending University but in reality making hay in the School of Life, dealing drugs and living close to rude-boy locals like Bas and Jez on the criminal fringes of radical politics. When one of those fringes shows its true cut, Andy loses a packet – but it’s not his to lose, and suddenly the game’s on to see if they’re clever and bold enough to save their kneecaps from the nastier element who want their investment back…with interest.

Mez Packer gives us every ingredient for a cracking good read – from a twisting, churning plot-line to great locations and something to say about race, justice and revenge, all from a superb story-teller we’re sure to hear more about.

Beg, borrow… or steal it before the rest of the world catches on.

Where’s My Hair? – A Book Review on Children’s Cancer

This is a heartwarming story about two young friends in which one deals with the life of childhood cancer and its cancer treatments. The book is a great social story for those who need some words of encouragement. It talks about how it is okay to feel sad for your friend.

Everyone has a child in their lives. Whether it be a daughter, son, grandchild, niece, nephew, cousin, neighbor, or a classmate; everyone knows a child. The book talks about cancer as a general term. Anyone dealing with cancer, especially childhood cancer, can use this book as a tool of support. Whether it be a friend going through chemotherapy, a grandparent going through any cancer treatments, or a newly diagnosed breast cancer patient with family; this book is a must for any family dealing with oncology.

The words are very simply written that a three year old will understand the message and the early reader can easily pronounce the words. The words are not scary for the young reader. The text it large, making it more visible and fun. The pictures will amaze you. They are so colorful they pop right off the page. Parents and children alike will refer back to the book if not for the words than for the illustrations.

I guarantee this book will make you cry, laugh and touch your heart. Yet at the same time teach the child about the days of the one they love.

Where’s My Hair?
Author: Patti Block
Illustrator: Swapan Debnath
ISBN: 978-1-936046-12-6

The Lord of the Flies

Mans need for structure

The Lord of the Flies is a book written by William Golding. William Golding grew up in England, and lived through World War II. WWII was a big influence in the ideas that Golding portrays in his book. One of the main points that I found in The Lord of the Flies, was man’s need for structure. Golding shows in his book that if you take man out of his structured life, that change is going to take place.

These young English school boys are used to structure. They have grown up with strict rules and regulations that have always kept them in line, and from doing something wrong. Golding places these young innocent boys on a deserted island away from adults, rules, and civilization. We can see in this book how the boys all change over the period of time that they are stranded on this island. Some of the boys change for the better, and some of the boys, for example Jack, change for the worse.

Ralph is one of the boys in this book that is changed for the better. When Ralph first gets to the island he thinks it is great. He is dancing, playing, running around, and all in all, just goofing off like any little twelve year old boy with no adult supervision would. By the end of the book though, he is much sterner. Ralph was voted by the boys to be the chief. In that one act alone, the boys gave Ralph a lot of responsibility. You can see throughout this book how Ralph learns to deal with that responsibility. Ralph goes from a very care free little boy, to one that is very worried and stressed about the other boys. Ralph is one of the only “Big’uns” that is worried about the “Littl’uns.” As the leader of the boys, he felt obligated to make sure everyone was ok.

Golding shows in this book how the boys can be changed for the better. Take Piggy for example. When Piggy first lands on the island he is bullied by Jack and the other Big’uns. Ralph is pretty much is only friend. Piggy was a major player in this book though. He was always there to keep a cool head and to come up with good ideas. He was the one that got mad at the other boys because they had run off to go build a fire, and didn’t even think that they needed huts. Piggy was Ralph’s right hand man. Throughout this whole book you can see a major change in Piggy. In the beginning he is just a winy little fat boy that gets on Jacky and Ralph’s nerves, but by the end of the book, he is very important. Towards the end of the book, all the boys separate into two different tribes. Ralph is left with just Piggy, Sam and Eric, to help him take care of all the Littl’uns. Ralph gets very discouraged towards the end, but Piggy is there to help him out, 100% till the end. You can see a major change in Piggy through out this story. He goes from being scared and bullied easily, to being able to stand up for himself, conduct himself well at the meetings, and just being able to speak his mind.

Golding also shows a much different side though. He shows through the examples of Jack, Roger, and most of the other Hunters, that people can really be changed for the worse in this book. Jack is a very opinionated boy. In the beginning Roger is mad that Ralph is voted chief, and not him. To start out, he is still well enough “trained” from being raised in society, that he just accepts the fact that he wasn’t elected, and he deals with it. Golding shows that Jack has a very big issue with power though. From the first scene we see of Jack, we all know that. Jack appears in this book, leading the choir boys (later known as the “hunters”). He won’t let them sit down and join the other boys till he says it is ok. In the beginning he is quite respectful, and mostly listens to Ralph and just does what is asked of him. But by the end of the book, Jack is a totally new person. The first time that the boys stumble across a pig, Jack can’t bring himself to “stick it” with is knife. How much he changes from the beginning of the book to the end. He goes from not being able to stab an innocent pig, to hunting one of his own with the intent to kill him.

Jack was one of those boys that just exploded when he was taken out of civilization and the structure that he was used to. He knew back home that if he hurt another animal or human, there would be consequences for his actions. Jack very quickly learned on the island, however, that there was no one here to punish him. Because of the fact that he was a very strong and pushy boy, Jack thought he could get power through force.

Roger is a lot like Jack. When we first meet Roger, he is throwing pebbles at Henry (one of the littl’uns). Even though there are no adults there to punish Roger for doing something wrong, he just can’t seem to hit Henry. There is still that layer of protection from the structure that Roger grew up with. Roger becomes much more brave and barbaric by the end of the book though. In one of the hunting scenes, the boys have a sow caught and are in the process of finishing killing it. Roger sticks his stick up the rear end of the pig and pushes as hard as he can, because we can tell that he likes the sound of the pig screaming. Roger is one of those boys that get pleasure in the pain of others. Roger has a very dramatic change in this book. He goes from not being able to hit poor little Henry with a stone, to being the one totally responsible for the death of Piggy.

Golding shows a change in all of the boys in this island. He shows how that change can be for the good, or, for the worse. Golding lived through a world war. He saw people change, and not necessarily for the best. We can see this in our society today though. Not many of us have lived through something as dramatic as a world war, but if you look carefully enough, you can see the change in people. Consider this, everyone is grows up a certain way. As little children, we have a certain structure to our lives. When we go to bed, when we wake up, when we can play, when it is time to do our chores, etc… But as we grow older, that structure is changed. Instead of our parents always being the ones to decide what we get to do, and when we are going to do it, we get to decide some of these things. If you watched anyone for a little while in two different settings, you would see a change in them. All you would need to do, is to study them at home with their families, and then at school, or some other very social/public place. I bet that you could pick out differences in just about everyone.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Not all changes in people are bad, but the truth is, that when a person is taken out of their usual structure, and forced into something new, they will change. Golding does an excellent job to show the gradual shift in people. The boys in his book don’t go from being civilized to barbaric overnight. They are gradually changed over time, when they are removed from what they know. I do believe that when a person is taken from their structure, and what they are used to, they are changed. The change can be for the better or for the worse. That all depends on how the individual persons reacts to the new situation, but a change is going to happen.

Unpersons Home

I Love Simple