BookOpinion

BOOKOPINION REVIEW: It feels like years that I have been eagerly awaiting the second in this fascinating series by Wendy Alec. And Book 2 is every bit as intriguing, inspiring and fascinating as the first. I literally could not put it down. For those of you not familiar with Book 1, the story revolves around the suggestion that Lucifer, Michael and Gabriel were originally angelic brothers and covers the agony of the break away into his own realm by Lucifer.

“Messiah - The First Judgment” picks up where Book 1 left off…namely, after the fall of Lucifer and the approaching birth of the Jewish Messiah. We travel through the early years of Jesus while Lucifer, being fully aware that his adversary, the Nazarene, is the only one capable of undoing his evil machinations. Confrontation of brothers is followed by repeated confrontations serving merely to enhance the rebellious attitude of the fallen one into an uncontrolled fury.

One of the more moving scenes illustrated so beautifully by Wendy Alec is the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. Lucifer asserts his rights by deed that Jesus is to be driven into the barren lands for forty days without food or drink…thus He is weak, faint from hunger and exhaustion. But the encounter between the two does not quite meet the evil expectations of the tempter. Enraged and defeated, Lucifer is thrown violently into the desert and the Nazarene is ministered to by Michael and legions of angels who, with bated breath, have witnessed the entire event.

And if you have never completely understood the significance of the willingness of Jesus to die on the Cross, you will after reading the chapter revealing the mystery and divine will of God regarding this event that changed history forever. In the words of Jether the Just, imperial angelic monarch and ruler of the twenty-four ancient kings of Yehovah, “He takes the place of the murderers, paeodophiles, adulterers, all that enact the darkened deeds of the Race of Men…that those of the Race of Men who would accept His sacrifice may go free.”

Several of the descriptions by Ms. Alec are incredibly horrific…one in particular caught my attention immediately. The following is an excerpt:

“Moloch’s barbarous satanic vandals wrenched Jesus of Nazareth’s spirit from the bruised and battered body on the cross. Instantly it took on the same form as the body it had inhabited, though it was of a different, more ethereal substance. Otherwise, it was identical. Moloch’s fallen host manacled Jesus’ wrists and ankles with heavy iron fetters that ripped cruelly into His tortured flesh. ‘Your sorceries are spent, Nazarene!’ Moloch leered. ‘Bind His mouth!’ he commanded. The butchers bound Jesus’ mouth with filthy cloth soaked in deadly nightshade, then brutishly hauled Him onto their shoulders, seizing Him in a vice-like grip. Moloch raised his whip. Instantly, they were sucked violently downward as though by some ferocious centrifugal force. Downwards..downwards, thousands of miles downward, towards the molten core of the Earth, the party of the damned descended. Down through the mouths of seething volcanoes. Through boiling seas of molten lava, until they emerged into the strange, churning violent world of floating continents and upside-down mountains that raged at 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The blast furnace that was the outskirts of hell.”

What follows is a scenario that many of us are already familiar with. However, “Messiah - The First Judgment” loses nothing in the telling and this fictionalized account of the fall of angels and redemption of men is nothing short of beautiful. I cannot recommend highly enough this engaging sequel by Wendy Alec to anyone who is interested in this genre of literature.

– Elizabeth Channery

BOOKOPINION REVIEW: Robert Whitlow has written several excellent novels in the past and I eagerly awaited the publication of his latest book, “Mountain Top.” I was expecting to be enthralled, moved and completely engaged in this latest work. However, this book is a bit disappointing. It is well written, contains great characters and has a decent plot…it just felt, well, flat.

The primary character, Reverend Michael James Andrews, ex-lawyer, is the pastor at Little Creek Church. The church has experienced a healthy surge of growth since Mike has been ministering there and he feels quite content in his new profession. His lovely and supportive wife, Peg, accepting his change of careers, has settled in to the community and continues her love of painting, portraying everything from the local scenery to older people to a series of watercolors depicting children in various forms of play. Nice, quiet, idyllic.

But, of course, that is about to change. When Mike is contacted by Muriel Miller, an elderly woman concerned about the arrest of her husband, Mike is flabbergasted. He informs her that he no longer practices law but Muriel is insistent that her husband, Samuel, requested that she contact only Mike. Realizing that he has never even met Samuel, he questions Muriel regarding Sam’s odd plea for assistance…

“Muriel lowered her eyes and spoke in a soft voice, ‘He had a dream Saturday night and saw you coming to see him at the jail. When I visited him on Sunday, he told me to get in touch with you here at the church.’”

Obviously, Mike is startled. He explains again that he no longer practices law, discovers that Sam has been arrested for embezzlement and recommends that Muriel contact another lawyer. But she merely reminds him to not forget the dream.

But circumstances intervene and the Reverend Michael James Andrews ends up at the local jail to interview Samuel Miller. He listens intently as Sam tells his story and is convinced of the man’s innocence but still refuses to represent him. Rising to leave, Mike informs Sam that he will contact the courthouse and ask someone to appoint a lawyer for him. However, before Mike can leave the room, Sam makes a rather unique statement. “Tell your wife that Isaac is on the way.”

Confused about the odd comment, Mike leaves the jail and heads back to the church, reflecting that neither he nor Peg know anyone named Isaac. At the end of the day, Mike returns home and is perplexed to see Peg, wiping tears from her eyes and gently handling a small sliver of paper with a blue circle quite apparent. After fifteen years of marriage, Peg and Mike are going to become parents.

Against his will, Mike is drawn into the embezzlement case against Sam…but this turns out to be anything but an ordinary trial. Warned against involvement by his prior law firm, Mike is bewildered…nothing makes sense. And although Mike continues to pastor at Little Creek Church, he senses undercurrents that could be dangerous. And then the situation turns very ugly. And why is this sequence of events occurring simply because Mike agreed to defend Samuel Miller?

From this point on, the reader is drawn into a plot that is horrifying, murderous and downright evil. Is Sam really guilty of embezzlement? Is he just another religious nut? Will Mike ever discover the truth about the tragic situation? And will any of them survive the circumstances in which they find themselves?

“Mountain Top” is worth reading. It is intriguing and the twisted, involved plot is well conceived. This novel meets all the criteria of a well written book. But before picking this one up, I suggest you start with either the first Whitlow novel, “Life Support” or pick up my personal favorite, “The Trial.” Robert Whitlow can definitely write and write well…but somehow, “Mountain Top” failed to make it to the top of my must read list.

– Elizabeth Channery

BOOKOPINION REVIEW: The idea of shrinking my waist (and other body parts) in two weeks is definitely appealing. As someone who has exercised most of my adult life, I was really intrigued with “The 12 Second Sequence” by Jorge Cruise. And I have to tell you, I was really impressed with the indepth explanations, exercise programs and dietary info in this rather revolutionary approach to obtaining a healthy, energetic body.

Cruise believes that the key to becoming fit is resistance training but that it has to be efficient in order to develop lean muscle tissue and burn belly fat. He quickly outlines the three biggest myths about getting fit: 1. The more aerobics myth; 2. The more reps myth; and 3. The more sessions myth. Okay, toss those ideas out the window. The solution, according to Cruise, is Controlled Tension which produces full muscle saturation. This routine combines slow cadence lifting and static contraction with circuit training for a complete, full-body workout. These combined components will allow you to work your entire body in two 20-minute weekly sessions.

How to do the 12 Second Sequence is explained in thorough detail. You are provided with workout logs to ensure that you are indeed working your entire body. And you will discover how to avoid the Fat Trap, control your food portions and which foods actually act as fuel and why they are so crucial to achieving success on this program.

“12 Second Sequence” includes tons of exercises, many of which can be done with no additional equipment. You will learn how to count as you work out, how to breathe properly and at what intensity you should be working. There is also a great section of Frequently Asked Questions as well as a chapter of delicious sounding recipes. Included is an Ideal Foods List and even a Fast/Frozen Foods List for people on the go (who isn’t?) or evenings when you’re just too busy to prepare a home cooked meal.

Cruise is the author of two New York Times bestsellers, “8 Minutes in the Morning” and “The 3-Hour Diet” and coaches clients daily at 12second.com. His guest appearances include: Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, Good Morning America, Today, Dateline NBC, The View, The Tyra Banks Show and VH1. Quite impressive!

Most things that sound too good to be true…well, you know the adage. But I have to admit, “12 Second Sequence” is worth a try. The program seems to be based on solid science and is recommended by Dr. Mehmet Oz, co-author of “You: On a Diet.” At any rate, if you’re looking for an unorthodox way to get fit or just disgusted with your old routine that may not be working, then you might want to check out this book. I think I will start next week…if you decide to try it also, keep me posted, please! We can compare progress reports!

– Elizabeth Channery

BOOKOPINION REVIEW: “God is a Verb” – Buckminster Fuller.

“Raw” is the first instinctive definition that appeals to me when I try to characterize my feelings about “The Shack” by William P. Young. And not just raw in the traditional sense…raw emotions, raw pain, etc. But ruthlessly honest, words honed to a fine point somewhere beyond what one is capable of reasoning.

This intriguing story opens with a camping trip involving Mack, his son Josh, daughter Kate and the beautiful little six year old, Missy. But when Mack momentarily turns his back on Missy to rescue his son from drowning in an overturned canoe, Missy is silently abducted and, being unfound by a massive search, finally assumed brutally murdered by a serial killer. This tragedy throws Mack into a downward spiral of what he refers to as “The Great Sadness” and his constant companion, “if only, if only.” Eventually, the family begins, in some measure, to cope with the situation and appears to move forward. Nan, Mack’s wife, whose relationship with God is her constant source of comfort, actually even refers to Him lovingly as “Papa.” But Mack is different. His relationship with God is broken and bitter and he functions merely because it is a necessity to do so. And then, suddenly, everything changes.

Mack receives a note….from Papa, instructing Mack to meet Him at the shack where Missy had been murdered. And now, reason flees from Mack. God wrote a note? Was this someone’s idea of a really horrible, sadistic joke? Since when does God write letters? And without realizing it, Mack has made a decision…he will go. He doesn’t wish to disclose to Nan what has occurred and, fortuitously, she decides to take Josh and Kate to visit her sister and extend spring break by a week.

As soon as Nan and the children have left, Mack begins making plans for the trip. He then packs up a four wheel drive Jeep and heads out for northeastern Oregon, the last place on earth he wishes to revisit. But when he arrives, he doesn’t find exactly what he expects. As he begins the climb to the cabin, winter begins to disappear. Instead of ice and snow and leaden skies, there are summer wildflowers blossoming everywhere. And the shack has now become a beautiful little log cabin, surrounded by pungent herbs and fragrant flowers. Mack now suspects he is having a psychotic break.

The front door opens and Mack is confronted by a large, African-American woman who immediately lifts him off his feet, spins him around and professes her delight in seeing him. Within seconds, Mack meets a fragile looking, Asian woman and a middle eastern man dressed like a laborer. Who are these people? They obviously expected to see Mack, they know him, seemingly quite well, but he is a bit overwhelmed and questions are gathering in his mind.

When the large black woman introduces herself as “Elousia” Mack is bewildered. Then she tells Mack to just call her what Nan does. This is “Papa?” And the laborer? He tells Mack to call Him Jesus if he likes or even Yeshua. And the Asian woman indentifies herself as Sarayu, keeper of the gardens. When Mack is finally able to ask “Which one of you is God”, all three respond in unison, “I am”.

What follows must surely be pure fantasy. Or is it? Is Mack having a complete breakdown? Or could this be true that God is responding to the pain in Mack’s heart? And how is Mack going to be healed if this is truth? What will this journey cost him? And what will be the gain?

“The Shack” is well written, evenly paced and frankly, shocking. The characters are well drawn, the humor is fantastic and the story breaks your heart. I think William P. Young stepped outside of himself when he wrote this book and wanted to see God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, whatever you want to call it, in a new light. He definitely succeeded. It’s not quite like any other book I’ve ever read…at times I would think, “Aha, C.S. Lewis” and then turn the page and retract that conviction.

I think everyone who reads “The Shack” will come away with something unique for themselves alone, something very personal. If you choose to read it, please don’t skip. Every word is alive with meaning, every expression, enlightening. Do I recommend it? Absolutely!

– Elizabeth Channery

BOOKOPINION REVIEW: If you are tired of begging, pleading and nagging your children to eat your veggies, “Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food” by Jessica Seinfeld offers a collection of recipes that might end your daily food fracas. Jessica Seinfeld, wife of comedian Jerry Seinfeld and a mother of three, basically took baby food one step farther. She cleverly hids veggie, fruit and bean puree in a variety of breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert fare.

Basically, Seinfeld spends one evening per week preparing enough purees to last her for a week’s worth of meals. Then she just pops them out of baggies or containers and mixes them with food to create kid-friendly items such as macaroni and cheese, mini pizzas, spaghetti and meatballs, chicken nuggets and so on. For example, she hides carrot puree in the mix when she makes hamburgers and blends butternut squash into a cheese sauce to create macaroni and cheese.

Because my children actually eat and enjoy their veggies, my primary purpose for buying the cookbook was to sample the desserts. I figure they usually get dessert anyway, it might as well be healthier. So far I have tried the Blueberry Oatmeal Bars, which not only contain healthy blueberries but spinach as well. They taste like regular cereal bars and you would never know the spinach was there. I also tried the marshmallow crispy treats, which used brown rice cereal in place of the traditional Rice Krispies. She also mixes in flaxseed meal. This new version tasted more like popcorn balls or sweet rice cakes than the traditional treat, but you could not taste flaxseed at all, and my kids loved them. That was good enough for me.

So far, we are enjoying the cookbook. The recipes I have tried were easy and yummy. I really want to try her homemade chocolate pudding. She mixes in avocado of all things. The fried rice balls (with hidden sweet potato and spinach) look promising, as well. Overall, “Deceptively Delicious” is a well-designed, fun cookbook with a bunch of good ideas.

–Jane Leisteiner

BOOKOPINION REVIEW: Reviewing “How Not To Look Old” by Charla Krupp was a bit of a departure for me. I generally prefer fiction or very controversial political issues to write about. However, being a baby boomer and rapidly approaching the big “6-0”, I thought I would give this work a brief scan…which turned out to be a thorough read. For any female approaching 40, 50, 60, 70s and on and on and on, “How Not To Look Old” is a great eye opener.

Charla Krupp, a former beauty director at Glamour, senior editor at InStyle and beauty editor at People: Style Watch, definitely carries the credentials to gently assist us through the mire of what to wear, flattering hair styles, sagging skin, make up, etc. etc. etc.

Every chapter addresses different issues prominent for aging women. Tips like cut some bangs, unmatch your wardrobe and how to manage your wrinkles are but a few of the excellent topics that Krupp covers, and in great detail. For example, did you know that too long hair parted down the middle is aging? How about obvious lip liner? Wearing granny jeans? Thick black eyeliner?

Granted, most of the above are pretty obvious no no’s but Krupp goes much further than that in her desire to update the aging woman’s appearance. She offers advice on products that work and those that don’t, how to clean out your closet (throw out the elastic waist pants, ladies) and how to shop for shoes.

You will also find a fairly extensive list of shops located throughout the U.S. to assist you in finding that perfect cut, manicure or makeup application. And if you are concerned about where to shop, are on a budget (who isn’t?) or just unsure about what to purchase, check out the “Your Go-To List” with not only phone numbers but email addresses of some of Charla’s top picks.

“How Not To Look Old” is extremely definitive and should be beneficial to any woman of any age. It’s not about vanity but it’s not about aging gracefully either. It’s just about being sensible. I do recommend this book to anyone who wants a fun, educational read and who is serious about getting radical about their appearance. Her suggestions are great, practical and honest. So if you are prepared for a change in image, attitude and confidence, check out this book. My only point of disagreement – I refuse to give up my nude panty hose!

– Elizabeth Channery

Which type of book tells a more complete story about a presidential candidate? Autobiographical or biographical?

While opinions may vary as to what makes a good biography or expose, there is no doubt that there’s plenty of reading material on the candidates making a run for the White House.

BookOpinion has come up with a presidenitial candidate book list highlighting several different writing styles…some glossy and some not always favorable to the subject. While some of the other candidates have books out as well, we chose these books on the merits of being provocative and best sellers - three Democrats and three Republicans in no particular order.

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama

NEW YORK TIMES REVIEW (excerpt): Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois and the Democratic Party’s new rock star, is that rare politician who can actually write — and write movingly and genuinely about himself.

His 1995 memoir, “Dreams From My Father,” written before Mr. Obama entered politics, provided a revealing, introspective account of his efforts to trace his family’s tangled roots and his attempts to come to terms with his absent father, who left home when he was still a toddler. That book did an evocative job of conjuring the author’s multicultural childhood: his father was from Kenya, his mother was from Kansas, and the young Mr. Obama grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia…

Mr. Obama’s book, “The Audacity of Hope” — the phrase comes from his 2004 Democratic Convention keynote address, which made him the party’s rising young hope — is much more of a political document. Portions of the volume read like outtakes from a stump speech, and the bulk of it is devoted to laying out Mr. Obama’s policy positions on a host of issues, from education to health care to the war in Iraq.

But while Mr. Obama occasionally slips into the flabby platitudes favored by politicians, enough of the narrative voice in this volume is recognizably similar to the one in “Dreams From My Father,” an elastic, personable voice that is capable of accommodating everything from dense discussions of foreign policy to streetwise reminiscences, incisive comments on constitutional law to New-Agey personal asides.

A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton by Carl Bernstein

Excerpt from Chapter One (Amazon.com): Hillary Rodham’s childhood was not the suburban idyll suggested by the shaded front porch and gently sloping lawn of what was once the family home at 235 Wisner Street in Park Ridge, Illinois. In this leafy environment of postwar promise and prosperity, the Rodhams were distinctly a family of odd ducks, isolated from their neighbors by the difficult character of her father, Hugh Rodham, a sour, unfulfilled man whose children suffered his relentless, demeaning sarcasm and misanthropic inclination, endured his embarrassing parsimony, and silently accepted his humiliation and verbal abuse of their mother.

Yet as harsh, provocative, and abusive as Rodham was, he and his wife, the former Dorothy Howell, imparted to their children a pervasive sense of family and love for one another that in Hillary’s case is of singular importance. When Bill Clinton and Hillary honeymooned in Acapulco in 1975, her parents and her two brothers, Hughie (Hugh Jr.) and Tony, stayed in the same hotel as the bride and groom.

Four Trials by John Edwards and John Auchard

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY REVIEW: In his campaigns for the U.S. Senate (successful) and the Democratic presidential nomination (struggling), Edwards has defiantly celebrated his earlier career as a trial lawyer. Following that instinct, Edwards has chosen to cast his campaign memoir as an account of four of his courtroom experiences. Four Trials is brimming with Clintonian empathy for regular folks, and Edwards is at his best in his endearing portraits of the victims he represented in medical malpractice and personal injury lawsuits. He also displays a keen understanding of the psychology of a jury, which he calls “a microcosm of democracy.” Edwards weaves in recollections of his youth as the son of a mill worker, his rise to prominence as a lawyer, his dedicated family life and the death of his son in a car accident. But he mostly sticks to the details of the cases; he omits almost entirely his years in the Senate and his plans for the presidency. Edwards can tell a good yarn, and at times this book works as a courtroom drama. But it suffers from shoddy, platitudinous prose. The book is chiefly of interest for the way it manifests Edwards’s strategy to present himself as an advocate for the downtrodden to his new jury, the American electorate.

From Hope to Higher Ground: 12 STOPS to Restoring America’s Greatness by Mike Huckabee

BOOKLIST REVIEW: One of the longest-serving governors in the nation, Huckabee offers an optimistic outlook on the state of the nation. This is no Pollyanna view; Huckabee is candid about the nation’s problems; as governor of Arkansas, he had a front seat from which to observe Hurricane Katrina and the disastrous recovery efforts. Part 1 of his book is a description of his small-town origins and the kinds of civic and church involvement and activities that bind communities. The second part of the book lists 12 action steps to avoid cynicism, the nation’s number-one problem. Among his recommendations: don’t believe bad reports without documentation, listen to more music and less talk radio, do volunteer work, and have regular conversations with people of other ethnic, religious, or political backgrounds. Republican Huckabee is from Hope, the same small town that produced former president Clinton.

Faith of My Fathers: A Family Memoir by John Mccain and Mark Salter

AMAZON.COM REVIEW: Books by politicians are not often worth reading, but John McCain’s Faith of My Fathers is an astonishing exception to the rule. The Republican senator from Arizona has a remarkable story to tell–better than just about any of his peers–and he tells it well, with crisp prose and an unexpected sense for narrative pacing. The first half of the book concerns his naval forbears: his grandfather commanded an aircraft carrier in the Second World War, while his father presided over all naval forces in the Pacific during the Vietnam War. They were the first father-son admirals in American history. Young John McCain knew he had enormous shoes to fill and rebelled against many of the expectations set for him. At the Naval Academy, he was nearly expelled, graduating fifth from the bottom of his class. He never became an admiral, but achieved fame another way: as a naval aviator in 1967, he was shot down over North Vietnam and spent several years in POW camps, where he was beaten, tortured, and nearly allowed to die. McCain describes the awful details of his imprisonment and tells how he stayed mentally strong during seemingly endless months of solitary confinement and how he communicated in code with fellow captives. Faith of My Fathers concludes with McCain’s release and contains no information about his subsequent political career. It is, nonetheless, a complete and compelling memoir of individual heroism–one that will interest both political and military history buffs.

Rudy!: An Investigative Biography of Rudolph Guiliani by Wayne Barrett

From the inside flap: Rudy Guiliani. New York City’s Mayor. America’s Number One Cop. A municipal superhero who needs no phone booth. A politician of astonishing complexity whose full story has never been told. Until now. Guiliani has assumed mythic proportions, the can-do emblem of the new urban politics. He has been heralded as the ultimate turn-around artist - projecting himself as the reformer who single-handedly salvaged a crime-ridden and blighted New York. From his days in the Eighties as the Michael Milken-busting U.S. Attorney of Manhattan to his current purge of hundreds of thousands from his city’s welfare rolls, Giuliani has targeted rich and poor with the same relentless certitude.This investigative biography starts with the college kid who confided his presidential dream to his girlfriend and practiced future campaign speeches in front of her at home. It analyzes his substantial impact as U.S. Attorney, badly wounding the Mafia, ransacking the white collared halls of Wall Street and forever changing the face of New York politics. It looks at his celebrated crime reduction and other achievements through a new lens, highlighting the single-mindedness that has made Giuliani one of America’s most important and controversial figures.

- Alexander