The Passage by Justin Cronin

I'm back! $50 later I have a new cord and my computer loves me again. Yay!

So, I finished The Passage last week, but have had to take some time to get my thoughts together before I did a review. First of all, I previously read Trish's review at Hey Lady! and have had to re-read it to make sure I didn't accidentally plagiarize. I felt similar to her and didn't want to not realize I was taking something from her review.

Now for my review...

The Passage is a book that takes vampire to a totally new level. Most books focus on hot vampires and teenage angst. Some more graphic, some erotic, some - well you get the picture. I enjoyed almost all of those books, but was glad to take a break from them. This is vampires, but so much more. Yes, they are the basis of the entire novel, but Edward they are not. What happens is more scientific and horrific. These are man-made monsters that wipe out most of the world. They jump at astounding levels and speeds and glow in the dark. They have no idea who they are, but will attack you and rip you apart for your blood once the dark sets in and they are free to roam. This is the world after the rampage. Man against beast. Man is trying to survive in a sheltered, safe existence, and the vampires just want to be complete.

Many main characters exist in this novel. There were times I had to look back to make sure I had the right character background with my story. I think that is because I am usually able to skim parts of a book and still have full comprehension. In Mr. Cronin's novel you have to pay attention. The great thing is that you totally want to. I was thrown into a new world and I was on the edge of my seat as they fought for their lives. Not only was that happening, but there were strong relationships and beautiful histories. There was a world created that was amazing. I read this and wondered how long it took the author to create this new world. It was so deep and every piece came together and made complete sense.

Back to the specific characters, they were great. Each had a very distinct personality. Even though they were all different, you found a way to relate to almost all of them. It seems impossible, but I even felt for the vampires as they slashed people. They were victims as well. Everyone in the novel is searching for something or someone, but it isn't redundant. You don't get tired of the journey, though I did long for peace for them.

Per Justin Cronin's own daughter's words this is the story "about a girl who saves the world". (Mr Cronin asked his daughter what he should write and this is what she requested) I for one can't wait for each part of the journey to unfold so I can be a part of the world she saves. I want to see who remains, and how it all comes together in the end. I don't know when the next novel comes out, but I will be buying it as soon as I see that pre-order button!

Now that I have gushed and probably made little sense to you here is the synopsis from the books website. www.enterthepassage.com

About the Book

“It happened fast. Thirty-two minutes for one world to die,
another to be born.”

First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment. Then, the unspeakable: a night of chaos and carnage gives way to sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered. All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear—of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse.

As civilization swiftly crumbles into a primal landscape of predators and prey, two people flee in search of sanctuary. FBI agent Brad Wolgast is a good man haunted by what he’s done in the line of duty. Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte is a refugee from the doomed scientific project that has triggered apocalypse. He is determined to protect her from the horror set loose by her captors. But for Amy, escaping the bloody fallout is only the beginning of a much longer odyssey—spanning miles and decades—towards the time and place where she must finish what should never have begun.

With The Passage, award-winning author Justin Cronin has written both a relentlessly suspenseful adventure and an epic chronicle of human endurance in the face of unprecedented catastrophe and unimaginable danger. Its inventive storytelling, masterful prose, and depth of human insight mark it as a crucial and transcendent work of modern fiction.

This book was given to me by the publisher Random House. Thanks so much! I enjoyed every minute of it!

Technical Difficulties

Hey all! My computer cord fell into pieces today. I am logged on for a brief moment on Mark's work computer. I will be going to get a new cord later today and then I will be back with my meme and a review on The Passage by Justin Cronin. It will be a glowing review...

Show Me 5 Saturday 5/8/10 (ok Sunday the 9th)

Welcome to My Meme!

Each Saturday You will post the answer to these questions. The number indicates the number of answers you will provide.

1 Book you read and/or reviewed this week
2 Words that describe the book
3 Settings where it took place or characters you met
4 Things you liked and/or disliked about it
5 Stars or less for your rating?


1 Book: Little Bee by Chris Cleave

2 Words: Cruel summer

3 Settings/Characters: Sarah- she's lost her husband and is trying to figure out how to pick up her life again. Is she sad or numb or indifferent? Now she must care for her son and pick of the pieces of the past that torn them all apart. 2. Little Bee - she comes from a different world, but changed Sarah forever. She's only a child, but what she has seen and known makes her older than all of us by many years 3. Nigeria- The place that changed all of their lives.

4 Likes/Dislikes: 1. I liked that the novel addresses the atrocities that occur in 3rd world countries. It is easy living in the USA to ignore the wars and poverty that so many face. 2. I liked the voice of Little Bee. Her thoughts on the world were thought provoking. "...I ask you right here to agree with me that a scar is never ugly. That is what the scar makers want us to think. But you and I, we must make an agreement to defy them. We must see all scars as beauty. Okay? This will be our secret. Because take it from me, a scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, I survived." To me that was such a beautiful thing to read. Her ability to take these types of truths from tragedy was inspiring. 3. I can't decide how I feel about the secrecy surrounding the novel. The back cover even promotes it. I get that you don't want to ruin the story, but who wants to be told anything in any storyline before reading it? Isn't that normal? 4. I am also torn about the ending. Obviously, I won't say what happens but I can't decide if I thought it ended right or if I should throw the book at the wall.

5 Stars or Less: I say 3.75. I really liked it, but I didn't fall in love with all the characters and couldn't decide on the ending.

Show Me 5 Saturday 5/1/10

Welcome to My Meme!


Each Saturday You will post the answer to these questions. The number indicates the number of answers you will provide. Since I was gone for awhile some of you were posting a Mr Linky on Jenner's Blog. I will figure that out, so we can do that here. Thanks Jenner for keeping this going while I was away!

1 Book you read and/or reviewed this week
2 Words that describe the book
3 Settings where it took place or characters you met
4 Things you liked and/or disliked about it
5 Stars or less for your rating?

1 Book: The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen

2 Words: Sisters, Insecurities

3 Settings/Characters: 1. Lindsey - the successful twin sister. Always known as the "smart" one, never popular, never time for anything but work. Once she loses her job she moves home with her parents and tries to start over, but nothing is coming together quite like she imagined 2. Alex - the beautiful twin sister. She has the looks,the easy life and the fairytale wedding, but suddenly everything is changing. 3. Maryland - Lindsey and Alex's hometown. Each of them find much more here than they are looking for once they are together again.

4 Likes/Dislikes: 1. I love the writing style of Sarah Pekkanan. She has a sense of humor that comes through in her writing, but she can also make it deep and emotional. 2. Though parts of the ending are predictable, the story to get to the end was a great read. I couldn't put this book down, and I enjoyed every minute. 3. This book was chick lit, but it also made you think. What would you do if you found out things were different than you had always believed? What would you do if your career fell apart and you had to reinvent yourself? How would you learn to love and communicate with your twin if there had always been differences too great to let you bond? Are you labeled in your family? It's all in here....family growth, personal growth, secrets, love, and Change. 4. I loved the supporting characters. They had great personalities and stories of their own.

5 Stars or Less: I give it a 5. It was a quick read and thoroughly enjoyable. It may be "chick lit", but it hooked me from page 1.

This book was sent to me by the author (and I bought a copy).

Conversations with Jerry and Other People I Thought Were Dead - Irene Kendig

In this remarkable collection of interviews with seven people who've died, Irene Kendig, with the help of a gifted medium, explores what happens when we transition from physical to non-physical reality. Each of the seven dialogues begins with the same question: What did you experience when you released your last breath on earth?

This book is for anyone has has ever wondered whether there is a Heaven or a Hell, a Judgment Day, or a reunion with loved ones. It will illuminate and inspire your heart and mind whether you believe in an afterlife or not. These dialogues explore life from a spiritual perspective, which elevates consciousness and empowers you to make choices in alignment with your soul’s purpose.

The responses offered by Ms. Kendig's loved ones not only diminish fear of dying, they provide solace and strength for those who grieve, and inspire all to live courageously, joyfully, and respectfully . . . now.

sumary taken from www.irenekendig.com

When I saw the promotion asking for reviews of this book I was extremely excited. I mean who isn't curious about what someone who has died will say about the afterlife? The author, Irene Kendig, speaks with seven people from her past by using a Medium she was introduced to by her friend. Sounds pretty interesting right?

This book was interesting and I got right into reading it, but I also had some issues with it. Let me be clear and say that I think some of the issue was me having a skewed expectation. This book clearly states what it is about, and never promises to read like some fiction novel. I did know that going in, but sometimes the writing came across a bit more technical than I had imagined. For those of you who have read The Time Travelers Wife it reminded me of trying to get my mind around how he could travel and see himself and so on. Here's an example:

Irene: If the individuated mind exists both in the physical body and in every particle of light I am, then what happens to the part that belongs to my physical body when I die?

Jerry: The individuated mind doesn't belong to the physical body. A portion of the energy that you are animates the physical body, which is pure energy too, just in a denser form. When it's time to release your physical body, that energy is withdrawn and refocused to your spirited body. It's not segmented into physical energy or spiritual energy; it's all one, and an aspect of that one energy is focused on commanding the physical body.

p. 53 of ARC

Most of the book came across a bit too technical for me to get lost in the wonder of what was being said.

Also, I did have a hard time separating my religious beliefs from the ideas presented. There was much discussion of a higher power be it called God or something else. I found comfort in some of the ideas. Such as the idea that each of us, while in the Spiritual form choose how we will come back to Earth. A life is chosen to focus on what we need to learn to become a more loving, spirited being. That made me feel purposeful and gave a sense of reasoning for the negative aspects of life. Love is also a major component in this novel. I personally believe in a God that is Loving. I found those ideas were complimentary to my beliefs. However, as it progressed it felt like a "new age" type discussion and just left me a bit overwhelmed.

It was also hard for me to grasp the idea that "you can't hurt anyone who doesn't agree to be hurt". I know as adults we have a choice to leave a situation or turn something bad into something better, etc, but what about abused children? When did they agree to be hurt? I really couldn't wrap my mind around that idea. Maybe they were just referring to emotional pain, but I took it as all hurt.

Overall, this book was a difficult read for me and a very difficult review to write. I appreciated how much it made me reflect and look at life in a new way. I was happy to read about the LOVE present in the afterlife. I even enjoyed the short segments in the book where the interviewer/interviewee reflected on life and how it could be lived better. I couldn't get as deeply into the book as I liked because I found it came across too technically. I would recommend this if you are willing to do some deep thinking. I wouldn't recommend it for those days you want to get lost in a book.

This ARC was provided to me by the author.

Award

Vicki from Reading At The Beach and Laurel Rain-Snowpassed this my way back in November, but because of my break I didn't see them until thisweek. Here is what I am suppose to do:

The rules of this one is to list ten honest things about me and then pass the award on to ten other book bloggers.

1. I am really bad at keeping my house clean. I try, but I really hate to clean.

2. I am a twin, but my sister was stillborn. I have always wished she was around.

3. I have 2 kids -1 boy 1 girl, 2 step-kids - 1 boy one girl, 2 dogs - 1 boy 1 girl, 2 cats - you get the idea...I only have one man though,and no girlfriend. LOL

4. I have always wanted to be a runner, but probably couldn't go further than 1/8 mi before I would be walking.

5. I'm short. 5'2". I wish I was taller.

6. If I could be anything I wanted I would want to be a famous speaker. Iwould want to speak about things that would change others' lives. My other dream is to do something involving books full time.

7. I convinced my family that we didn't sit at the dining room table, and turned the room into a library completed with a chaise. It is my favorite room in the house.

8. My kids amaze me every day. I love them so much it makes my chest hurt sometimes.

9. I love church, but rarely make it to service. I do join a women's study group to keep myself in touch.

10. I cry at commercials sometimes. I'm such a sap!

I have no idea who to pass this too! It's like I am starting over and I am lost. I will think about it for awhile before passing it on.

Show Me 5 Saturday 4/24/10

Welcome to My Meme!
I've been gone awhile,but I thought I would give this a try again!
Each Saturday You will post the answer to these questions. The number indicates the number of answers you will provide.

1 Book you read and/or reviewed this week
2 Words that describe the book
3 Settings where it took place or characters you met
4 Things you liked and/or disliked about it
5 Stars or less for your rating?

1 Book: The Fiddler's Gun by A.S. Peterson

2 Words: Pirates and Fiddles

3 Settings/Characters: 1.Fin Button - main character. A girl put in an orphanage, because her father wanted a boy. She is adventurous, tortured, learning to understand herself 2.Bartimaeus - fiddle playing cook with much more in his past than anyone imagined 3. The Rattlesnake - a pirate ship that Fin learns to call home
4 Likes/Dislikes: 1.Loved the spirit of Fin! She was a strong,female character and I cared deeply about her by the end of the book 2. Liked the action and the surprises. Starting in an orphanage and ending on a pirate ship really mixes it up. 3.Liked the historical background that the author built this story around. 4.Loved how this story made me feel connected to it. I was drawn in and finished quickly. Can't wait for the next book!

5 Stars or Less: 4.5 Stars

This book is also being discussed on Kate and Amy's Book Club on Facebook. If you have read it you should join the discussion. If you haven't be forewarned their might be spoilers in the disucssion. A.S. Peterson has also joined in and answered reader questions!