There is a small minority of Christians who are obsessed with Revelations and the so-called "end of days" prophecies. Warrior From Heaven begins with a preface that says all of the prophesies are true and "the most difficult portion of the Bible to interpret." (p. ix) Of course, though, this book will be able to accomplish that Herculean task! Further more the book accomplishes three goals: 1) it highlights the prophesies not yet fulfilled, 2) it puts them in chronological order and 3) are written about the present-tense in a journalistic fashion.

The very first chapter starts off with Christianity's biggest flaw, namely, that only Christians will make it into Heaven at the end of days. Extremists will go one further and say that only the most devout of certain sects will get in. The second problem is the agreed upon location, Jerusalem, a holy city to not only Christians but Jews and Muslims. The book tries to dance around the unpleasant truths of Christian hatred to non-Christians.

The book goes on to explain how we should be wary of a peace talks in the Middle East because the man who brings them together (and will be from there) will be Gog (Anti-Christ). He will collude with Israel in the name of peace. So there you go, non-Christians despite the initial promise to not fall into the old anti-Semitic traps will still be the cause of the world going to hell in a hand basket.

The book goes on like this for another 200 pages. I will spare you the details. It's an incoherent rambling on the most whacked out book of the New Testament. Interspersed with the author's "journalistic" account of the "future" are long quotes from the Bible slapped right onto the page with little thought to formatting. The chapter and verse citation are then in the margins making for a busy and eye hurting display of text. At least it fits the ranting tone of the message!

books | nonfiction | Kermit Zarley | 2009

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© 2009 Sarah Sammis. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. ]]> review books nonfiction Kermit Zarley 2009 Sarah Sammis 09 Jul 2009 15:30 PST http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/warrior_heaven.html http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/warrior_heaven.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pussreboots/~3/F6vqye6xybw/what_my_kids_are_reading_07.html An update on what we are reding.

Here it is Thursday again and time my favorite meme. We're on week seven of "What Are My Children Reading" and this week's reading is in part a repeat of last week's reading.

Sean:
Sean and I are working our way through Hoot. We've now finished chapter three and he's asking all sorts of interesting questions. This week we talked about two main conflicts in the books:

1. Who is the criminal; the prankster who has upset the construction or the construction team that wants to hurt the owls?
2. Why it's important to tell your parents when bad things happen at school?

These are his questions to me, not mine to him. I'm very pleased that he's able to pick up on the topics of the book at such a young age.

Sean is also still working through the riddles of What is the Name of This Book? with Ian. Besides riddles, he is passionate about monsters. I'm not talking typical movie monsters but new ones. He loves to make up his own monsters or try to draw monsters based on what Ian, Harriet or I describe. When I saw A Field Guide to Monsters by Johan Olaster at the library I knew I had to borrow it for him. He loves it and will probably be writing his own field guide soon. Also from the library I got On Beyond Zebra! by Dr. Seuss based on Sean's recommendation. He had read it in first grade but I have never read it. Now we are reading it together.

With Ian, he is also working his way through What is the Name of This Book? by Raymond M. Smullyan. I'm not sure how far along he is in the book but I do know he loves the riddles in it.

Sean and Harriet:
One set of books that both my children are passionate about is the I Spy series. Last night I splurged and got them two more for their collection: I Spy School Days and I Spy Fun House. We have already started reading both of them. We work through a few pages each night before bed. I have to alternate between books to make sure each child gets his or her time to look for things. It's a little confusing for me but it keeps them happy.

books | childrens | meme

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© 2009 Sarah Sammis. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. ]]> review books childrens meme Sarah Sammis 09 Jul 2009 12:45 PST http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/what_my_kids_are_reading_07.html http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/what_my_kids_are_reading_07.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pussreboots/~3/xBnD70LM9r4/night_watch.html As the title implies, it follows the Watch again with Vimes as the protagonist. Night Watch is the last of a bunch of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels that my husband bought for me two years ago. As the title implies, it follows the Watch again with Vimes as the protagonist. This time, though, Vimes is doing double duty, having found himself back in time thirty years to train himself as a young recruit.

Ankh-Morpork was a much rougher city back then and it's on the brink of revolution. Vimes remembers this time and how his commanding officer, John Keel, kept him alive and taught him how to be a proper officer of the watch during these dangerous weeks. Now on the flip side, Vimes is in the role of John Keel and he doesn't feel like the hero he remembers.

As with so many of his later books, Night Watch is long. While the overdose of puns are missing the book still has pacing problems. There are some brilliant scenes that drew me right in but they were spread out between pages of Vimes's internal monologue or of the Watch milling around. I know that's what they do when they aren't being forced to work but this late in the series do I really need to be reminded of it?

Fans of time travel stories, the Watch books from the Discworld series and ravid fans of Terry Pratchett will enjoy Night Watch. Anyone who doesn't fit into any of those categories can safely give the book a pass.

Discworld novels in order of publication:

The Color of Magic (1983)
The Light Fantastic (1986)
Equal Rites (1987)
Mort (1987)
Sourcery (1988)
Wyrd Sisters (1988)
Pyramids (1989)
Guards! Guards! (1989)
Faust Eric (1990)
Moving Pictures (1990)
Reaper man (1991)
Witches Abroad (1991)
Small Gods (1992)
Lords and Ladies (1992)
Men at Arms (1993)
Soul Music (1994)
Interesting Times (1994)
Maskerade (1995)
Feet of Clay (1996)
Hogfather (1996)
Jingo (1997)
The Last Continent (1998)
Carpe Jugulum (1998)
The Fifth Elephant (1999)
The Truth (2000)
Thief of Time (2001)
The Last Hero (2001)
The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents (2001)
Night Watch (2002)
The Wee Free Men (2003)
Monstrous Regiment (2003)
A Hat Full of Sky (2004)
Going Postal (2004)
Thud! (2005)
Wintersmith (2006)
Making Money (2007)
Unseen Academicals (2009)

books | scfi | Terry Pratchett | 2002

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© 2009 Sarah Sammis. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. ]]> review books scifi Terry Pratchett 2002 Sarah Sammis 08 Jul 2009 15:47 PST http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/night_watch.html http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/night_watch.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pussreboots/~3/rCr2amyl9kM/second_ship.html The book follows three teens, Jennifer, Heather and Mark, who find a ship crashed in the hills just outside of the National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico. 07/07/09
The Second Ship by Richard Phillips is the first book in the Rho Agenda. As it was sent unsolicited and as it has such strong Christian undertones, I wasn't expecting to like it. Despite those two hits against it before I even opened the book, the first novel is pretty good.

The book follows three teens, Jennifer, Heather and Mark, who find a ship crashed in the hills just outside of the National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico. After their initial encounter the begin to bond with the ship and it reveals the secrets behind a sixty year cover up that started with the original Roswell crash in 1947.

Meanwhile things are heating up at the labs. Scientists close to the project are ending up dead and the conspiracy might go all the way to the top. Through some good luck and alien aided engineering the teens find a way to uncover the truth and expose the criminals.

While the book takes place in "present day" and modern technology is used and discussed at length in the novel, book's tone had a strong Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys feel to it. First of all, the teens can do no wrong and they are close with their families. Second, they above all others are able to find the clues that everyone else seems to have missed (including the big ship lying in the wilderness). Finally, their word choices make them sound much older than they are. It's not that they are using out of date slang; they hardly use any slang at all. Instead, their names for things are out of date. The one that jumped out at me most was "computer banks" instead of just "computer" but there is a more general older style of grammar and word choice for the teens much in the same way that Nancy Drew sounds like a teen out of the 1910s instead of the 1930s in the earliest books.

books | scfi | Richard Phillips | 2009

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© 2009 Sarah Sammis. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. ]]> review books scifi Richard Phillips 2009 Sarah Sammis 07 Jul 2009 19:57 PST http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/second_ship.html http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/second_ship.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pussreboots/~3/H6JLXgwrnUU/kittens_first_full_moon.html In black and white line drawings it tells the story of a young kitten out to explore during a full moon. Unfortunately for the young cat the moon looks like a big bowl of cream. Kittens First Full Moon is written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes and is a Caldecott Medal Winner (2005). In black and white line drawings it tells the story of a young kitten out to explore during a full moon. Unfortunately for the young cat the moon looks like a big bowl of cream.

The illustrations are done in the style of a graphic novel or manga. They are bold, expressive and could easily carry the story without the text. Sometimes my daughter just likes to leaf through the book to admire the artwork without having me read the book to her.

Kittens First Full Moon is the perfect book for a night time read when we don't have time to read a book to each child. It has the adventure elements that my son enjoys and it has an adorable kitten for Harriet. This book is one that both kids picked out together and it continues to delight them.

Read other reviews at: Best Children's Books, LME 518, Family and Friends, Katie's Literature Lounge, 219 Spring 09, Piñata, Ashley Herdon's Reading Blog, Blog for SLIS 5420, Green Eggs and Mrs. Ham, Maisie Quinn Library and Wilhote Book Blog.

books | childrens | Kevin Henkes | 2004

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© 2009 Sarah Sammis. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. ]]> review books childrens Kevin Henkes 2004 Sarah Sammis 06 Jul 2009 19:12 PST http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/kittens_first_full_moon.html http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/kittens_first_full_moon.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pussreboots/~3/z8GyJTc9L_8/fairy_glade.html The first three and I think the final one were written as Christmas Gifts for her daughter in the late 1960s. The remaining one, "The Dove" was written for her grandson. Dawn Beautmont-Lane wrote the five fairytales in Fairy Glade and Other Enchanting Stories for her family. The first three and I think the final one were written as Christmas Gifts for her daughter in the late 1960s. The remaining one, "The Dove" was written for her grandson.

Four of the five stories are the sort of non violent, magical journey or easy heroism type stories we've come to expect from children's fiction in the last few decades. They involve children spending a magical time in the Fairy Glade (without consequences), a Teddy Bear bravely saving a train from derailment, and a frog and lizard becoming fast friends despite their differences. They are all fine little stories though lacking the colorful illustrations that usually would come with them.

It's only really "The Dove" that stands out from the crowd. It is a sad story of a young male dove who leaves his nest after his father has left the family for a younger female dove. Too depressed to face the loss of his father he decides to fly away to somewhere across the sea.

Of course once across the sea he is still nagged by his sad feelings and now he misses his mother and siblings. He is given the advice to go home to his mother and siblings because they must be missing him too. He does and along the way learns the value of family even in the hardships of divorce.

Read other reviews at: The Book Faery Reviews and World of Books and eBooks.

books | childrens | Dawn Beaumont-Lane | 2008

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© 2009 Sarah Sammis. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. ]]> review books childrens Dawn Beaumont-Lane 2008 tag tag tag Sarah Sammis 05 Jul 2009 19:51 PST http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/fairy_glade.html http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/fairy_glade.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pussreboots/~3/1aDAkDhU8mA/fsf_one_bright_star.html John C. Wright, as the introduction explains, has written nine novels and has recently turned towards expanding on the works of others. John C. Wright, as the introduction explains, has written nine novels and has recently turned towards expanding on the works of others. In other words, he gets paid to write fan fiction. "On Bright Star to Guide Them" is one of these "expanded" stories, a piece of fantasy that builds on the Carbonel series by Barbara Sleigh.

I've only read the first book in the series so I have a feeling I've just read a whole bunch of spoilers by reading "One Bright Star to Guide Them." That's one of the pitfalls of reading fanfic.

So like Hook, "On Bright Star to Guide Them" revisits the characters long after they've had their adventure. It starts with Tommy who is trying to get into his flat and is shivering in the October cold. He's lost his keys and he makes a prayer to find them. Instead, he finds a very familiar cat wearing a very familiar key.

Tybalt, son of Carbonel, calls on Tommy to go on a dangerous quest to save humanity from a rising darkness. He takes up the call, throwing aside his humdrum adult life for the sort of adventure he hasn't had since he was a child. Unfortunately his remaining companions don't share he love of adventure or his belief in magic. He is seen as off his rocker and must contend with well meaning authorities who wish to see him committed for his own good.

The central theme of this story is one of innocence and it's inherent magical potential. To set apart the adult world from the children's world of magic and imagination, the story is much darker than I remember Carbonel: King of Cats being. Tommy is also forced to sacrifice the hero of his own childhood fantasies to save the world (and prove his faith in the magic behind his fantasies). Here the story collides head-on with The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and I found the resulting mashup disconcerting and out of step with the one book I've read.

fantasy science fiction magazine | fiction | short story | John C. Wright | 2009

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© 2009 Sarah Sammis. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. ]]> review fantasy science fiction magazine short story fiction Mark C Wright 2009 Sarah Sammis 04 Jul 2009 18:25 PST http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/fsf_one_bright_star.html http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/fsf_one_bright_star.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pussreboots/~3/CeaXh_ipVVM/swanns_way_01.html Can't sleep... clown will eat me. Swann's Way (Du côté de chez Swann) is the first of a seven volume fictionalized autobiography. I'm reading the Modern Library version, translated by C.K. Scott Moncrieff. I don't have a fixed schedule for how much I plan to read in a week or when I plan to finish this volume. I plan to read at a leisurely pace and see how far I get. When I come to a natural stopping point or run out of time in a week, I'll put the book aside and think about my weekly post.

As an interesting side note, Swann's Way was rejected by a number of publishers. Proust finally convinced a publisher to publish it if he'd cover the costs. In modern terms, Proust was a P.O.D. person. He's a perfect example of why I am so willing to read self published books.

I'll be doing the same thing that I did with Don Quixote de la Mancha and Ulysses. I will make comparisons to something pop culture, probably either from television or the movies but it might be something else, depending on how the book inspires me.

For this first week I managed to read thirty pages of the first section, "Combray." Proust starts off the book in first person without naming the protagonist (but it will later be revealed to be a semi-fictional Marcel Proust). He spends most of these first thirty pages talking about going to bed early and all the many different ways he slept, or didn't sleep. He talks of dreams he's had, of falling asleep in the wrong place or wrong position, of not knowing what time it is when he wakes and of having long bouts of insomnia.

With all this talk of sleeping or not sleeping and the importance of a good bed, I couldn't help but think of the Simpson's episode: "Lisa's First Word" (December 3, 1992). To make room for soon to be born Lisa, Bart has to give up his crib and sleep in a big boy bed. Even at such a young age he was fascinated by Krusty the Klown so Homer sets out to make him a clown themed big boy bed. Unfortunately it's a completely demented looking thing, thus giving rise to the great Bart line: "Can't sleep... clown will eat me." That my friends is my take on the first 30 pages of Swann's Way.

I'll leave you with a classic bit of Monty Python.

books | fiction | Marcel Proust | 1913

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© 2009 Sarah Sammis. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. ]]> books fiction Marcel Proust 1913 Sarah Sammis 04 Jul 2009 15:11 PST http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/swanns_way_01.html http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/swanns_way_01.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pussreboots/~3/ioJQZw_8rIY/wg_independence.html The toddler in the pool is me. This was during a July 4th "Block Party" in either 1975 or 1976. The woman in the green bathing suit is my mom. The other girl was a neighbor. The toddler in the pool is me. This was during a July 4th "Block Party" in either 1975 or 1976. The woman in the green bathing suit is my mom. The other girl was a neighbor.

This week the Weekly Geeks site wants those of us who are Americans to talk about the 4th of July, our Independence Day. Rather than wax on about how boring our 4th of July is going to be this year (no plans to see fireworks because the kids are too young, no parties and basically a day spent at home), I want to tell you about the Bicentennial.

The year of the Bicentennial I was two going on three so my memories are very vague. I can remember the 200 year birthday party being a big thing that started early and went late. Celebrations really got started in about 1975 and they petered out in 1977. The BIG DAY though July 4, 1976.

My memories involve three things: a patriotically painted train (and seeing it pass below my grandmother's backyard), snoopy painted fire hydrants done up in patriotic colors and costumes, and a huge street parade with lots and lots of marching bands.

The American Freedom Train:
Although the golden era of American passenger trains was over, a magnificent restored locomotive from that era spent 1975 and 1976 traveling the lower forty-eight states. It made it's stop in California in December 1975, stopping first in San Francisco where it was on display in the Presidio. From there it made its way south to San Diego, staying from January 14-18, 1976. From there it headed north again to San Juan Capistrano. All trains heading north from the station in San Diego pass through Rose Canyon that bisects University City. My grandmother's house sat right on the edge of the canyon and we could have easily watched the train go by.

To learn more about this train and the journey it took, please see the Freedom Train site.

This Snoopy hydrant isn't from San Diego. I found it online to give you an idea of what they looked like.

Snoopy Painted Fire Hydrants:
All throughout the country different cities and groups ended up painting their fire hydrants in patriotic colors. It wasn't part of some master plan, as far as I can tell. It just sort of happened as people got caught up in the excitement of the upcoming Bicentennial.

In San Diego and especially around the Hillcrest area I remember there being Snoopy painted fire hydrants. In some of them he was also decorated with stars and stripes and on the fancier ones he was dressed in period dress.

The hydrants I think have all been painted over since then but they sure were cute.

San Diego Parade:
The traditional big parade in San Diego isn't in Downtown; it's in Coronado. In the 1980s my family participated a number of times by driving our 1923 Buick touring car decked out in flags and red white and blue paper.

For whatever reason though (and it could be complete fabrication on my part), I remember the Bicentennial parade being Downtown. I remember staring up at all the skyscrapers and sitting on my grandfather's shoulders.

It's possible though, that I'm remembering two parades, the traditional Coronado one (which is worth seeing if you're ever in the San Diego area on the 4th) and a Downtown parade for the train. See the train station is right in the heart of Downtown, near the skyscrapers. I don't know if San Diego had a big celebration for the train but being a military town, it probably did.

Those are my vague memories of 1976. That's also the only photograph I'll ever post of myself in a bathing suit.

weekly geeks

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© 2009 Sarah Sammis. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. ]]> weekly geeks Sarah Sammis 04 Jul 2009 13:01 PST http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/wg_independence.html http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/wg_independence.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pussreboots/~3/gCbbmC0ZlCk/i_spy_fantasy.html This one as the title implies has a fantasy theme. I Spy Fantasy by Jean Marzollo is one of the early book in the I Spy series. This one as the title implies has a fantasy theme.

The book has some of the most beautiful and trickiest picture puzzles of all the books we own. There is one page made up of costume jewelry in the shape of a dove. After three years of reading and re-reading the book we're still not sure we've found all the correct pieces to answer the riddle!

My personal favorite page is the science fiction moon base made out of common kitchen items like colanders, whisks and the like. At first glance it's a very convincing otherworldly set and it's fascinating to look at all the details that have gone into making it.

The riddles are by Jean Marzollo and the photography and set building is by Walter Wick.

Read another reviews from the series: I Spy Mystery.

books | childrens | Jean Marzollo | 2009

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© 2009 Sarah Sammis. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. ]]> review books childrens Jean Marzollo 1994 Sarah Sammis 03 Jul 2009 18:25 PST http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/i_spy_fantasy.html http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/i_spy_fantasy.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pussreboots/~3/aN76h0navVk/she_i_fugue.html It claims to be a memoir of a man who evolves through his interactions with the women in his life. What that amounts to is a 280 page memoir about sex, ICQ and blogs, all written in short sentences ala Twitter. 07/02/09
I received an unsolicited "edited galley" of She and I: A Fugue by Michael R. Brown. It claims to be a memoir of a man who evolves through his interactions with the women in his life. What that amounts to is a 280 page memoir about sex, ICQ and blogs, all written in short sentences ala Twitter.

His "observations" come off as shallow, self obsessed and childish. I got to page 120 only by skipping about every other page. There was nothing interesting to keep my attention. The short "poetic" sentences are annoying and offer nothing to the process of learning about the author or what meaningful lessons he might have gotten out of life so far.

Read another review at: Bella is Reading.

books | nonfiction | Michael R. Brown | 2009

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© 2009 Sarah Sammis. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. ]]> review books nonfiction Michael R. Brown 2009 Sarah Sammis 02 Jul 2009 15:03 PST http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/she_i_fugue.html http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/she_i_fugue.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pussreboots/~3/4-vYmzW7bE0/ Here it is Thursday again and time my favorite meme.

Here it is Thursday again and time my favorite meme. We're on week six of "What Are My Children Reading" and this week's reading is in part a repeat of last week's reading.

Sean:
Sean and I are working our way through Hoot. I've read the book and seen the movie and have been eagerly waiting for him to be old enough for both. He is enjoying the book as much as I did. We've read two chapters so far and have stopped to discuss the characters, make predictions about the plot and talk about what it must be like to move to a new place and start a new school.

With Ian, he is also working his way through What is the Name of This Book? by Raymond M. Smullyan. I'm not sure how far along he is in the book but I do know he loves the riddles in it.

Harriet:
Harriet is reading one of her books and two library books. Her book is That's Not My Dinosaur... by Fiona Watt and illustrated by Rachel Wells. It's an Usborne "touchy-feely" book and she likes all the different textures. From the library we are reading If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond and The Cat Barked? by Lydia Monks which is illustrated in a style similar to the Pinkalicious series of books.

books | childrens | meme

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© 2009 Sarah Sammis. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. ]]> tag tag tag tag tag Sarah Sammis 02 Jul 2009 10:27 PST http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/ http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pussreboots/~3/UGESzOCwG0I/doctor_who_three_doctors.html The Third Doctor is still stuck on Earth and is working for UNIT. Meanwhile a probe studying energy signals from deep space has picked up a hitchhiker in the form of a superluminal signal carrying an antimatter blob intent on capturing the Doctor. Doctor Who and the Three Doctors by Terrance Dicks builds on Doctor Who and the War Games although there are a number of adventures (and three seasons) in between the two.

The Third Doctor is still stuck on Earth and is working for UNIT. Meanwhile a probe studying energy signals from deep space has picked up a hitchhiker in the form of a superluminal signal carrying an antimatter blob intent on capturing the Doctor. To save the universe the Time Lords back on Gallifrey must break one of their cardinal laws and let the Third Doctor work with his previous selves.

The Third and Second Doctor along with his companion and most of UNIT and some innocent bystanders end up in a world in a black hole. They must go against the mysterious Omega.

What I enjoyed most about this book was seeing how the Doctor has changed in regenerating from Second to Third and then extrapolating forward to future Doctors. The book builds on the Doctor's feelings of contempt for authority and the Council's distrust of but absolute dependence on their wayward Time Lord.

books | scfi | Terrance Dicks | 1975

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© 2009 Sarah Sammis. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. ]]> review books scifi Terrance Dicks 1975 Sarah Sammis 01 Jul 2009 20:03 PST http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/doctor_who_three_doctors.html http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_07/doctor_who_three_doctors.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pussreboots/~3/XvrECeEo-Z0/june.html I had a good month of reviewing. I have caught up with my backlog of books I was sent for review by reviewing 12 of them. I had a good month of reviewing. I have caught up with my backlog of books I was sent for review by reviewing 12 of them. Among the review copies, there were some absolute gems: Fiction by Ara 13 and Voices Under Berlin by THE Hill being my favorites.

On the reading challenge front, I finished the RYOB Challenge and and nearly done with the 9 in 2009.

I also had a guest review, Can You Spell Revolution? If you are interested in submitting a guest review, please contact me.

1. Andreanna by S. L. Gilbow (June 06)
2. The Angels of Morgan Hill by Donna VanLiere (June 26)
3. Bark up the Right Tree by Jessie and Ruth Tschudin (June 25)
4. Beware of Tigers by David Horowitz (June 17)
5. Can You Spell Revolution? by Matt Beam (guest review) (June 13)
6. Dark Side of the Morgue by Raymond Benson (June 21)
7. Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold (June 24)
8. Fiction by Ara 13 (June 16)
9. Fool by Christopher Moore (June 15)
10. Gambling for Good Mail by Evelyn Cole (June 30)
11. Going Postal: Rage, Murder, and Rebellion by Mark Ames (June 29)
12. The Heroes of Googley Woogley by Dalton James (June 07)
13. The Letter by Richard Paul Evans (June 03)
14. Naked Pictures of Famous People by Jon Stewart (June 05)
15. An Ornithologist's Guide to Life by Ann Hood (June 22)
16. Politics in Compassion by Jack Schauer (June 02)
17. The Price of Silence by Deborah Ross (June 27)
18. R is for Ricochet by Sue Grafton (June 10)
19. Sea Wrack by Edward Jesby (June 20)
20. South-Sea Idyls Charles Warren Stoddard (June 12)
21. Sparks: How Parents Can Ignite the Hidden Strengths of Teenagers by Peter L. Benson (June 18)
22. Stratosphere by Henry Garfield (June 13)
23. The Take-Us by John Raymond Takacs (June 09)
24. The Three Incestuous Sisters by Audrey Niffenegger (June 08)
25. Three Shadows by Cyril Pedrosa (June 01)
26. The Silent Man by Alex Berenson (June 04)
27. Ulysses by James Joyce (June 27)
28. Vigilante Witch Hunter by Gary Turcotte (June 28)
29. Voices Under Berlin by THE Hill (June 14)
30. The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry (June 19)
31. Women in Business by Patricia Annino (June 23)
32. The World I Never Made by James LePore (June 11)

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© 2009 Sarah Sammis. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. ]]> books blog Sarah Sammis 30 Jun 2009 23:05 PST http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_06/june.html http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_06/june.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/pussreboots/~3/6mupw9w50Pk/gambling_good_mail.html Felicia Wood's fourth husband has had it with her obsession with mail order catalogs and has filed for divorce. In Gambling for Good Mail by Evelyn Cole, Felicia Wood's fourth husband has had it with her obsession with mail order catalogs and has filed for divorce. On her own again she has a few thousand dollars to put her life together. She goes back east to reconnect with her brother. Meanwhile her niece is looking to get her life back on track after a long bout with depression.

Back east Felicia spends time with Frank, her brother, Uncle Howard and his girl friend Harriet. She comes home from time there still without a job and now broke. Caitland bails her out by asking to rent a room for her.

Gambling for Good Mail has moments of humor and moments of poignancy. There are scenes that have stuck with me but I didn't click with the novel as whole. Part of the problem for me is Felicia's inconsistency. On the one hand she desperately wants to be in a committed relationship but she hardly takes any action to do her part in the relationship. Likewise she knows she needs to do something with her life but she doesn't take any action to do undo the mess she's in. Ultimately it takes personal tragedies to get her motivated.

My final thought on Gambling for Good Mail is this: there is a good and tight novel tucked away in a slightly too bloated book.

Read other reviews at: Blogger News Network, Dan's Journal, Gambling Literature, Debbie Book Addict's Blog and Amelia Reads.

books | fiction | Evelyn Cole | 2008

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© 2009 Sarah Sammis. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. ]]> review books fiction Evelyn Cole 2008 Sarah Sammis 30 Jun 2009 22:01 PST http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_06/gambling_good_mail.html http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2009/comments_06/gambling_good_mail.html