Bazell, Josh

Bazell, Josh "Beat the Reaper" Little, Brown: 2009

This is a fun book. No doubt about it. Consider the first sentence: "So I'm on my way to work and I stop to watch a pigeon fight a rat in the snow, and some fuckhead tries to mug me!" The protagonist is a former hit man for the mob who talked his way into going to medical school with the Federal Witness Protection Program. They place him in the very worse neighborhood in the very worse hospital where the last place any self-respecting mob boss would seek medical attention until, you guessed it, one does. The fun begins.

Along with very educational foot notes and a talent for medicine and a huge desire to stay alive, Dr. Peter Brown, an intern at Manhattan's worst hospital proves once again he is one able man who can not only treat his patients well but stay alive in the process.

It doesn't hurt that the author is a new doctor himself with the background of knowing the medical profession and one giant talent for writing. Although it is doubtful the author is a former hit man, he stays out of the story and delivers one heck of a good yarn. Trust me on this, you will not sneak a look at the ending because you will be too engrossed in this book. Get this book now before it is in paperback because many places such as Barnes and Noble have it on the discount shelf.


Name of author: Josh Bazell
Dates of birth and death (if applicable): unknown
Place of birth: unknown
Education: Bazell graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in English Literature. He entered the PhD program in English Literature at Duke University before earning his MD from Columbia University . He is currently a medical resident at the University of California, San Francisco.
Literary movement associated with author: This author has written only one book while an intern and it is too early to classify where his writings will end up.
Nationality: American
Notable award(s) or ideas (s):
Books and years when published: See above.

Cameron Julia

Cameron, Julia "The Writing Diet: Write Yourself Right-Size" Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam: 2007

I wish I could say that this book was responsible for my being slender and thin. It wasn't; however I gained a lot of insight from the problem, but not enough to make a difference. In the introduction to the book, the author states:

"This book is dedicated to my beloved mother, who suffered both from being overweight and from may dark depressions about it. These struggles impaired her ability to lead a creatively fulfilling life. I loved her dearly and miss her deeply."

Overweight is not the problem. I knew that. In a recent article about Daniel Wright who is on a program, The Biggest Loser, he stated he was the heaviest contestant in the show's history weighing 454 pounds. So far he has lost 142 pounds. At one point, he was eliminated from the show because he lost only 52 pounds. He stated he had to concentrate on other issues. He stated: "I realize I'm never going to be a champion of weight loss," he says. "Listen, Erik Chopin was on the show and he lost more than 200 pounds, but he never dealt with his issues and he went back up. I don't want to lose weight now and then lose in life later."

In the chapter, "The Second Tool: The Journal", Cameron recommends that the reader puts down everything he or she feels like eating. This is more or less a trick to get out of eating what it is we are craving for. We do become more skillful in learning why we eat and this book goes a long way in discovering the reasons why we overeat; but it does not go far enough. As I said, this book did help me in discovering and uncovering the reason why I was overeating; but it did not go far enough because food and overeating is only the symptom of our problems.

I have a blog about becoming more healthier. Paying attention to what I am eating in only one of the tools that I use. It is by no means a significant one. In this book, the overeating aspect of eating addiction is put front and center in the arena of life. I don't think it belongs there. I do recommend it as a means to discover the particular pathway that will work for the indivividual to become healthier however. I loved its emphasis on journaling because it is one of the ways I have helped myself. Writing has been one of the single most important ways that I have for getting out of the morass of depression and post traumatic stress disorder problems. I like this author very much, but if I had given this book a miss it would have been alright with me.

Cameron, Julia "The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation into the Writing Life" Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam: 1998

Julia Cameron writes in many genres and has been doing so for many years. She has been writing for a multitude of reasons. According to the author: "Writing is how, and it sometimes seems why, I do my life." In this book, Cameron writes about the tools that she uses and her path in writing. She states she left out those things that were not a part of her experience or that they are something that other books on writing have written about very well. For instance, she will not teach the reader how to write a query letter or find a market for your work. The writing life is working on your life as a whole and that is what the book is about. It is about writing for the sake of writing, for the sheer unadulterated joy of moving the pen or curser over the page.

The Right to Write is a birthright, a spiritual dowry, according to Cameron, that gives us the keys to the kingdom. One's higher powers speak to us through writing. Some call it inspiration, the Muses, Angels, God, and so on. I call this ability my Spiritual Center. Cameron states it connects us to something larger than ourselves and allows us to live with great spirit and optimism.

This book is Cameron's attempt to dismantle the negative mythology that surrounds the writing in this culture and as a teacher she has first hand knowledge of this. For her, the writing life "is a simple life, self-empowered and self-empowering" one.

There is much about this book that is fun. There is a lot of this book that discusses what keeps us from writing whether we are writing a book that will end up as a replacement for "Moby Dick" or a cook book for our church rummage sale. The main thing that keeps most of us from writing at least for me is fear and that is echoed in the book:

"The fears may not be conscious, and that's what makes it tricky. When we are procrastinating about writing something or someone, we are always being backed off by our fears. It may be disguised as our business or our "need to focus" or any number of other distractions, but it boils down to our fear of revealing ourselves to others and ourselves." (page 89)

Cameron states that we are taught by this culture to think of writing as a commitment, as a state occasion, as torture, a great many things except for its dominant nature: fun. "The Right to Write" is a book that almost tricks the reader into seeing writing as just that, fun and a way of exploring the world in a fun way.

The book is arranged into short readable chapters such as "Let Yourself Write" and "Let Yourself Listen" and at the end of suggested exercises. I did not do the exercises as I have my own ways of doing what is in the chapters. Cameron also puts in personal information of what is happening in her life with her considerable friends and family. She shares what works with her and her daughter in beating writer's blocks. She leans towards the Eastern Religion as many writers do and includes Buddhist insights.

I read "The Artist Way" many years ago and gain a lot of insight from that book. It was written after her divorce from her first marriage with the director, Martin Scorsese. For most people, divorce is a rough time and this author found a way of dealing with this traumatic time and with expressing her artistic abilities. Luckily, it has made itself into a way for other people to help them into dealing with their own life. I certainly have felt this author's achievements and lessons learned to be a boom for my life as well.




Name of author: Julia Cameron
Dates of birth and death (if applicable):March 4, 1948
Place of birth: Libertyville, Illinois, U.S.A.
Education: Georgetown University, Fordham
Occupation: teacher, author, filmmaker, playwright, journlist
Literary movement associated with author:" The Artist's Way "
Nationality: American
Notable award(s) or ideas (s): Known for integrating art and writing. She states creativity is an authentic spiritual path. Cameron is most known for the book, "The Artist's Way".
Books and years when published:

Nonfiction

• The Artist's Way Every Day: A Year of Creative Living (Tarcher, 2009)
• Prayers to the Great Creator: Prayers and Declarations for a Meaningful Life (Tarcher, 2008)
• The Writing Diet: Write Yourself Right-Size (Tarcher, 2007; ISBN 1585425710 )
• Floor Sample (Tarcher, 2006; ISBN 1-58542-494-3), a memoir
• How to Avoid Making Art (2006; ISBN 1-58542-438-2), illustrated by Elizabeth Cameron
• The Sound of Paper (Tarcher, 2004; Hardcover ISBN 1-58542-288-6)
• Supplies: A Troubleshooting Guide for Creative Difficulties (Tarcher, 2003; Rev&Updtd edition ISBN 1-58542-212-6)
• Walking in this World (Tarcher, 2003; Reprint edition ISBN 1-58542-261-4)
• The Artist's Way, 10th Annv edition (Tarcher, 2002; ISBN 1-58542-146-4)
• Inspirations: Meditations from The Artist's Way (Tarcher, 2001;ISBN 1-58542-102-2)
• God is Dog Spelled Backwards (Tarcher, 2000; ISBN 158542062X)
• God is No Laughing Matter (Tarcher, 2000; ISBN 1585420654}
• Supplies: A Pilot's Manual for Creative Flight (2000)
• The Artist's Date Book (Tarcher, 1999; ISBN 0874776538 ), illustrated by Elizabeth Cameron Evans
• Money Drunk Money Sober (Ballantine Wellspring, 1999; ISBN 0345432657)
• The Writing Life (Sounds True, 1999; ISBN 1564557251)
• Transitions (Tarcher, 1999; ISBN 0-87477-995-2)
• The Artist's Way at Work (Pan, 1998; ISBN 0330373196)
• Blessings (Tarcher, 1998; ISBN 0-87477-906-5)
• The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation into the Writing Life (Tarcher, 1998; ISBN 1-58542-009-3)
• Heart Steps (Tarcher, 1997; ISBN 0-87477-899-9)
• The Vein of Gold (1997; ISBN 0-87477-836-0)
• The Artist's Way Morning Pages Journal (Tarcher, 1995; ISBN 0-87477-886-7)
• The Money Drunk (1993)
• The Artist's Way (1992)

Fiction

• Popcorn: Hollywood Stories (Really Great Books, 2000; ISBN 1-893329-12-7)
• The Dark Room (Carroll & Graf Pub,1998; ISBN 0-7867-0564-7)

Musicals

• Avalon
• Magellan
• The Medium at Large

Plays

• Four Roses
• Public Lives
• The Animal in the Trees

Poetry

• This Earth (Sounds True, 1997; ISBN 1564555496)
• Prayers for the little ones (Renaissance Books, 1999; ISBN 1580630480)
• Prayers to the nature spirits (Renaissance Books, 1999; ISBN 1580630472
• The Quiet Animal

Film

• "God's Will"

Source: Wikipedia

Hitchens, Christopher

Hitchens, Christopher "God is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything" Twelve: 2007

Hitchens says in his acknowledgments: "I have been writing this book all my life and intend to keep on writing it..." And later in his first chapter: "The argument with faith is the foundation and origin of all arguments, because it is the beginning-but not the end-of all arguments about philosophy, science, history, and human nature." Hitchens feels "religion poisons everything." He spends this entire books pointing out all of the things many readers have wondered about consciously and unconsciously about their religion and question the basis for the use of religion itself. He tears apart all religions and he states that he will continue to do this because although he is content to go to their children's bar mitzvahs, to marvel at Gothic cathedrals, to respect the Muslim beliefs and to interest himself in other religions such as Wicca, Hindu and Jain consolations the members of those faiths are incapable of leaving non-believers alone. People of faith in their different ways are planning the destruction of people who different from their beliefs.

As for me, I have very strong beliefs in the Eternal and do not have for religions as a rule although I read in Buddhism and Taoism. To be a Buddhist, is to question everything in the Dharma as the Buddha (Gautama) instructed so many years ago. He said never believe anything anyone tells you, even me, until you run it by your heart and mind and if it still rings true accept it. That was what attracted me to Buddhism in the first place years ago. It is an inner directed religion in which the truth is arrived by my consulting my Spiritual Center through meditation and not by a static book or person such as a holy man. I also believe that this pathway is right for me and not necessary right for anyone else. It works for me. Truth is relative.

I was raised a Christian and there was much about the Christian religion that did not make sense for me and other religions. This books explores these cracks with a very strong magnifying glass. Buddhism does not escape this magnifying glass. No religion does. The author calls all religions "organized hypocrisy" where rules are made and then ignored. We have all noticed this hypocrisy and it did my heart and mind good to actually see it in print. We have all been under the thumb of organized religion and built up a resentment of sorts to those who would make us submit to the authority of religion or as the author quotes Michael Prest states making us to attend prayers but not force us to pray.

I bought this book second-hand and someone who owned it previously had thoughtfully included an article from Vanity Fair September 2007. The article details surprising support for an attack on religion. This book ended up as a best seller as many bought this delightfully funny but informative book and devoured it in the shadows of their homes. Many people are atheists but are afraid to admit it. I think there are people like myself who are not atheists in the pure sense of the word but are atheists in religions but have very strong beliefs in God, Higher Power, Eternal, The Tao, whatever but not in the man-made stuff (sex intended).

Christopher Hitchens is a brilliant man and he is a gifted writer. His book is a joy to read. He is funny. He is also easy to understand and the anger he feels is translated into a wonderful book that the believer can understand. I also recommend it to all members of any religion so that they can understand their commitment to a religion that is faulty at best. Truth is a state of mind. It is a sword that cuts through lies and holds no favors to anyone. It has nicked the author as well as those he uses it against. This shows in his book if the reader pays attention. Still, if someone is really a strong believer in his or her religion one can come out of this book a stronger and more realistic believer than before.




Name of author: Christopher Eric Hitchens
Dates of birth and death (if applicable): April 13, 1949
Place of birth: Portsmouth, England UK
Education: Balliol College, Oxford
Literary movement associated with author: New Atheism, Polemicism, journalism, essays, biography, literary criticism. He has been a columnist and literary critic at Vanity Fair, Slate, The Atlantic, World Affairs, The Nation, Free Inquiry, and a variety of other media outlets.

Hitchens is often regarded as one of the most prominent exponents of modern atheism and is described as part of the "new atheism" movement. Hitchens along with fellow atheists Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett have often been referred to as "The Four Horsemen". He is a secular humanist and anti-theist, and describes himself as a believer in the philosophical values of the Age of Enlightenment. His main argument being that the concept of God or supreme being, is a totalitarian belief that destroys individual freedom, believing that free expression and scientific discovery should replace religion as a means of teaching ethics and defining human civilization. (Wikipedia)

Nationality: British/American
Notable award(s) or ideas (s): See above
Books and years when published:

As sole author

• 2007 God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. Twelve/Hachette Book Group USA/Warner Books, ISBN 0446579807 / Published in the UK as God Is Not Great: The Case Against Religion. Atlantic Books, ISBN 978-1-84354-586-6
• 2006 Thomas Paine's "Rights of Man": A Biography. Books That Shook the World/Atlantic Books, ISBN 1-84354-513-6
• 2005 Thomas Jefferson: Author of America. Eminent Lives/Atlas Books/HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN 0-06-059896-4
• 2004 Love, Poverty, and War: Journeys and Essays. Thunder's Mouth, Nation Books, ISBN 1-56025-580-3
• 2003 A Long Short War: The Postponed Liberation of Iraq. Plume Books
• 2002 Why Orwell Matters, Basic Books (US)/UK edition as Orwell's Victory, Allen Lane/The Penguin Press.
• 2001 The Trial of Henry Kissinger. Verso.
• 2001 Letters to a Young Contrarian. Basic Books.
• 2000 Unacknowledged Legislation: Writers in the Public Sphere. Verso.
• 1999 No One Left to Lie To: The Triangulations of William Jefferson Clinton. Verso. Reissued as No One Left to Lie To: The Values of the Worst Family in 2000.
• 1995 The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice. Verso.
• 1993 For the Sake of Argument: Essays and Minority Reports. Verso, ISBN 0-86-091435-6
• 1990 Blood, Class, and Nostalgia: Anglo-American Ironies. Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Reissued 2004, with a new introduction, as Blood, Class and Empire: The Enduring Anglo-American Relationship, Nation Books, ISBN 1-56025-592-7)
• 1990 The Monarchy: A Critique of Britain's Favorite Fetish. Chatto & Windus, 1990.
• 1988 Prepared for the Worst: Selected Essays and Minority Reports. Hill and Wang (US)/Chatto and Windus (UK).
• 1987 Imperial Spoils: The Curious Case of the Elgin Marbles. Chatto and Windus (UK)/Hill and Wang (US, 1988) / 1997 UK Verso edition as The Elgin Marbles: Should They Be Returned to Greece? (with essays by Robert Browning and Graham Binns).
• 1984 Cyprus. Quartet. Revised editions as Hostage to History: Cyprus from the Ottomans to Kissinger, 1989 (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) and 1997 (Verso).

As sole editor

• 2007 The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Non-Believer. Perseus Publishing. ISBN 9780306816086

As co-author or co-editor

• 2008 Is Christianity Good for the World? – A Debate (co-author, with Douglas Wilson). Canon Press, ISBN 1-59128-053-2.
• 2008 Christopher Hitchens and His Critics: Terror, Iraq and the Left (with Simon Cottee and Thomas Cushman). New York University Press.
• 2002 Left Hooks, Right Crosses: A Decade of Political Writing (co-editor, with Christopher Caldwell).
• 1994 International Territory: The United Nations, 1945-1995 (with Adam Bartos). Verso.
• 1994 When Borders Bleed: The Struggle of the Kurds (with Ed Kashi). Pantheon Books.
• 1988 Blaming the Victims: Spurious Scholarship and the Palestinian Question (contributor; co-editor with Edward Said). Verso, ISBN 0-86091-887-4. Reissued, 2001.
• 1976 Callaghan, The Road to Number Ten (with Peter Kellner). Cassell, ISBN 0-304-29768-2

As a contributor

• 2008. Christopher Hitchens and His Critics: Terror, Iraq and the Left (co-edited by Simon Cottee and Thomas Cushman). New York University Press.
• 2005 A Matter of Principle: Humanitarian Arguments for War in Iraq, Thomas Cushman (editor). University of California Press, ISBN 0-520-24555-5
• 2000 Vanity Fair's Hollywood, Graydon Carter and David Friend (editors). Viking Studio.
• 2000 Safe Area Gorazde, Fantagraphics.

Allen, Sarah Addison

Allen, Sarah Addison "Garden Spells" Bantam: 2007

I like romantic fluff every so often. The only requirement is that the book must be logical, written well and fun. This book meets these requirements admirably. If you want to go somewhere beautiful...say a garden that is surrounded by a tall fence that is tucked away behind a small house in the smallest of towns that has a very special apple tree... and an enchanted story that will take you away from the mundane everyday world of the dirty dishes in the sink and the loud music next door ...ah this is the book. It does not hurt that Addison can write and describe everything so well and the people come alive and the ending comes much too soon. And if all this is too good to miss, the book has a sense of humor that makes one chuckle in the pages in delight.

Now, the only thing I don't know about is whether or not men will like this book as this woman does. Some may. It is educational too. There is herbs and flowers and the meanings of those plants. For instance, I did not know that a chive blossom ensures you will win an argument and is also an antidote for hurt feelings which is not a bad plant to have around the house when you live with someone.

Sydney is a member of the Waverleys in a small town and returns home with a young daughter to her sister, Claire who stayed and made a living as a successful caterer is uneasy with this return of her sister for both sisters were abandoned by their mother years before. The elderly cousin Evanelle distributes unexpected presents to her neighbors whose uses later become uncannily clear. All gather together to heal past wounds and to make a home in Bascom. Of course, romance plays an important part of this story creating the glue that blends and heals the rifts that were created years before.

As I said above, the only thing I can say about this book that is negative is that the book ended too soon for I was having too much fun in it.



Name of author: Allen, Sarah Addison
Dates of birth and death (if applicable):
Place of birth: Asheville, North Carolina, The United States
Education: B.A. in Literature (1994)
Literary movement associated with author: Southern Romance, magical, "chick lit"
Nationality: American
Notable award(s) or ideas (s):
Books and years when published: (two books so far)

"Garden Spells" Novel 2008 - 290 pages In this luminous debut novel, Sarah Addison Allen tells the story of that enchanted tree, and the extraordinary people who tend it.…The Waverleys have always ...

"The Sugar Queen" Novel - 2009 - 294 pages A Conversation with Sarah Addison Allen Random House Reader's Circle: What inspired the story of Tiif Sugar Queen? Sarah Addison Allen: I know someone who

Taylor, Patrick

Taylor, Patrick "An Irish Country Doctor" A Tom Doherty Associates Book: 2004


Dr. Barry Laverty, a brand new doctor barely finds Ballybucklebo, Northern Ireland for his interview with the doctor that practices there. He has just graduated from the medical school of the Queen's University of Belfast and has no clear plans on what he wants to do in his medical career. All he wants to do at that point is earn enough to pay off the loan on his beat up Volkswagen. His tale of working with Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly and the people of Ballybucklebo is enough to warm one's heart and soul on any evening. This book is not all sugar and sweet for Dr. Laverty makes mistakes as all new doctors do and he learns to be a seasoned doctor under the mature instruction of Dr. O'Reilly but he learns to be a more balanced human being in the process.

Taylor is a good writer and brings this village and all of the people to life. Being a doctor himself he has the background and knowledge to know what it takes to be a doctor in rural Northern Ireland. Taylor cares about his patients and about the quality of care his patients get. In some books, there are sections one just skims through to get to the parts that matter. Taylor knows how to leave those parts out.


Name of author: Patrick Taylor
Dates of birth : 1941
Place of birth: (brought up in Bangor, Northern Ireland) It is unclear where he was born.
Education: He attended Queens University of Belfast from 1958-1964. Post-graduate training led to his qualifying as an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist in 1969.

Literary movement associated with author:He published more than 100 original research papers and has co-authored six textbooks. He was Editor in Chief of the Journal of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, (JSOGC), 1990 to 1999.

He is a recipient of:

• US International Foundation for Studies in Reproduction; Chairman’s Award 1987.


• Society of Obstetricians and Gyanecologists of Canada; President’s Award 1998


• Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society, Lifetime Award of Excellence in Reproductive Medicine 2000

Writing has been an integral part of his life. An early interest in fiction had to take a back seat to scholarly works for 20 years, until he began to find outlets for his less academic endeavours when invited in 1989 to contribute to a monthly humour column, En Passant to the JSOGC. This became bi-monthly in 1990 with TF Baskett completing the work in alternate months.



The sequel, An Irish Country Village, was published in February 2008 and the third in the series, An Irish Country Christmas, will be released in November 2008. All three will be published in Ireland and the UK by Brandon Books, Dingle.

Nationality: Republic of Ireland
Notable award(s) or ideas (s):In 2004, The Apprenticeship of Doctor Laverty (Insomniac Press) appeared and was short listed for a BC Books Fiction Prize. Tom Doherty and Associates of New York bought this work and republished it as An Irish Country Doctor. It achieved New York Times best seller status in both hard back (2007) and trade paper (2008) editions. The hard cover edition was a Book of the Month Club Novel of the Month in March 2007. The trade paper edition also became a Canadian best seller. It is being translated into Dutch, German, and Spanish and has been or will be condensed by Readers Digest in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada, Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Brazil, and Finland.

Books and years when published:

An Irish Country Christmas Tom Doherty and Associates NY NY ISBN 13:978-0-7653-2070-4 Barry Laverty is looking forward to his first Christmas in Ballybucklebo. That is until he learns his sweetheart, Patricia Spence may not be coming home from Cambridge. The arrival of a rival practitioner whose brand of quackerey threatens both O'Reilly's practice and the health of the villagers can only add to Barry's worries. But the wintry days are not without their tidings of comfort and joy. Between parties, the kiddies' Christmas Pageant, and their busy practice the two physicians still find time to to play Santa to a struggling single mother with a sick child and no money. Snow is rare in Ulster, and so are miracles, but that doesn't mean they never happen... An Irish Country Village Tom Doherty and Associates NY NY ISBN 13:978-0-7653-1624-0 Young Doctor Barry Laverty has only just begun his assistantship under his eccentric mentor, Doctor Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly, but already he feels at home in Ballybucklebo. When the sudden death of a patient casts a cloud over Barry's reputation his chances of establishing himself in the village are endangered, especially as the grieving widow is threatening to sue. He must regain the trust of the villager one patient at a time. Not all the challenges the doctors face are medical.When a greedy developer sets his sights on the Black Swan pub (locally known as the Mucky Duck) it is up to O'Reilly and Laverty to prevent it from being turned into a chrome and plastic tourist trap. An Irish Country Village is an ideal place to visit for wit, warmth, and just touch of blarney. Opinion: Full of stories and vivid characters An Irish Country Village recalls a good night in a pub. Good, light, entertainment. Booklist. Now and in the Hour of Our Death. Running from the sectarian carnage of Northern Ireland Fiona Kavanagh has found sanctuary in the peace of Vancouver. Or so she thinks until she hears of the breakout from the Maze prison in Ulster and that the man she loved,still loves, Davy McCutcheon is among the escapees. From secret IRA meetings in Tyrone, to the claustrophobic world of the inmates of a maximum security prison, to the easy tranquility of Vancouver the story describes with delicate precision and painstaking attention to detail the events that set the escape plan in motion and the fate of one small partry of escapees--including Davy. The novel is a haunting prayer to the lives of those bound by ties of patriotism and the intimate battles we fight to release our hearts from the bonds of love and loyalty Pray for Us Sinners Insomniac Press Toronto. 2000 ISBN1-895837-61-8 Recuperating in hospital from the effects of the detonation of a bomb he was trying to defuse Lieutenant Marcus Richardson wonders how to get out of explosives work with his dignity intact. Major John Smith appears with an answer. A final undercover mission then an appointment to the elite SAS. Moving into the Catholic ghetto of the Falls Road Richardson assumes the identity of a Republican sympathizer with explosives expertise. He is soon introduced to Davy McCutcheon,IRA bomb maker. As Richardson, constantly in danger of exposure and immediate execution,gets to know the other side he finds that conflict in Ulster is not as black and white as it seems. The story reaches its climax in a deserted farmhouse close to a bridge where Davy has planted a bomb to assassinate the British Prime Minister and Marcus must somehow stop Davy. Opinion: Pray for Us Sinners is written with heartfelt urgency to explain Ulster rather than demonize the place and the population. A deeply felt thriller and a very valuable one. John Doyle. Globe and Mail. Only Wounded: Ulster Stories. Key Porter Books Toronto. 1997 ISBN 1-55013-809-X This collection of short stories is set in my native Ulster and paints 16 pictures of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary times. It takes no sides, but rather tries to explore the emotions of staunch Loyalists, Committed Republicans and above all Ulsterfolk who wanted nothing more than to be allowed to live in peace. An Irish Country Doctor When in 1964 Doctor Barry Laverty, fresh from training, joins the rural Irish practice of Doctor Fingal Flahertie O’Reilly, he finds that not only is his senior colleague distinctly eccentric, but so is the tiny village of Ballybucklebo and its denizens. In the succeeding month Barry learns a great deal about medicine, life, and love. Awards/distinctions: Short listed for the Ethel Wilson Books in BC fiction award 2005. NY Times best-seller. USA Today best-seller Canadian National Post, Quill and Quire, Vancouver Sun best seller. Book of the Month Club Novel of the Month, March 2007.

Selected Works Fiction An Irish Country Christmas Tom Doherty and Associates NY NY ISBN 13:978-0-7653-2070-4 The adventures of young Doctor Barry Laverty and his mentor, Doctor Fingal Flaherty O'Reilly continue in Ballybucklebo in this third book in the Irish Country series. An Irish Country Village Tom Doherty and Associates NY NY ISBN 13:978-0-7653-1624-0 The sequel to An Irish Country Doctor follows the further misadventures of Doctors Laverty and O'Reilly as they practice in the Ulster village of Ballybucklebo in the Sixties. Now and in the Hour of Our Death. The sequel to Pray for Us Sinners follows the life of Davy McCutcheon IRA bomb maker as he joins the 1983 break out from the Maze Prison in an attempt to rejoin Fiona Kavanagh, the woman he loves. Pray for Us Sinners Insomniac Press Toronto. 2000 ISBN1-895837-61-8 In Belfast in 1974 British Army bomb disposal expert Marcus Richardson goes undercover to try to identify the source of the bombs being used by the Provisional IRA. Only Wounded: Ulster Stories. Key Porter Books Toronto. 1997 ISBN 1-55013-809-X A collection of short stories\set in Northern Ireland during the recent Troubles 1969-1994 An Irish Country Doctor “James Herriot and Maeve Binchy fans, this novel is for you.” --Book of the Month Club

Slow, the last luxury

I was at a Starbucks Coffee Shop the other day having coffee and reading a book. It was Sunday and I had already read the Sunday New York Times at home. I was at a table with someone I meet with every so often there. She was reading the Times slowly. The man at the next table was getting agitated for some reason and he kept looking at my friend who is an elderly woman in her early 60's. He was a young man in his 20's.

"Do you have to take so long to read that paper?" He finally burst out to her.

My friend looked up at him: "I beg your pardon?" She said obviously surprised as I was.

"You have had that paper for over an hour. There are no more newspapers." He said and motioned to an empty newspaper stand.

"Oh." She said looking at him. "What section do you want?"

"I will decide. Just give me the whole paper. You have had it long enough." He said.

"Look, I was willing to share the paper, but this paper is mine. I paid for it when I bought my coffee." She said.

"That's true." I said.

The young man looked very embarrassed and got up almost knocking his coffee over. "You read too damn slow anyway." He said as he left.

My friend looked at me and smiled. "It took me so long to learn to slow down when I read. There is a lot of good articles in the Times. I don't want to miss any of it. I was just reading in the paper today that being slow is the last luxury and I truly believe that."

I thought about that conversation a lot since coming home. I used to read novels, biographies, whatever very fast because I felt in a hurry to digest all of the wonderful books in the world. Heavens knows there were a bunch that were coming out everyday and more that were around from times past. Even then, I felt there were more books to read now than ever before and I saw the growing stacks of books for me to read growing higher and higher every day.

Then I started to read books that were ones that I had read before and forgotten. I had read the books earlier fast and furious and missed so much. There are books one needs to read over and over again. I found out when I slowed down and had a pencil in my hand I gained more in that first reading then when I read the way I did before.

I am reading a book in which I wanted to write something about in here. So, I chose one small selection by random and read it slower than I would have. At the end of the short piece I was amazed to what I had just read. I could not believe that the author was that great of a writer, but he was. I was not the reader he deserved. I read an essay by someone else and went very slow and it happened again. It was a great essay and I thought one of the best essays I have ever read on writing and reading. I had already read it and thought it was alright. It had deserved a reader who slowed down and just read it. I have a suspicion that my friend in Starbucks was exactly right. In reading slow is a luxury I can't afford to forget and not nurture.

I am going to write about those two selections taken by random tomorrow. What I did want to write about today is that I have been reading too fast, writing too fast and maybe going through life too fast. It's not important to read all of the books that are out there, but it is important to read the ones that I am reading well. Being slow is a wonderful luxury.

Take your kids and/or grandkids to bookstores

Today, I took one of my grandchildren to a Barnes and Noble Bookstore. We have often done this before and I have been doing this for all of my children and grandchildren although not necessarily Barnes and Noble.

They are fun places to go. Barnes and Nobles are well lighted, have places in the store to buy coffee and other drinks, chairs, overstuffed chairs and lots and lots of books. They have a corner of the store that is for kids only and staff willing to work with kids and adults so they can find the book they want. There are sales of 50% off merchandise and books, sale priced books and fully priced books.

If you are short on funds, it is fun just to sit and go through the books. My grandson did that today and looked through a book that had pictures and text about tree-houses all over the world. I really had fun with this book. I did not know such tree-houses existed. There was one tree-house in France that looked like a ship (gallon) and the inside looked like a captain's cabin. There was a tree-house that belonged to the singer, Sting.

I ended up buying a magazine that was about writing and a book for my grandson that was about time travel. He went through many books before he sent his mind on that one. I told him how I choose books. I always read the first page, a random page but never the ending. My mother always reads the endings because she does not want "an unhappy ending."

When I was a kid, there were few bookstores in the small town I grew up in, but I could take the public bus and go into town where there were a bunch of wonderful second-hand bookstores which I patronized regularly although I was very poor. There were bookstores that sold new books too but I could not afford them. My family never took me to them nor to the library although a relative did. It was how I discovered books and a life-long passion for learning.

Books that I am currently reading

Currently reading:
Author: Title: Comments:

Cox, Sidney "Indirections for those who want to Write" It is a bit old and wordy but well worth reading at least so far.

O'Conner, Patricia T. "Words Fail Me: What Everyone who Writes Should Know about Writing"
I just began to read this book.

Pattison, Eliot "The Skull Mantra" This novel won the Edgar. It is going well and is easy to read.

Pamuk, Orhan "Other Colors: Essays and a Story" This author is from Turkey and won the Nobel Prize in Literature a few years ago. This is my first attempt to read him. The book was on sale.

Turgenev, Ivan "Sketches From a Hunter's Album" This was recommended by one of my books that I put somewhere and not listed here. This is a surprise for me. I love it. It is a wonderful little book.

Zafon, Carlos Ruiz "The Angel's Game" I loved this author's last book, "The Shadow of the Wind" but am finding this book hard to get through. I have not given up as yet.

Currently re-reading:

Altman, Donald "Art of the Inner Meal: Eating as a Spiritual Path" This is another book that I had read before but forgot. I saw my notes and the date that I read it.

Kornfield, Jack "After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path" I thought I bought this book and forgot it. Imagine my surprise when I opened it and found my notes all through the book. It is well worth reading it again.

Unfinished Books, a short essay of a sort

This evening I was reading a murder mystery that won all sort of awards and I saw at the very beginning what I thought were major faults. The protagonist did things that I did not understand and found a body that he considered to be a very old body and not a new one. Why? I had to read the back of the book to find out if the body was old or new. I hated the book, but I paid good money for it. What to do? I put it on a stack of unfinished books that is on a book case.

There is a best seller, by someone who won the National Book Award AND a Pulitzer Prize Award. The book is on the New York Times Best Seller List. I am bored with it. I just get get through with it. I try and try and I just don't care what happens to the characters. It goes on the list that is on a book case.

There is this book that everyone that I know is raving about. A friend buys me a copy and I read it over lunch. I hate it. It is nothing but warmed up Buddhism. It, too, is on the best seller list. I put it on my reject list. I know the friend paid very good money for it, but I skimmed it which is the same as not reading it at all.

I have a lot of books I start and never finish and books that I don't enjoy. On the other hand, I have books that some people hated and I loved them. I am trying so hard to read this book by a poet who died very young and everyone around the world say he is a genus. I hate the book.

On the other hand, I have tried to read books at one time in my life, was confused by them and then read them years later and loved them. That was how it was with "Of Human Bondage" by Somerset Maugham. I just did not understand the plot as a young person but did as an adult. Some writers I loved as a teenager and as an adult such as Ernest Hemingway. I throw away a lot of murder mysteries as being just too stupid. I don't want to know who the murderer is by the first three chapters. Of course, reading classic novels has that problem in that the reader often knows the plot only two well because it is part of the culture. I have not read "Don Quixote" by Cervantes as yet and am planning to soon, but I know the plot. Its still worth reading. I love F. Scott Fitzgerald especially "The Great Gatsby" but I think I never really understood it until I was over middle-aged. These authors are the more well known ones. I still feel guilty for not finishing a book especially one that is rated highly. I have one book I paid full price for two years ago and I am still trying to finish it. It won the National Book Award too. I just don't care what happens to the characters. I love Sarah Addison Allen who writes romantic fluff but I love her romantic fluff and I read through her books in one or two sittings.

Now, in my house I have a fairly large library and stacks and stacks of books that I started and never finished. What to do? What to do? I wish I could just put them someplace. I have thought about going to the public library late at night, making sure all books don't have my name and putting them in the slot. I just might do that. I have done that in the past. I put all of my Michael Crichton 's books down the slot when I had to admit to myself that I did not want to read his books. He had written me some nice letters once a long time ago. I had felt guilty for it since. Yes, I need to throw those books down the library slot because the books that I don't want to read might be the ones someone is dying to read. People read Danielle Steele and Nora Roberts' books and I never do, but I don't have them. I certainly won't throw them away in the trash. I might take them to the Veterans Hospital and there is a place for veterans to take them if they want for free.