The “Alex McKnight” Series

The “Alex McKnight” Series

Author: Steve Hamilton
Rating: 4/5 Stars (Series Average)
Reviewer: Robert

Michigan may be the only state where a day’s car travel can take you from Hell (Livingston County) to Paradise (Chippewa County). Once in Paradise, past the town’s only crossroad, you’ll hit a crisscross of old lumber trails leading darkly into the Upper Peninsula’s deep woods. Had you kept going north, you’d soon get to Lake Superior, where the Edmund Fitzgerald foundered in 1975.

            

But don’t go to the lake. Take one of those rutted side roads. Take the one that leads you to Alex McKnight’s cabins. Rent one. Maybe he’ll tell you of his life, and how he’s fared since leaving the Detroit police force with a bullet near his heart. If you’re lucky, and it’s not winter there (September through June most years), you can walk with him to his friend Vinnie’s cabin, and hear how he and Vinnie have bonded, helping to save each other’s lives, and learn of his native Ojibwa family.

            

Maybe you can share a truck ride to the Glasgow Inn, have a cold Canadian by the fire. You may even ride all the way to Sault Ste. Marie; it’s a small big town, a border town, given to border smuggling and nasty cops. It’s a cold town. So is Paradise. But it often heats up when Alex’s police instincts kick in, and he comes across evil men as cold as the town.

            

Can’t make the trip today? Maybe you can. Steve Hamilton has penned a set of award winning books about Alex. I’d suggest you read ‘em in order. Get to know Alex, and get to know his friends and their histories, much as Alex does. I wouldn’t be surprised if you bonded with them.

            

And besides, who doesn’t want to go to Paradise?

Alex McKnight
1. A Cold Day in Paradise (1998)
2. Winter of the Wolf Moon (2000)
3. The Hunting Wind (2001)
4. North of Nowhere (2002)
5. Blood Is The Sky (2003)
6. Ice Run (2004)
7. A Stolen Season (2006)
8. Misery Bay (2011)
9. Die a Stranger (2012)
(Coming in July) 10. Let It Burn (2013)

The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle

Author: Jeannette Walls
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Reviewer: Lydia

“I was on fire.”

So begins The Glass Castle, a novel that is riveting and repulsive in equal measure. This autobiography was on the New York Times Bestseller List for weeks, and the beautiful writing and the stunning, if sometimes improbable-seeming story, live up to the hype.

The Glass Castle is a memoir in which Walls recounts her childhood of extreme and abject poverty—a childhood made all the more bittersweet because it could have been easily avoided. Her parents were nomads who despised normal nine-to-five jobs and everyday familial responsibilities. They lived in decrepit houses—if they even had a house at all—they didn’t attend public schools, they didn’t receive proper nutrition and medical care, and they lived in a constant state of danger and depravity.

There are many graphic scenes throughout the novel which involve children. For example, the book begins with the quote above when Jeanette is cooking by herself at three years old and ends up on fire. What ensues is a humorous, albeit horrific, escapade involving the Walls and the local hospital. This humorous streak continues throughout the book, even as Jeannette recalls how she resorted to eating food with maggots in it and how her brother had to put a tarp over his bunk bed in order to avoid being rained on from the hole in the ceiling.

What surprised me the most about this book is the way in which Jeannette forgives her parents, one of whom is deceased, despite everything that had happened to her and her siblings. As written in the story, Jeannette managed to make her way to New York City, attend an elite school, and become a famous writing living on Park Avenue (of all places!). This irony is explained better in the book. All in all, this memoir reads more like a fictional tale, and Walls’ writing style is descriptive and gorgeous, even as she recounts a life filled with much pain and sadness. Walls opens the reader’s eyes to the startling and glaring truth of poverty in twenty-first century America.

The Running Dream

The Running Dream
By: Wendelin Van Draanen
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Reviewer: Sue

Summary: Jessica, a high school track star, loses part of her leg in a tragic bus accident on the way home from a track meet.  The Running Dream is a book about the challenges, emotions, pain, and social aspects that Jessica goes through as she comes to deal with her new situation.  All Jessica wants to do is run (and she is good!), so when they tell her she will be able to walk again, it is definitely not what she wants to hear.  With the support of family, friends, a coach, and her track teammates, Jessica may actually be able to run again.  But now she has a new goal. She wants to push her new friend Rosa’s wheelchair across the finish line.  It is important that everyone sees Rosa as a person, and not just see her disability. Winner of the 2012 Schneider Family Book Award.

Review: The Running Dream is a very inspirational book.  It makes you think about what Jessica is going through, how others react to the new Jessica, and how Jessica must rethink her personal dreams.  I found this book hard to put down.  While the subject could have been depressing, this is really an upbeat book. 

Scarlet

Scarlet

By: Stephen Lawhead
Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewer: Liz

Summary:
After losing everything he owns, forester Will Scarlet embarks on a search for none other than King Raven, whose exploits have already become legendary. After fulfilling his quest--and proving himself a skilled and loyal companion--Will joins the heroic archer and his men.

Now, however, Will is in prison for a crime he did not commit. His sentence is death by hanging--unless he delivers King Raven and his band of cohorts.

That, of course, he will never do.

Wales is slowly falling under the control of the invading Normans, and King William the Red has given his ruthless barons control of the land. In desperation, the people turn to King Raven and his men for justice and survival in the face of the ever-growing onslaught.

From deep in the forest they form a daring plan for deliverance, knowing that failure means death for them all.

Review:

A great way to keep things fresh by changing perspective on the story, Scarlet picks up some time after “Hood” ends. Will recounts what happened in the in-between time, and he has a magical way of weaving a story.

Small Medium at Large

Small Medium at Large
By: Joanne Levy
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Christi

Summary: After being hit by lightning, twelve-year-old Lilah, who has a crush on classmate Andrew Finkel, discovers that she can communicate with dead people, including her grandmother who wants Lilah to find a new wife for Lilah's divorced father.

Review: A must on your daughter’s summer reading list! This is a funny and wonderfully warm story of Lilah who gets struck by lightning and wakes up able to hear ghosts. One of those ghosts is Bubby, her grandma, who wants her to get her dad dating again. Levy’s talent as the author to mix both the supernatural and realistic elements to make a believable story is spot on. She really captures the tween girl issues too – first crush, first dances, and first kisses with a lot of heart. My favorite part was Lilah going bra shopping. This book might be quirky but that’s what I like about it! Check out the trailer for this book on the author’s website http://joannelevy.com/.

Stakeland

Stakeland

Director: Jim Mickle

Rating: 1 (3) /5 Stars

Reviewer: Todd

 

Stakeland was an interesting drama set in a dystopian world right after the fall of our current society. It displayed the dualistic sides of humanity’s potential: the side that would welcome their fellows and the side that would desire to subjugate anyone not under their sway.  The story focuses through the main character Martin as he travels with “Mister”, a man able to survive in this new age and trains Martin to do so,  to fulfill a promise to get Martin to safety. Along their way they meet others trying to get to the safe haven in the north called Eden. But their travels between the safe havens are plagued by The Brotherhood who had a hand bringing the world to the state it is in. The Brotherhood see themselves as superior and given the right to commit horrendous atrocities against people for race, faith, or not submitting to them by God. Hunted, not everyone survives the perilous journey to Eden. It’s a story of the struggle to remain alive and sane with this small band of people who forge themselves into a family.

That’s the good news about Stakeland. The bad news is that it’s not just a dystopian horror film. It’s also a zombie apocalypse film filled with vampires instead of zombies. The end of the world, not just western society, happened because of these creatures.  The safe havens are all about being protected from the vampires, not just the people who want to attack others for various reasons. What’s learned about the vampires when viewed as a whole makes little sense because with a little logic it makes their threat levels confounding and makes it hard to suspend disbelief.

 

Because the main focus of the movie is the vampire element I have to give the movie one star, but  If I were to rate it solely on the horror and drama from the human elements I’d give it a solid three stars.

It's a Dog's Life; How Man's Best Friend Sees, Hears, and Smells the World

It's a Dog's Life: How Man's Best Friend Sees, Hears, and Smells the World

By: Susan E. Goodman
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Denise

Summary: This book is filled with dog facts that both children and parents will learn for the first time from a dog’s point-of-view. Author Susan E. Goodman explains the history of dogs and their behavior in a fun, kid-friendly way. You’ll find out such facts as what a dog’s body language means and how to tell what your dog is trying to tell you with his different sounding barks.  

Review: This excellent children’s book is filled with entertaining facts that will keep your child reading and will have you happily reading along too. Funny illustrations fill each page and add something special to this book. This is a helpful children’s non-fiction book about dogs that explains why dogs are the way they are in an interesting and easy way for kids.