A Fun Read with Great Food, Wine, and Company

Right of the bat I am going to admit that I am not into sports novels or sports stories. However, Grisham has once again sucked me into a book that I would normally not read or even pick up off the shelf. Football is the overlying theme with good, no…. great food. It must have been the great Italian food and wine that kept me reading… right?

As we learn about Rick Dockery’s pathetic football carrier which continues through much of the first half of the book, you have to wonder if anyone who plays a sport so poorly and for the NFL could actually exist. Throughout the novel, Rick grows in so many different directions. Italy will certainly leave a permanent mark on this character. He finds friends, a great girl, contentment, and even improves his game. There is truly growth in his character leaving us to wonder where his next adventure will lead.

Throughout this novel, and through Rick, the reader learns a little about the NFL, but mostly about Italian football, life, food, wine and sites. This short novel is quickly paced and I found I was eager to continue on with Rick and his adventures throughout Italy.

Unlike Grisham’s normal crime, court and lawyer novels, “Playing for Pizza” proved to be a wonderful short read that inspires us to keep working hard, even if we are struggling and want to give up.

“Playing for Pizza”
By John Grisham
Publisher: Doubleday
ISBN: 978-0-385-52500-8

What role does the United States have in curtailing Global Climate Change?

As a science Teacher, one important lesson that is discussed, researched and debated in my classroom is the topic of Global Warming and the destruction of the Ozone layer. This controversial topic is not only debated in classrooms but it is also being debated by politicians and scientists around the world. My question is what role does the United States have in curtailing Global Climate Change?



Feel free to respond at the following link:

What role does the United States have in curtailing Global Climate Change

Kill Me Instead

“The Good Guy” by Dean Koontz
Publisher: Bantam
ISBN: 978-0-553-80481-2

As a writer, Koontz is improving. I found that this novel had very little rambling about his characters and scenes. His development of characters was amazing. I found that even though I despised the evil character, Krait, I was just as attached to him as I was the main characters, Tim and Linda.

This novel had a very interesting and scary plot. What made this Novel so intensely frightening was that it was a plausible situation. It is a plot that could very well be happening or could happen to anyone that unknowingly was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Krait had received payment by his “people” numerous times previously to kill. This time, the payment was for Linda. In a strange mix-up, Tim was given the money to perform the hit on Linda and refused to give it to the killer, Krait. Instead, Tim took it upon himself to save Linda from the determined killer. A cat-mouse chase ensues where Tim and Linda are unable to escape Krait and eventually they must face him.

I do not think the reader is totally surprised by the ending, but what is surprising is what we learn about the characters and why the mission to kill Linda took place. Anyone that enjoys crime novels, mystery, and suspense will find this a very entertaining read.

Digital Photography Review

Whether you're a long time fan of digital photography or just delving into it, make DPReview.com your homepage, because you'll never need to go anywhere else. News, reviews and a comprehensive database of digital cameras make this site a must for the DP novice and expert alike.

The Digital Photography Encyclopedia may have been a more appropriate title. This site has all the information you need to start or extend a long-lasting relationship with digital cameras and imaging. Get the latest news about upcoming product releases, read reviews on the newest gear and check out galleries of photos taken from cameras featured on the site. Then head to the forums to discuss it all with fellow enthusiasts.

If you're in the market for your first camera (or just looking to upgrade), visit the Buyer's Guide, where you can select the features and specifications you're most interested in and find the camera that has exactly what you need. (Not sure what a color filter array sensor is? No problem — the glossary and tutorials will answer virtually any question you have.) And once you've met your dream camera, Digital Photography Review even provides you with links to buy it right online.

From research to purchase, Digital Photography Review's got you covered.

Dark and Cold.... always

“The Road” by Cormac McCarthy is a very strange, post-apocalyptic novel with unconventional dialogue, gruesome details and nearly stagnant plot line. Although I read this novel very quickly, I found this both easy and difficult to read. Easy in the sense of following a very minimal story line, but difficult due to the negative feeling it left within me as I read.

One very strong theme presented in this novel was love. The characters in this story were nameless. However, I felt a deep and strong connection to the father and son as they traveled to find the good people and a better place. I was disappointed in the end as there was no clear resolution of finding a warmer, safer environment.

In reflection, I guess all books and stories do not have resolutions or happy endings. However, being human, we yearn for stories that give us hope and make us feel good. This book did not do that, it left me depressed and prayerful that this will never be a world in which myself or my children will have to live or try to survive.

Skipper's Revenge by Julie Teahan

Skipper's Revenge, Julie Teahan's debut novel, is a perfect read for anyone who has ever felt less than perfect. Follow intently as the story's star, Paige Sheehan, copes with the fact that she'll never have the perfect job, the perfect man or the perfect wardrobe. And how does she cope? By embracing her plain-Jane appearance and strutting her stuff.

Paige has a theory: In this world there are Barbies and there are Skippers. Like that famous doll from Mattel, a "Barbie" is glamour personified. You know, the girl who always gets what everyone else can only dream about. And then there is Skipper, Barbie's flat-chested, tagalong little sister. Guess which one Paige is? That's right.

And Paige is okay with that. That is, until her gorgeous boyfriend (who just happens to be named Ken) dumps her for a specimen of proportionate improbability — a Barbie. She's had enough. But can she get over her jealousy of the Barbies of the world enough to believe that she is as deserving of her life's desires as the most immaculate of beauty queens?

Well, I don't want to spoil anything. But if you're hungry for more, stop by Julie Teahan's site for Barbie trivia, excerpts and press about Skipper's Revenge.

Visit Julie Tehan's novel "Skipper's Revenge"

A Fiery Historical Novel

“Fire Bell in the Night”
By: Geoffrey Edwards
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 978-1-4165-6424-9

Crime, conspiracy, manipulation, racism, slavery, honesty, and mystery are all themes dealt with in this page turning novel. The setting is pre-civil war in the US. The mix of detailed history and research provides a rich learning experience about America of the past through the telling of a unique historical trial in the South. North-South divisions are debated through the perspectives of southern plantation owners, residents and a northern reporter, John Sharp.

Throughout this story, we learn about a simple man, Darcy Calhoun, who is charged with harboring a slave. We learn about this man’s history and fate through the investigative reporting of John Sharp. John uncovers many secrets that are held by the plantation owners throughout his adventures.

Angry mobs and fires are common occurrences in this normally quant city of Charleston, SC. John’s little friend Samuel helps to research the fires and disturbances around the city which lead to further discoveries and several near death experiences for John.

At the end of the trial, John struggles with the information he uncovers about his new friend Darcy Calhoun. John must decide how to handle this information as he will have to live with these decisions that will impact the rest of his life. These life changing experiences make John a stronger character as he has grown from a novice questioning reporter to a decisive strong man at the conclusion of the novel.